This is where I spent my Christmas vacation. Chicago, Illinois My hometown. Hahaha...no :( Pretty convincing though eh? I spent my REAL Christmas vacation here. Bonding with my university application essay prompts. 1.) Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are? 2.) Consider something in your life you think goes unnoticed and write about why it's important to you. While these two essay prompts were given by two different universities, I found my answers to be pretty similar and I wonder how Jack from the novel Room would answer these questions. For Jack, the experience he had in Room completely defines him as a person. Furthermore, his naivety is a trait that goes unnoticed in the Outside world. Since he was never fully integrated into the Outside world, his childish innocence was never lost. His way of thinking really is rare; people don't pay much attention to his uniqueness, rather they look down on him. -"He wants me not born. He said I shouldn't be and then Ma wouldn't have to be Ma." (Donoghue 259) He speaks and listens to things the way everyone does, but he doesn't understand them the same way. Normally when people hear that other people wish they weren't born, people feel offended and hurt, but Jack understands it like a normal fact. Jack knows what Grandpa thinks of him, but he doesn't take it to heart nor does he let it affect him, because it really doesn't. Sometimes being mature and grown-up is great; we can understand more things. But sometimes being naive and young is good as well. Young children don't understand things to the extent that adults do. They don't analyze every bit and detail of the situation and come to a big assumption. They don't take everything to heart, nor do they let others live out their life for them, rather they let themselves take control of their own life. Although we are older, there are plenty of things for us to learn from children as well.
In saying this, Jack is not just a clueless 5-year-old boy. He has a pretty advanced mind and way of thinking. He sees the intent behind peoples' actions and sees situations exactly how they are. -"'Pop in,' persons are always saying pop or hop in when it's something they want to pretend is fun." (256) When Grandma is trying to excite Jack about going to bed Jack sees through her 'pretend fun' and realizes that whenever people say pop or hop, it's all just fake. -"Ma isn't dead, Grandma says she wouldn't lie to me. She lied to Dr. Clay about Checkers." (261). Jack knows Grandma told him she wouldn't lie to him, but he clearly remember that she lied to someone else. By making this connection, Jack displays some distrust in Grandma when he compares one truth to another. -"This house is hard to learn...Outsiders are not like us, they've got a million of things and different kinds of each thing, like all different chocolate bars and machines and shoes. ...When I drop some powder called talc on the floor I sweep it up but Grandma comes in and says that's the toilet brush and she's mad I'm spreading germs." (264) Jack is often looked down upon for being himself and not having adjusted to the real world. This is the product of someone being raised in isolation to society. Although it means his social skills are lacking, it also means that he developed some qualities that have been lost in the ruckus and commotion of the busy Outside world. His innocence is crucial to who he is and this sharp, keen, and unique mind of his is precious for the Outside world. As the book wraps up, some college students on a TV show talk about how everybody is Jack in their own way, trapped in our own private Rooms. I've mentioned this before, and it is so true. I feel that the ending of the book is so complete. I've read way too many books that have been great all the way until the end. Disappointing endings are the worst and I'm so glad Room did not disappoint. With Jack going back to Room and getting a sense of what it really is and accepting the closure, the reader themselves feel a sense of closure. I mentioned Chicago earlier in the post as a joke, but it is my hometown. That part is no joke! I lived there until I was 13, then moved to Ottawa and I have been back many times. Every time I go back, my sister and I revisit all our favourite childhood places, walk to our favourite parks, and visit our favourite people. Most importantly, we revisit our old house that's been on the market up until Dec.19, 2014 when it was officially sold off. My grandparents were the ones who did the official signing with our Realtor (all in the picture) since we couldn't leave Ottawa. When we do visit, my sister and I roam the empty rooms, lie on the floors, stare up at the ceiling, reminiscing, remembering, and rejoicing. It's never the same. With tenants living in the house for 2 years, they quickly turned my room into a fitness room, then when they vacated, it became empty. again. Photo creds to my grandpa, although I don't think he did a good job at representing the full glory of my room...Oh well...maybe it really is only this good.
I remember all the good memories produced in the house but seeing it in his original bareness reminds me of all the good memories that will be soon to come when the new owners move in. It is customizable to different human tastes. That's how the world works; everything is customizable to different human tastes. Some people like bitter, some people don't. Some people like spicy, some people don't. Some people like sweet, some people don't. The list goes on!! Like Jack says, there are millions of things in the world to explore, and each individual has their own opinion on things. And opinions are liable to change. Even my view on our childhood memories was different than my sister's view. And now my view on my same house is different than what it was 4 years ago. I like to figure out how people work, and sometimes the human side of people can get scary, but I have a genuine interest in getting to know people. That's why I think I enjoyed Room so much. I'm glad to see how Jack grew and changed. I've gotten to know him throughout this book, and when I see him embracing the Outside world and letting go of Room, it makes me feel proud of him. Good job little JackerJack.
2 Comments
Randa Mansour
1/9/2015 07:06:23 am
Michelle, your insights and experiences in the 'real world' were heart-warming. I relate to your post in so many ways! I tend to sometimes get lost in the past looking back on my childhood memories and wishing I was a kid all over again! There is no rewind button on life, and sometimes I wish that would change so I can see my previous adventures and experiences one last time. I am familiar with how you view your interests in getting to know people, and you're right, most often trying to make friends with people is not only scary, it is also often times very hard. I like how you said that kids set an example for the world and teach you things that adults will never be able to. This is very true because children are the most honest creatures you will ever meet. Kids are born curious, they are always exploring--and the world needs more of that. And I think even in Room, Jack taught his mom many things that she never even came across realizing. I loved reading Room because I made so many connections with it. The beauty about the 'outside world' is that opinions vary in so many ways, and although we all share something in common, we all perceive things differently.
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Randa, thank you so much for your comment; I'm glad we share similar views! Sometimes I want to relive my old childhood memories, but then I think..wait.. now that I'm this old, if I relive it, I probably wouldn't get the same experience out of it. I probably would handle things differently, react to things differently, and view things differently. That's why childhood is so precious, because it only happens once.
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A blog cannot contain the entire person I am, it is just a colorful collection of my stories. P.S. Please ignore all preview blog posts due to it being written by my high school self for an English class project requiring the creation of this blog. I only keep it for amusement purposes. Thanks for bearing Instagram @Meeshyin |