Reading for Understanding free essay sample

In the story Bones by J. Lee Engfer, we meet a young, 27 year old, self diagnosed hypochondriac named Lea who acts as if she doesnt appreciate life. Lea in the beginning of the story is a pessimist but towards the end we see a change in her ideas and thinking until she becomes optimistic about her life. We also meet a young spirited older woman named Thea who is vivacious and fun loving with a sense of style which makes her almost 1940s Hollywood-esque, with the neck scarves and painted on eyebrows. The story is a small look into Leas life. We learn key points about her such as her mother passing away, and her self-diagnosed hypochondria. Its Halloween and Lea and her friend Thea go for a walk to Lake Harriet near Theas house. Lea has an epiphany about her life. The theme of the story is about living your life to the fullest. We will write a custom essay sample on Reading for Understanding or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The idea that Lea is a hypochondriac could have an even deeper meaning, such as Lea representing the oppression of society in today which is seen almost everywhere with people who do not make an effort to make their lives worthwhile. Leas turning point happens as her and Thea play in one of several piles of leaves. Perhaps the leaves have a more significant meaning than just leaves? Maybe the dead leaves represent Leas dead personality and dull, meaningless life. I believe so. I believe the leaves being played in and stirred about represent a deeper meaning of change and finding meaning in life. A simple action of playing in leaves brought on an epiphany that Lea should start living her life. As they walk back home Lea has to slow down to Theas pace, which makes her realize that despite Theas age, she is able to fulfill her life with the satisfaction of knowing that if she died today, she would have died alive. This short story can relate to many things, as it is an issue seen in society very often. Religion can be an example of how it restricts your life from doing certain things, and living in fear of death, when there is nothing to be afraid of. I can also relate this short story to a series of books that I have read written by James Frey. A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard both follow the story of a recovering drug abuser, author James Frey. James addiction led him to believe that his life was worthless, that he was worthless, and he would do anything to end it all, rehab gave him the chance o end those feelings and change his views. His views change when he finds out devastating news that his girlfriend has committed suicide, his outlook and perspective on life completely changes as soon as hes out of rehab. He becomes optimistic about life, but certain aspects remain pessimistic. A popular piece of writing turned music video written by Mary Schmich called Advice, like youth , probably just wasted on the young and it was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997. The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single called Everybodys Free to Wear Sunscreen released in 1999, accredited to Baz Luhrmann (which I highly recommend by the way! ). Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do youll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders the perfect quote for Leas life. The text gives advice on how to create a worry free life; it is a beautiful piece of writing. I absolutely love how this author uses Irony and Flashbacks. Irony was used when Lea said It doesnt affect my functioning in society while referring to her hypochondria. This statement is false because she underestimates herself, when she can achieve so much more than a stable job, and a feeling of just being ok. The way she describes her scattering her mothers ashes is a beautiful example of a flashback, it is extremely descriptive. There are however many other techniques used such as personification, metaphors, local color, and symbolism. They all tie together in a beautiful way which makes the reader feel what the character is feeling, and see what the character is seeing. It grasps the characters emotions and makes the reader understand them. Living your life as if you were scared of death at every corner is a pointless way of living. People should realize that they need to experience many different things in life to fulfill that void that many people feel when asking themselves what is the meaning of life. In my opinion the meaning of life is to live your life without justification form others on why you do something. The point of life is to live, how can you live with a constant fear of death? This short story is an excellent example of a self realization that there is more to life than worrying about every single bad thing that happens. Live as you will have wished to have lived when