In the novel, If I Stay, a choice has to be made. Whether to live or to die. Gayle Forman writes about the life of Mia Hall and the decisions she makes following the tragic car accident that killed her family. When she is in her coma, she is able to come out of her body and see everything that is happening around her. She can see her lifeless body, her boyfriend, Adam, the nurses, and her grandparents. Mia can hear what they say, but she has no way of responding. The theme of this novel is about choices because the whole story revolves around the choice that Mia makes. To me, the theme of the novel is: Choosing your future can be determined by the influence certain things have on your life. Mia has the choice to live and pursue her dreams of being a cellist at Juilliard, to live to be with her boyfriend and grandparents, or to die and be with her parents and brother again.
The first choice that Mia could make was to live. She could choose to live so that she could go to Juilliard to pursue her love of music. Mia loved playing her cello and wanted to continue playing it in college. This would be a major reason for her to choose to live so that she could do what
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she loved. This would make her have something to look forward to. “ But I can’t wrap my mind around the notion of you not getting old, having kids, going to Juilliard, getting to play that cello in front of a huge audience, so that they can get the chills the way I do every time I see you pick up your bow, every time I see you smile at me.” (Forman, 230-231) This quote spoken by Mia’s boyfriend, Adam, truly displays her passion for the cello. Going to Juilliard was just a dream, until her family made it possible and took her to the audition. They believed in her talent and passion and that is something worth living for. Mia’s next choice would be based on her family and friends still living. She had her grandparents, best friend and boyfriend. Each of these people had a great deal of importance in her life, and they would be hard to leave. The nurses at the hospital also meant a lot to Mia considering the fact that they were taking care of her. They all loved and cared about Mia so much. “ And suddenly I just need to hold his hand more than I have ever needed anything in this world. Not just be held by it, but hold it back. I aim every remaining ounce of energy into my right hand. I’m weak, and this is so hard. It’s the hardest thing I will ever have to do. I summon all the love I have ever felt, I summon all the strength that Gran and Gramps and Kim and the nurses and Willow have given me.” (Forman, 234) Mia began to feel all the love she has experienced in her lifetime, and realizes that the people in her life are very important and worth living for. Mia’s last choice that she could make is dying to be with her mom, dad, and little brother.
These three people had the biggest influence on Mia’s life. They were the people she was with every day, and being without them would be the hardest thing she would ever have to go through. “ I’m only ten years older than him, but it’s like I’ve already had so much more life. It is unfair.” (Forman, 160) In this sentence, Mia is feeling guilty because her younger brother, Teddy, will never get to experience some things in life, including things that she has already been able to do. If she makes this choice, she will be with them again, but will be leaving everyone else on earth. Eventually, she will be able to reunite with her family, but choosing when to be with them is Mia’s
struggle. Choosing your future can be determined by the influence certain things have on your life. Whether Mia decides to live or die, she is influenced by many different people. She has to take many different sides into consideration. She tries to make the most logical decision, if there even is one. Choosing what is best for your future isn’t always easy, but in the end we end up making the right decision for ourselves. Mia has the choice to live and pursue her dreams of being a cellist at Juilliard, to live to be with her boyfriend and grandparents, or to die and be with her parents and brother again.
In conclusion, the story describes that life changes, and nothing stays the same throughout it. It is in the hands of the people to decide that how they want their life to be. They can make it as beautiful as they want to and they can also make it worse than it has ever been
It is safe to say that work comes in many different forms. Whether it be a fast food or a corporate, the people that surround an individual make a great impact on the way he or she may work. Singapore, by Mary Oliver, is about a young woman working as a custodian in an airport who although works alone, enjoys her work and the people she meets. Dorianne Laux’s What I Wouldn’t Do, introduces another young woman reviewing the jobs she has had throughout time and reflects on those that she liked and disliked. Hard Work, by Stephen Dunn, exemplifies a young boy working in a soda factory during his summer break. Searching for happiness in life and work is just what these individuals are doing.
This frustration acted as a vehicle for her to gain a desire to be more
...o the conclusion of the theme. I strongly think that the message the author Sharon Draper was trying to explain to the readers is that even though we all fall that we also must learn to get back up. Amari had given me inspiration because even thought she went through some of the worst problems that any girl her age can experience Amari with the help of everyone around her was able to use her backbone to get her back up and lift her head up high to accept what future awaited her. The people around her helped shape who she will be one day and I can relate this to my life in which I choose to follow or not follow the ideas of society to help shape my future life into a better one than it is right now. And I have also learned that even through the toughest times to always remember that I am not alone, that I have my experiences and hopes to guide me through the journey.
Theme: The theme of the story is that sometimes in life you have to make sacrifices, big or small, to help things that are more important then what benefits you more. This is shown plenty of times throughout the story, but the most important time was when Sadie had to choose to save her father, or stop Set and...
The theme of this novel is to look at the good you do in life and how it carries over after your death. The moral of the book is; "People can make changes in their lives whenever they really want to, even right up to the end."
What is the difference between effective or ineffective communication skills when working with children, this essay is determine to find out the appropriate ways to communicate with children by analyse, the video clip ‘Unloved’ by Tony Grison, where a young White British girl aged 11 was taken into care, due to her father being abusive towards her and mother not wanting to see her.
For instance, the author writes, “If I were to marry, I would not grow old with my husband. I could either die two years or outlive him by a hundred. An interesting prospect. What price did Claire pay to keep her only child?” (Pearson 180). This explains how when the time comes to marry or to have children, she would outlive her family. Here, the author is referencing that Jenna feels that Claire went too far to keep her alive. In addition, Mary Pearson writes, “But I know one day, when Kayla is of certain of age, I will travel to Boston in the winter and I will stay there, taking long walks and feeling the softness of the cold snowflakes on my face once again, because no parent should outlive their child,” (Pearson 264). This indicates how Jenna will have to return to Boston, where it is cold, to weaken and eventually die. She wants to do this when Kayla is older because she doesn't want to outlast her daughter. Given these points, it shows how Jenna’s parents had a great impact on her own
The hope to survive is shown through the author’s use of figurative language. For example, Gerda listening to her parents’ conversation about her father leaving on the train the next morning brings her strength. Her parents’ love and courage sustains Gerda through the happy
In one part of the story the narrator’s mother kept pushing her daughter to practice doing all kinds of things because she wanted her to succeed in life but the daughter doesn’t know that her mother has good intentions. In the text is says “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything” (Tan). This is a good example of the theme because the narrator is saying that she thought she would one day become a prodigy instead of being herself because no one is perfect. In another part of the story the narrator was getting frustrated that she wasn’t living up to her mother’s expectations and was starting to give up. The text says, “Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back- and that it would always be this ordinary face- I began to cry” (Tan). This piece of evidence also demonstrates the theme because the narrator is believing less and less in herself since she wasn’t becoming famous or amazingly talented. She thinks that she’ll never be able
Sophie, the main character in Sophie's Choice, must embrace the loss of her family-her parents, husband, and children-due to the Nazi party in Germany. In the final chapters of the novel, one of Sophie's most excruciating choices is revealed; she makes an emotional decision to select only one of her children to survive with her in the extermination camp, while her daughter Eva was sent to the crematorium. Sophie made many decisions to keep her family alive before they were sent to the camp, such as determining not to aid the rebels' cause, but the guilt she faces after this decision has sculpted her personality and she carried the remorse of her daughter's unfortunate death throughout the rest her life. Sophie expressed her feelings to Stingo about her daughter by saying, “it might even save me from the guilt I have felt over Eva. In some way I know I should feel no badness over something I done like that. I see that it was...beyond my control, but it is still so terrible to wake up these many mornings with a memory of that, having to live with it. When you add it to all the other bad things I done, it makes everything unbearable. Just unbearable (p 538).” Sophie has kept these feelings to herself a...
Theme is the first literary term strongly evident throughout the story. A battle between an old way of living and new age outlook takes place between the mom and her daughter, Dee. The mother is stuck in an era of fear, where she has no opportunity. Her lifestyle is more modest and simple as a result from living in that time frame. Her fear shows it self when she admits to being afraid of the white man in the quote, “Who can I
There are many themes that occur and can be interpreted differently throughout the novel. The three main themes that stand out most are healing, communication, and relationships.
If Chantal tells the village, she may be making a choice that leads to the death of another villager. If she does not, the stranger will tell them she withheld the opportunity which will put her at risk of being the chosen victim. In her moment of fear, she says, “For that moment, all of our fears suddenly surface: the fear of setting off along a road heading who knows where, the fear of a life full or new challenges, the fear of losing forever everything” (Coelho). On the other hand, Sophie is faced with two fatal choices, one being which child is most likely to live and which will surely die. Another choice she must make after a long life of agony after losing her family is the fatal choice to take her own life as she constantly has flashbacks of the guard demanding, “Make a choice, Or I’ll send both of them over there” (Pakula
. The speaker gives an overall impression that her father is oppressive and cruel, although he misses him. Her father’s oppression has lasted even after his death.