It was spring break of 2012, and my family and I were spending the week at our vacation home in Leakey, Texas. As usual, one of the days we decided to go kayaking on the “Frio River” less than five minutes away from the house. We put comfortable clothing on and prepared the two kayaks and floating tubes in the back of the car, then we took off. When we arrived, one at a time, we carefully placed each bright orange kayak on the water. We brought our two dogs with us, so my miniature black Chihuahua, Hershey, ended up joining me on my Kayak. Just as I began to start paddling, my mom called me to turn for a picture. In the photo I am wearing old gym shorts, a white T-shirt, a cap, and have a smile on my face. Meanwhile, Hershey is standing in …show more content…
Luckily, the water was especially clear that day, which allowed me to observe the plentiful fish passing below my vibrant kayak. The fishes ranged in all sizes and species, including bass, catfish, perch, and minnows. Other aquatic life, such as turtles and crawfish, made brief appearances that day as well. Additionally, the fully grown oak trees that surrounded me gave the photograph a high aesthetic appearance. With all this being said, the nature was undoubtedly the high point of my experience that day. I remember passing by a large group of lily pads which many fish and insects took refuge in. Dragonflies, of all colors, would continuously descend on my kayak but then quickly depart after realizing I wasn’t a floating log. Deer’s would gracefully stroll by enjoying a meal as squirrels would fidget around looking for nuts. It was mother earth at her finest. As is evident by my expression in the photo, being on the river made me feel as if I had temporarily escaped all my worries. When you are occupied with paddling and a beautiful scenery, you don’t have time to think about life’s difficulties. Eventually, when I made my
As I looked out the window of the restaurant, I could see the sun bouncing off the sparkling water below. Boats and other water craft scatter the water as well as people on water-skis and inner tubes. The picturesque view makes life seem so much better and just looking at the river makes a person calmer. The scene just described is the view from the window of a restaurant called Sophia in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the corresponding river is the mighty Mississippi. Although Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, this scene could be found right here in the valley of Phoenix. The way this is possible is through the Rio Salado Project.
“The Boat”, narrated by a Mid-western university professor, Alistar MacLeod, is a short story concerning a family and their different perspectives on freedom vs. tradition. The mother pushes the son to embrace more of a traditional lifestyle by taking over the fathers fishing business, while on the other hand the father pushes the son to live more autonomously in an unconstrained manner. “The Boat” focuses on the father and how his personality influences the son’s choice on how to live and how to make decisions that will ultimately affect his life. In Alistair MacLeod’s, “The Boat”, MacLeod suggest that although dreams and desires give people purpose, the nobility of accepting a life of discontentment out weighs the selfishness of following ones own true desires. In the story, the father is obligated to provide for his family as well as to continue the fishing tradition that was inherited from his own father. The mother emphasizes the boat and it’s significance when she consistently asked the father “ How did things go in the boat today” since tradition was paramount to the mother. H...
“The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head.” – Christopher McCandless, Into the Wild
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” At some point in life one is faced with a decision which will define the future, but only time will tell whether or not the choice was right or wrong. The Boat by Alistair MacLeod demonstrates that an individual should make their own decisions in life, be open to new experiences and changes, and that there is no way to obtain something, without sacrificing something else.
This past Easter weekend my family and I went to the lake, and it was the most fun that I have had in awhile. Hyco Lake is actually located in Semora, NC, which is only about fifteen minutes outside of Roxboro. Most of Roxboro and all of Semora is country, so it is not unusual to see animals running wild. We bring our dog along so she can run wild and be one with the other wild animals. When we got to the house the first thing that I did was walk down to the dock to check the water temperature to see if it was warm enough to go swimming. I was about halfway down the driveway when I saw a huge water moccasin laying out in the sun at the bottom of the driveway. Water moccasins are very poisonous, so I know not to mess with them.
Life what a dangerous and adventurous voyage. One cloudy day, a sailor set out on a voyage. A vast storm had been forecasted that week. Author one describes the passage more in detail. Author two’s passage is easier to understand.
In the life of every individual there is always a critical time where it is essential to stop running and rethink his life. This moment is like a lifeline in the middle of an ocean. For some, it is a series of progressive steps. For others, it is a revelation, abrupt, usually accompanied by a tragedy and or disappointments that often lead to the change of one’s perspective in life. In his short story the “Greasy Lake” T.C. Boyle helps us understand how this moment of revelation can be intricate and risky but life-changing.
Although the words are almost fifty years old, Gift from the Sea still speaks powerfully about humanity. Using metaphors of different kinds of shells she finds on the beach, she talks about solitude and the distracted lives we lead. Along the way, she shares meditations about life that are simple yet profound. She advocates a simple life that cuts out the excesses – the things that clutter and complicate our lives. “Simplification of outward life is not enough. It is merely the outside. But I am starting with the outside. I am looking at the outside of my life – the shell. The complete answer is not to be found on the outside, in an outward mode of living. This is only a technique, a road to grace. The final answer, I know, is always inside.” In her explanation of simplification, she explains that there are two types of rhythm – hectic and primeval. Hectic rhythm is when someone is une...
In conclusion, John Cheever’s short story, “The Swimmer,” is an all-encompassing piece of fiction that deals with the heavy topic of life and time. Incredibly, Cheever drew inspiration from his own life and mixed specific, personal elements into the work. This tactic proved successful, as it has given “The Swimmer” the capability to portray a bleak, yet accurate depiction of the human condition. Cheever sheds light on the parts of life that most people much rather ignore than face. In essence, Cheever used his abilities intelligently and as a result, gave the literary world the wonderful story that is “The Swimmer.”
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon. (Krakauer 57)” McCandless felt the trip was necessary to fill a void in him. He became so infatuated with adventure that he encouraged others to venture out and explore the world. Unfortunately for McCandless he was very stubborn.
. In the short story The Boat, written by Canadian author Alistair Macleod, the main storyline revolves around the idea of self-fulfillment and the factors that affect one’s path to achieving it. The story bases itself off of a families pursuit of self-fulfillment within each individual and the limitations that obstructs their opportunities of achieving it. The main character, the Son, is faced with an internal conflict between choosing what his aspirations in life will truly will be. Two very influential characters that affect his decisions include the mother, who is very strong willed in what she believed, and his Father. The Father, who was the complete opposite of the mother, emotionally forced his son to deter from fishing which ultimately decided the fate of the son’s idea of self-fulfillment. These characters in the son’s life influenced him to either decide between following through with the concept of staying at home and continuing the fishing family tradition that is forced upon by the mother or education. Education being that it will guarantee a more desirable and easy life in contrast to fishing. A large factor that relates to all the character’s in the short story is that they are dominantly impacted by the environment that they reside in. Through this type of environment Macleod utilizes this effectively to influence each character’s idea of self- fulfillment. Overall, it is clear that one can not fully achieve uttermost self - fulfillment but nevertheless one’s perspective is the dictator of what self - fulfillment truly means to themselves.
“It’s difficult to recall the first time I went to Switzerland. The actual experience of flying across the ocean at a young age felt like journeying to a different world. That eleven-hour flight was such a tedious part of the very exciting journey ahead. I remember once looking out the window of the plane as we touched down and feeling such a deep comfort and contentment. I felt as though I was home. What awaited me were days of family and friends, hiking and exploring, and delicious food. It was always such a beautiful experience being i...
Here I thought I was doing so well, because I had canoed various times before, and I had walked through equally difficult vegetation. So why was I so upset? Why was I so damaged, and in so much pain? I wanted to scream! Instead I let out my frustrations on the mosquitoes, swatting them away while my canoe partner fought his way back into the canoe.
Today is the day, August 2, 2017. I have been waiting all summer to go somewhere special with my sister, Kristen. We were either going to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo or the Shedd Aquarium. We finally arrived at the aquarium which looked huge from the outside. We grabbed a map and headed inside where we started to explore and see all different kinds of marine life. First we saw the types of fish, eels, and anemone that live in different parts of the world in different types of bodies of water. My sister and I were very freaked out about seeing an eel that was at least six or more feet long. After that we started exploring the first floor.
"People either love it, or they hate it," Fred proclaimed again, for the umpteenth time. His reddish face almost glowed against the gray sky. The combination of giddy grin, round cheeks, and fine, yellow, tousled hair yielded a face far too boyish for a man in his mid-fifties. But the always-present twinkle in Fred's eye was ever so slightly diminished today, and I knew why: he feared that his intuition might be mistaken and that I might not, after all, take to today's activity. His concern was compounded by weather; it was far from ideal for this, my first sail. Why was it so important to him that I like sailing anyway?