The short story You’ll Apologize If You Have To by Ben Fowlkes has left a strong impact on me in terms of my liberal education. Although the story itself was a quick read for me, there were a lot of aspects that I felt connected to in which I learned from. Similarly to the protagonist Wallace, I related to him in the sense that I feel dissatisfied with my life. The difference between us is that I am much younger therefore I have not really experienced my path in life or my future employment. My life is not yet set in stone thus there are more possible ways to change my future so I can be satisfied with it. Whereas with Wallace, he is a middle age man who chose to be a fighter as his career.
The whole process of Wallace realizing he should stop fighting was very fascinating for me. What stood out the most was when Wallace’s coach said “When the smell of the gym makes you sick,
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it’s time to quit.” I understood that the fighters who still go to the gym despite the smell are committed. They didn’t let the smell stop them from training. In this moment Wallace knew he had to quit because he was tired of fighting and didn’t have the capability to ignore the smell any longer. Coming to the realization that Wallace had to give up fighting is the first step to living the examined life. It was clear he was unhappy with not only his career but his family also. He felt very distant to his daughter Molly from the encounter he had when picking her up from his ex wife. It was mentioned that Wallace had forgotten Molly in the past due to being high or important fights he had. In Wallace’s situation he either continues with fighting or has the opportunity to work on his relationship with his daughter. Apologies are taken for granted nowadays. I’m used to hearing a lot of “sorrys” but without any depth or explanation. This is a problem my generation has. I also notice some problems never being resolved because both parties may not have the courage to apologize. After Wallace’s altercation with his neighbor in the green coat his realization to apologize was the moment that impacted me. Taking the initiative to apologize for bad actions gave me a lasting impression. Although the altercation was minor with just a push to the ground, apologizing for this mistake is a big step for Wallace. He could’ve have just let it be and never speak to this man again but choosing to apologize had a lasting impression on me. During the course of the short story, Wallace was not living an examined life because he did not have purpose.
He did not enjoy his work or have a stable relationship with his daughter. It didn’t help that he would occasionally get high and start fights with strangers. I don’t think that is a good life to be living, let alone living the examined life. If Wallace was living an examined life he would have chose to be a fatherly figure in his daughter’s life and he would also not allow himself to lash out on others. Choosing to apologize to his neighbor was the first step into living an examined life, but Wallace was not quite there yet.
This story also gave me a lasting impression because it showed the process of becoming a well rounded person. The story started off with Wallace feeling down about a fight he had lost and lost contact of is coach for a few weeks. Because the readers saw Wallace’s low points in his life, we can understand the difficulty there is just to transition into living the examined life. Just one apology may not seem very important but I appreciate Wallace’s
intentions.
He explains all his difficulties through his senior year in Cidal college, in South Carolina. His abusive parents, his teammates, his coach all which lead him to become a powerful person. His memoir about his basketball career and the affects he had amongst people caused him to have a magnificent book revealing the insides he had with his teammates. Don Conroy, his abusive father, wasn’t there to keep him going but only held him back from going too far. His coach and his father were people who brought him down into believing there is no good in the world. He had a rough time growing up , but he knew he had to keep proving them all wrong. Fighting through his troubles in life, Pat only did not become a great basketball player but a great writer. This memoir, remembering all the extravagant memories he had in college with his friends, yet he did have hard times but pushed through it. Not complaining he didn’t just push himself, but he also pushed his teammates into becoming something greater. In the end, he will forever remember all his fights and great memories he had with his special teammates at Cidal college, it led him into becoming a great leader at the end of
Your fate is not based upon anyone’s actions other than your own. Both Wes Moore’s experienced a circumstance in which they required a second chance. The decision of how to use that second chance is the vital part to succeeding, for the difficult part learning how to “distinguish between second chances and last chances” (Moore 67). Wes— The author— was given a second chance after joining military school. Although it was originally an unfortunate turn of events, Wes quickly learned the opportunities that surrounded him were to fade rapidly if he did not improve his way of life. This experience is an example of how a single person can set themselves up for success or failure based upon their individual
Expectations versus environment has been an ongoing argument on which is more effective on a destiny. However, environment has much more effect in a destiny. It is nearly impossible not to see this play out in today’s society. “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore is a prime example of how environment overrides expectations when it comes to creating a destiny. This book is primarily about two boys with the same names, but incredibly different fates that were predetermined by their uncontrollable environment. Wes Moore(a) grew up to fulfil a role in the U.S. Army and write a book. Wes Moore(p) sealed his fate by committing a felony and earning a life sentence in prison. The environment runs through primary lives, late teens, and early adulthood,
In a person’s life, one must overcome obstacles that have the potential to either negatively or positively impact their future. Whether it is a serious obstacle, such as being involved with drugs, or a minor obstacle, such as procrastinating an important essay for the night before it is due, the choices people make can influence the way they live their lives. In Wes Moore’s inspiring non-fiction book, The Other Wes Moore, two boys with the same name start off living a few blocks away from one another, but turn out to be completely different individuals. At first, they were both troublemakers, getting in trouble with the law. However, as time progressed, the author, Wes Moore, became a Rhodes scholar and quite successful, while the other Wes Moore was sentenced to life in prison. The difference between these two men was the surrounding influences that shaped their growth as people. In a person’s growth, the most important factors are a positive role model in a positive environment because a positive role model will provide the path to success and will aid that person in achieving prosperity.
After reading this story I was really pleased by the overall message that was sent so indirectly. I enjoyed reading a story that was relatable to the very life that’s going on around me. My eyes were opened by the fact that there are really so many rules and expectations that people have to follow to be considered a good person. “ Good Person” has really made me think about all the people in the world that in many peoples eyes wouldn’t be classified as “good”, and made me want to find the good in them. Wallace was able to send such a strong message by telling a serious and emotional story of a young couple using controversial and commonly seen issues in today’s world. This story really interested me and will be in my mind forever, being that I feel so strongly about seeing the good in people, and because the topic Wallace choose is one that I am passionate about.
Firstly, I liked the way in which the author uses his experiences to relate ...
In his speech to the graduating class, William Faulkner addresses the importance of forming one’s self to change to world to a better place. His uplifting tone and compassion brings the audience closer to him.
I did not read this short narrative just to read it. What I began to do was put myself in the shoes of the student whom
On a cold and snowy February afternoon last year, I sat down in my living room and decided to watch a movie. The movie of choice was Good Will Hunting. It popped up on my queue and I had not read any reviews, so I was certainly not expecting to have a deep, philosophical look at my life afterwards. Good Will Hunting is riddled with life lessons. After the movie, I considered what Will learned and tried to apply it to my own life.
As I was completing my portfolio and polishing everything, I realized that I could learn a lesson or more for my own life out of every single book that I read, whether it related to my friendships, future legal career, romantic relationships, past mistakes, view on life, and more. For instance, in my reading journals, I focused on coming of age and how we realize the consequences of short versus long term benefits, life’s uncertainty and how we need to learn how to embrace it’s own “floating bridge,” or how the fervent quest for prestige and social status can lead to losing one’s value and happiness.
William Faulkner, famous author, once said, “always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” Throughout one of his novel’s, The Reivers, Faulkner endorses this ideology. Almost every character in the book, regardless of race, age, or gender, realizes that it is important to make the most of themself. Everyday we overcome obstacles, make mistakes, and try new things. However, it is what we take away from all these acts that matters. We must learn and grow as individuals, bettering who we are not just for others, but also for ourselves. We have to realize that we are the ones in charge of our fait and molding ourselves into the people
on the future, without the time or necessity to reflect on the past. The study of liberal arts has opened new windows to the past in my mind, allowing the wisdom and thoughts of many great people circulate and stimulate my efforts, giving credence to many of life’s blessings and insecurities. The struggles, discoveries, confessions, and pronouncements of those who are forged in history often apply to modern day life relationships. A fellow classmate, very intuitively, remarked that my writing always reflects back to my personal life. The impact of history and literature on my life, explains the gift I have found in my studies.
Ben Fowlkes’ method of telling this story was different in a way that he intended to use a more convincing approach by using cause and effect as well as his use of character thought and description. I love how the opening scene made it look like a boxing story or anything related to MMA fighting, but rather having an aspect of boxing in order to tell how it affects someone’s life. Whenever I write a story that contains a “cause and effect” narrative, I would have the character either fail or succeed in order to build his character and to either have him be a victim of his failure, or learn from it. Lines such as “Wallace spent the next three days alone in his condo, sitting in the dark and feeling sorry for himself” shows the effects of the
Although it was to be a wonderful chance to attend college, it had appeared that the opportunity to attend college for someone at my age was not favorable. At the age of 47, what was I thinking? As a young mother of four children, attending college was something that was not in the future, it was chalked up as a missed opportunity. As an eighteen year old, when most people attend college, I married, had children and then divorced. The only options available to me was to work to support my children so that they one day would be able to attend college. As the children got older they wanted to know why I pushed so
It is easy to make mistakes but it is difficult to apologize. I have made several mistakes and