Hills Like White Elephants (Ernest Hemingway) relates to my narrative scene because of the importance behind the choices we make due to the impact it has on our future permanently. In the story, Jig, has to make an important choice between keeping her baby or having an abortion. In contrast, I had to make a decision on picking my major for my future career. My family and I were eating dinner when my mom opened a conversation with me on choosing a certain career field before entering college. “Mustafa, have you thought about what you want to major in yet?” Mom asked. “I have been thinking for a long time, but I can’t seem to come across anything I’m really interested in.” I replied “You have to make a decision soon so you can save yourself some time and money” She emphasized I nodded my head agreeing with her “Right, I don’t want to take classes that won’t count towards my major” My older sister adding on from experience “Pick your major from now and stick with it, don’t waste your time like I did” I added “I haven’t decided on a major yet but I know for sure I want to go to Delaware County Community College for two years first and save some money then transfer” “Well, what subjects do you have somewhat of an interest in?” Dad asked I stared down at my plate for a few seconds “I like physics and biology and a little of math” “Have you thought about engineering or something in the science field?” He replied “I have but I don’t want to spend all my twenties stuck in college while my other friends are out living life” I knew my parents were going to get frustrated before the words even came out of my mouth. However, it was truly what was going through my head. I did not want to attend school for six years if not more to get an education. My mom quickly responded “Don’t compare yourself to your friends, you each have different goals and visions in life. We left everything we had to give you and your sister a better opportunity ” “If you like science and math like you said, then your six years in college will go by quick” Dad added My sister jumps in and says “My friend is in the science field studying pharmacy. I could get her to talk to you if you want to ask some questions” I nodded my head and said “Yes, I’ll call her tomorrow so I have some time to think of questions” After a long conversation on the phone with my sister’s friend, I finally decided on a major. I thought deeply into my future and goals I wanted to accomplish. I also thought about the past. My parents left their country, family and jobs to secure a better future for my sister and I. I wanted to pay them back and make them proud with as much as I could. I informed my parents with the decision I took on majoring in the science field to later on become a pharmacist. They were happy with my decision and most importantly so was I and that's what mattered to them the most.
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In this blog assignment, I will be using the 5 senses that are similar to the ones used in “My Name is Margaret (Maya Angelou)” to compose an emotional scene. I was 17 years old, a junior in high school on the varsity soccer team. Standing in the middle of the field in a playoff game as the clock runs down to carry on to extra time. My body was very fatigue after the first original ninety minutes of the game. I tied my cleats, fixed my shin guards, and looked to find my parents in the stands for some support as the referee's whistle blew to signal the start of the first extra time quarter. I took a deep breath and pushed my body to do the jobs my coach assigned me. In an extra time game, first team to score a goal wins. At this point, every player’s head was filled with complete fear including mine. Each player knew, every mistake at this point of the game is lethal. No one wanted to be the cause of their team’s loss. We had a big advantage on our opponent because it was a home game. Our stands were overfilled with students and parents cheering us on, we didn’t want to let them down. The game became very aggressive, tensions quickly rose, and many fouls were conceded. The referee had a very difficult time taking control of the game. I fought a very hard battle mentally and physically. Mentally, I knew I had to overcome my fears. Physically overcoming the opponent to win balls and take control of the game. As the clock ran down and the first quarter ended, there were many chances for both teams to score a goal but none were taken advantage of. Every dangerous attack on us made my heart beat out of its chest, it was very nerve racking. Before the whistle blew to signal the start of the final quarter my coach whispered in my ear “This is all you, score and carry your team forward” I ran on the field with the energy and stamina I had at the very beginning of the game, his words restored what I was missing. The game’s physicality is at an all time high. The referee began to warn and card many players in hopes of regaining control of the game. As every minute on the clock ticks the game gets more and more intense. At the very end of the last quarter, with a tie score of 1-1 and 2 minutes left on the clock, I took the ball and dribbled up the field passing by two players, and out of nowhere a player fouls me with a tackle from the side, his cleats going first in my leg. Everyone in the stands and on the sideline stood up in shock. I immediately fell to the ground and held my leg from the the pain. I laid down on the field for a few seconds with my eyes closed thinking this was the last barrier I had to overcome to lead my team to a win. The referee pointed to a penalty kick, and the crowd went crazy. I took the ball and placed it down, as I began to back up, each step I took it became quieter and quieter, and finally complete silence. I made eye contact with the goalie for a few seconds and looked back down at the ball, I can tell he was scared. I picked where I wanted to place the ball and waited for the referee’s whistle. In complete silence, the whistle seemed very loud, I ran up to the ball and placed it on the left side of the goalkeeper with all the power I can generate with my hurting leg to win the game for my team. I never thought that game would come to an end. I was very happy with my performance on the field to make my family, team, coaches, and school proud. Both teams played very well and presented great sportsmanlike conduct as we shook hands and congratulated each other on a great game. I had just finished playing a charity soccer game at the Bernabeu Stadium in Spain when I decided to head to the locker room for a quick ice bath recovery session. Sure enough as I walked in I found a set of four ice baths one of which was available. The three other baths were occupied by players from the opponent team. As I stepped in, I congratulated them on their good performance and introduced myself. They introduced themselves and I discovered I was in the presence of professional writers : Don Murray, Mary Karr, Anne Lamott. I was told by Don that they were talking about the writing process.
As I was listening in on the conversation, I realized that this was the perfect chance to get an answer on my writing problems from three different professional perspectives. “I always tend to struggle expressing my thoughts on paper at the beginning of every assignment in my English courses, what do you recommend I do to avoid this struggle?” Marry looked over and smiled before speaking “In the beginning, when there are zero pages, you have to cheer yourself into cranking stuff out, even if it later lands on the cutting room floor. Each page takes you somewhere you need to travel before you can land in the next spot.” Anne nods her head agreeing with Marry and saying “The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see and that you can shape it later. You just let this childlike part of you channel whatever voices and visions come through and onto the age.” She took a moment to adjust her position in the tub before continuing “What I’ve learned to do when I sit down to work on a shitty first draft is to quiet the voices in my head.” - Anne I found myself mostly able to relate to Anne on letting it all out and shaping it up later. This sparked another question in my head “As writers, how do you shape or edit your pages?” Don quickly responding as if he knew what I was going to ask “A good deal of writing is censorship—keeping irrelevant thoughts out of the paper. Many of the ideas that arise in our minds have little relation to the purpose of our writing, and the habit of following impromptu ideas may result in a jumble of pointless remarks.” Marry elaborating on Don’s response “Rewriting on the page is safer than revision in, say, painting, where you can paint past a good place and wreck a canvas. Performers can’t revise at all. A writer can always go back to an earlier draft. The point is to have more curiosity about possible forms the work could take than sense of self-protection for your ego.” Takes a sip of her water before adding on “The editor self thinks only of saving the reader time and shaping a powerful emotional experience.” This far into the conversation, I realized how much knowledge I have gained from their helpful and detailed answers. However, I still had one more question I had to ask “How do you revise your paper and make sure it will all make sense to the reader?” Don took his hand out of the water and pointed at me “Of course the writer attends to an “other self” that reflects the voices and expectations of a wider public.” Don adding more on “A student who clearly understands his purpose is not likely to be trapped by an accidental sequence of ideas, for he will recognize when he is going astray.” Annie finished off by talking about her experience “I always show my work to one of two people before sending a copy to my editor or agent. I feel more secure and connected this way, and these two people get a lot of good work out of me.” It was at this time my set timer went off and was time for me to get out the ice bath. Before leaving, I thanked each and every one on their helpful tips that I plan on taking into consideration when writing my future papers. The list of questions below are known as The Proust Questionnaire, made by famous French author, Marcel Proust. Proust believed that in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true character. Therefore, I have answered the questions below to help the reader discover my personality in a unique way through the list of specific questions.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? My idea of perfect happiness comes from the saying “Do what you love, and love what you do” Many people spend most of their time at work. If you are enjoying most of your time, you are happy. What is your greatest fear? One of my greatest fears is “Ophidiophobia” fear of snakes. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? The trait I mostly deplore about myself is when I seek the approval of others. However, I realize afterwards it has no effect on me. What is the trait you most deplore in others? The trait I mostly deplore in others is when someone judges another on their actions without knowing the causes that lead to those actions. Which living person do you most admire? The living person I mostly admire right now is Cristiano Ronaldo. He has shown me how much can be changed by hard work and dedication. What is your greatest extravagance? My greatest extravagance is definitely food. I either eat fast food at least 3 times a week or spend money on healthy food for my workouts. What is your current state of mind? My current state of mind could be described as optimistic. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? I think good counseling is an overrated virtue because sometimes problems can only be solved by that person in particular. On what occasion do you lie? I lie when I am about to get in trouble, life is on the line, or playing a joke on a friend. What do you most dislike about your appearance? I mostly hate when I have long fingernails. I always make sure they are cut or very short. What is the quality you most like in a man? The quality that is most important in a man is bravery. It is important to be brave enough to stand up for yourself or protect your family. What is the quality you most like in a woman? The quality that is most important in a woman is Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I tend to overuse the phrase “oh my god” and according to my friends I oversure the word “guys” a lot. What or who is the greatest love of your life? The most thing I love in my life has to be sports and specifically soccer. I have been playing and watching soccer from the age of six years old. When and where were you happiest? When I went on vacation to Egypt in August 2017. I visited many historic places and ate at very good restaurants. Which talent would you most like to have? The talent I would most like to have would be drawing. I have always been fascinated by people’s imaginations and their drawing skills. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? One thing I would change about myself is my procrastination towards getting things done. I would have had much better grades in high school. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Regardless of how easy it is, I think graduating High School is one of my greatest achievements. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I would die and come back as Bill Gates. At least I can guarantee I will be a billionaire. Where would you most like to live? I would like to live in Dubai. It is a very advanced place and I love the weather. What is your most treasured possession? My most treasured possession would have to be my car. It is the most expensive thing I own. I also take very good care of it because I am a car person. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The lowest depth of misery for me would be to be far away from family and loved ones. What is your favorite occupation? My favorite occupation would be a soccer player. You get to play your favourite sport at a high level with a nice paycheck. What is your most marked characteristic? My most marked characteristic would be great optimism. I always like to be optimistic and look at the positive things of a situation. What do you most value in your friends? The most value I look for in a friend is trustworthiness. Who are your favorite writers? My favorite writers are Jeff Kinney and Shakespeare. I read many of Jeff Kinney’s books like Diary of A Wimpy Kid. Who is your hero of fiction? My hero of fiction is spider man. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Napoleon Bonaparte Who are your heroes in real life? Some of the people I look up to are people like, Muhammad Ali, Dwayne Johnson, Cristiano Ronaldo. What are your favorite names? Leo, Draxler, Ramos, Marcelo. What is it that you most dislike? One of the most things I dislike is racism. What is your greatest regret? My greatest regret is not building my confidence on the soccer field at an early stage. How would you like to die? I would like to die around family and loved ones peacefully. What is your motto? “The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit” |
AuthorMustafa Al-Qaraghuli “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
- Louis L'Amour Archives
May 2019
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