Free Essay

What Is a Story

In:

Submitted By benjaminckluvers
Words 900
Pages 4
Benjamin Kluvers English Comp. 100 January 21, 14

On the morning of August 9th I woke up at two o’clock in the morning about to embark on a long journey to Fort Kent Maine. This was a place that I used to call home back in 2008-2009. Driving from the northwest suburbs of Chicago all the way to the tiptop of Maine. The reason I used to call this place home was because this is not the first time I have attended school here at University of Maine at Fort Kent. Being only 18 at the time and fresh out of high school I did not understand what it was truly like to be out on my own with no parental supervision and no day-by-day guidance. Now in 2013 going back to UMFK I had a different outlook on life. But as I finished packing my car with pretty much my entire life in it, I started to feel a sense of doubt about myself. I nudged away the initial thought and said my goodbyes to my parents and my two sisters. For about the first four to five hours on the road it was dark and this feeling kept creeping back into my mind. “Would I repeat what I did back in fall of 2008 and spring of 2009?” Thinking about all the things I did wrong back then with regards to taking advantage of many things I should not have. Drinking, partying, and playing video games ten plus hours a day just to name a few. The fall of 2008 was not as bad as the spring mostly due to soccer. Being on the men’s team at UMFK kept me in check for most of the first semester with actually having straight A’s for most of the semester. Until we made it to Nationals all the way out in Fresno, California. This was an opportunity of a lifetime getting to miss school for two weeks sounded like the best time ever at 18 years old. Now being 23 I wish I knew what I know now cause the decisions I would have made would have been a complete 180. As we left for Fresno, California the last thing that was on my mind was final projects and papers including some left over homework that need to all be completed by the time I got back. Not really tuning into the fact that if I did not have all this complete would result in all letter grades finalizing as F’s. During the entire trip I noticed everyone else except me taking the time to do all this work, but I had other ideas. I was in California for Christ’s sake. To go from below zero temperatures to 60-70 degree days for two weeks, I wanted to be outside doing much better things then typing out papers and so on. As we finally arrived back in Fort Kent I was empty handed. I had not completed one ounce of work that was due the day I got back. At the time I did not think much of it, but looking back now I wish I could just slap some sense in to my head. I mean how could I not care about my future not even a little bit. Going home from break my parents were really upset and disappointed with me knowing that I was capable of so much more. So of course I gave my parents a huge apology and said that, “I will perform up to the standards that I am capable of and erase what I did this past semester and prove that I belong to UMFK and will work as hard as I possibly can”. This was all just to get my parents off my back so I could just get away from them again and not have to be babysat like I did when I was at home. So coming back to Fort Kent after the break I felt like having a little epiphany in me. So once again for the first month I started of really well again with straight A’s, but that was soon to change. Without soccer in the spring I really had nothing to keep me on track and most of my friends were not in sports and all they did was relax, drink, go out, party and play video games. Being around this almost on a daily basis I was sucked in immediately. The addiction to playing video games became my life not going to class barely sleeping and poor eating habits were just the beginning. As a result the second semester was even worse than the first finishing with straight F’s once again. I had let down my friends, coach, parents and myself. As the sun began to rise in the east driving towards Fort Kent once again I said to myself this old Ben is no longer apart of me and I’m here to prove to my parents and my teachers and coach that I deserve to be back here. After being away for five years I gained valuable life experience that never had back then. So far in the fall semester I made the Deans list, All-American soccer player, and National Championship All-Tournament Player. What more could I ask for being back here and changing my whole life around.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

What Is Mercy's Story?

...Mercy is not one story, but multiple, sometimes contradictory, interlocking stories. Characters tell stories to make sense of their lives, and these stories have tremendous power for both good and evil. Lina’s stories, in particular, stand out for their affirmative power. First and foremost, she tells Mercy’s story, and though she questions the accuracy and meaning of her version, to some degree her attention and care redeem the ugliness of Mercy’s life. (56) According to David Machin, when the adults hope that the baby dies, they attempt to rewrite this story as a hopeful one. They are proud to say that circumstances have given them a chance to be the saviours. She resists the premise of white superiority, writing her own story about the beauty...

Words: 545 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

What Is West Side Story?

...On Sunday October 18th, 2015 I attended a matinee showing of the production of West Side Story held at the UTEP Dinner Theater. West Side Story is a musical drama from 1957 with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim that tells the story of two rivaling gangs and how their fight for territory tore two lovers apart. It was directed by Gregory L. Taylor and performed by UTEP students. West Side Story centers on the story of Maria (played by Nabil Gonzalez) a young Puerto Rican immigrant and Tony (played by Hugo Arreola) a 2nd generation Polish American, both of whom live in New York. Maria is the younger sister of the Bernardo (played by Joel Aguilera), the leader of the Puerto Rican street...

Words: 484 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

What Is a Successful Short Story

...What makes a short story successful and satisfying for the audience to read? I believe that the answer to this question varies from person to person. In my opinion, an interesting short story includes a full character development of its protagonist that shows how he/she came to be and also a main event that happens that would change the whole dynamic of the story and greatly influence the main character. An intriguing short story should reveal the full character development of its protagonist because it allows us to get out of our skins and into others’. When reading about a person’s childhood, experiences, failures and triumphs, we, as readers, can explore the roads not taken in our lives. For example, in the short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin (1957), the writer starts with Sonny’s childhood where his parents died when he was young. His older brother was in the military, so Sonny had to live with his brother’s fiancé’s family. Unfortunately, this did not work out and Sonny’s spiral dive into drugs and illegal activities started after he moved out. It is fascinating to see and experience the path that Sonny had taken in order to become the person he is today. A captivating short story takes us out of our reality and engulfs our imagination into someone else’s life through character development. Furthermore, a successful short story should contain a main event or a pivoting moment that greatly influences the protagonist. This event changes the momentum of the...

Words: 589 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Short Story What Happened At The Climax

...DOK 1: In your story, what happened at the climax of the story? DOK 2: How could you use three of your vocabulary words in your daily life? DOK 3: Looking at the conflict in this short story, how would you manipulate the conflict in order to benefit the protagonist? DOK 4: What argument could you build in order to do away with cursive writing? Introduction During the time I spend in the classroom with the students, they are focused on station work. I have not had the chance to sit through a teacher taught lesson, but I have seen the interactions between the Ms. Viderman and her students. Throughout their stations, she will develop questions to push the students further than their initial understanding. Due to this timing, I have also developed...

Words: 722 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

What Makes A War Story Believable?

...What makes a war story believable? There are many factors to a believable war story, like the feelings the story arises, the questions asked after, and the essences of the story. But, a believable war story is not the same as a true war story. A true war story tends to be unbelievable, but full of great truths. O’Brien emphasizes that one cannot tell a true war story or generalize what war is because war is bigger than us. O’Brien starts off by describing that a true war story is unmoral and sometimes beyond telling (65,68). This is due to the fact that war is ugly and hard to grasp. War stories are deeper than war itself and sometimes there is nothing to reply with to a war story, but oh (O’Brien 74). But, hearing a war story is different...

Words: 384 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

What Happened To George: A Short Story

...Then after the second conversation with her, she started asking Laurie strange questions about what was “net worth,” My husband was in the room, and heard the entire conversation and started to motion to me, not to say anything. So, I said, I couldn’t answer this, because I haven’t seen him in 18 years, and second my loyalty would always remain with George. Then she searched the internet for the robbery that his ex-girlfriend, Karen sons stole from him, and then consequently hit him on the head with a bag of money. What happened to George, was a constant thought in her head? What happened to the nice sweet boy that would pick her up and they would head to Newbury Street, have a lavish meal and then run up and down the stairs of the Boston...

Words: 270 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Comparing The Wife's Story 'And What Of This Goldfish'

...Wife's Story and What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish, there is an idea that you should either accept people for who they are or treat them differently because they are not the same as you. In both of these stories there is someone who is different than the main character and in both cases they ended up harming the other one due to them being different, although they still showed no real hatred towards the individual that they harmed. To clear up the reasoning or meaning to those who are different being mistreated The Wife's Story and What Of This Goldfish Would You wish can be compared to find out what caused this mistreatment. The Wife's Story is about a wife and husband who moved in together and the husband one day started to act strange. The story gives hints that the husband is changing into what one would assume is a wolf. however,  in a plot twist it reveals that the wife and her family are actually wolves and that the husband is instead changing into a human. The Wife knew that the human was still her husband, but regardless of this she and her family killed the husband. The wife still cares for the husband, however because of how she still mourned over the body, hoping...

Words: 661 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

What Is The Theme Of The Short Story 'My A Ntonia'

...The short story called “My A`ntonia” is told from a fictional memoir named Jim Burden. Once you read about the author, Willa Cather, you get a better understanding of who Jim is and why he is there. Willa based many of the events, characters, and settings through her own childhood experiences. The story is written in first person because the story is focused on Jim’s perspective. The story is also written all in past tense. I feel Willa wrote her story in first person past tense logic because it revolves around her past memories that can never be regained. “My A`ntonia” starts off to be boring in my opinion. Once the reader has their full attention on the story, they start to grasp what is written between the lines, and the small hints that...

Words: 414 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

What Does Louise Mallard Symbolize In The Story Of An Hour

...In the “Story of an Hour” symbolism means:the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. The “Story of an Hour” has a lot of symbolism some of them are pretty obvious. Symbolism can be expressed through ideas, sound, or imagery. Once you start understanding symbolism you can untangle a lot of puzzles in stories and learn why all those objects and items have a meaning in the story. Symbolism has being around for years and it has always being around it just takes wise people to notice them. Symbolism can give you a doctrine of history and why all those items have those meanings. Summary of the “Story of an Hour” has more like a twist at the end. At first Mrs. Mallard was at happy with her normal life. When Richard her husband’s friend...

Words: 1706 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

What Role Does Pope Innocent Play In The Story

...Although we don't know to much about Pope Innocent the third, we do know a couple of things about his life. Pope Innocent played a role in the story of St. Francis. St. Francis lead a group of men that were typically called friars. The friars decided to give up everything and live a simple and rather harsh life. While the friars were living their simple lives, Francis asked to start a religious order to prevent competing with the church. To this Pope Innocent the third refused. He told Francis that his lifestyle was far to harsh. The pope didn't want everyone else living these lives. This was in 1210. In 1212 a children's crusade took place. Pope Innocent the third even played a role in this story. Pope Innocent the third gave...

Words: 347 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Comparing What, Of This Goldfish Do You Wish And The Wife's Story

...Barbara Jordan once said, “We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” This means that we need to understand those who are different from us because they are also humans and they have the right to be different from ourselves. Two stories address this issue of conflict.,They are “What, of this Goldfish ,Do you Wish” by Etgar Keret and “The Wife's Story” by Ursula Leguin. In both of these stories, the character are unwilling to accept the differences between each other. In “ What, of this Goldfish,Do you Wish”,a young man named Yoni sets out to make a documentary about the secrets longings of everyday Americans. By knocking on stranger's door and asking them this question: “If you had a magic...

Words: 323 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Bradbury Fills His Story with Irony. Why? What Does It Do? Locate Instances of Irony, and Then Discuss Irony and Its Effects as They Appear in Fahrenheit 541.

...Sometimes, reading literature may be very challenging for a reader. He/she will need to define a few components that will help him/her to understand the true meaning of literature. A poem, short story, novel or fiction is full of those elements, which make literature more understanding for a reader. However, sometimes the poet or writer presents those elements as irony and the reader may get confused about the true meaning of literature. Irony exists when a reader is led to expect things to happen but exactly the opposite happens. Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 familiarizes a reader with irony. His main character, the protagonist, Guy Montag is presented as a person whose life is full of irony. Through the irony of Montag’s life, Bradbury brings the reader into a better understanding of nature of language, of people understanding of their own life, and of the effect of technology. The first example of irony in the novel is the job of fireman. To readers, a fireman helps to put out fires. However, Bradbury presents the fireman, Guy Montag, as a person who starts the fires. Moreover, the symbol of hearth and salamander, in the first part of the novel, symbolizes a traditional home fireplace and the creature from mythology that could survive in the fire and not get harmed. However, Bradbury through that symbol presents irony. The reader discovers that Montag does not live unharmed by fire; but he realizes, how burning many books destroys his society. The symbolism presents irony...

Words: 728 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Flexible Scheduling - Wal Mart

... | |Date |: |19/7/2010 | |Transcriber |: |Aya Ali Salem | INTRODUCTION |M. |Please introduce yourself to the group. Please tell us your name, age, your profession and your hobbies. | | | | |M. |Speaking of advertising, can you give me some examples of beverages ads you really like? What do you like about this? | | |...

Words: 1534 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

My Writing Process Analysis

...What is Your Writing Process Like? As a writer I love making stories and there are many steps to go through before the story becomes a fluent piece of literature. My writing process isn’t very complicated, when I write I let out all my ideas. I let my creative side come out and write out everything that crosses my mind, it doesn’t matter if it comes together right away I just let my creative side take control. My mind goes through many steps when I write I have to think of what kind of story I want to write and what the story will mean to me, then I have to brainstorm and type out some main parts for my story, lastly I organize everything to make an actual story. In story writing I have to find something to write about and to write your story...

Words: 701 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Storytelling in Marketing

...Sell a story…tell a product. Storytelling has been one of the oldest arts in the human history, ¿Why we would use something that old for an innovating idea? Stories are carried with feelings, and sensations, they transport you to an exact place where you can feel the cold air in your cheeks, you can smell the roses, and hear the rush of the water. The key Word: Emotions. Times in Marketing has changed, in the last years the strategy was cold and undirected to the costumer, now marketing is trying to reconnected with them. By telling a story, you start with “Once upon a time” creating a background so the person that will be hearing your story feels that he is part of that beginning, he satisfies his necessity of belonging, so as the story keep growing he will feel identify and emotionally correspond with the story of the brand and not just to the product. The Brand Storytelling is giving the costumer more than a product to or a bunch of numbers and statistics. The idea is humanizing brands through the power of Storytelling. Storytelling and marketing share a common goal - to create communication that is interesting and encourages a specific reaction. Organizational consultants and managers have also discovered the power of storytelling in organizations. A good story of organizational transformation in one organization might motivate similar organizations to change as well; also, the informal stories people tell to each other about organizational norms, policies and...

Words: 3110 - Pages: 13