Timmy's Essay 4

Timmy O’Brien
Mr. Salsich
English 9
21 October 2008

True Appreciation:

An essay on Zora Neale Hurston’s essay “How It Feels To Be Colored Me”

        1. When someone mentions appreciation, people tend to assume they are talking about “thank you” and “your welcome”, but that is not always the proper [FAST] assumption. 2. Appreciation is also your view on life. 3. To be truly appreciative, one must acknowledge all the little things in life, and reflect upon how they make up the big picture. 4. Zora Neale Hurston seems to be one of the true appreciators in this world, and I try, sometimes successfully, to model her in that way.
        TS During her essay, Hurston mentions a lot of the little things in life that fulfill her or irk [FAST] her about her world. SD First of all, she appreciates the white passerby’s that grant her a friendly “hello”. CM They could have just kept going and ignored the little African American girl sitting on her porch, but they accept her and give her idle talk. CM You can tell Ms. Hurston appreciates this because she “needed bribing to stop” putting on a show for them, and they stopped to listen and watch out of pure will. SD Another thing Ms. Hurston appreciates is what people have done before her for her, but she must not always dwell on it. CM She describes their struggles as a race that started three generations before her with an “On the line […] Get set! [...] Go!”, and that she can’t look at what is behind her and feel sorrow. CM She has to realize what these people have done for her and all other African Americans in the country, but at the same time she must look to all the doors they have opened for her. SD Finally, Ms. Hurston appreciates individuality. CM She thinks that sometimes, “I am me.” And that everything around her matters not. CM She appreciates herself for who she really is by allowing it to come out with no hindrances [FAST] and “belong to no race nor time”. CS Ms. Hurston seems to appreciate many things, and these are just three of the examples I have interpreted from her essay.
        TS I also feel as though there are many things in life that I should appreciate. SD For example, my family, my friends, and even my acquaintances [purposeful repetition] should be recognized and appreciated. CM Through many different ways, they have done something that directly or indirectly affected me in a positive or negative way. CM For the positives, I should appreciate what they did, and for the negatives, I should appreciate what they tried to do. SD Another thing I appreciate in life is opportunities. CM I am very fortunate to have a family that can give me choices and that allows me to make decisions. CM It, similar to Ms. Hurston, allows me to focus on the present and the future instead of the past. SD The third thing I appreciate is individuality, much like Hurston. CM I, like the author, realize that everyone is different, and that I must respect them for it, and then appreciate them for those distinctions. CM I think that sometimes you really are you and you shouldn’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. CS In life, I appreciate many things, and I believe that they help me to be who I truly am, and to appreciate that as well.
        1. Appreciation is truly a glorious thing. 2. It allows people to understand themselves and everyone around them. 3. They must decide on the things that really matter, such as the little things, and pay special attention to them. 4. In the end, to truly appreciate, you must want to learn about yourself, about others, and about anything and everything else [purposeful repetition].