Su gửi Bố bài làm đầu tiên phải nộp ở Pomfret. Thầy giáo yêu cầu viết một essay đề tài liên quan đến Summer Reading.
English Essay Summer Reading.
Dear Tuan Anh,
How are you doing? Is everything fine with your daily life, anything interesting? Sorry for not answering your letters, I was very busy. However, to make it up to you, I will tell you something very interesting. It is so interesting that when I came home I wrote to you right away.
Do you still remember the oak tree that we have been standing at for five years, waiting for a blurry image of a bus to come to pick us up? The relaxing shade of the tree and the harmonious sound of leaves in the cool breeze always make me ponder about a lot of things. Sometimes the joyful imagination of getting back home from school, treating myself a cup of refreshing iced tea, but sometimes, shadowy vision of the future made me perplexed.
Last week, I was waiting for a bus, just as usual, when I suddenly think about my future. I have not figured out what I might do in the future. Become a lawyer? With my poor communication skills? A doctor maybe? No, everyone say that only a few real geniuses can, and I am definitely not one of them… Those questions haunted me so much that even when I got on the bus I am still envisioning myself seven years later wearing many kinds of uniform.
In the middle of confusion, I finally decided to not think about it anymore. I will be a carefree student who hang out with friends, go to Facebook and watch movie all day. I was very satisfied with my decision, and also tell myself that “Enjoy what you have today” and “What will come will come” will be my favorite mottos.
However, when I came back home, I read the book named “Glass Castle” and I had to change my mind immediately. It made me think about the choices I have to make in my life and how it affects my future.
Let me give you a brief summary of it so you can understand. The book is a self-biography of the author, Jeanette Walls, who was born in a very poor family with three kids. They had to struggle with the bills, move from town to town, and had barely anything to eat. They were so poor that at some point, Jeanette and her siblings had to search for the inedible, odoriferous food in the trashcan of the school cafeteria, and get clothes and money by stealing.
In addition,their family was not a peaceful, normal one. Their mother is a woman who loves art and paints all day. There would not be any problem if she could sell any paintings to alleviate the heavy financial they have to suffer. She could not sell any of them, but still wildly believe that she has talent that will be discovered someday. So instead of choosing to do the right thing for her children, she left them alone doing what they want and treat her paintings like they were her “beloved babies”.
That indifference resulted in the accidental burning to near death of the author. When Rose Mary Walls had a chance to work as an teacher, she refused to do it, and said: “I have sacrificed so much for you all, it is time for me to treat my own self a bit”. If I were her, I would choose to care for my children, to take them for a walk every Saturday night, to read them stories whenever they go to bed instead of being selfish and self-centered, don’t you think?
You may think that their mother was inadequate for a real mother.However, the real problem lies in their father. He could have chosen to be a good figure for his kids to follow; he could have chosen to work hard for his family. He could also have chosen not be self-sufficient and accept the help from the charity organizations and the community for the future of his kids.
But no, he would rather choose to leave a job just because of a minor conflict with his boss and leave his children starving. To make matters worse, he is an alcoholic and came home shouting and throwing things at everyone else.
It was so chaotic that Jeannette described it as “broken glasses were everywhere, and the room seemed like it was hit by a bomb”. He is weak and very bad at keeping his promises too, those characteristics shows clearly when he tried to trick Jeanette into giving him money to buy beer, “like a kid crying for some candy” and when he promised to build a glass castle but instead turned the hole made for the castle into a garbage dump.
He even ruined the whole family’s Christmas when he burnt down the pine tree that the kids have tried so hard decorating by using the lighter – the Christmas present that they dedicated only for him. Therefore, “all the excitement and joy went up with the fire”.
After I read all the things about him, I promised myself that I will always consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages before making a decision, a choice in my life. Because I know that every choice I make has an effect on my life, more or less.
I could choose to be carefree and not study hard to turn out as a homeless, penniless guy and father, a shame to myself and a burden to my family. Or, I can just treasure this period of time as a youngster to study hard for just about six more years and be a successful entrepreneur. In the end, it is all up to me, I am the one who decide how my future is going to be.
One more lesson about choice that I got from “The Glass Castle” is that, you can choose to make your life stressful and filled with unhappiness or full of laughter, it is up to you.
Jeanette Walls taught me to forgive people, and free my mind from the faults of others. Even with an empty stomach and was very sad by her parents wrongdoings, Jeanette always try to find a logical reason to forgive them and welcome them back to her.
When her dad told her that he is going to give up drinking as a birthday present for her I, as a reader, did not believe him at all and I think you will probably the same too. But Jeanette had faith in her father, she forgot about all the melancholy her dad has brought to the family, and waited in front of his room every day to see if she can help until she realized that her father did not have the fortitude to quit drinking.
The same happens when he stole money from her, she knew that he used it to buy beers but she forgave him. Had she not been forgiving and open-hearted, there will be a lot of chaos and sadness that break the family apart, don’t you think? I promise myself that I will make wise choice of forgiving people like her too.
So, what do you think? Maybe my thoughts were unorganized and lengthy but the book “The Glass Castle” somehow really did change a part of me. It enlightened and fascinated me with the thoughtful lessons about choice you have to make in your life and how greatly it affects your life and future.
Hey, if you have any comments or if you just read an interesting book, write and share with me, I am so willing to discuss with you… It is time for me to sleep, I will see you later, ok? I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Yours sincerely,
An
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