Hannah's Polished Essay

Hannah Staley
English 9
Mr. Salsich
April 26, 2009

Sentimentality in Everything:
An Essay on Two Poems and a Passage from a Short Story

OP: Three different situations that are all connected. How you ask? Well simply by the word sentimental. The word sentimental is universal and means different things to different people. One person may cherish a book; one may cherish a piece of jewelry. In this essay, I am comparing a passage from a short story and two poems to the word sentimental. It wasn’t obvious at first but upon more examination I found some examples of true sentimentality.

TS: Caring deeply for each other, is sentimental (Participle phrase). You may fight, but at the end of the day it comes down to loving one another, enjoying each others company and knowing that your sibling often knows what you are thinking and mean to say. The word “sentimental” connects well to the second passage in “The Garden Party.” SD: “Sentimental” connects these two writings through Laura and her brother’s relationship. CM: It is sentimental because they comfort each other through tough times like death. CM: It is also sentimental that through comforting one another their relationship grows stronger and they bond. SD: The last way the passage is “sentimental” relates to the timing of everything. CM: Knowing that her brother made the effort to comfort her and that he really cared about her needs is special since not many siblings make such a beautiful gesture. CM: Laura’s behavior gives you a sense of how exemplary (SAT) their relationship is and what a good team they make. CS: Siblings don’t always get along, but the moment Laura and her brother share is special and full of sentiment.

TS: Stinking and strong, even an onion can have sentimental value (Participle phrase). SD: In the poem “The Traveling Onion” by Naomi Shihab Nye, the onion goes on many journeys, including one to the chopping block. CM: Once the onion arrived to the chopping block, a sentimental place for many chefs, its memories of the long journey there began to fade away (Appositive). CM: The aromas and layers that once gave this onion life were all gone and being merged with new ingredients. SD: Another sentimental element is the onion’s character. CM: An onion is an intrepid (SAT) vegetable and without it our diets would be dull. CM: In fact, many of the foods we eat would be bland and tasteless. CM: It’s as though we cook this vegetable for “the sake of others” so they can experience the flavors as well. CS: From death to an onion it’s all a big journey but within these journeys will be memories full of sentimental value.

TS: After reading the poem by Emily Dickenson, I realized that being by yourself has sentimental value. SD: Often it is nice to be by yourself and decompress. CM: It’s good to feel as if you are invisible and in total isolation. CM: It’s nice to feel this was because it can be “dreary to somebody” when all you get is attention. SD: Another reason why being nobody is sentimental is because you can break free. CM: When you are alone you don’t always need to feel “public” and you can simply enjoy life. CM: Also when you’re nobody you don’t need to feel invaded by people and you can do your own thing on your own time. CS: Being by yourself, like an onion, can be quite sentimental even though it may not be obvious at the first glance.

CP: Sentimentality, a universal word full of meaning, is found in almost every situation (Appositive). It may not be obvious at the first glance but it is there somewhere. In fact some of the memories that aren’t meaningful to you are the ones that end up staying with you forever. So whether it is mourning with a family member, a traveling onion or a poem on being nobody, it all has sentimental value.