Olivia's Essay

Olivia Denison
Mr. Salsich
April 23, 2009
English 9

Is Sentiment Positive or Negative?:
A Comparison of Two Poems, and a Story, to the Word “Sentimental”

One dictionary defines “sentimental” as “marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism.” This definition emphasizes the positive aspect of being sentimental. In contrast, sentimental can also be defined as “having an excess of sentiment or sensibility.” This definition makes it seem as if a person has too much attachment to something and almost infers emotional weakness. The range of interpretations are like the differences between people, and these differences are lauded (FAST) in Emily Dickenson’s poem, “Nobody”, Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem, “The Traveling Onion”, and the story by Katherine Mansfield, “The Garden Party.”

TS In the poem “The Traveling Onion”, the author, Naomi Shihab Nye, emphasizes the importance of an onion in a meal, even though it seems to vanish. SD Before the poem even begins, she opens with an excerpt from a cookbook describing where the onion originated and how far it traveled to get here. CM Few ponder another’s journey, including an onion’s - how they got here, their birth place, and their experiences. Onions, like people, appear uninteresting, but peel back the layers and you may find something more. CM The onion with its layers tells a story and we should be grateful for that place in India where it came from when a “knife enters [the] onion /.” SD When we put the onion into a meal it “disappear / [s] […] “For the sake of the others /.” CM The onion sacrifices itself and fades into the background of the soup you are eating and you have to find it in order to taste it. CM For many, the onion doesn’t have any significance in a meal, but some actually try to pay more attention to the onion than anything else they are eating. CS It is important to “taste” something that you ordinarily would not as it could open up a variety of unforeseen (FAST) possibilities.

TS In the poem “Nobody” by Emily Dickinson, she refers to herself and how she likes being a “nobody.” SD In the second stanza, she declares “How dreary to be somebody! / How public like a frog /.” CM When the frog croaks, it thinks it is commanding people’s attention, with its loud obnoxious croaking, but people are actually ignoring it. (PARTICIPLE PHRASE, SPLIT) CM Those people who ignore the frog’s croaking may prefer paying attention to the “nobodies”, as they are so quiet that they may harbor a hidden sagacity (SAT). SD Emily Dickinson seems to embrace this in her poem, but she could have also thought that no one was thinking about her, even when they really were. CM Conversely, she may not have cared if people thought about her or not. CM I believe she likes being a “nobody” and that most people do not pay much attention to the “somebodies”, preferring the quiet people who write poetry. CS The way Ms. Dickinson writes about being a “nobody” gives me a sense of reassurance that my voice and sense of purpose will always be relevant (FAST).

TS In the story “The Garden Party”, the author, Katherine Mansfield, introduces us to an opulent (SAT) family who is planning a party, but Laura, one of the daughters, is sad about the recent death of a local man. (APPOSITIVE) SD Laura keeps on thinking about how the music will sound to the dead man’s family and her sister, Jose, says that she is going to “lead a very strenuous life […] by being sentimental.”(APPOSITIVE) CM Jose dismisses Laura’s sentimental feeling toward the dead man, because the man’s family is below their status. CM The dead man’s family are “nobodies”, and Laura sympathizes with them and wants to do something for them. SD So, Laura goes to the man’s house and sees him lying in his bed “sleeping so soundly, so deeply, that he was far, far away from both.” CM Laura begins to cry, and even though she doesn’t know this “beautiful” man, she feels as if she is one of the family members mourning for him. (PARTICIPLE PHRASE, SPLIT) CM She is sentimental toward a man and his family that she has never met and will never forget the warm atmosphere of their house and the love of each member of the family. CS Being sentimental is not something to be embarrassed about, but rather something to be embraced.

Be quiet. Be a “nobody”. Disappear. Be sentimental if you want. Let people think what they want, but don’t let them tell you how to be - you are, who you are. Your quiet confidence will gain the respect of others, even if they express otherwise.