Olivia's Essay

Olivia Denison
Mr. Salsich
English 9
May 15th, 2009

What is Transformation? :

An Essay on the Meaning of a Quote from Rainer Maria Rilke, Its Comparison to a Stepping Stone and Their Relevance to My Life.

Everyday we experience something that we have to endure. It is the lessons learned from these hardships that matters the most though. Rilke, the author of the quote, asserts (FAST word) that the knowledge gained and the scars that remain make us who we really are. (Appositive)

In the first line of the quote Rilke declares, “All that is good transformation and all that is bad as well.” Rilke seems to be affirming (FAST) that when a deed, whether good or bad, is done, a transformation is reached. Few would argue that those who do good deeds throughout your life will be transformed in a positive way. However, a positive transformation can also result from doing something bad if the person is willing to learn from their mistakes. Rilke also points out that people must make the most of every opportunity and “seize the day.” In the second line of the quote Rilke argues, “He is in the right who encounters everything as something that will not return.” Rilke urges us to forge ahead with a positive feeling and attitude every moment and day. Living in the moment and taking everything in is paramount (FAST), because there might be only one moment like that in a lifetime. A person, who learns from their mistakes or their good deeds and captures every moment, is indeed living to their fullest potential.

Objects and people change over time; we are created in a particular way and through experiences, transform into another being. Any rock you see today formed more than a million years ago by lava or meteor showers. The largest boulder can crumble and become a rock, then a stone, then gravel and pebbles and eventually sand. (Purposeful repetition) Mr. Rilke contends, that “life is transformation: all that is good is transformation and all that is bad as well.” It may be sad that when an object so big and beautiful such as a boulder crumbles, perhaps it was for the better and maybe it was destined to happen. Maybe the “life” of a big rock crumbles because it has been sitting for so long that it wants to split apart to be free in a million pieces. One day, a person may walk past that rock and decide to sculpt it into a stepping stone for a sidewalk and it will once again transform. Once it is set in the dirt and people walk on it for a while, it will begin to wear down, crack, grow moss and, become sunken in places from people standing. It will experience change everyday from the weather and the people who transform it.

I can relate my life to the Rilke quote and the garden stone, because I have transformed over my life span to where I am now. I first started off as a very shy little girl, who had anxiety and used to cry and worry often. Some circumstances (FAST) never change though. I still have anxiety, but I take medication for it, and I still cry when I’m alone; I still worry about things, but not as much, and I still am shy, especially when I speak or address a group. (Tetra colon climax) I have overcome these quirks little by little in my mere (FAST) fifteen years of life. Just like the garden stone, I began as an undefined mass that slowly condensed into simplicity, and then transformed into the person that I am today. I am no longer the tiny person that had trouble focusing, tying her shoe, putting on clothes and not getting her own way. Throughout my life, I have endured many hardships and triumphs, such as breaking my arm, my grandmother dying, and stress from family, friends and school. (Loose sentence) I can remember when I broke my arm the day before my first day of first grade, and I was already very nervous. The weeks following that incident, I had difficulty fitting in because of the combination of the new environment and my injury, but I can remember my classmates comforting me, which helped me greatly. Breaking my arm left a scar that I will never forget, but I am still standing, and so is the garden stone. (Participle phrase sentence closer)Although I am still trying to figure out who I really am, and will continue to do so for many years to come, I have already taken some shape as a person, just like the garden stone.

Endure all that comes your way, hard or easy, rather than give up. (Antithesis) It will be worth it. To make the journey more satisfying, have a good attitude. When you’ve completed your journey, flaunt (FAST) your scars to show how much you’ve been through and tell the story that comes along with it.

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Self Assessment

Writing Issues I’m continuing working on.
I am continuing to work on making all of my tools APT. I have had trouble with this recently, I think it’s mostly because I don’t know how to use them and know what they are and do.

Some strong points I see.
I really like my last paragraph. It was the easiest one for me to write and the words just flowed out of me.

Some weak points I see.
I used some tools for extra-credit, and maybe some of them aren't right, but at least I tried. I think that some of them are right though.

Grade I would give myself.
A