Monday, February 24, 2014

Inspiration from "Street Haunting"- Woolf

I have only really had one profound moment of epiphany: my definition meaning too magnificent to forget. I was a sophomore in high school and it was the week of the OGTs. The math, the reading, and the science tests were unmemorable, but it was the writing test that was unforgettable. We were all sitting in a standard classroom about 30 desks all facing forward in rows of six or five; I was seated in the third row closest to the door. I was hunched over with my face 3 inches from the table completely enamored with my pencil and paper. The topic of subject we were to write on was about changing a school policy and how we would execute it. As dull as it was, I let the words pore out of me. It wasn’t until I was through at least half way through my paper, when I had my moment. I remember completely stopping, putting down my pencil, and looking forward and thinking “Oh my God. I love write! Why don’t I do this as a career?” It’s difficult to describe even now the feeling of clarity, but this moment has clearly helped me slowly discover myself.

2 comments:

  1. I like the direction you took with this mini-essay, how you focused on the inner reflection that Woolf did in her piece and channeled that into a moment of your own that caused intense personal reflection. I think my favorite line is when you're "hunched over with my face 3 inches from the table completely enamored with my pencil and paper." I can just get a really good mental image from that line, and it's funny to boot!

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  2. I wish the OGTs would have influenced me to do something other than bang my head on a wall. As Emily said, I can really picture the moment itself: that sort-of "eureka!" feeling that comes with discovering something you truly love. While it's hard to describe, the beauty of it is that I'm sure everyone has had moments like that, so the reader can simply rely on his or her own past experiences to go alongside the small essay.

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