Actually it's Question 2, because the first question asks how my family or community has shaped my "personal development", and I can't handle that shit now. So instead, let's start this all off with the following:
"Discuss some creative work that illustrates the way you see the world and the way you see yourself in the world. The work may be a scientific theory, novel, film, poem, song, or other art form."
To begin with, I would like to draw your attention to the idea that a scientific theory is a "creative work", because it speaks volumes to the type of people who are filling this thing out that any of them would write a quarter of a page about why a scientific theory is similar to their worldview and themselves instead of talking about a film or a book or a poem or pretty much ANYTHING ELSE. I'm not even sure I can really think of any way that would work. I guess maybe you could talk about how insignificant you are?
(Okay, now that I'm thinking about it, there are actually some really cool routes you could go - like, how amazingly improbable it is that I exist, as I am, and how absolutely unique it is that I do, and how mind-blowing it is to think that every single person on earth is similarly unique and improbable. In fact, if I could find a way to relate that to a scientific theory that I actually understood, I would write about it. Which really only demonstrates how sadly suited I am to be doing this, because despite what I may tell myself about not being a complete nerd, I totally am.)
Anyway, so I chose the movie versions Eloise at Christmastime/Eloise at the Plaza (they're kind of the same, okay?) so, um, yeah. Here we go.
Growing up, I was a scared child. All my favorite characters - from Flounder in The Little Mermaid to Piglett in Winnie-the-Pooh - were worrywarts, nervous and unwillingly thrust into adventure. I always was a worrier - one time, after seeing an article about the Beltway sniper in Time Magazine, I sat in the middle of the floor of our dining room, afraid to stand up because then I could be shot through the windows. I lived over 500 miles away from the nearest shooting, but that was still too close for me.
I didn't grow up watching or reading Eloise, much as I love her now. In reality, I probably would have been horrified by her messiness and blatant disregard for rules as a child - as a rule-abiding youngster, any hint of anarchy was terrifying. Instead, I have come to love her for the way that she represents what I would love to be - happy, weird, and completely free to be myself. The last two things are especially important, as they make the first one possible. The unhappiest moments of my life have come when I've been most untrue to myself. This idea of being honest to yourself is present everywhere in these movies - the plots are completely based on it. Eloise is always unforgivingly herself, and in this way, always manages to carry on, no matter what happens.
These movies are expressions of joy. In the end, though the world has so much sadness in it, it is a truly miraculous place - similarly, no matter what bad things happen to Eloise or those she loves, there is always that happy ending. I believe in happy endings. I believe that if we keep trying, if we strive towards love and friendship, if we are honest with ourselves, if we look for joy everywhere we go, as Eloise does, we can reach those happy endings. We can look back on our lives with content.
Yeah, like I said. I'll be editing these things, I just find it really helpful to start them off here.
BAI!!
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