In the book, Before I Fall, the readers experience life seven times through a teenage girl with hope of surviving. The main character, Sam Kingston whose life was ephemeral, dies in a car accident and is thrown into disarray. However, she lives that day over and over again seven times; all with different endings. Through her repeated days in Before I Fall, readers will come to know that Sam Kingston is hopeful, determined, loyal, and caring. While reading Before I Fall, readers will learn what caring truly is. Sam Kingston dies and relives that day over seven times. She learned after the first day not to take life for granted. Sam was very caring. For instance, to save herself from dying, she stayed home from school. This to some readers may not be a big deal, but Sam had a younger sister, Izzy. Some readers may find their siblings annoying and try to eschew them; nevertheless, Izzy was never testy to Sam. Therefore, when Sam stayed home, she agreed to let Izzy stay home with her. While spending the day together, Sam did whatever Izzy wanted to do. Her choice was to visit Goose Point, a rock where geese would always fly. Even though this was a picayune to Sam; nevertheless, she went anyway. While there Sam wanted to say very kind words to Izzy that she did not have the heart to say before. Sam did not want to cry in front of her sister, for this would show Izzy how upset she is. The kind words were “I feel ache in my throat, but I manage to smile. Two conflicting desires go through me same time, each as sharp as a razorblade: I want to see you grow up and don’t ever change” (Oliver 284). Izzy was never an ignominy to Sam. For Sam, caring was to love her sister, and to save one of her classmates from dying. This classmate, Ju... ... middle of paper ... ...t want to do this she does anyway. “Lindsey and I decide to cut seventh period and go to TCBY. Linsey has French, which she can’t stand, and I have English” (Oliver 44). This shows how loyal Sam was to her friends, and how they were close to each other. In the end, Sam was hopeful, determined, caring, and loyal. I’m not scared, if that’s what you’re wondering. The moment of death is full of sound and warmth and light, so much light it fills me, absorbs me: a tunnel of light shooting away, arching up and up and up, and if singing were a feeling it would be this, this light, this lifting, like laughing… The rest you have to find out for yourself. (Oliver 470) This explains that Sam was trying to not only save her life but others too. Before I Fall shows readers to live life to the fullest and never to regret anything; furthermore, to live a sumptuous life.
While she might think that her plans are working, they only lead her down a path of destruction. She lands in a boarding house, when child services find her, she goes to jail, becomes pregnant by a man who she believed was rich. Also she becomes sentenced to 15 years in prison, over a street fight with a former friend she double crossed. In the end, she is still serving time and was freed by the warden to go to her mother’s funeral. To only discover that her two sisters were adopted by the man she once loved, her sister is with the man who impregnated her, and the younger sister has become just like her. She wants to warn her sister, but she realizes if she is just like her there is no use in giving her advice. She just decides that her sister must figure it out by
Dr. Moody reports, “Almost every person has expressed to me the thought that he is no longer afraid of death” (Moody Jr, MD, 2015, p. 90). Dr. Moody draws parallels between scripture, the philosopher Plato, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and Emanuel Swedenborg. Scripture teaches us of Christ speaking to Paul and what body the dead will have. Christ
Although dying is a relevant topic for everyone, it is often avoided. However, many areas of death should be openly discussed. Dying is emotionally experienced in a similar way by many people. Kübler-Ross developed five stages of emotion that individuals who are dying experience (Berger, 2014, p. 583). First the individuals experiences denial. They then go through a period of anger, followed by bargaining, depression, and lastly acceptance. You may find yourself somewhere within these stages as well. It’s a normal aspect of dying.
Death is one of the concepts that is perceived differently throughout cultures. Some see it as a punishment or loss, some take it as just another chapter of our existence – a transition to the unknown. Death is so much more than just life running out of time; it includes a great deal of pain: physical, social – leaving our loved ones behind, mental – trying to understand what fills that void when we die, emotional – frustration and regret, and spiritual – fear of not having led a fulfilling life. There is a fear of death, or the unknown that awaits afterwards not only in relation to ourselves, but also in relation to people we love, and despite the pain that fills our hearts, sometimes we need to do the right thing to ease their journey.
One may die with hopes of one day overcoming their fears and for once being called a very brave person. When God opens the doors to Heaven, all the fears in the body should be released and never regained. Robert Fros...
...nd void, the soul is a material thing that ceases to exist when the body dies. So I don't fear death since I will just simply cease to exist.
It’s a hard thing to explain to somebody who hasn’t felt it, but the resence of death and danger has a way of bringing you fully awake. It makes things vivid. When you’re afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood – you give it together, you take it together. (O’Brien, 220)
When people ponder death they wonder about the unknown with trepidation. As a young man, William Cullen Bryant wrote the "Thanatopsis." His thoughts progress from the fear of death to the acceptance of the event. People should not fear death because everyone dies and becomes a part of nature.
...omach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter" (Updike 1030). This was the day that Sammy grew up.
...hose this story for the shear fact that I saw a lot of the same emotions and happenings in my life, but also a lot of unfortunate mistakes on the characters part which made me scratch my head and wonder. "How can you be so stupid and in denial of how one event leads to another, and to see how careless your actions are?" The story closes with Sammy coming to the realization of how his life will change, "My stomach fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me here-after." To one reading the story that was Sammy coming to terms with his rash actions awhile fully understanding the consequences.
Death is always an interesting topic for discussion. Individuals will respond differently to it emotionally and physically. Some will see it as a nuisance and attempt to remain as busy as they can to not think of it but once death catches up to us we hope and pray that there is an afterlife where we can continue living. Others will do anything in their power to fight against it and make sure that they live their life to the fullest. These individuals are determined to leave some trace of them behind before it is too late. There are a few individuals who find the beauty in death. As if death is all around us and we simply need to take the time to look at it. In any case death is something we will encounter and in Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, Thomas’s, “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”, and Seuss’s “Still-Life with Turkey” we are shown these different viewpoints in very different and unique ways.
Everyone is going to die; it is a fact of life. Every living thing on this planet will cease to exist at one point or another. John Donne, Walt Whitman, and Mary Oliver all acknowledge this fact in their poetry, but they go beyond the reality of the situation. In “Death Be Not Proud”, John Donne tells Death that it is a slave and eventually it will not be needed. Walt Whitman says that death does not exist and the soul is immortal in “Song of Myself”. Lastly, in “When Death Comes” Oliver describes a vision of life to avoid fearing death. Although everyone dies, death is not powerful or something to be feared because the soul lives forever. Death is not authoritative or compelling; it is a slave to mankind. Drugs and medicine make humans sleep
Death is a stimulating subject to discuss. Discussions regarding what an individual thinks occurs after death has the potential for creating a great debate. People’s response to death and stages of grief can vary. Death does not always have to mean sorrow, tears and gloom. Death can also bring peace and joy. Some people know in advance that they are going to die and death for others can be unexpected.
When I originally signed up for this course, I was uneasy about it. Talking about death has always made me feel anxious, as it does with most people in our society. However, over the course of the semester, I’ve learned that not only is it okay to talk about death and dying, but it also makes me feel less anxious about death. Things that I have learned in this course will help me in many ways in both my professional and personal life.
Death is something that causes fear in many peoples lives. People will typically try to avoid the conversation of death at all cost. The word itself tends to freak people out. The thought of death is far beyond any living person’s grasp. When people that are living think about the concept of death, their minds go to many different places. Death is a thing that causes pain in peoples lives, but can also be a blessing.