Saturday, February 6, 2010
Life on the Mississippi
For my second blog post I chose to comment on Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi." This story stuck out to me at the very beginning because when reading it, it reminded me of my childhood and how we always dreamed of going big and leaving our small town we grew up in. I believe that all children and all people have dreams that they try to pursue but there are only a select few that reach them in the end. I believe that like Twain did in his story, that we should all pursue the things that we dream because we never know how they might play out as we are in pursuit. This story is also very good because while reading it, you understand what Twain is saying in his story and as the reader it feels like you are actually there. You get a very good description of the daily life in the village and also the navigation from Mr. Bixby while on the Mississippi River. While on the river, the steamboat pilot Mr. Bixby seems to test Twain but he is not prepared because he did not listen to what Bixby said to him about the river. He felt that he did not need to know it but Mr. Bixby showed him that he needed to know even the little details for the safety of the crew and passengers on the steamboat. I believe this application can even be applied in our own lives. We need to pay attention to the little things in our daily lives so that we can either learn from our mistakes or the mistakes from those around us. Because we never know when we might have the life lesson that would test us.
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I like what all Mr.LeClair had to say about this story. I also agree that there is a lesson taught here that we can apply to our lives. Everyone has plans, goals, things they want to accomplish, but it takes a lot of work and effort. The boy wanted very badly to be a steamboat pilot but he did not pay attention to the little things Mr.Bixby told him. It looked as if he thought becoming a pilot would be an easy task. He learned that he must work hard for the things he really wants. We can also take this lesson and apply it to our lives.
ReplyDeleteMr. Leclair I agree with your opinion of the story by Twain. I also feel that we can apply this story to our lives and the little things, life you said, are very important. Everyone has a plan in life, but not everyone can reach their ultimate goal. Only those who stay focused and maintain a positive attitude continue to grow and ultimately reach their goal. Twain did a really good job in this story of using description and making the reader feel like they were actually in the story. Overall AWESOME job Griff. Keep up the good work haha
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with every thing that LeClair has said. I also see a boy going after his own dreams, although he makes mistakes a long the way, he does learn from the and eventually makes him self better for the dream that he is in pursuit of. Like LeClair said we can learn from the boy in the story and apply it to our own life because if we just pay attention to the small things in life it might help us make the difficult decision in life or if we just so happens to pay attention to other and learn what they do right or what they do wrong.
ReplyDeleteMr. Leclair's argument is sound. Everyday we are being tested mentally and physically. This can be at times extremely hard because sometimes we are just tired of all the little things that we have to pay attention to. But if you have a goal or a dream that one can concentrate on it can make things a little easier. If you can focus on the goal it will help make you appreciate the things that you are doing now because you know that it will help you not only in your future career but also in your entire life. Paying attention to detail is very important because it can decide whether or not you make an A- or a B+ for example.
ReplyDeleteThis is a blog and an idea that I believe to be true. As a small child everyone has an active imagination that can run free and make you believe that you can be anything that you want to be. This is a method of thought that has been forgotten. Most people have dreams of being an astronaut and grow up to be a banker. Why does this person not become an astronaut, because of society? Society dictates what others will do and if they will accomplish their set goals in life. Like Mr. LeClair stated, “all people have dreams that they try to pursue but there are only a select few that reach them in the end.” This is due to people getting pulled away from their dreams, that imagination if you will. More people should strive toward their dreams like Twain does in the story. Its like Nike, just do it.
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