The Courage Inside

Everyday, although we probably don't notice it, we act boldly and show inner courage. Even in tiny little things, such as going to a different place for lunch. Although you might think "That isn't bravery," it is! By trying new things and taking possible risks, we show acts of courage that strengthen our character and make us more dynamic. I think that J.R.R. Tolkien was explaining this to his readers with The Hobbit.

The Hobbit is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who lives in a peaceful community known as the Shire. In the Shire, no one likes risks or adventures, and everyday life is simple and quiet, if not a bit boring. One day, a wizard named Gandalf comes to his house and invites him to join an adventure. As you might expect, Bilbo is quite surprised and at a loss of words. Bilbo finally refuses and Gandalf leaves, but not before he leaves a strange mark on Bilbo's door. Later that evening, an unexpected troupe of dwarves arrives at Bilbo's house, apparently led there by the aforementioned mark. They try to get Bilbo to sign a paper saying that he will be part of their adventure, but he refuses. The next morning, all the dwarves have left and Bilbo realizes he's made a mistake by not joining. He finds the paper, signs it, and runs after the dwarves. Ok, now we fast forward a few chapters. Bilbo is alone in a dark cave with Gollum, who is hoping to eat him. Bilbo is absolutely terrified, but in a last attempt for his life, he asks Gollum to play a game of riddles. If Bilbo wins, Gollum shows him the way out, and if Gollum wins, he gets to eat Bilbo. These two acts of bravery are Tolkien's way of telling us that we have a lot of boldness inside of us, no matter how shy or frail we may seem.

I think Tolkien is completely right. Every person in the world has a brave side, and we all make life-changing decisions everyday, even if we don't think it.  Every choice we make has a strong impact on our lifestyle, and changing the way you are is a bold and important thing to do. I think that knowing this is very important, as something could pop up in which your "survival" is teetering. Someone could bully you, or someone could try to make you do the wrong thing (just say no!), such as taking drugs. If we are aware that we are not weak, that we have courage, we can stand up to such threats! No matter how weak we think we are, we all have a strong courage inside that will allow us to emerge from bad situations safely.

In Unity There Is Strength

     Jacqueline Woodson, who is a friend of my family's,  gave me her picture book Show Way as a gift when we first moved to New York. Reading it affected me deeply, especially when I was younger and didn't know about slavery. I think this book is a great historical story, but that it also has some strong messages to tell children.
     The story is about Jacqueline's female ancestors who lived during slavery and the Civil Rights movement. It has an anecdote for almost every member of her family, starting out with her great-great-great-great-grandmother all the way to her daughter Toshi. An important focus of the story is that all of them knew how to quilt incredible cloths. At first, these cloths were sewn as maps for escape from slavery. They then became more of a cultural tradition, but the original myths remained.
   Jacqueline and Hudson Talbott (the illustrator) used some great craft moves to make their readers feel emotions. Jacqueline repeated the anecdotes of her first two ancestors (the ones mentioned in the book); "When [the person] was seven, she was sold to a plantation... without her ma or pa but with some muslin her ma had given her." This made me feel like there was no end to what was happening, and hopeless that anything good would occur. Hudson Talbott's illustrations were very thought-provoking (and very well-done). He used dark, cool colors and silhouettes when times were troublesome. This gave a forlorn feel to the scenes. He then used bright, warm colors when things were going well for the characters. Flowered patterns helped give a sense of growth and possibility.
     The quilt also had a deep meaning in the story, apart from being a map guiding the slaves to freedom. I think it symbolized unity, and how if we stand together as one we are strong. Quilts are
stitched together of different scraps of cloth, which I found to be particularly meaningful. The scraps represent the people– how we are all different– and the stitches  represent the harmony between them. Jacqueline wanted to teach her readers that people can wield great power if they stand together, which is apparent in the historical facts she provided– the Civil Rights movement, the abolition of slavery. If we want to change something, we have to stand tall as a community to speak out for what we think is right!