Reflection Of Sophie's World

Nonfiction is a genre of writing in which the author reflects on actual events in history. Lucy Grealy writes about an intense part of her life in a memoir. A memoir is written by the person it is about, usually written on the topic of something the author did or witnessed. Throughout this book, the author gives off vivid imagery and themes in order to help us understand just how difficult her life was. For example, in chapter 12, “Mirrors” on pages 207 to 208, Lucy describes just how a man loving her could change her view on life. Imagery, diction and setting also help to bring Lucy’s memoir together. Although this section seems to be about Lucy finding love, it is actually about the search and acceptance of self-identity as we can see from

     Sure, some of us have this great confidence within ourselves about looking great, but that does not hold true for everyone. I understand the pain or disgust, or even disappointment one feels when they look in the mirror and say, “I wish I could change this or that about myself”. Although this piece is written about the author’s life, it holds meaning and connects with for many people; one only has to dig deep enough to find one. For me, it was to realize what is important in life can change, adapt and that we must explore our inner selves and find our own path in life.

In “Letters from the Corrugated Castle, a 13-year-old girl named Eldora writes a series a letters describing everything that is going on in her life. She had believed for years that her mother had passed away when she was quite young. Eldora lived with a very nice couple who had been very kind and taken Eldora in as their own. Eldora called them Aunt and Uncle. At the beginning of the story, Aunt, Uncle, and Eldora all packed up their belongings from their home in New Bedford, Massachusetts and left for a new life in the chaotic city of San Francisco, California.

Ever since Alma was an infant she adored strolling through the narrow alleys and backstreets of Paris, one street in particular always deserted, made it her favorite. Alma had the street all to herself. As she pranced around in her favorite alley, she noticed a petite chalkboard for the first time. Intrigued by the board, she inspected it and acknowledged that written on the board was the names of various people, she concluded that she would write her own name. As she scribbled her name she recognized out of the corner of her eye the store across from her had a girl her age peering through the window towards her. As she investigated deeper she noticed the doll looked eerily exactly like her. As Alma steps forward the doll dashes away. Bewildered, Alma walks toward the store. As she gets nearer the door creaks open and Alma steps toward it, however the door seals shut. Discouraged, Alma walks away, but once more, something caught her attention. Turing around, she sees the door creak open yet again, and this

I encountered a peculiar individual on the sidewalks this evening. I can recall that “ The girl stopped and looked as if she might pull back in surprise (Page 4)”. Nervousness shook my body as this mysterious girl applied a sense of mystery to herself. She asked me a variety of questions that i firmly responded too as I soon realized that she was our new neighbor. She was an odd one, she even described herself as crazy, the young ones these days.

One day, all of her letters are mailed out and it causes a lot of old memories and crushes to re-enter in her life. Theme: - People are not always what they seem

Sophie introduces herself in the story as a nerdy, outcasted teenage girl, “I always thought of myself as a free-floating one-celled amoeba, minding my own business. The other kids at school were all parts of a larger organism. . . Not particularly noticed, definitely not appreciated, just an amoeba swimming around aimlessly” (9). Sophie feels as if she does not belong where she grew up, she has always felt like she was on the outside. Her father, a drug dealer and felon, left her mother when she was first born. Because of her extreme self-esteem issues, Sophie blames herself for her father leaving. She recalls what she believes happened when she was born, “When Mom was a teenager, I started making her belly fat. And then my dad left. And then I was born too soon. And he came back to get us.

She has a scientific and above very empathic approach to the topic as she claims to be an introvert herself which I find fascinating and admiring as well. The story begins with an unremarkable suitcase full of books. What’s it all about I will reveal you now.

One small act in this world, whether it is significant or not, can change the life of someone forever. Miep Gies, a woman who once went unknown to the world, once said, “But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.” (Goodreads 1). The woman who went unheard of by the world around her, turned on this light during the dark experiences of World War II. From being a small business secretary to saving the lives of people around her, Miep Gies made a name for herself, and that name is now well known by many. All it took was one simple action of kindness for the world to remember her name, and now we celebrate the actions Miep made and the lives she changed.

Sophie revealed herself to be a character who was tormented by brutal, inescapable guilt for having lived, and she has been so thoroughly assaulted by evil that she comes to think of herself as the bearer of

In Douglas Crimp’s article the Photographic Activity of Postmodernism there are several terms that have been brought up over and over again. Presence is one of them, “presence that is only through the absence that we know to be the condition of representation.” It reminds me of one of my favorite photographers --- Francesca Woodman. She once said that “I allow you to see what you couldn’t see --- the inner force of one’s body.” She recreates a space that is simulating the relationship between the infant (the subject) and the mother’s body. The child was safe and content before the alienation, but a sense of lost and insecurity occurs after leaving the mother’s inner.

One of the most basic philosophical questions, as well as at the same time being the most complicated, in the novel Sophie’s World is the question, who are we? This question alone is what embarks Sophie, the main character in the novel, on a never ending journey of questions and through the world of philosophy. As it is shown in Sophie’s World, the concepts of philosophy have been in constant change all throughout history, philosophers contradicting one another in a constant battle to achieve greatness, and proceeding in a constant never ending cycle of philosopher contradicting philosopher. Because of this non-stop constant change in philosophy, Democritus, one of the earliest philosophers, would have a

Discovery of self may be a common process that can improve and deepen understanding of the individuals and the world around them. It is through these new understandings that individuals are able to both reunite with themselves and the wider society. This concept is presented clearly in the poem ‘The door’ by Miroslav Holub representing that change in self involves taking chances and opportunities and the positive consequences of change. Holub conveys change as an individual’s commitment to take new opportunities presented to them, resulting in a new perspective of life. The short story ‘Big world’ by Tim Winton reveals that self-exploration and the substantial growth and development happen through findings that contain experiences, which challenge

The book gets us to think a lot about how much control we really have. Sophie doesn’t seem to go as deep into the philosophy as it seems the Philosopher wants her to. She answers the question, but she doesn’t think about the depth to the question. She just skims to find the answer. Everything she has thought so far was just her thinking about exactly what that Philosopher wanted her to. She never really puts her own thoughts into the depth. The story is showing Sophie on her way to finding the answers to the world’s most unanswered questions. Whether or not she will find them, who knows? There will be sad things passing through your life, but that doesn’t mean that you will become a sad person. Your life does not become sad because of sad moments. If you think about how the past has dealt with bad situations, you can find better ways to get through them. If you don’t ever think about the past, you are determined to repeat it. You will only focus on what is right in front of you, instead of looking past your comfort zone into the world. Passage: I don’t want you to end up in such a sad state. I will do what I can to acquaint you with your historical roots. It is the only way to become a human being. It is the only way to become more than a naked ape. It is the only way to avoid floating in a vacuum.

Having read Lolita before this one, I was in a divided mind whether to bring the book home. Not that Lolita was “bad”, no chance of that, but it exerted an impression which I would love to liken to a massive dose of LSD: lovely exasperating, trippy to the max, to a certain extent very similar to a case of migraine. Unfortunately, the black butterfly on its cover knew my dilemma and blinked with me. I brought the book, and soon envisioned myself getting stuck in the same vein of chaos of words, metaphors, excessively equivocal language and bizzare monologues once again. However, to my utmost bewilderment, Laughter turned out not very elusive as I had expected. I made hardly any endeavor to finish it all in one light read, and even had time for reflective pauses during and after reading. Wow, is it me or the tale monster really that easy to tame this time?