Cumulative Essay: Brainstorming

I will also be referring to myself as the “main character” of this essay, although I will brainstorm that in more detail later.




I really like Mrs. Leclaires idea of the contrast between forced v. chosen ____. I think it could work really well for my prompt and the idea of maturity and innocence. Just without looking I know that a lot of the texts I reference have a cycle of sorts; a character endures an event (forced, out of their control) and are thrown into turmoil of some sort, and then gradually through the rest of the text they must navigate the preceding path (chosen, in their control) to find some sort of closure or growth out of it.




East of Eden is centered around this concept- and even has a motif dedicated to it, timshel. Among the many “forced” events are Charles attempted murder of Adam, Cyrus’ death, Cathy (from her first encounters with the Trasks to her assault on Adam and the whole whorehouse ordeal), Samuel Hamilton’s death, the birth of the twins, and more. These were all pivotal moments that were impulsive and uncontrolled, or just the course of nature, that served to disrupt the lives of the characters- Adam being a prime example. However, with influence from supportive characters like Samuel, the concept of timshel comes into effect. Adam must make choices (at first to separate himself from his brother, and then from Cathy’s influence) in order to heal. He must raise the twins, and eventually dedicate some effort into being their father. He has to make choices, over and over, in order to move from devastation to security.




Avatar: The Last Airbender revolves around the transformative power of choices. Yes, I’m aware it’s technically a children's cartoon, but looking deeper into its content you find an incredible depth of topics that is explored in a remarkably approachable way. Large themes that underly the series include genocide, racism/prejudice/sexism, war, murder, psychological torment, and of course conflict between good and evil (among so, so many others). What I love about this show is that it portrays all these themes in a way that make it manageable for children to understand to a degree, without being overwhelmed by their full implications, yet simultaneously carrying enough weight with it to strike a chord with older and more mature audiences. While my 8 year old cousin can delight at the lighthearted comedic nature of Aang (the protagonist), I can revel in his many acts of selflessness throughout the series- risking his life to save those of others- and his ultimate decision to spare the life of the Firelord at the end of the series. Its hard to understand if you havent watched it...




Anyways, there are many characters in ATLA who follow the themes of forced vs. chosen maturity. Zuko’s character is hailed as having one of the greatest redemption arc’s in history; from being brutally burned/scarred and banished from his homeland, over the course of the series he transforms from a vengeful, honor-hungry force of destruction to just and self-sacrificing hero. Along the way he endures banishment, attempted murder, rises and falls from grace, and more; but guided by his Uncle Iroh he is able to steadily make choices in the right direction. Going back to my original prompt, as a Prince in the royal family, Zuko was completely sheltered from the reality of the war overtaking his world. The propoganda of his nation lead him to believe their aggressive actions were just, however in a confrontation with his father, the Firelord, in the last season, Zuko shows he has finally stripped away the veil:




“Growing up we were taught that the firenation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are *terrified* by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They *hate* us. And we deserve it! We created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.”




I could write so much more about Avatar and East of Eden, both hold a really special place in my heart but I feel I need to move on before this post gets too long. I knew fairly well where I wanted this essay to go from the start, and this brainstorming has helped solidify many of my ideas and developed them. I want to take this texts- East of Eden, ATLA, and my music (which is another blog post entirely)- and express how they have guided me through my own struggles with maturity and and confronting the “bleak reality” of the world. I am ending High school far from the naivety of which I started it. I have lived through pain, grief, anxiety, and depression. I have watched friends go belly-up in their own thoughts and actions. By no means have I been through it all- or been through the worst, as some have- but I’m no child anymore. Thats the journey I want to convey in this essay; who I am and how I got here.






Thesis: As we walk through life, we are confronted with sudden and debilitating events that push our lives from security into uncertainty; it is in these times, our darkest moments, when our choices split the road between chaos and tranquility and ultimately our path to maturity and growth.