"Henry David Thoreau Study III" (2015) by Mathieu Laca
A) What do you make of the reference to Thoreau (a prominent figure in the narrative) and his advice to "go confidently in the direction of your dreams"? Generally speaking, do you feel that people in our society don't pursue their dreams enough or that they too often have unrealistic fantasies about their life options?
B) Have you ever felt like Nora, namely, that you might be “crap … at life”(18)? If so, what led you to feel that way? Alternatively, do you have any friends or family members who often wrongly think of themselves that way? If so, how does that affect your interactions with them?
Responding to B. I absolutely have felt that I am crap at life. I have an almost constant sense that I don't know what I'm doing, paired with some lack of identity. If I don't know how to be me, how could I be anything at all? It helped that this book seemed to really understand that feeling.
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B). I have felt like Nora many times before. My self doubt and lack of confidence in myself is what has led me to feel that way. I constantly second guess myself and my actions. It makes me feel like I'm not capable of making my own decisions. -Abby Shropshire
ReplyDeleteB- Yes I have felt like I was horrible at life. What led me to feel this way was the fact that I was in a downward spiral and I felt like the world was against me because almost nothing was going good for me. I have had both friends and family members who thought of themselves this way and it affected their interactions tremendously. They would be way more down on themselves and it was easy for something small to get them down. I related to them and I always tried my hardest to help them through it, though.
ReplyDeleteQuestion A: I feel that the novel references Thoreau because his advice is the opposite of what Nora is doing. So far, we have learned that Nora quit a band for a guy, did swimming for her parents, and did not go to college for glaciology like she wanted to. All she has done is run away from what she really wants and enjoys in life instead of living out her dreams. I feel like often we do the same thing as a society, especially when we are younger. Most of us as kids have dreams, but the older we get the world around us tells us that our dreams are not reachable. Once you are about our age, your big dreams are pretty much dead in your mind.
ReplyDelete-Carolanne Eddy
Responding to A. I think Thoreau believed that your dreams will lead you down the right paths. I feel like society puts too much weight on "dreams". I don't think humans can imagine up a life for themselves, because they would never be satisfied. I think it's good to pursue dreams, but I don't think that should be someone's greatest ambition. Dreams and goals will change throughout life. If you spend your whole life confidently in pursuit of one dream, would you miss the opportunities and experiences that pass you by? Would you be able to live with yourself if you didn't accomplish your dream?
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(A) I think it’s really just hard for everyone, especially at our age, to determine what is a realistic dream. Personally, everything I would like to do or like to be is completely unrealistic, not because I couldn’t get there, but because those jobs get paid very very little. It’s not because I’m just trying to find ways to get rich, but because it’s hard to find a job that I will enjoy working and have enough money to not be stressed out and enjoy life as well. I also feel like unrealistic expectations are put on dreams. It seems like everyone's dream is only a dream job, but why can’t their dream be to have a nice house or be able to take their kids on vacation every year? Because both these dreams require you to make money and it seems like dreaming to make money has a bad stigma around it. Almost like you’re dreaming of being greedy, when realistically, isn’t dreaming of anything YOU want or want to do greedy in itself? I think we have unrealistic expectations when we dream about being an astronaut or a teacher or biologist because that’s only one part of our life and dream. Just because you may be happy at work doesn’t necessarily mean you’re happy in life.
ReplyDeleteSorry the above post is mine. (Jacob Smith)
DeleteResponding to B. There have been many times where I have felt like I was crap at life. These feelings come from constantly questioning every decision I make and a lack of confidence within myself. I have also had friends and family who have experienced feelings similar to mine which has led to some upsetting conversations as I was able to see how bad they were hurting. I do think being able to relate to them though has put me in a position to potentially help them if they want help.
ReplyDelete- Zachary Idlett
A- I feel like people don’t follow their dreams enough in today’s society. We tend to settle into the paths that are expected of us. We are pushed to choosing a major or a job that makes “sense” rather then where our passions really lead us. As we get older, our big dreams get pushed aside most of the time. Today’s society would rather have people stick to the status quo instead of step outside the box and into our dreams.
ReplyDeleteB- I feel like everyone has had some moments in life where they think they are “crap” at life. I personally have felt like this when I feel like I’m not doing enough. I think everyone has had moments where they question what their plan is in life and if it’ll all work out.
I agree with you when you said everyone thinks they are "crap" at life. Everyone questions their decisions and feels like they are messing up, which is weird in a way because we're each just trying to get through life and no one really knows what they are doing.
DeleteA: i feel like most people either; have something happen to them to make them drop their dreams, have unrealistic dreams, or find out that their dreams are harder to get than they where. the quote seems to work best with the last type of people, it may be hard, you may feel like stopping, but don't you will get there it will happen.
ReplyDeletenow B: I feel like most people have that thought at this point. specially when they get out of high school. Some people just get hit with certain parts of reality that they may have never been taught how to deal with. so they may end up feeling useless at life.
A) I think Thoreau gave good advice, but realistically, I am not sure that a lot of people take it. I think it is very hard to follow your dreams, especially following them confidently. Just thinking about my own personal experiences, there are still days where I doubt myself and tell myself that I don't think I'll make it or I don't think my dream is cut out for me. The world is constantly changing and I think with the influence of social media, it is common to always want to do something better, or different. You always want what you don't have. Some days I think about changing my future plans, but then the next day I am totally confident in what I want to do. So like I said, good advice, but hard to take.
ReplyDeleteResponding to question B. Yes, I have felt like this in certain situations and in fact it is easy to get in that mindset. I did not realize I was heading in that direction mentally at the time until it hit all at once. Yes, I did feel like I was horrible at just being a human. I also feel like I over think and second guess myself which ultimately leads to this feeling. It begins a vicious cycle of doubt, but with the right people I was able to pull myself out of it. I have also had friends that have felt like this, but I always tried my best to help them out as much as they helped me. What helped the most was when I figured out that no one is perfect at life and I was not alone. I also think its normal at this age to feel like this a certain point in your life due to society aspects.
ReplyDeleteA) Dreams are just that. Dreams. They will almost never be met exactly how you want them to be. Most of the time, the opportunities to best reach that dream are also hidden and difficult for many to realistically do in today's society. However, I do agree with Thoreau. You should go confidently in the direction of your dreams. It will not go as planned, but the more confidence you have in yourself the better the chances are. The more you outreach and try things that you hesitate to do will help you more than sitting and timidly hoping that your dreams will just happen. We have to make our dreams realistically reachable for ourselves instead of just having wishful thinking.
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In response to B: Personally I have felt "crap at life". It is an easy mindset to fall into if you believe to be or are told you aren't good enough to do something. I fell into this sort of thinking through realizing my own failures and wanting to be able to make the outcome of them better. I have also had friends who have thought down on themselves. It makes it hard for them to contribute to ideas as they feel they will just be shut down.
ReplyDeleteB. I feel as though at some point in everyone’s life, they feel as if they are “crap at life”. I know that in my experience, that happens to me at least once a week. Sometimes things just don’t go your way, and it feels as if everything is going wrong because you don’t know how to live a human life. I know I have plenty of friends who think this same exact way, but just for slightly different reasons. To be completely honest, I think these thoughts slightly connect me with specific people. People who think like this tend to gravitate towards each other, and they can see when another person is putting themselves down, while they may not be able to see that they are doing it to themselves as well.
ReplyDelete-Carson Dill
Set B:
ReplyDeleteI have definitely felt like crap throughout points of my life, like the feeling is constantly following me. There are reasons that I know that have made me feel this way, such as PTSD and depression, but there are other reasons that I can’t pinpoint. Maybe this feeling is just being uncertain or that I might regret that decision later in my life. I have had family members that feel this way, and it’s just a buzz kill to talk with them. You could be feeling the best you have ever felt that day and that person would just kill the mood. -Sydney Moody
Part B
ReplyDeleteFeeling as Nora did is something that I believe we all come across more often then we would like. I find in most prevalent at times when there are many directions I could go, many different fun and exciting things to be a part of that overlap leading me to ultimately do nothing because I tried to do everything and became overwhelmed or what I did have planned falls through leaving me alone while others are having fun elsewhere. It is easy when this happens to think that you have picked from all the choices that were offered to you the one with a dead end when that is never the case as long as you are alive maybe even after as we see in the book. I have seen some friends and family feel this way and not realize that life is so full of these opportunities we only have to pick a direction and go to find more chances to be less crap at life.
-Richard
DeletePart B
ReplyDeleteI have felt like crap in life. Depression is one of the big factors to feeling like crap in life. From sports to school to all the extra curricular activities messing up and feeling bad about yourself was just gonna be part of the journey. Everyone has people in their life that feel this way because everyone has at a point in their life. Interactions with them can be fun and happy but then all of a sudden can turn sad. These interactions can sometimes feel like they are ruining your day but you don't want to make them think you are.
Responding to part A, I interpret the Thoreau quote as meaning to strive to reach your dreams as if you have never had a doubt in yourself. To me, society today is less about your dreams and more about surviving. Many people grow up in poverty and continue that cycle for generations whilst the rich do the same. Realistic or not, pursuing your dreams could cost you your life, your home, your friends, ect.
ReplyDeleteResponding to part B: Yes, there have been many times where I have felt like I might just be crap at life. I have an endless list of reasons for feeling so: failing that important test, saying the wrong thing, forgetting something important… It all builds and becomes very overwhelming very quickly.
I do have family and friends that feel that way about themselves. I try to help as much as I can and become a therapist of sorts. I get tired and distance myself after a while, which effectively damages my relationship with the person.
A). I see the quote from Henry David Thoreau as a way of reminding us how Nora settled instead of following this quote. She worked in the same music store for twelve years instead of pursing a dream. Nora could have been a lot more than she pursed as Kerry-Anne in the previous chapter reminder her. Nora gave little attention to her talents and did not pursue any dreams. I think that most people in life can not follow their dreams, mainly due to how a lot of dreams are not successful in life. I think that as people age they come to terms that their dreams will not sustain them or their families in the long run so they end up making the hard choice of giving up on the dream. - Cody Miller
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ReplyDeleteI think that the main issue in the living of life and the pursuing (or not for that matter) of dreams, is really dependent on “Going confidently” as Thoreau puts it. Some of us going into our “dreams” only to find that the outcome is coated in a bitter taste, from any number of half-measures and sacrifices we made along the way. Or it could be the complete opposite, that being that we never even tried to pursue our dreams due to the fear that we have of failing them. This is why Nora, and her numerous lives are so relatable and never seem right. In these different paths Nora never went confidently into her dreams. Something that all of us are guilty of.
-CWR
In response to B, I definitely feel "crap at life" almost every waking moment of my existence. My mind convinces me that nothing can or will ever be enough for anyone, and it's a struggle to fight back. Through years of therapy I have become aware of those cycles I endure and can differentiate the thoughts of my mental illness versus my own self. I let the feelings come and watch them pass. When you feel this way for so long it is very hard to create and maintain relationships of all kinds. One just has to find people who push past all of that and don't take your isolation personally. Not everyone will do that, but there always will be some who will. It is possible to help the one you love without getting ensnared in their downward spiral with them, a simple reminder that you love and care about them can go a long way.
ReplyDelete- Sam Ray
DeleteResponding to A: I believe that it's not a bad thing to follow your dreams. However, I also believe that people are often crushed by reality if they choose to do so. I wanted to be many things when I grew up. At first it was a comedian, then an astronomer, then an engineer, and now an accountant. The reason I changed my mind so much wasn't just because I couldn't decide, but rather I knew that I had no future in those subjects. Only the top 1% of comedians make enough money to make it their full time job. There are so few official positions for astronomers that I would have to be the absolute best of the best in order to make it a career. And I figured out early on that I simply wasn't smart or technical enough to become an engineer. But I did figure out what I was good with, and now I am striving to become an accountant. I believe in picking the reasonable options and sticking with something that you're good at and something that will provide you with many opportunities and a stable life. It's always great to hear when someone is able to secure their dream job, but sometimes it just isn't realistic.
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