Being vulnerable and honest are great strengths to have. They help you gain the perspective of others. The book All These Wonders by The Moth displays numerous ways to open up in both comedic and serious ways. The Moth is a non-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. In All These Wonders, there are 45 different stories. Each story was specially selected by The Moth to be included in this book. Instead of chapters, there are 7 different categories. These categories are The Eternal Music of Spheres, Things I’ve Seen, Keeping the Lid On, Grace Rushes In, Like a Man Does, To Face the Fear, and By Every Claim of Love. Each of these sections has both lighthearted, eye-opening, and depressing stories. The main point of The Moth is to give people the opportunity to open up, be honest about the person you were in that time frame, be vulnerable, have an emotional weight lifted, and so much more. This book was incredibly enlightening. The story that has stuck with me the most emotionally is called, “R2, Where are you?”. “R2, Where are you?” tells the story of a girl named Tig; who lives with her mother and step-father. Tigs mother was incredibly supportive and emotional… on the other hand, her stepfather Rick was cold and blunt. Tig dropped out of high school and pursued becoming a standup comedian. Rick told her, “... my career was a waste of my time and a waste of my intelligence, and he thought I should become a doctor or lawyer”(141 Notaro). Reading that line almost crushed me with disappointment. It reminded me of the school system. Yes, the school system cares about our livelihood; however, they want us to go to college to live a life with stable money, stable hours, a stable house, stable family, etc. Don’t get me wrong, that would be a very comfortable and safe life to live… but don’t we want more? More with our lives? To pursue our dreams? Just some food for thought. Moving along, Tigs mother grows very ill and passes quickly. After the funeral, Rick begins to break down, and he apologizes to Tig. Apologizing for how he treated her, and he felt remorse because he didn’t understand her. Rick tried to push his life route onto her because he thought that would be for the best. When Rick opened up to Tig he created an opening for a new type of relationship. He removed the barrier blocking a connection between them, which created a path to each other. Feeling defenseless is uncomfortable. But it is something humans need to do to understand each other. This book has stories from a teenager feeling nervous for her friends to see that she enjoys having deep talks about the stars, to a man trying to keep his family in the U.S. to protect them from their past nightmares. Telling those stories would have been nerve racking yet relieving. People suppress stories and emotions to keep from reliving the past but all they’re doing is keeping themselves in the same spot mentally. We have to open up about our past and be vulnerable to truly be able to move on. “In the deepest, blackest night of despair, if you can get just one pinhole of light… all of the grace rushes in.”(166 Sandstrom) by Sally L.
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AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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November 2022
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