Analyzing Paul D 'Angelo's Essay Step Not Taken'

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UNIT 1 LESSON 1: KEY QUESTION 1 (a): {I was unable to write in one paragraph so I wrote it in multiple paragraphs and gave it a shape of essay. I hope it is right} There are three different strategies which can be applied when we have to read anything. These strategies are before reading strategy, during reading strategy and after reading strategy. I applied these strategies on the text and discussed in the following essay. Before reading this short story my purpose is that I will use the knowledge and understanding from it to answer the key questions and apply reading strategies on it.I will read this text slowly and carefully, during which I will jot down notes and underline important key points to remember. Before reading I…show more content…
This essay illustrates an example of monomyth, with three sequential stages like separation, struggle or initiation and return or reintegration with a gift or epiphany. The narrator is seen as a hero who takes part in a journey to gain great knowledge from his life experience. In the beginning of the story, he is called for adventure (occurs under the separation stage of monomyth) when he notices a well-dressed young man of mid 20s with him in an elevator. At this stage the narrator is not aware that everything in his life is going to change “Nothing indicated what was about to happen”. Suddenly the young man fell down and began weeping. The narrator gets confused what to do “bundle with mixed emotions” and he decided to step out of the elevator. He refuses the quest initially of helping the fellow man and left him alone crying. He began to think about the possibilities that might arise if he helped the young man and becomes fearful that what if he lashes at him for inquiring what might be…show more content…
He gets over whelmed with second thoughts of decision which he made at that moment. In order to get him back on his quest a benevolent guide, his internal strength of curiosity and concern about young man assisted him in his experience. He then started imagining the worst scenarios that could happen to the young man. He wonders “if he is mentally disturbed” or “if he is thinking about suicide”. The narrator is unable to live with this sense of regret and unanswered questions, filled with frustration. He decides to seek others help by asking them that whether he did the right thing, they told him that he had done the right thing of leaving the man alone at that moment but inside the man knew that he done wrong. The benevolent spirit gave him motivation to share this experience with others through this essay and apologize the young man. The narrator (hero) thinks that what if in place of the young man would be his own son so in order to avoid any problem in future he conveyed his message of helping others “ The thing I would want to someone to do, if they ever found my son crying in an elevator”. At this moment I can see the narrator resembling to Karma and this reminded me of the movie “Let alone” about Karma what you do in your life effects your future. Finally in the reintegration or return phase the narrator has a realisation of his mistake. The narrator has guilt in his heart therefore

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