Planetwalker John Francis Analysis

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Price 1 Lauren Price Professor Mckay Jenkins ENGL102 13 May 2011 Putting Things in Perspective There is one passage in Planetwalker that we discussed in class which, for me personally, conveys the meaning of the book entirely. John Francis lived 17 years in silence while walking for 22 years to make not only himself, but also the entire world more aware of their surroundings in nature and make our society more selfless as a whole. By Francis remaining silent, he was able to really think about, and appreciate the true beauties of nature and put life in a perspective. While I know I have neither the willpower nor the desire to remain silent for such a lengthy amount of time, I do have one place I go to that…show more content…
This is not a personality trait I am proud of, but I acknowledge that this is how I am. However there is one thing I do that makes all the difference. When I am feeling like everything is going wrong in my life and I realize I am not taking the time to appreciate everything I have, I go to the beach alone at night. If there is ever a place that could put your life more in perspective, I do not know where that is. While sitting on the beach alone at night, I have no desire to speak to anyone, I just think. I feel surrounded by things so much greater than me and it makes me appreciate the true beauties of life. First, there is the ocean, which, from where we sit on the beach, seems to never end. It is so beautiful yet so powerful and could kill someone in a heartbeat. Another amazing thing is the sky. The stars are scattered all throughout the sky and go on for endless miles and seem so close, yet are so far away. Then there is the sand in which we sit. It goes on for what seems like miles and miles, but when you pick a grain of sand up, you can barely see it. I take a moment and I compare myself to that grain of…show more content…
I realize that I am just one person, acting selfish, when there are so many other people out there with real problems in their lives that are much worse than mine. When I am at the beach I realize that out of everything on this planet, I am just one little speck and need to appreciate all the other beauties out there. There are uncountable creatures in the sea, endless waves crashing on the shore, innumerable stars in the sky and millions of grains of sand. A grain of sand by itself is not a very pretty thing, but Price 3 when surrounded by all the other beauties of the world it becomes that much better. I am one grain of sand, yes, and may have my own issues, but I should not think of them singlehandedly and need to become a more selfless person that bases my thoughts and perspectives off of everything else that is out there and appreciate just how much we have. This is what Francis is trying to say in the novel. He is trying to prove to us that we are selfish as a society and do not appreciate what we have in life. There are things out there so much stronger and more beautiful than us, but we tend to not appreciate these things. By being more aware of your surroundings, your life will be put in perspective and you will be able to enjoy every precious moment you spend on earth, before your life inevitably

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