Katelyn Parmenter
Mrs. Wagener
AP English 11
6 August 2013
The Red Tinted
Glasses
Life
is a complicated journey filled with pleasant and mediocre experiences. All of
these experiences impact the outlook on life. A person can choose to be
optimistic and find the upside in every situation, or they can be pessimistic and
look at the negative side of everything. A person’s attitude greatly affects
the way they perceive all situations in life.
In
the “Kant” chapter of Sophie’s World,
Alberto uses a pair of glasses with red lenses to explain the way a person can
perceive reality. Everything that goes on around a person is a definite part of
their life, but the glasses they are wearing determine how they see those
events. The red lenses represent one’s outlook on life. When Sophie put on the
glasses, everything around her turned a shade of red, but when she took the
glasses off, she saw everything in its actual color. The red tinted glasses
changed the way she saw life around her.
In
my sixteen years of experience, I have learned that it is difficult to always
have a positive outlook on reality. It is easy to dwell on all of the negative
things that have occurred in my life. Focusing on my pain and heartache results
in a dull view of my experiences. To live a fulfilled and joyous life, I have
to wear the right glasses.
“…
we cannot know with certainty what the world is like ‘in itself.’ We can only
know what the world is like ‘for me’—or for everybody.” This quote, said by
Alberto in Sophie’s World, tells
readers that no one will ever know the true characteristics of the world. A
person only knows what life is like according to their own experiences. The
view of reality varies from every individual. The world is not a terrible place
because I have had an unhappy life nor is it a wonderful place because I have
had an easy and carefree life. I will never know exactly what the world is
like.
Life
will always consist of ups and downs. No one will ever go through life without
a single rough patch. Even though rough patches can tear a person down, they
can stand right back up and see reality in a positive light if they wear the
right type of glasses.
It is true that the world is not a terrible place, but because of perspective and certain experiences that we go through that are different or more difficult than others, sometimes it does seem as if it is a terrible place. Good points here and use of personal experience/personal belief to understand perspective in the Kant chapter. 20/20
ReplyDelete