Fahrenheit 451 Response- "What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger"

Author's Note: This essay is a response to the first 3/4 of the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It also is responding to how Nietzsche's quote "What doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger" can be incorporated with the text.

"What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger". This famous quote by Nietzsche is often used as a reference to many different things. You can even commonly see it on the back of a sports T-Shirt. However, what does this quote mean? To me, it means that there is nothing to be lost from an experience, and that what you do can only help you in the end. Life is an endless series of choices, and no matter what path you take or how much pain you endure, you will come out a better person.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, fireman Guy Montag is constantly faced with life-endangering choices. He is living in a dystopic world where a thing as simple as reading a book is strictly forbidden and could get his house burnt down to the ground. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens as Chief Beatty and his crew get word that Montag has been keeping books in his house. Montag's precious books are burnt along with his house by the firemen almost immediately. Montag gets enraged by everything that's happened and ends up burning and killing Beatty along with the other firemen there. As the chief burns, Montag thinks to himself, "Beatty, you're not a problem now. You always said, don't face a problem, burn it. Well, now I've done both. Good-bye, Captain." Their world as well as the real world is full of cruel irony like this. It was Montag's choice to murder, and it is up to him how his choice can turn his pain around and make him stronger.

Since Beatty's death was a painful choice made by Guy Montag, there is definitely a connection to be made to Nietzsche's quote. Whether the decision to burn the chief, as Beatty had burned so many people and books before, will benefit Montag immediately is unknown. In the long run, I believe that it will, as the quote states, make him stronger. Since the world he and the other characters are living in is about abiding by the rules and playing it safe, it was a bold and brave move to strike out as Montag did. This could eventually be a model to cause change for the better in their society. It all depends on the next choices Guy Montag will make in the ending section of the novel.

Ultimately, the choices you make in life will eventually make you a better person. Whether you are like Montag, trying to change the way others think, or just trying to make it through a tough time. It is necessary to have pain in your life in order to become stronger. It is a reflection of the choices in your life that brings you to where you are now. No matter what you have to endure in order to succeed, you will always come out stronger in the end.

Veterans Essay '10

Author's Note: This is an essay for the Veterans Essay Contest of this year. The prompt was "Does Patriotism Still Matter?". I tried to answer as honestly and accurately as I could.            

Patriotism. People may hear the word, but not know what it means. They assume it has something to do with our country, but they never know exactly what it entails. Patriotism, by definition, is one's love for their country. A love that exists for no other reason besides living in it, but yet is strong enough to take on an army. Patriotism is ageless and will never die.

           Some may ask if patriotism still matters after all these years our great America has been alive. To them I reply, what would the world be like without patriotism? What would people be like without it? Patriotism has been extremely important throughout American history. It has given us the strength and determination to stand up for our country, fight battles for it, and win wars in order to gain its freedom. Taking that away would be like taking away the spirit of all Americans. We would be nothing but borders, roads, and buildings, without any real meaning.

            While the thought of destroying the spirit of America might scare some people, some simply may stand by and let it happen. People are afraid and ashamed of being laughed at for being avid supporters of our country, and for good reason. Patriotism is slowly dwindling into nothingness, and soon it may be gone altogether. We need to work to keep our country's patriotism alive by showing our love for America in various ways.

             But what can the public do that we aren't already doing? When everyone thinks of serving the country, they envision soldiers or a military profession. However, there are many smaller ways to make a difference. One way to help would be to volunteer for a good cause. Showing love for the people in the country is just the same as showing love for the country in general. If everyone helps out, we can make the United States great again.

            Considering all the ways to show love for our country, the answer to the question "Does patriotism still matter?" is an easy 'yes'. Patriots are extremely important to the welfare of this country and will be for as long as America is around. Patriotism is the spirit of the United States of America and will never die.