9/9/10
Theme Entry Notebook #2
Learning from your mistakes make a better person.
There are plenty of examples in the world that tell us to learn from your mistakes such as Roger fixing his mistake of stealing other people’s stuff by the help of Luella in the story “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes. Roger was a poor boy who lived without his parents. He wanted a shoe but he didn’t have enough money. So, he tries to steal from Luella but didn’t get away with it. Luella takes the boy home and warns him not to steal again. Roger is moved by the way Luella treats him and he fixes his mistake. We know that Roger didn’t repeat his mistakes again according to the words in the end of the story, ‘And he never saw her again’. Roger could have lived on with the bad habit he had. But, with Luella’s help of telling him to fix his bad habit he fixed his habit and did not repeat it again. Fixing bad habits are important because it can change someone into a completely different person. It can change the image of the person for example, other people might call a person who steals a lot of things a ‘the person who steals all the time’. But when the person fixed his bad habit of stealing, they can not call him a ‘the person who steals all the time’ but, they can call him something better such as ‘the honest person who never even thinks of thievery’.
Another example which backs up the claim ‘to be a better person you must fix your mistakes and try not to repeat them again’ is from the the famous movie, Shrek 4. In this movie, Shrek who is the main character wants to go back to the life before which was not so complicated and makes a mistake of making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin about taking away the day he was born. Rumpelstiltskin, who could have been the ruler of FarFarAway if it weren’t for Shrek rescuing Fiona, becomes King of FarFarAway and Shrek is unrecognized by everyone he knew. Shrek tries to return to the world he was in when there were no ogres being hunted and no Rumpelstiltskin being King. The only way for Shrek to return to the world he was in was to have a true kiss with Fiona. Fiona, on the other hand is the leader of the ogres and doesn’t have a clue about who Shrek is. Shrek gets to join the ogre club and tries to have a kiss with Fiona but keeps on failing. When the ogres where trapped by Rumpelstiltskin Shrek frees them and Fiona who fell in love with him, kissed him and returns Shrek to the world he was before. When Shrek returns to the world at a point where he could decide whether to be angry at the people who made him so frustrating or enjoy the life he had been given to, Shrek chooses the life of enjoying his life with his family, friends, and Fiona. Shrek made a mistake of thinking that a life free from everyone else would be better and making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. However, when he goes into a world where everyone doesn’t know him and he’s completely alone he realizes that the life he thought of was not the life he really wanted. So, when he returns to the original world he used to be in, he learns how to enjoy the life where he is in an entirely opposite life of what he wanted before. A life with many people including his family and friends. Shrek fixes his mistake and does not repeat it again because he realized that life would not be what he wanted if he were alone. In the end, Shrek became a better ogre who knows how to enjoy life. This movie Shrek 4 tells us again that fixing your mistakes and not repeating them again makes a better person.
These two settings are related and similar to each other in the ways of both characters who made a mistake fix their mistakes and do not repeat it again. Also, in the end the characters solve their problem and become a better person. Even though the type of character and the mistake made is very different, they are both solved in a similar way and have similar endings. This can conclude that no matter who the person is or the mistake is, you can fix those mistakes and by not repeating them again you can become a better person.
