If you could spend a day with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

"Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it."    - John Lennon

       My family has little to no musical ability; this is the way it's been for generations.  However, and I don't know how, musicians of all sorts have had a huge influence on me for as long as I can remember. This includes maybe some of the artists my parents listened to when I was younger, to the amazing people that happen to make up my music taste today. Although, there are a small number of artists that I don't listen to the music of, but there's something about them that I find interesting, and they impact on my life everyday. The Beatles, for example, I first heard when I was six, when my teacher was playing one of their songs in class. I forget what song, but since then there's been something about them that's so fascinating. And if I were to spend a day with anyone in history, it would be John Lennon.

       Like many other celebrities, John Lennon started out as a bright musician, doing what he loves most with his three friends. He soon turned to substance abuse. I'd love to know what was going through his mind at that time. I'd ask how he was feeling with everything going on in his life, from being in the spotlight constantly, to his marriage with Yoko Ono, and just where everything went wrong. I find the way people are thinking to be so fascinating, and to know what was happening in his head would help the world understand so much more about him.

I'd also love to know about John Lennon's childhood. Having his dad not there often, and his mom remarrying, leaving him to live with his Aunt Mimi at a young age would have been so tough. Not to mention his mother having been struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer, Lennon at the time being seventeen. I have been so lucky to have grown up in a family with no problems, so I would have no idea what it would be like to be in his situation.

       John Lennon is such an inspiration, and an influential character to society. Unfortunately, he passed away several years before I was born, and I will never get the chance to meet him face to face. 

Cemetery Path: Composition Assignment I

       Although there are many, many arguments to counteract, I believe it was Ivan who brought his death upon himself. There is so much evidence, and many different types of evidence, to support this. Just a few points are some of his verbal choices, which gave the Lieutenant the wrong idea, to him terrifying himself to death by stabbing his own coat, and finally to his social interactions.

       In the beginning of the story, the Lieutenant states that Ivan will walk around the cemetery in the freezing winter, but dares to cross it. Ivan replies with, “the cemetery is nothing to cross, Lieutenant. It is nothing but earth, like all other earth." Even though Ivan knows he's petrified to walk across, he still pretends as if it's almost as if it's a stroll through the park. This statement triggers the challenge that is then brought forth; to walk home through the cemetery that night. To say that the cemetery is 'nothing to cross,' and that it is 'nothing but earth,' Ivan is simply giving the Lieutenant the idea that he's not scared to walk across on his way home, at night. 

       Ivan was the one who terrified himself to death. He was the one to stab the sabre into the ground, or into his own coat. Yes, it's tragic that this happened to poor Ivan, but if he had just stopped to think logically for an extra minute or so, instead of freaking out like a crazy man and making 'senseless gurgling noises,' he may had very well been able to realize what he had done. 

       We all know that Ivan was lonely; being a 'timid, little man who lives in a lonely shack' clarifies that. He was longing to have company so badly, that he would spend every night with people who despise him. These people were the ones who went ahead and challenged him into killing himself. But there had to be other people living in the village, did Ivan ever think to stop and have a chat with them? Maybe if he had thought to do that, he would've surrounded himself with people who like him, and wouldn't challenge him to do the thing that terrified him the most. 

While many people would say the death of Ivan is the Lieutenant's fault, which in a way, it very well could be, it seems to me that the one behind his passing is none other than himself. Because of Ivan's choices, he petrified himself so much, he had shockingly passed away. 

If you could change three things about yourself, what would they be? Why would you change them?

       If I'm honest, there's not a lot of things I'd change about myself. In the past couple of years, I definitely think I've changed and grown into a person, that I'm generally pretty happy being. Although, there are some things I think I could clearly improve on. These traits include my cautiousness, my sociability and my strength.

       What I mean by cautious is, I wish I would think about my words and actions, before I actually say and do them. I have done things that have changed my life, (and not always in a positive way,) all because I wasn't thinking it through before I did them. One particular, recent incident comes into mind when I think about caution, which I won't go into detail with, but I always wonder what would have happened, if I had stopped to think first. Would I had ever made the mistake if I'd thought about the consequences I received? Definitely not, which is what I regret most about the whole experience. If I had stopped to think for just one moment, I would've avoided it.

       My second change I listed is sociability. Two years ago, I was incredibly shy. I had my group of good friends, but I'd only talk to them, and I'd never branch out. When I look back, I'm not sure why I was like that. Maybe it was because I was too worried about what other people thought of me, or maybe it was because I just didn't like other people. Since then, I've made new friends that have introduced me to other friends, and so on. Although, I'm still not as sociable as I'd like to be. I know a lot of people who I'd talk to more often, if I had the social skills to actually engage in a conversation with them.

      When I say strength, I don't mean my physical ability. Although I'm also probably the weakest person ever, and wouldn't mind being able to do more than two push-ups, I'm referring to emotional strength. In my opinion, I think I've been through a lot in my life so far, which I'm proud of myself for. But, before I overcome these things, I break down. I usually don't get upset about it; instead, I become so paranoid over everything that it becomes overwhelming, and I have no idea what to do. I usually get over it within fifteen minutes, but it can happen over the tiniest of situations.

       Even though I would like to have these changes, I don't think I'll be necessarily happier if they were made. Although being cautious about my actions, becoming more social and gaining strength are all things I could achieve on my own, it would take a lot of effort. I do like myself for who I am now, but improvements could be made.