User:Matthew A Walle/sandbox

Moments that can change Everything

Introduction

A single moment or event can be very important if it has a big/huge impact on the upcoming events. For example, if a moment happened in the middle of the story about the main character and then the story suddenly shifts, it is probably because of that event. The three texts that helped me were "Harrison Bergeron", "The Boy who Harnessed the Wind" and "Barrio Boy" because they have key events that are major and had huge effects within the story. In "Harrison Bergeron" the one event that changed everything was when Harrison and the ballerina started dancing without those handicaps. In "The Boy who Harnessed the Wind" the one event that changed everything was when William saw the book called “Using Energy” and started reading it. In "Barrio Boy" the one event that changed everything was when Miss Ryan crouched by Ernesto’s desk and spoke English to him.

This is the author of the story "Harrison Bergeron", Kurt Vonnegut.

This is the famous windmill William Kamkwamba created back in Malawi as he is also the author of the true story "The Boy who Harnessed the Wind".

Harrison Bergeron

The one event that changed everything was when Harrison and the ballerina started dancing without those handicaps. For example, the story mentions “And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang! Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well” (Kurt Vonnegut 6). This means that when Harrison and the ballerina were dancing very nicely, they broke the rules of where they lived and gravity itself which is monumental. This easily would have changed everything. Also, it states “And then, neutralizing gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time” (Kurt Vonnegut 6). This means that while Harrison and the ballerina were dancing, they managed to kiss the ceiling and each other displaying their talent which had an impact in the story.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The one event that changed everything was when William saw the book called “Using Energy” and started reading it. The story mentions “Pulling it out, I saw it was an American textbook called Using Energy, and this book has since changed my life” (William Kamkwamba 2). This quote explains how pulling and seeing the book “Using Energy literally changed his life and this is because that’s where he got the idea to build a windmill. Also, the narrative explains “No more skipping breakfast; no more dropping out of school. With a windmill, we’d finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger” (William Kamkwamba 3). As I stated above, he got the idea of a windmill from this book and saved Malawi from the disaster it was facing and of course it changed his life and the story.  

Barrio Boy

The one event that changed everything was when Miss Ryan crouched by Ernesto’s desk and spoke English to him. The story mentions “And when I least expected it, there she was, crouching by my desk, her blond radiant face level with mine, her voice patiently maneuvering me over the awful idiocies of the English language” (Ernesto Galarza 2). This is the moment when Ernesto essentially loves Miss Ryan as he describes her in a loving way and this is monumental because the connection between those two helps Ryan learn English. Also, it states “During the next few weeks Miss Ryan overcame my fears of tall, energetic teachers as she bent over my desk to help me with a word in the pre-primer. Step by step, she loosened me and my classmates from the safe anchorage of the desks for recitations at the blackboard and consultations at her desk” (Ernesto Galarza 2). The scene I first mentioned kick started him overcoming his fear and learning English in the best way possible which makes it very, very important.

Conclusion

A moment or event can be very important if it has a major impact on future events. For example, if a moment occurs in between the main character's story and the story suddenly changes, it could be because of that event.