Exam Essay

Forfeited:

An essay about “Shoulders” by Naomi Shihab Nye

by Inpyo Hong

9th Grade English

Pine Point School

01/19/2012

         There is a Korean proverb that says, “Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love.” Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem, “Shoulders”, delineates the sacrifice that a man has made for his child. Similarly, my father and A Tale of Two Cities have a couple relationships with “Shoulders”. My father is a pillar of our family like the man in the poem who is willing to make sacrifices for his child; A Tale of Two Cities has characters who sacrifice themselves to achieve their goals.

         My dad has a few similarities with the man in “Shoulders”. To begin with, the line that says, “A man crosses the street in rain,” shows a connection between the man and my father. To me, the quote demonstrates that the man is going through difficult times. Likewise, my father is also striving through adversities and dilemmas—any crucial problems that occur at his workplace. Furthermore, the verse, “stepping gently, looking two times north and south, because his son is asleep on his shoulder,” also has a relationship with my father. The quote describes that even though the man is going through hard times; he takes a good care of his son and let him lean on his tired body. Comparably, even though my father is always busy working and dealing with numerous problems, he tries his best to be with his family and support them. Thus, my father has a couple resemblances with the man in “Shoulders”.

         Not only does my father have connections with the “Shoulders”, A Tale of Two Cities has a couple connections with the poem. Firstly, the line that says, “No car must splash him,” has a relationship with Charles. The line denotes that there should not be any obstacles that will harm the son. Charles relinquished his heritage and family wealth since he thought the guilt accumulated by his family will damage his life—a life free from sins and shames. In addition, the verse, “We’re not going to be able to live in this world if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing with one another,” has a similarity with the French people in A Tale of Two Cities. The French people in the book did not receive any benefits from their country and government. They decided to sacrifice their own lives and revolutionize and liberate themselves from the cruel tyranny. Therefore, Charles Darnay and the French people in A Tale of Two Cities have a couple analogies with “Shoulders”.

         In summation, my father and the characters—Charles Darnay and the French people—sacrificed to either save or sustain any significant matters in their life. My father forfeited his time and strength to support our family. Charles Darnay gave up his heritage and wealth to have a better life; also, the French people relinquished their lives to get freedom from the tyranny. Hence, “Shoulders”, my father, and A Tale of Two Cities mirror the Korean saying, “Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love.”