"'Well, it seeps into you. It doesn't make you forget yourself, but totally the opposite...It connects you with everything and fills you with awe that you share the same space as something that glorious. Like a sunrise or a clear blue day or the most extraordinary piece of glass. And then suddenly...you have this epiphany that there's more to the world than just you and what you want and who you are.'"-North of Beautiful by Justina Headly
Terra, the main character of North of Beautiful by Justina Headly, says this when she is asked what her definition of beautiful is.
When I first read this, I thought how wise that sounded, but I never really understood it until I saw an old picture from when I was little. I was going through an old album from when my family and I went to Canada. It was a picture of me, in my fluorescent orange life jacket, standing on the shores of Lake Louise, with its towering cliffs surrounding it.
And with that photo, I saw what Terra was saying. I felt like I was so small compared to what was out there. Not my size, just me, overall, compared to the beauty of it all. I was just one in the world of trillions of things to see, and honestly, the infinity and the impossibility scared me at first, just being not sure of what was out there other than me. Other than what I've seen. I was just a small part of this world. Even who we think are the most influential people on the planet do not defy the beauty and serenity of that lake. Their wants, their decisions, and their needs are just one small part of the world compared to everything out there you can see.
I also saw what Terra saw in the old neighborhood. I saw that everything hasn't been seen. Terra's issues with her dad and her future with Princeton didn't matter there. It was what was there, then, that mattered, and your problems are far away, so small you can't see them, and suddenly, everything around you is so much bigger than you. You can't make people feel like they do looking at something beautiful. You aren't all there is to this world. People make other people feel their problems, but beauty makes people feel what's bigger than that.
I know you didn't write it but i love the definition of beautiful. It fully discribes the meaning of the word. Although "beautiful" is usually an opinion, in this description, beautiful is a realization about the world compared to you. great response!
ReplyDeleteI loved your piece! It's amazing that you could find so much meaning in that paragraph. It really got me thinking about what you said, about how we are "just one in the world of trillions of things to see", and how staggeringly huge and beautiful the world is. I could tell it came from somewhere deep down. Awesome writing!
ReplyDeletewow this is amazing sarah!
ReplyDeleteThis really has me thinking on how is beauty really what you look like or is it more about how you take things. okay that didn't really make sense, but i love the idea of finding beauty in things that don't really seem beautiful. nice work! :)
This reading response of yours really made me think for the first time ever, what the definition of beautiful means. I really do believe that there is more to this world than you and what you want. What I really loved about your response was that you connected with the character and you shared you feelings and how you came to understand the meaning of "beautiful" Great Work!
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