College Essay

Blair Christine Bennett

Mrs. Hudak

American Literature-1

8 May 2014

        “Wait, you can’t leave yet. You have to save me from the dragon!” These are the kinds of words I would exclaim to my grandfather when I played ‘Fairy Princess’ around the ages of four and five. Never hesitantly, he would stay, save me from the ‘fire-breathing dragon,’ which although was in my imagination, I convinced myself was quite real, and then we could venture downstairs when the game was over. My grandfather was the kindest and sweetest person I have ever met. After seeing and reading The Great Gatsby, my grandfather really reminds me of Nick Carraway. Both are wallflowers and rarely voice their thoughts on others’ actions. Often times, both Nick and my grandfather had instances when they could have spoken up, and never did. These were the only times I ever felt angry with my grandfather, because he could have prevented certain things from happening if he had just said something, but the character that his life had created would not allow him to utter a word. I am sure playing ‘Fairy Princess” was not high on his list of priorities, but he buckled down and played it because he was selfless and knew it made me happy.

On the other hand, I can think of plenty of times when my grandfather, dissimilarly to Nick, actually did voice his opinions, but if they were rejected, he would simply withdraw them from the conversation. My grandfather was also a very outwardly content person, even though the rest of us knew that that was not how he felt on the inside. If my siblings and I were ever bickering, you could see the wheels in my grandfather’s brain turning, but he would never lash out at us, he would simply say things like, “Alright, we can stop now,” or, without a word, he would give us a stern look and we would stop immediately.

I never really knew why this method worked, but I know now, that it was because he was so kind, my siblings and I feared what to expect if he had to result to something other than a sharp glare in our direction. He never got angry when I made him play ‘Fairy Princess’ three times in one day, or when my grandmother would constantly call for him, not even when he was diagnosed with ALS. He always took everything in stride. He was quiet and shy, but you could tell after about ten minutes that he was an intelligent man. He could fix anything from a broken toy, to an old car. I always admired these qualities because he never let anything get him down, and this brought out his kindness. If I could be a little more like him, my life could improve drastically. Even though he isn’t here anymore, he still has a lasting impact on me, my life, and those around me.

~Blair Christine~