Tristan's Essay!

Tristan Yerkes

Mr. Salsich

English 02

29 April 2009
Random Acts of Kindness:
An Essay Comparing Different Views on Kindness

Nowadays, you don’t see too many young men helping old ladies across the street, but kindness still exists, and I will explain its relevance in Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye, and my own life. Kindness has different meanings in each of these, and these differences themselves, are different, themselves. I will explain in this essay how the differences between these stories and my life are different.
T.S. The portraiture and thoughts of kindness in each of these pieces of literature and my life are very different, but the difference may be most profound between Winter Dreams and “Kindness”. S.D. Between these two stories, Kindness has a completely different image. C.M. The portraiture of kindness in “Kindness” is one of a gentle human characteristic hidden in the folds of emotion, whereas kindness is portrayed in Winter Dreams as a silly notion that gets Dexter into trouble in the end. In Winter Dreams, Dexter tries to be kind to Judy but gets nothing in return, whereas Judy is not at all kind, but gets all of the benefits, later, when they are older, the tables turn but the two characters take on each others roles. S.D. The thoughts about kindness helping both the giver and the recipient shown in “Kindness” are not reciprocated at all in Winter Dreams. C.M In “Kindness”, it is said that “Kindness […] ties your shoes [\..] and sends you out into the day” portraying that kindness can keep the giver running, and help out. C.M. In Winter Dreams, Dexter is the original kind person, but ends up never being with Judy, but then later when Judy tries to be kind to Dexter, the same thing happens. S.D. In “Kindness”, Nye says that kindness is something that must be learned through experience, but Winter Dreams shows kindness as something that is only motivated by want. C.M. In “Kindness”, Nye says that you must, “Travel where the Indian […] lies dead by the side of the road. [\..] You must see how this could be you.” C.M. In Winter Dreams Dexter only is kind to Judy because of his love, or want for her, and Judy is only ever kind to Dexter because of her want for his money, and forgiveness. C.S. In both of these, you can look at kindness in a different way, but these two stories take that to the maximum, and express both extremes.
T.S. The extremes between “Kindness” and Winter Dreams is great, but similar differences are seen between “Kindness” and my own life experiences. S.D. “Kindness” once again portrays ideals of kindness as sort of a mysterious human emotion that has to be coaxed out, but my life experiences have taught me differently. C.M. So far in my life, I have seen many instances of kindness, but most of them, the ones that aren‘t really kindness, have been clearly purely for the giver’s self-satisfaction. C.M. in “Kindness”, true kindness is portrayed as being only for the benefit of others, similar to my life experience. S.D. Nye shows kindness as something that must be learned through experience, but my life has taught otherwise. C.M. I have learned that those who are only kind to better their own reputation are not really kind, and so premeditated kindness such as that in “Kindness” is not actually real. C.M. Those who are spontaneous about their kindness do it, not from the heart, not because they thought about it, but because that is just what they do. S.D. The kindness in “Kindness” at one point keeps the giver running, but experience from my life has taught me that this is not true kindness. C.M. In my life, I have learned that those who use kindness as a sort of throne to sit upon, and feel smug are not actually being kind, but rather just trying to make themselves better. C.M. This sort of kindness is shown in “Kindness”, keeping the giver running, and happy about themselves. Kindness takes different forms, and my views show one, opposing view over those of Ms. Nye’s poem.
T.S. My views on “Kindness” may oppose Ms. Nye’s views strongly, but I think that there is no real kindness portrayed in Winter Dreams. S.D. The “kindness” shown in Winter Dreams is just Dexter trying to make himself happy. C.M. It may seem condescending (FAST WORD)to say that Dexter was just trying to help himself by being kind, but the only reasons behind Dexter being kind to Judy were selfish. C.M. Dexter loved Judy in such a way that it was almost an obsession; when Judy was happy, Dexter was happy, so Dexter sought to make Judy happy, not for her gain, but for his own. (LOOSE SENTENCE) S.D. Judy was also “kind” to Dexter near the end of the story, saying she wanted to be with him after all. C.M. Judy was just being a HEDONIST (FAST WORD) when she offered to take Dexter back, she only wanted personal gain. C.M. Judy was in a low state at that point in the book, older, less attractive, and wasting away with people she didn’t love, so when she saw that Dexter could give her a new life, she pretended to be kind to him just so that he would take her in and give her things. (LOOSE SENTENCE) S.D. The “kindness” between the two characters, Judy and Dexter is really just an intertwined battle for each to make themselves happier. C.M. Dexter just battered Judy with pleasures so that he could gain his own ephemeral (FAST WORD) winter dreams, his own pleasure. C.M. Judy, becoming less of the celebrity she was, (APPOSITIVE) needed to restart her own life, so she resorted to being kind to Dexter so he would save her from her life. C.S. The actions of Judy and Dexter may have seemed kind, but they were selfish, they were desperate, they were fake, and they were not kindness. (TETRACOLON CLIMAX)
The versions of kindness were very complex in each of these views, and so the comparisons were rich. Whether it is helping an old lady across the street, or acting kind to someone so that you can feel good yourself, kindness takes many forms. These random acts of kindness have strange, and different reasoning behind them.