2011 – National 8th Grade 3rd Place Award Winner:

Felica Horn, Illinois.

Do the Ends Justify the Means ?

Does the end justify the means? Well in my case the end justify the means and the means also justify the end. In this essay I’m going to explain why and how this all link together to make one short story. This story is about someone special in my life, or was in my life before he died. That person taught me how to be strong no matter what happens and to always have a smile on my face no matter what happens. One of my favorite quotes is “it takes life to live life”, and that’s exactly what he did.

When I was growing up my dad had cancer, and it affected everyone. I found out when I was around 9 or 10, but he had it way before then. I would have never guessed that my dad had cancer because he lived life the fullest he always took my sister, brother and I to the Mississippi to visit our family down there. My dad was always happy, and had a smile on his face even when he was in a lot of pain. Next, how to dealt with the pain.

When my dad started getting real sick, so sick that he couldn’t work, he always had a smile on and said everything was going to be alright and that he was going to get through it. It’s hard to see someone you love go through pain, and when you look in their eye you see nothing but sorrow and the look of death is falling upon them. That every breath they take you got to hope it’s not their last and when they smile you can see it’s hard to do. Everyday my dad taught me knew thing about life it taught me how to be strong no matter what happens in life. How to get through pain without complaining and crying.

I remember one day I broke my ankle and wanted to cry so much because I was in so much pain but I didn’t, and when the tears started fall out of my eyes I would hate myself for letting the pain get the best of me! I tried to be like my dad and not let pain affects me, but it did. So I had to go home and tell my dad. I felt so bad telling him because I know he couldn’t drive me, but he did anyways. I told my dad what happened and told him how I didn’t want to tell him because he could go through so much pain and I wanted to do the same. He told me its okay and I don’t have to go through the pain like he did.

Now you know my story and how it all ended. The journey taught me life lessons and the end showed me how to deal with stuff like that. So I really don’t know which one is important. I would say the end is more important because I learn many lessons and can apply them one to other stuff if needed. The journey I will never forget because that life lesson took someone I love away.

 

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