In my previous essay, I explored Brenda Shaughnessy’s “I Have A Time Machine,” a poem that described her experience traveling into the future with her time machine. Through a window in the machine, Shaughnessy could witness her past. I endeavored to explain what was special about the time machine since it can only move forward one second at a time into the future. I latched onto the machine’s window into the past and considered the viewpoint that it provided for her. As a result, my entire essay centered on the idea of a distinct perspective - an outlook on the past - designed to protect her from former mistakes and memories. In doing so, I contemplated how I view my own past. I concluded that Shaughnessy’s time machine enabled her to safely evaluate her past in a positive and constructive light because the window provided a buffering space for self-reflection and contemplation.
Upon reading excerpts from Eric Liu’s autobiographical novel The Accidental Asian, I was inspired to return and delve deeper into the concept of perspective. The Accidental Asian explained what assimilation was like for Liu as a second generation Asian growing up in the US by …show more content…
I attempted to consolidate my stance about perspective into one neat, rigid perspective that eliminated any experimentation required to mature as an individual. My misconception stemmed from the idea that opening the window of the time machine will cause Shaughnessy to “fall into space, unconscious, then desiccated. And I’m pretty sure I’m afraid of that” (10-11). Therefore, Shaughnessy feared tumbling out of the machine and being preserved in the past, unable to move forward. By applying Liu into my interpretation, I was led to the following question: what if Shaughnessy opens the window? Would she become “desiccated” and be unable to return to the safety of the time
Upon reading excerpts from Eric Liu’s autobiographical novel The Accidental Asian, I was inspired to return and delve deeper into the concept of perspective. The Accidental Asian explained what assimilation was like for Liu as a second generation Asian growing up in the US by …show more content…
I attempted to consolidate my stance about perspective into one neat, rigid perspective that eliminated any experimentation required to mature as an individual. My misconception stemmed from the idea that opening the window of the time machine will cause Shaughnessy to “fall into space, unconscious, then desiccated. And I’m pretty sure I’m afraid of that” (10-11). Therefore, Shaughnessy feared tumbling out of the machine and being preserved in the past, unable to move forward. By applying Liu into my interpretation, I was led to the following question: what if Shaughnessy opens the window? Would she become “desiccated” and be unable to return to the safety of the time