An Analysis Of Dreams By Henry David Thoreau

Dreams; we all have them, whether they are dreams that arise in your sleep or dreams that will determine what and who you become in a future time. According to Henry David Thoreau, "Dreams are the touchstones of our character." When first pondering upon this statement, it is difficult to decipher which "dreams" Thoreau is describing. If this quote were to be broken apart into individual words, "dreams" would refer to our desires and our hopes. What is meant by touchstones in this case is certain standards or tests. "Character" has to do with mental and moral qualities. These moral qualities classify one as being right or wrong and good or bad. If we were to piece all of these words together, in one sense, this quote could newly read that there …show more content…
It was a fall morning in London, Ontario, Canada. The leaves were of vibrant colors, scattered all over the ground. There was the slightest breeze and the sun shone through the branches of the trees. It was as if the wind and the trees were welcoming in the season themselves. While the scenery did put a smile on my face, there was this one fact that dragged me down: it was my first day of middle school. I had gotten up with enough time to: eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, put on my uniform, brush my teeth and hair, wash my face and pack my bag. Finally, I was ready to go. I promptly got into the car and before I knew it, I was in the hallways of this private school named "Matthews Hall". Once I found my way to my classroom and settled in, I could feel all of these pairs of eyes glaring at me. Soon afterwards, there was chuckling to accompany the staring as well. Most all of my other classmates were whispering amongst themselves about something that was hard to decipher at first. I leaned my ear closer towards them and came to realize that they were whispering, "Look at that girl's head; it looks so big and heavy that she probably cannot even stand up straight" They were talking about me. After hearing this, I began to move my hands around my whole head alternating directions. I could feel these droplets of …show more content…
As we are getting settled in, the first thing that my mom asks me is "How was your first day at school, honey?" And without even answering the question, I sobbed my way through asking, "Mom, why is my head so big?" Even though at the time I was a middle school student, I was still a child at heart. At first, my mom had given me this puzzled look but after a while, her eyebrows rose and it seemed as though she knew what I was talking about. She had replied with the tedious explanation that shortly after I had been born, I was diagnosed with a condition called hydrocephalus, otherwise known as "water in the brain". She mentioned that for this reason, my head had expanded and that I needed surgery in order to drain the fluid out. I asked her who the surgeon was that had performed my surgery. She told me that it was a neurosurgeon named Dr. Ranger. "She saved your life, Christine. We could have lost you," she added. That was when I knew that I wanted to become just like my neurosurgeon. And so the next day at school, being the naïve girl I was, I had explained this news to the kids that had made fun of me on the first day. Of course, there were some who continued to do so, but there were a few who finally began to sympathize for me. From this point on, I began to do all of my research projects in science class about hydrocephalus. In fact, not only did I research about my