So, here I am relaxing at the crib, just trying to authenticate my life, when my eyes begin to wonder from my homework to the darkside (sleep). Yea, I admit I was exhausted but I knew I had to do this amazing college paper for english class. So I hopped on my Mac and Googled the snot out of college admission essay topics. That was when I fell upon this very intriguing prompt published by the University of Chicago. It asked me to"define x"...
"Hmmm", I pondered this potentially amazing prompt for over an hour before figuring it out. This is what I came up with:
X
What does the letter x mean? Is it merely a variable in a math equation... or is it more? X has made its appearance in the social justice realm associating itself with the likes of Malcolm, as well as in the music industry, athletics, and cinema. Every big decision in life has been made by "signing next to the x". But why has x gained such a celebrity status in our lives? That is the essential question the alphabet has posed to us since the day of its creation. When singing the melodic chorus of the alphabet song I find it intriguing that there is a slight pause after the x, which is justly followed by the elusive "y" character. It is hard for most people to reconcile with it's red-carpet appeal. In order to understand x you must first understand yourself. X represents the pursuit of happiness. It gives reason to our meaningless actions, authenticating our lives in a way nothing else could. X has no value, none, except that of which we associate it with. It's promiscuous qualities have made it the primary steak-holder of the adult film industry. It has also grinded its way into sporting venues, providing athletes and fans with more of a "thrill" than that of which they would, hypothetically, feel watching a normal sport. For all that is good about x, it also has a dark side. Hiding behind a cloak of deception, x, at times, holds the most cynical attributes of our existence. When x does not turn out to be what we were expecting, we feel disappointed, angry, and even depressed. X may mark the spot, but the pursuit of the spot can lead you down a road of distruction and addiction. If you ever run across and x in a dark alley, run.
It's good and you have a lot of interesting variations on the letter x, I just think you should make the answer more about you. After all, when the colleges make a prompt like this, they are looking for the applicants to project their personalities on the page, not just as many definitions and pop culture references as possible. So you could probably just say how some of these things are significant to you personally.
Posted by: Luke K | 09/17/2010 at 12:32 AM
Would someone please explain to me how Y is elusive. I woke up in a hot sweat last night thinking about this. Bryan you did the letter X a great justice, but i think your next task should be to define y. In fact just go through the whole alphabet and define each letter. It would really help to put X in context. I will make sure Heidkamp gives you extra credit. Maybe it will help you authenticate your life.
Posted by: Dylan P | 09/17/2010 at 03:34 PM