I spent most of this past fall applying to colleges, which required much form-filing and essay-writing. The topic I chose for my common application essay was how the Last Battle by C.S. Lewis had influenced me and shaped my values. I spent many hours revising this paper, and the essay that resulted turned out to be more of a tribute to how C.S. Lewis as a person and his works as a whole had affected my life and my ambitions. I thought it would be appropriate to include the finished work here, as I have a feeling it explains something of why I started this blog and why I love to write about books in the first place. Enjoy!
In the center of the second shelf of my bookcase stand seven battered paperbacks. Their bindings are torn and peeling, and their pages fall out at the slightest provocation. Those books made me who I am today. When I was one and a half, my father read me C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Every night, before I went to sleep, he read a chapter, while I envisioned the magical country described in the stories. As I grew older, I read them again and again. I would hide in the back of my closet, hoping to find a door into Narnia. My interest slowly expanded beyond the scope of the Chronicles, and I began to explore Lewis' life and other works. The Oxford don whose stories delighted me as a child became my hero. The works of C.S. Lewis have shaped me intellectually and spiritually.
Over time, my love of the Chronicles became a passion for books of all sorts. Delving into an excellent story exhilarates me more than almost anything else. My fascination now extends far beyond Lewis' books, ranging from Emma to The Turn of the Screw to One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. I love to engage with difficult, meaningful works and anticipate deepening my understanding and appreciation of literature by majoring in English at college.
Lewis' works also motivated me to pursue the study of worldviews. Books like Mere Christianity and God in the Dock challenged me to carefully examine my presuppositions and understand the logical basis for my faith. I have become fascinated with the ideas behind individuals and their work. Explaining dialectical materialism or analyzing Nathaniel Hawthorne's worldview in The Scarlet Letter delights me. Understanding their logical fallacies and cultural significance excites me even more.
C.S. Lewis' books have shaped me not only intellectually but spiritually. One night, about a year ago, I awoke after once again falling asleep to my recording of The Last Battle. I lay in the dark listening to the final chapter. The immense beauty of those few pages washed over me and brought tears of joy to my eyes. Lewis' insight into heaven never fails to remind me of my purpose and hope as a Christian. It helps me to keep temporary discomfort in perspective. I do not want to waste my life on trivialities. At the end of my life, I want to look back and see God glorified and others blessed through my work.
C.S. Lewis' writings are a core part of who I am. Because his books have meant so much to me, I want to impact others similarly. If I could do anything with my life, I would be a writer. I am working to be like Lewis, an accomplished and profound storyteller. My goal is to pass on to others the delight that I have in beautiful stories, both through the written word and by teaching. I no longer stand in the back of my closet looking for adventure in Narnia. Like my aspirations, I no longer fit in my closet. I have discovered a more wonderful adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment