Individual Reflection #5 - My Choice

[Soapy's Choice]

     The title of this listening text is "Soapy's Choice", which is from the YouTube channel English Stories, based on the novel that O. Henry wrote. The Genre of this book is fiction, comedy, and tragedy, with the level of this story being A2.

 Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxgWHDypgFU

 Brief Summary :

Soapy, wanting to be free from the cold of winter and hunger, planned to go to a prison where he would be provided with warm rooms and food. He tried to commit lots of misdemeanors, but never got arrested because of the fortune that helped him. After avoiding several arrests and, upon arriving at the church, he reminisces about his past and decides to not go to jail but instead, get a job and live a good life, be a new man. But, ironically, not long after making up his mind, he is arrested for doing nothing and ends up serving the three-month prison sentence he had hoped for at the beginning of the story.

Poem: 

Reason:

The first sentence of this poem expresses the whole plot of the story: “life doesn’t go as planned.” Throughout the story, no matter what Soapy wanted or how he set his plans, they always failed. From one perspective, his story seems full of luck, the kind that usually makes people happy, but for Soapy, this kind of luck works against him. “Good luck” prevents him from achieving what he actually wants, that is, to be in jail. Since Soapy is homeless, jail is a better place than the street. In jail, he could get food and a warm place to stay. Ironically, the moments that seem fortunate to others only bring him frustration because they stop him from reaching his goal.

At the end of the story, Soapy finally gets what he had longed for, jail, but it happens just after he found a new hope. That is to change his life, work hard, and live honestly. When he planned to commit crimes to go to jail, he failed every time, but when he finally wished to be free and improve himself, he was arrested, most ironically, that is, when he had done nothing. In my acrostic poem, I started with the main theme of the story, told what happened to Soapy, and ended by repeating the main idea that life doesn’t always go as planned, shown through the irony and tragedy of his situation.

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[The Happy Prince] 

    The title of the book is The Happy Prince,  written by Oscar Wilde and adapted by Bill Cowler for the graded readers' version published by Oxford University Press. This book is a "starter" level in the graded readers chart. This book has 22 pages of text in total, with a genre of fiction, children's stories, and short stories.

Brief Summary:

The Happy Prince is a touching story about a golden statue of a prince who once lived a happy life inside his palace, without ever seeing sadness or poverty. After he dies, his statue is placed high above the city. From there, he can finally see how many people are poor, hungry, and suffering. Heartbroken, he asks a little Swallow to help him give away all his gold and jewels to those in need. The swallow, which was once on its way to Egypt, sacrifices itself to help and stay by the Prince’s side until the very end. Even though it means losing his beauty and eventually his life, the Prince chooses the kindness and happiness of people over his appearance.

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Chosen Emoji: 

Reason and Explanation:

I chose this emoji because this story made me feel sad, but amazed at the same time. I was so heartbroken by how the Happy Prince and the Swallow gave up everything for others, yet I was also in awe of their kindness and pure hearts. "After all the sacrifices and kindness that they give to others, I'm glad the Happy Prince and the Swallow ended up in a better, happier place," I thought to myself.

One scene that truly moved me is when the Happy Prince gives his sapphire eyes to help a poor playwright and a little match girl. Even though it means becoming blind, he still chooses to help others, giving them hope and a reason to stay strong. Another emotional moment and the most impactful of all, is when the Swallow decided to stay with the Prince in the freezing cold, whispering goodbye before he dies at the Prince’s feet. That part made me feel both melancholic and deeply touched. It showed what real love and sacrifice look like.