anna quindlen speech essay
DESCRIPTION
A project for Health class...TRANSCRIPT
Antonio Doukas
02/10/08
Senior Health M & W
“Consider the Lilies of the Field”
The speech we read in class by Anna Quindlen struck me as especially beautiful
and thought-provoking. It had many places to it which the words were beautifully crafted
to pick even the hardest brain. Anyone who takes this work seriously, understands what
she is trying to convey and takes something to heart, no matter how small. I for one have
come to a self-actualization but because it is not complete, and won't be until I die, I was
able to appreciate the speech all that much more. As a Jehovah's Witness my God,
Jehovah, is first in my life before all else; thus, what stood out to me the most was the
indirect quote written above from the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ found in the
Bible book of Matthew.
In Matthew 6:28-30 of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, it states,
“Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they are growing; they do not toil, nor do they spin; but I say
to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. If, now, God thus clothes the
vegetation of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much rather
clothe you, you with little faith?” So the meaning conveyed by Quindlen's indirect quote was
not merely to envision a flower, but to understand that you are cared for and you have no
need to be worrisome. She was trying to personify the idea of being carefree.
The example in the Sermon on the Mount was told to dispel people's anxiousness
so they would never say “‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put
on?’” I do not know whether Anna intended all this meaning behind the quote or even if
she is Christian, Buddhist, or even an atheist! But I do know that when she took the quote
she wanted to convey a similar message that Jesus did, in what is known as “the best
speech ever given”.
Jesus said it with the intent of people praying to God, so that he could give those
deserving, sustenance and covering, and with that in mind they had no need to have
anxiety over anything. In the same line of thought, Quindlen wanted to convey her
feelings of being worry free. She means that we should let go of whatever we can in our
lives and be free of the mundane things of life and the vices that keep us shackled to pain
and fear.
Through the use of this quote and throughout the speech, Anna Quindlen wanted
to tell the listener, or in our case, reader, to live free. She tells us that we need to not
worry about life and to embrace what we are given. She pleads that we live each day to
the full and not take advantage of anything, no matter how small or big. She prays that
we live as if we were terminally ill, making sure that if we die in the next moment we
won't have regrets. She begs that we hear her strained plea because so few have a willing
ear to lend and listen and even fewer have the initiative to carry forth with what they hear.
Judge me not by my age for it is just a number. Although I am young and have a
long road of maturity ahead of me, I have been through things that no human should even
fathom yet I am here, vibrant and with a passion for and purpose in life. I have witnessed
birth & death, joy & sorrow, inner peace & inner war, all of which, although unpleasant
experiences, I wouldn't take back for the world, for they made me who I am. I no longer
worry about my needs for they all come and I am as splendidly cared for as a lily.