Learning to Drive Essay Sample

Every year, more than 1,220,100 people are diagnosed with cancer. 36,600 of these cases affect the limbs, including arms and legs. Although some cases can be cured by chemotherapy, others require amputation to take care of the problem. While they still have their lives, people who lose a limb often feel as though they have lost much more. Sadly. 34,000 people die each year from cancer in these areas. The short story "Learning to Drive", written by Ron Rindo, tells the tale of one such unfortunate man. The protagonist, nameless throughout the story, had his leg amputated because of the cancer that was threatening his life. He comes home from the hospital with a prosthetic leg and a pair of silver crutches to be greeted by his three children and his daughter's boyfriend, Neon. Everybody gives him gifts, even Neon. At first it seems as though the protagonist has accepted his fate. He feels that his life should go on as usual, including his independence in simple tasks such as taking a shower, climbing the stairs, and walking the dog. One day, however, his doctors inform him that his cancer has returned and he will die. Immediately, he slips into depression. At this point, the protagonist is faced with the decision of whether to continue wallowing in self-pity or to overcome his problem and live the rest of his life with an optimistic attitude. Throughout the story there are certain items and events plainly incorporated into the story line that serve as symbols for this process. They assist in explaining different emotions and situations that are associated with working past barriers. Whether they are as simple as a floor or as complex as learning how to drive, all of them have a profound impact on the effect the story will have on the reader. Rindo effectively uses certain cars, items, and events in order to portray the process of overcoming obstacles in life. Attention- Getter Plot summary Theme Intro lit elements Thesis: lit elements plus theme

In "Learning to Drive" different objects, such as the floor, the dismantled Statue of Liberty puzzle, and the cemetery, illustrate the way that people are able to overcome the various obstacles that they face during their lives. Affected by a devastating event such as cancer, a person often ends up battered by the emotional conflicts that accompany adversity. In the same way, the floor was scuffed and dented where the protagonist had stumbled with his crutches. Thus, the floor represents the scars people carry after they battle with crisis. Originally, the tile was in perfect condition. The protagonist says, "We have had the cleanest floors in the neighborhood for twenty-two years" (39). People can go through their lives with trivial problems—a money shortage, a broken leg—and therefore have completely spotless surfaces until they find themselves scarred by the difficulties they face, just as the floor was marked from the crutches, the result of the protagonist's struggle with cancer. In an attempt to heal these scars, people will try whatever they can to remove them. Elaine uses ammonia on the floor in an effort to clean the skid- marks and scratches. Just as in real life, the ammonia only makes the eyes of the people around the area water; it only adds to the pain of the situation. Although scars are inevitable when facing hurdles, people are still able accomplish their goals. Intro/explain supporting detail #1 Integrate quote Explain quote So What? Topic Sentence: element and theme Continue pattern for THREE supporting details The tile floor, jigsaw puzzle, and cemetery are all symbols used to display how people are able to overcome any obstacles they face with the right amount of optimism. Clincher: element and theme

Ron Rindo has proven to his audience how his symbols of agony, faith, and reconstruction are important to produce the chain of events that leads to the final acceptance of the challenges created by cancer and other such hindrances. Sarah's red Pinto helps to show that nobody is perfect; everybody has disastrous encounters with obstacles. Seeing the hearse tells how death will be caused at some point by his cancer. The Toyota Corolla that he and his wife drive symbolizes the effort it takes to overcome How the protagonist's life falls apart is portrayed with the amputation of his leg. The welcome home party assists in showing how the family works together to accept his new life. The process of learning to drive again symbolizes a new life and the overcoming of various difficulties. Using the ruined tile floor, Rindo depicts the effect that dilemmas have on a person. The puzzle depicting the Statue of Liberty's revolution stands for the loss of freedom with the loss of this leg. A single piece of the puzzle may be viewed as the time where the protagonist is struggling to rise from the shadows of the inevitable. The cemetery speaks as the final acceptance of where his cancer will eventually bring him. Although this deadly disease affects over one million people every year, many find ways of dealing with illness. Overcoming the difficulties produced by cancer, millions of cancer victims, doomed to perish or not, adapt their lifestyles in order to continue living fulfilling and meaningful lives. Summarize body paragraphs Connect to attention- getter Restate Thesis