Candace Gay Memorial Awards

---

First-Prize Essays

Wednesday
Changes
Natalie Welsh
Cardinal Mooney High School
 

 In the 1970’s, rock artist David Bowie wrote a hit song entitled “Changes” that included these lines: “And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds/Are immune to your consultations/They’re quite aware of what they’re going through.” These lyrics hint at the numerous weighty issues young teenagers must resolve while going through the “changes” that will lead to a development of adult moral codes. As any young adult will testify, an undefined moral atmosphere can result in difficulty making decisions (to cheat on a test or not to cheat on a test?), a problem that can become even more pronounced with the addition of pressure from peers, media, family, and religion.

However, some teens have experiences that result in the shaping of a strong will and as a consequence can easily form ethical convictions with nary a doubt. Two teens from this year’s English Festival book selections fall into the latter category. Both Aerin from Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown and Ellen from Kaye Gibbon’s Ellen Foster exhibit strong moral beliefs formed during their early teen years. Some of the values and beliefs Aerin and Ellen share are independence, self-sufficiency, and a mistrust for authority. Each girl’s unique experiences help shape these beliefs, and both girls manifest their firmly held values through their actions.

The foremost trait Aerin and Ellen share is a strong sense of independence. Both girls can correctly be described as feminists—neither enjoys relying on men, instead preferring to focus on her own independent instincts. Ellen learns to be strong-willed because of an experience that brings her much grief: her mother’s death. Realizing that her father has essentially killed her mother, Ellen concludes that her father’s word is worthless, and all that remains is her own judgment. Consequently, Ellen learns how to run the household by herself, occasionally escaping to a friend’s house when her father becomes too drunk or violent.

Similarly, Aerin takes on the responsibility of being Damar’s dragon-killer, completely unbidden by her royal father. For her entire life, Aerin has been subject to the kingdom’s rules and protocol, chafing under the bonds. Eventually, she breaks free, training her own horse and developing an antifire ointment in secret. “Aerin Fire-Hair” (97) becomes a successful dragon-slayer completely of her own volition, independent of anyone else’s wishes or expectations.

Aerin and Ellen also maintain a belief in being self-sufficient. Ellen shows her ability to take care of herself after her mother dies. Out of necessity, Ellen takes over all the household duties, including paying for “the lights, gas to heat and cook, food, and extras” (25). Even though she is shuffled from home to home, Ellen has the common sense to collect money that she later uses to attempt to pay her foster mother for taking her in.

Though Ellen takes responsibility for her life because she has no other choice, Aerin becomes self-sufficient as a reaction to the stuffy roles of the court. She could do without Teka’s constant ministrations and her efforts to make Aerin look pretty. Aerin trains herself to wield a sword, learns by trial and error the correct way to slay dragons, and leaves the castle for weeks on end without chaperones. Obviously, the ability to care for oneself is a quality Aerin values highly.

In addition to a sense of independence and self-sufficiency, both girls possess a healthy mistrust of authority, which results in positive consequences. Aerin and Ellen recognize that authority figures will not always prescribe the best medicine for young teenage girls. To Ellen, the fact that her father is a drunken deadbeat is very obvious. As a result, she is suspicious of most adults. Ellen sees right through her counselor’s psycho-babble and her Aunt Nadine’s fake sugar-sweet facade. Her mistrust for authority will ensure that Ellen will never allow herself to be fooled by someone who might not have her best interests in mind.

Aerin’s mistrust for authority manifests itself less as suspicion and more as an “I’ll-show-them” attitude. When Teka worries over her training of Talat, Aerin becomes more determined to prove Teka wrong and show that Telat is a kind and gentle war-horse. When King Arlbeth forbids her to ride with his army, Aerin is so piqued that she develops her own plan to prove she is not just the silly girl everyone thinks she is: She will become a dragon-killer. Aerin’s mistrust of the ability of authority figures to judge her capacities correctly will lead her to continually exceed expectations.

Aerin and Ellen have each formed strong moral and ethical beliefs at a young age, beliefs that will likely remain with them throughout their lives. They have come through the changes in their turbulent adolescent years with flying colors, building a firm moral foundation. To borrow another line from the famed Bowie song, Aerin and Ellen are ready to “turn and face the strange” future that lies ahead and the changes it will bring.
 

Thursday
Learning Ethics
Shereen Khanuja
Howland Middle School
 

In the novels The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis and My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, two young boys are faced with the challenge of learning the moral and ethical codes that will shape their futures. Kenny Watson and Tim Meeker live in very different times, but they face events that complicate their lives. Though one boy learns his morals through playful encounters and the other is forced to educate himself during a war, the conclusion of each story shows that both characters have successfully found sets of rules to follow.

Kenny has to learn what is morally right through playful incidents. When Byron, his older brother, plays pranks and repeatedly disobeys rules, Kenny notices the disappointment on his parents’ faces. Even though Kenny knows that the path his brother chooses to take is not wise, he views this as the adventurous way of life, and he is torn between becoming a shadow of his brother, who always seems to be having fun, or being the good, orderly son.

Tim Meeker is forced to choose either the Tory side or the Rebel side of the Revolutionary War, and from there, he has to defend his beliefs and opinions. This decision is equivalent to “obey His Majesty’s government” (25) or to rebel.

To further complicate things, his brother, Sam Meeker, and his father, Eliphalet Meeker, are on opposing sides, and choosing the Rebel side is just like going against his father to side with Sam. At one point, an argument between Sam and his father about the war becomes so intense that his father called his son’s uniform a “vile costume” (22).

Kenny’s situation is not nearly as intense as Tim’s is because Kenny is not forced to take a side and be ready to die for his beliefs. Kenny is also not compelled to watch innocent boys get taken away just because their parents have beliefs that are considered hereditary.

A similarity between Tim and Kenny’s ethics is that both see what the penalties are for being a Rebel or just being rebellious. Kenny views the disadvantage for following his brother’s example firsthand. Even though he is repeatedly warned against this act, Byron sets fire to his toys and is caught. His mother sentences him to getting his hands burnt since he put the family in danger of having their house being burned down. To Kenny, this is a very severe chastisement. Though his mother does not follow through on the punishment, Kenny could see that his brother is only lucky this time.

Tim, on the other hand, views the downside of being for an independent nation. Since Sam is against being a Tory and his father is against being a Rebel, Sam is not supported when he goes to battle. This is a punishment for Sam because there is a chance that he will not return home, and since he does not have the blessings of his family, his death would be lonely.

In the conclusions of both stories, Tim Meeker and Kenny Watson find the path that they wish to follow. Though it is not easy, both discover their morals and ethics and follow through with them. In Tim’s case, even though his father forgives Sam on his deathbed, Tim decides against becoming a Rebel, although he also resists the Tories. On a whole, Tim decides to be neutral in this matter and decides not “to be on anybody’s side anymore” (167).

Kenny, on the other hand, decides his own code to follow. As a test to see whether being like Byron is the right way to go, Kenny takes a swim in a dangerous body of water, which is something that even Byron would not have attempted. As a result, Kenny comes close to drowning, and he needs the assistance of his older brother to get himself out of the life-threatening situation. From then on, Kenny decides to take the path that his parents had arranged for him. Both in similar situations but facing different obstacles, Tim and Kenny finally establish strong minds that could tell the difference between right and wrong. These codes would later guide them through difficult quandaries and dilemmas.
 

Friday
Let Freedom Ring
Monica A. Selak
St. Rose School

During childhood and adolescence, we are all faced with decisions that will affect our futures. Even a simple choice such as choosing books to read or clothes to wear can make an impact on our lives. The decisions made by Will Parker in The White Mountains and Sam Meeker in My Brother Sam Is Dead, however, are of a much greater magnitude. Their difficult decisions change the lives of many other characters. By choosing to go against their families’ beliefs, Will and Sam both become orphans. The two young men are cast out into a dangerous world and have to learn about independence and its hardships.

From the very beginning of The White Mountains, Will Parker clearly observes that Capping is a questionable and unethical process: “Why should the Tripods take people away and Cap them? What right have they?” (19) He believes that each person should be allowed to control him or herself and that no machine should be in supreme command. Will’s decision to leave home shows this, and his escape to the mountains proves that the Tripods can’t make everyone a follower. Will and his friends experience many close calls but are never captured. Will also is tempted to become Capped by the lure of a pretty girl’s face (Eloise). He learns that “Before Capping there might be doubts and uncertainties and revulsion. . . . When the Cap was put on the doubts vanished” (133). After hearing this, Will almost gives in to Capping, but then he realizes that in doing so, he would be going against all of his beliefs.

In My Brother Sam Is Dead, Sam Meeker clearly shows what he believes by enlisting in the American Revolutionary Army. Even if it means losing his father’s love and trust forever, Sam feels that what England is doing to the colonies is wrong. He also knows that if he doesn’t fight on the American side, his soul would never rest. Sam Meeker risks everything, including his life, to support and defend the new United States and all of his beliefs. He and the other soldiers could have easily given up and gone home, but they know that by letting the British win, they would show everyone how weak the American army, as a whole, really is. His brave decision to stay does cost him his life, but it also helps to ensure that the Unites States would be free of England. As he states in the beginning, “Sir, it’s worth dying to be free” (7).

The two books show similarities in the decisions made by the main characters. For example, both Will Parker and Sam Meeker disagree with how their society functions. They both decide to go against it by responding in a radical way. Will chooses to run away, but Sam chooses to fight. Another similarity between the young men is that they both feel enslaved by their societies. Will is enslaved by the Tripods, and Sam is enslaved by the British and their government. Another example is that both the characters are shunned by their families because of their moral beliefs to be independent and free. In addition, both have someone supporting them. Will has Henry and Beanpole, and Sam has Betsy. Will’s mission of going to the mountains is successful and well-worth the days of agony and fear. Sam’s mission of becoming free of England is, in a way, successful as well. Although he loses his life, his effort and courage help the United States win.

After reading The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead, I realized that I, too, can make a difference in the world. By standing up for what I believe, even if it is insignificant, I can contribute to society. I understand the importance of keeping a code of ethics and following it, even if I am tempted to break away. I also understand the great responsibility that comes with freedom and independence. I have come to believe that Will and Sam are both heroes, and I respect them. By reading these books, I understand how an author can create a story so powerful that it leaves a strong imprint on my memory.

Festival of Writing 1999 Home Page