Nineteen Minutes Analysis
Nineteen Minutes
“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn; color your hair; watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it.” (p. 5) One’s perspective on life can really make a difference. You can complain you only have nineteen minutes or you can use that nineteen minutes to the best or your ability. Use your time to the best of your ability and don’t squander it. Use it wisely.
“But there was a part of her that wondered what would happen if she let them all in on the secret- that some mornings, it was hard to get out of bed and put on someone else’s …show more content…
smile; that she was standing on air, a fake who laughed at all the right jokes and whispered all the right gossip and attracted the right guy, a fake who had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be real…and who, when you got right down to it, didn’t want to remember, because it hurt even more than this.” (p. 9)
Be who you are, don’t try to get people to like you by acting differently. If they don’t like you for who you are, then they need to change not you. Come to terms with your hurt, your pain, and your past. Talk about your issues to help relieve the suffering of what has happened. “I’m showing Peter how to stand up for himself. If someone cuts him in the lunch line, or if he’s being teased, to say something in return instead of just accepting it.”(p. 72) People should stand up for what is right. Even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Standing up for what is right may not always be the popular choice. Be honest with yourself and others and don’t go along with someone just to make them feel good. Be tactful in your disagreements, but always speak the truth.
"If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them?
Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn't be filled?" (p. 102)
I think they did take a part of your heart with them. It did leave a hole, but it’s your choice if you choose to fill that gap or not. It’s like the saying goes, its better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all. You were able to experience love and that cannot be taken away from you. “If you spent your life concentrating on what everyone else thought of you, would you forget who you really were? What if the face you showed the world turned out to be a mask... with nothing beneath it?”(p. 187) If I spent my life concentrating on others thoughts of me, I don’t know that I would forget who I am, but I may not have a good sense of myself. It may waver and I may not have opinions of my own.
“A mathematical formula for happiness: Reality divided by expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.”(p. 246)
I like this passage. Life is real, and it will be better if you live for real. Lowering your expectations does nothing to make you happy. Strive for what you want, reach for the stars. Life is what you make of it. You make your
choices. "I didn't want to be treated like him," Josie said, answering her mother, when what she really meant was, I wasn't brave enough."(p. 387) Josie needed to stand up for what she thinks is right. No matter if it makes her feel uncomfortable or not. It does take a bit of courage to stand up for what you believe in. Dealing with the feelings after you haven’t is worse. You can’t live thinking what if?
"It would be one thing to be a loser if it meant no one paid attention to you, but in school, it means you’re actively sought out. You’re the slug, and they’re holding all the salt. And they haven’t developed a conscience" (391)
Being alone is one thing, but being picked on or “bullied” is another. If you can’t respect yourself enough to stand up for yourself, then no one can have respect for you. Having confidence and respect for yourself and others will show that you can overcome different obstacles in life.
“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn; color your hair; watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it.” (p. 5) One’s perspective on life can really make a difference. You can complain you only have nineteen minutes or you can use that nineteen minutes to the best or your ability. Use your time to the best of your ability and don’t squander it. Use it wisely.
“But there was a part of her that wondered what would happen if she let them all in on the secret- that some mornings, it was hard to get out of bed and put on someone else’s …show more content…
smile; that she was standing on air, a fake who laughed at all the right jokes and whispered all the right gossip and attracted the right guy, a fake who had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be real…and who, when you got right down to it, didn’t want to remember, because it hurt even more than this.” (p. 9)
Be who you are, don’t try to get people to like you by acting differently. If they don’t like you for who you are, then they need to change not you. Come to terms with your hurt, your pain, and your past. Talk about your issues to help relieve the suffering of what has happened. “I’m showing Peter how to stand up for himself. If someone cuts him in the lunch line, or if he’s being teased, to say something in return instead of just accepting it.”(p. 72) People should stand up for what is right. Even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Standing up for what is right may not always be the popular choice. Be honest with yourself and others and don’t go along with someone just to make them feel good. Be tactful in your disagreements, but always speak the truth.
"If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them?
Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn't be filled?" (p. 102)
I think they did take a part of your heart with them. It did leave a hole, but it’s your choice if you choose to fill that gap or not. It’s like the saying goes, its better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all. You were able to experience love and that cannot be taken away from you. “If you spent your life concentrating on what everyone else thought of you, would you forget who you really were? What if the face you showed the world turned out to be a mask... with nothing beneath it?”(p. 187) If I spent my life concentrating on others thoughts of me, I don’t know that I would forget who I am, but I may not have a good sense of myself. It may waver and I may not have opinions of my own.
“A mathematical formula for happiness: Reality divided by expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.”(p. 246)
I like this passage. Life is real, and it will be better if you live for real. Lowering your expectations does nothing to make you happy. Strive for what you want, reach for the stars. Life is what you make of it. You make your
choices. "I didn't want to be treated like him," Josie said, answering her mother, when what she really meant was, I wasn't brave enough."(p. 387) Josie needed to stand up for what she thinks is right. No matter if it makes her feel uncomfortable or not. It does take a bit of courage to stand up for what you believe in. Dealing with the feelings after you haven’t is worse. You can’t live thinking what if?
"It would be one thing to be a loser if it meant no one paid attention to you, but in school, it means you’re actively sought out. You’re the slug, and they’re holding all the salt. And they haven’t developed a conscience" (391)
Being alone is one thing, but being picked on or “bullied” is another. If you can’t respect yourself enough to stand up for yourself, then no one can have respect for you. Having confidence and respect for yourself and others will show that you can overcome different obstacles in life.