Today is just another day in that insipid building in central Groningen, where I sit hours on end, drudging through stacks of paperwork. The never-ending income documents is much like a fractal, no matter what, mathematically endless and motivationally irrelevant. Often, I sit dreaming and visualizing what it must feel like to have a purpose in life other than living my humdrum, monotonous, and mundane life. Even when I sit wondering about the unknown joys of the universe, no one seems to care that I just sit there, staring endlessly at the infinite supply of paperwork.
What is it like to be noticed? What is it like to feel real? The people in “my universe” care about what I achieve, listen to what I have to convey, and respect me as a co-worker. What is it like to have a friend? I once had a friend, the feeling of having one is long past, just a secluded memory, not a feeling. In my vivid dreams, sometimes I meet people that have similar interests and goals. I often think about what it would be like to long for things exciting and interesting. Yesterday, I found a puzzle in the back of my perfectly organized closet. I know every square inch of my apartment.
Everything is placed in accordance to where I like it, and by chance if something does go amiss, it is both the most exciting and off-putting aspect of my perfectly routine day. “How would this puzzle mysteriously hobble its way into this closet? ” I contemplated with deep consideration. My voice is my friend sometimes. Why didn’t it chose the one of the other one hundred and forty three residents in this apartment complex I puzzled over. When Saturday came around the corner, I smoothly and gracefully walked across the parking lot, like a pendulum moving effortlessly in simple harmonic motion.
The swift cold breeze hit me ever so gently against my emerging glowing skin. There is a compelling emotion of courage exploding out with every step closer to the football stadium, like a budding flower that has finally bloomed into its vibrant and radiant grace. Countless fans herded themselves on a path of determination toward the crowded gates, which is the final check stop into another world; a world of diversity, a world of happiness, a world of sadness, a world of chaos.
There, no one has to worry about the perfection and organization of an apartment, the continuous strain to maintain sanity throughout the mundane and redundant influx of paperwork. There are numerous children kicking and screaming with ecstatic excitement for the opportunity to witness this much adored spectacle. Many sitting on the supportive shoulders of their loving fathers, holding their gentle gripping hands, and caressing their treats that they just received. A childhood feeling forces it way into my mind as if it was yesterday.
I remember being with my family at a time where there was nothing but happiness in the air and love in the heart. These are moments that have been long lost into the transition to adulthood and in my stagnant and gridlocked life. This moment has been entrapped in a decayed and withered jail cell, unable to break the chains. But today the first time in a long time I feel as if I am beyond those bars of torpidity, and let free into a blooming field of growth and opportunity. Emerging into the lively and energetic stadium, I feel the rush of enthusiasm and youthful spirit flow through my veins.
This feeling is enough to overpower whatever dark obstacle that throws itself in my way. I feel a calming familiarity of this joy and energy that makes me feel like a young boy again. Before I even have a chance to find exactly which section of the stadium I need to go, I spot Alicia sitting ever so beautifully in her seat. She is perched like a bird of paradise, unique and perfect in her own way. She turns to me and waves me over with a smile, with this gesture I begin to cherish this most beloved realization of freedom. Maybe the world isn’t as linear as I thought it out to be.
Analysis 1. The tone of the piece is to portray a lonely man lacking any real motive in his daily life. It happens to be that people don’t actually perceive him as a negative person, as shown by Alicia’s offer to go to a football match and she arguably enjoys his presence . His persona is shown to be dull in the beginning of the piece, with mathematical expressions to further emphasize his persona. The tone of the piece after the climax (of being offered to go to the game) is that of a more sense of feeling toward aspects around himself, and a more positive outlook on life.
2. Insipid Building” – This is a metaphorical description of how the building lacks flavor, as does Robert in his boring and “unflavored” life. The building serves to symbolize how Robert is always still and maintains identical continuous days, in his boring profession of analyzing book work. Also, like the building, he has the potential to be grand and beautiful, and stand tall and confident, a metaphorical expression of his potential personality after being awaken from his humdrum life.
3. The gates are a “final check stop into another world; a world of diversity, a world of happiness, a world of sadness, a world of chaos. – This writing technique is anaphora, which reflect the beginning of Robert in his progression toward happiness and of his personal reflection coming out into the world. The gate is a symbol of his new path in life; a path in which he now reflecting his true self, rather than living in a shell (only the shell fragments being remnant – another rebirth symbol). The juxtaposing of sadness and happiness, chaos and diversity are there to emphasize the environment around himself, and contrasts his past and present life.
