Essay On The Signature Of All Things By Elizabeth Gilbert

During the struggle of having a meaningful life, an individual must be able to define what is meaningful and how to obtain it. In the story excerpt “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert, the protagonist, Alma, explores the part of her childhood where she breaks away from routine and makes the decision to make the most of the moment. To contrast, the poem “Atrophy” by Julia Copus explores the outcome of people who do not make the most of their lives and are stuck thinking of their wasted potential. An individual must routinely reconcile their past and present to obtain the power to make autonomous choices in order to create a meaningful life before the opportunity to grasp this power reaches its expiration date. The meaningful life an individual strives for differs in definition from person to person, and involves breaking away from the monotony of routine towards something of fulfillment. In the excerpt Alma is routinely the “only child in attendance” at different dull adult parties. She has been the observer as the child. The

The autonomous choices Alma makes in the story provide insight in how it is important for the individual to know their own definition of meaningful, and how support in pursuing it is needed to obtain it. The poem “Atrophy” by Julia Copus is written from the perspective of someone who made the wrong choices and is stuck thinking of regrets instead of pursuing their fullest life. A meaningful life is defined by the individual alone and the power necessary to reach it is only obtained when an individual reconciles their past and present. If for too long an individual focuses on the past and abstains from making the choices necessary then they are capable of losing the ability