Timeless Words by Clarence

Timeless Words by Clarence - July 2013 Scholarship Essay

                Rarely are books published during my generation ever comparable to the great pieces of literature such as Shakespeare’s romantic tragedies, the story of redemption and turmoil in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, William Golding’s story of conflicting tendencies between human nature and individual welfare in Lord of the Flies, or the story of morality in Harper Lee’s American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. These books have three things in common: they are lengthy, they carry timeless messages, and they are all assigned reading books in school. In no effort to belittle these titles, it is rarer, however, to find a book that truly sparks the mind to think beyond the scope of the lectures taught inside a classroom. Avi’s Nothing but the Truth is one such rarer book. In his short novel, Avi was able to demonstrate the power of words and its possible consequences in a script-like storyline that unfolds a surprising truth. As a student hoping to pursue a career in the field of journalism, the idea that truths and facts can be misconstrued at any moment is nerve-wrecking and thoughtfully challenging, yet also enlightening. Nothing but the Truth was the first book to challenge my thoughts and entice my interest in reading, considerably making it the best book I have ever read in school.
 
                Think back to your younger years when you engaged in a long game of telephone. As the original message gets passed down the line, it becomes distorted and a long message could turn into a single sentence. Details and facts could be altered or even completely dismissed. Without clarification from the original source and the attention and trust of the listeners, the truth will remain unknown. This is exactly the storyline found in Avi’s novel. Journalists pride themselves in uncovering the truth and spreading word to the public, after all, that is their job. We know what we know by what we have read or have been told. This has seemingly always been the way of life. But take a second and think about the implications of this notion. The novel’s main character, Philip Malloy, becomes a national martyr for freedom because of what the public was told of think of him and his actions. However, it is not until the very last line of the book that Philip actually tells the truth about what happened in that classroom that made him into a media mogul. Had he spoken sooner, his teacher, Miss Narwin would most likely not have been fired from her job and become a national villain. In essence, word-spread caused a scandal over exaggerated details, rather than actual facts and truths. The idea challenges readers to think, ‘If not all that is written and told are true, how much of what you know do you actually know?’
 
                Communication. The topic of the best book I ever read in school comes down to communication, the excess and lack thereof. We communicate and spread word everyday and yet we often do not stop to realize what our words or silence could lead to. Timeless classics such as those I listed earlier are all incredible pieces of literature. Avi’s short novel, Nothing but the Truth, on the other hand, was the first book to teach me a life lesson as opposed to an academic lesson. It was also the book that made me realize why classics are regarded as such. The authors of these great books used their words to transcend beyond the circumstances of their era, turning their work into timeless classics.