A Book Is A Loaded Gun by Crystalyn

A Book Is A Loaded Gun by Crystalyn - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

I remember High School like it was yesterday. All the books your teacher forced you to read, all the hours spent huffing hunched over sluggishly reading the chapters for the next days class. All the while not knowing the true value and morals you would take away from them that would change your life forever. Choosing which book I felt that all High School students should read before they graduate was a difficult one. There were so many that I remember reading, reminiscing of simpler times of when reading a couple of chapters was my only real worry. I remember learning about perseverance and dedication from "Of Mice and Men" and I learned the importance of family, friends, home, and remembering the past from "The Giver".

The book that stuck with me the most was Fahrenheit 451. It came at a time in high school when I was learning about myself and my differences and I could either conform to what others think is cool or I would be an outcast. Fahrenheit 451 taught be about nonconformity, that being different is okay. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "It doesn't matter what you do...so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away.” (Ray Bradbury) The idea is that if you conform you will be happy. If you dumb yourself down you won't want for more. The book shows a world where people don't question, they don't learn, people just follow. The idea of the book is that without new ideas and conflict then there are no wars, no disagreements, and no unhappiness. I feel like all high schoolers should read this book because it teaches you that you shouldn't stand silent, new ideas should be encouraged, and growth should always be something to strive for.