Disappointment, Failure, and Loss: These Are Opportunities by Matthew

Disappointment, Failure, and Loss: These Are Opportunities by Matthew - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

We, The Drowned, written by Danish author Carsten Jensen, is a novel that weaves through the lives of several characters through three generations who all at one point or another called Marstal, Denmark their home. A seafaring town where being a sailor is the dream of every young boy and the fear of every mother, Carsten writes a true-to-life story that tugs on heartstrings and how we can approach failure.

A son is abandoned by his father which sparked his interest in joining a crew ship, both to travel the world and an endeavor to find his father. A friendship between an old man and a young boy sparks a relationship between him and his mother. Despite lacking real romance, their relationship is built on a foundation of mutual love for the boy and practical mutuality between one another. Another mother loses all her sons in separate ship wrecks.

While the story seems bleak, you have to read the book to understand how characters took advantage of dark periods in their life as an opportunity for growth, introspection, and finding peace. Many young people who are preparing to graduate high school are pressured to go to college, make decisions that will impact the rest of their lives, and have high hopes and dreams. We, The Drowned will show those leaving high school that life is what you make of it, because your dreams change does not mean you've failed, and that above all else: relationship between people is the most valuable thing in life.