Reading analysis

What do you wish for when you see a falling star? Many people wish that they were rich or that they had a new car, a house, or something of material value. Other people in the world wish for happiness, health, love, peace, or equality. Different things are important to different people, so their wishes are going to be as different as they are. Everyone needs something to wish for, but sometimes wishes are unattainable. For example, no matter how hard we work to change the past, it can never truly be reversed. Then some people have a sickness that cannot be cured. Since all wishes cannot be granted with a magic lamp or a star, people may feel helpless and want to give up. This is where hope comes into our lives. As long as there is hope, people will not give up on their wishes. And with hard work and sometimes a little good fortune—as I believe my life shows, our hopes can become realities.

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When I was quite young, I was diagnosed with acute asthma. Doctors said that I should not run or play because it would worsen my condition. So, it was best to avoid any physical activity. I would lie awake at night wheezing; the sound reminded me of Thomas the Tank. It sounded like an engine, and I could never fall asleep. I would cough sometimes until I vomited, and I could not breathe. My throat would tighten. I would be scared for my life. Was this the end of my short existence? My parents took me to one doctor after another. I would have nightmares about the next doctor’s visit. It was always the same: the doctor would come in, ask my parents about my condition, and I would sit lifeless in the chair. The doctor never asked me any questions. It seemed as if I didn’t matter. They would prescribe numerous varieties of drugs, and then I would be sent home. During this difficult time, my parents read me many fairy tales, including some about magic lamps that could grant a wish. I particularly liked the story of Pinocchio and how he wanted to be a real boy. To truly live was my wish; I wished that I could be a real boy. I wanted to play baseball and basketball and to run on the playground like all the other children. Could my wish ever come true? Sometimes I doubted that it could. I knew that Pinocchio could not be a real boy, so I thought this wish could never come true either.

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Then one day, I was staying at my grandparents’ house when I had the worst asthma attack yet. I could not breathe, and I started gasping for air. My grandmother rushed me to the doctor’s office, to a doctor I had not seen before. When I entered his office, I could tell Dr. Brock was different from the other doctors I had seen. First, he shook my hand and asked me, “How are you feeling?” Then he asked me more specific questions about my feelings and my condition, such as, “Where, exactly, does your chest hurt?” He seemed very interested in me, and he called me “blue eyes.” I told him that I wished to play like other kids, but I could not because of my asthma. Then he gave me my wish; he told me that I could become normal with time and the right treatments. That day, my life changed forever. I realized that someday I might be able to play sports or even run on the playground. I had the chance to truly live. How can one man affect someone’s life this much? I cannot answer that question. But, I know that Dr. Brock gave me my wish. I did nothing but take a breathing treatment every night, and I was magically cured. This is what the gift of a wish truly is—something that comes from nothing. It is not earned or worked for, and it is always unexpected when it happens. A wish just seems to happen.

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A year or two later, when I started kindergarten, the teacher asked us what we wanted to do when we grew up. I said I wanted to be a doctor like Dr. Brock. My teacher told me I would need to be smart if I wanted to become a doctor. I listened to those words, and I started reading every book in the library that I could find. I had heard that people who read were intelligent. At the end of the year, the teacher tested me on my reading skills, and I was on a second-grade reading level. I was working toward my dream. Not long after the year started, I had my birthday party at McDonald’s. When I was about to blow the candles out on my Lion King cake, everyone said, “make a wish!” I wished to be a doctor just like Dr. Brock when I grew up. My wish to become a doctor has been something that I have wanted for every waking moment from then on.

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As I grew older, I began to realize that wishes were something magical and hopes were something that could become real. My dream of becoming a doctor has become more than just a child’s wish. Instead of just expecting my desire to magically happen like a wish upon a star, my aspiration of becoming a doctor has become a lifelong hope. Everything from the time I wake up to the time I fall asleep is focused on that goal. I push myself in everything I do to become stronger, faster, and more knowledgeable and determined than I have been in the past. I still remember an assignment in eighth grade. My teacher asked us to pick two careers and explore both of the careers. I told her that I was going to be a doctor, and, more specifically, a pediatrician. She chuckled while telling me how impossible it was for a person like me to become a doctor and that I would have to choose a second career option. So I chose another career and did the task.

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The teacher’s chuckles and doubt made me start questioning myself for the first time. Was it really possible for me to become a doctor? Was this just some silly childhood wish? What if no matter how hard I tried, it was not possible? These were some of the questions I started to ask myself. Then I found my answers by thinking about my uncle. He also had started out in a poor family with little hope of a bright future. Yet, he fought through the low expectations of the world to achieve his goal. My uncle worked hard to make good grades and did without material items to achieve his dream. He graduated from Chapel Hill in North Carolina with a Ph.D. in chemistry, and he now works for Merck Pharmaceutical in Pennsylvania. He showed me how a hope can become a reality. I realized that—even though it will be difficult sometimes, if I believe in my dream enough, it can and will happen. He taught me that my own decisions would decide my future. My uncle made me believe that I can become a doctor. He is a great inspiration and model for me to base my life upon because he has been in the same situation that I am. Today I am working on my bachelor’s degree, and, in a few years, I plan to enter medical school and turn my dream of becoming a doctor into my own reality. As a pediatrician, I believe that I can give children the hope that Dr. Brock gave me and maybe grant a few wishes.

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Over many years, I have come to realize people rarely appreciate a wish that is too easily granted. If something is handed to us on a silver platter, we don’t really recognize the value of it; if something is not earned, it is not valued. A diamond, for example, takes millenniums to form, decades to mine, and years to be refined. A diamond is like the reality that comes from a great hope that is earned through hard work and a little bit of luck.

Assignment questions

1. Identify the thesis statement of the essay. Why is this the thesis?

2. Identify the topic sentence for each paragraph - do all the subsequent sentences support the topic sentence? Explain.

3. Identify five transition words or phrases that move the essay along. Provide the examples where they occur.

4. What are three of the most effective details of the narrative?  Provide explanations.            

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