Reference no: EM133302541
Essay: Having something to cling to can lead to unhealthy obsessions, or it can help ground you when you are stressed. When you have something that can make you feel safe it can make life feel a little easier. Many people tend to cling to a certain thing that they obtain in their daily life, and when it's not there their whole day feels off or it feels like they have been "robbed", this can lead to individuals not wanting to step out of a certain comfort zone they have, and this can lead to unhealthy habits over time.
Being "mugged" can affect you in your daily life. As humans we love to cling to things, and sometimes it can lead to bad habits. In this story Crockett argues why his clinging isn't a bad habit. To Crockett it makes him feel safe, and it brings him comfort when Crockett is feeling stressed. In the story Crockett related his coffee mug to the void that he has due to not having someone there. This can lead to him never feeling fully satisfied if he continues to stay in this "relationship" with his mug then it can lead to unhealthy habits. Crockett then goes into detail about how the cups shape, curvacious, tapered, slim waisted, and a bit heaver on top. To me this is referring the void Crockett feels due to not having a partner in his day to day life. Therefore, Crockett relies on his mug to give him the comfort that the missing said partner would bring him. Due to lack of this role, and him relying on his mug to bring him comfort Crockett is creating an unhealthy attachment to his mug. Which is why, when Crockett's mug fell off of the back of his truck he went back for it because Crockett is relying on the mug for more than just a mug for his coffee for the day. This gives us an insight on to how we as humans will go to any entent to make sure that we don't lose the things that bring us comfort. Crockett has the mug near him or in his hand at all times. With this attachment Crockett isn't allowing himself to step out of his comfort zone and try to feel this void that he is feeling. Crockett argues that his mug is his "drug of choice" because it holds everything that he could need. This sentence makes it seems as if his mug is his crutch in life, and he is addicted to the mug and Crockett feels the need that it needs to be with him at all times. Crockett also says that his cup is a tie to a place and home. This is referring to how he wants to carry it with him because it is his sense of home. The sense that he is lacking because Crockett is not receiving it from anywhere else.
Whenever Crockett talks about how he loses his mug in this article Crockett then begins to start to panic. This simple item brings Crockett so much comfort, that when the second that it is away from him he does anything to be able to get it back, no matter what the circumstance is. This helps us know that his clinging to his mug is starting to turn into an unhealthy obsession, at the point. Many people can relate to this because everyone has that one item that brings them comfort, and makes them feel safe. When he brings up how people never see him without his mug, it makes him feel like he may have obsessive/compulsive disorder.
While this could be true, I do think that having something that is an object to cling to is perfectly normal, but to an extent. You have to know when clinging to something becomes an obsession. It is okay to cling to things to bring you comfort, but you should not rely on things to bring you comfort in your day to day life. You can always count on it to be there, unless you lose it or choose to get rid of it on your own. I know that having something there for you on a daily basis is very refreshing to know, but this can also lead to unhealthy habits for some people if they don't know their limits. Towards the end of the article the man states that he is only human, and for some reason and securing daily grounding ritual, it makes it feel more relatable for the reader. When you cling to something, and you don't have it near you at all times it feels as if you have been robbed because you are missing that one particular thing that is there in your day to day life. The last sentence of the passage helps pull us beyond his personal situation.
Knowing that other people can relate to this story makes it easier for the reader to read because everyone has something that they can cling to. Wether it be something big or small, or if you don't want to admit that you cling to something; you more than likely do. For many people in this generation, it would most likely have to be people with their phones. Everyone relies on their phone to communicate, and many people can't go even a few hours without their phone. I know that when I misplace my phone I start to panic because of the comfort of just having it on me at all times bring me so much security. It is very odd that such a small object can affect my daily life. For example, when I have my phone on me, I am always checking it, and when it dies I always feel the need to check it. Personally, I would say that clinging to my phone is about as obsessive as Crocket's obsession to his cup in this article. This is unhealthy because I am always on my phone and always want to have it by my side no matter what. It has gotten to the point that I sleep with it near my side every night because of the comfort that this simple item brings me.
Allowing yourself to become utterly obsessed with anything is not healthy at all. When you rely on anything other than yourself to bring you comfort it can become toxic because you never know when that thing can disappear or leave you. When you become obsessed with anything you allow that certain thing to consume you, and this can lead to unhealthy traits and habits. Becoming consumed with things can really deteriorate your mental health.
Us as humans can't help but allow ourselves to become consumed with something at one point in our lives. This is why we all need to know our limits and our boundaries. For some people they may become utterly obsessed with another individual and this can lead to really toxic things. It can affect how you can go on with your day to day life. It can affect how your mood is going to be that day, wether or not if you have talked that person that day, how they are treating you that day, everything that one individual is doing is going to consume you because you have allowed yourself to become utterly obsessed with them. Just like in this article Crockett allowed his mug to affect how his day is going to be. Had Crockett lost his cup on the highway that day Crockett would have been distraught and he would have more than likely grieved it, like we as humans tend to do when they lose someone or something that they have lost. This is due to clinging to that thing to bring us a sense of security. Having something to cling to when you are stressed can make you become obsessed with that certain thing faster due to it becoming a stress reliever. Since we are humans we can't help, but to cling to things, and this is more than okay. Everyone has their own way to fill a void that they are missing, you just have to realize that over time if it isn't a good way to cope it can consume you, and can take over how you live your day to day life. At the end of the day it is perfectly normal to cling to things, you just need to know your own limits.
When we find things to cling to, we have to know our boundaries as a person to not let our clinging tendencies consume us. Even it is just a way to help relieve stress or make you happy. Having something that can make you feel safe it can make life feel a little easier. Many people tend to cling to a certain thing that they obtain in their daily life, and when it's not there their whole day feels off or it feels like they have been "robbed", this can lead to individuals not wanting to step out of a certain comfort zone they have, and this can lead to unhealthy habits over time.
Question 1: How does the essay prompt you to think differently? (For instance, do you see something with more complexity, more beauty, more ugliness, or more intensity than you did before?) Explain what the essay helps you see differently. If you have a difficult time answering this question, perhaps the essay has not yet gone far enough.
Question 2: What clichés should the writer replace with a new, revelatory idea? (Look closely. Clichés sometimes masquerade as profound thoughts.)
Question 3: Which details best illustrate the main idea? (Which details reinforce the main idea and make you picture something specific?)
Question 4: Which details could be added to illustrate the main idea? What particular behaviors or events could be further dramatized with details? For instance, the essay probably has a focused moment-a specific event that holds intense meaning. Could that moment use more detail?
Question 5: Which details do not seem related to the thesis of the essay? Why not?
Question 6: How could the writer create more public resonance?
Question 7: Do any paragraphs lack coherence? Do they ramble or wander pointlessly through the past? Look for details that may hold meaning for the writer but don't develop the point of the essay.
Question 8: How could the essay begin with more intensity? (For instance, if the essay begins with a broad statement such as Children are curious creatures, could it instead begin with a specific narrative or a more focused or surprising statement?)
Question 9: Describe the writer's voice. Is it appropriate and consistent? Could the writer use figurative language or details that are more fitting? Where could sentence length be varied?
Question 10: What sentences could be rewritten to create more vitality?
Question 11: Where can the writer combine sentences with coordination?
Question 12: Where can the writer combine with subordination?
Question 13: What verbs can be more intense?
Question 14: Where do basic grammatical issues (such as run-on sentences, sentence fragments, or pronoun/antecedent agreement) distract readers?