Week 2- Article 3: Please Read

Central Argument: Like formal words of gratitude, simple things in our life no longer seem to have the same meanings anymore.


Linton Weeks, in her article "Please Read This Story, Thank You," talks about how formal words of gratitude, like "thank you" and "you're welcome," are being replaced by other words, such as "no problem" and "sure," that do not carry the same message and weight. Our day to day speech, according to Weeks, is turning into something more casual. What was important to us in the past is no longer important now.


Things we did in the past start to loose their importance as time passes. As a high school student, I can think of one example: bed time. When I was little, they made up take a nap for two to three hours during the day. And when I got home from pre-school, my parents put me to bed at around 8 p.m. I remember how much I used to fight and cry because I would want to stay awake too, doing the same things they did, like watching television. My mother would get angry and tell me that I really needed to rest because I was a growing child. Even then, I would try to make excuses after excuses to get to stay for even just a little bit longer. However, as I grew up, the hours of sleep I got everyday started to lessen more and more. I would have to actually make an effort to go to sleep early. Nap times were long gone. Soon, as I came to high school, it became more and more difficult for me to get even 7 hours of sleep everyday. Other things, such as catching up with my homework, seemed more important than getting a good night's sleep. I could stay up late just playing games or chatting with my friends into the night.This experience, and reality, shows us how as time passes, certain things start to change and get less attention. They don't seem so important now as they have lost their importance.


However, this kind of loss doesn't always have to be in a negative sense. For example, meal time is always supposed to be family time. After a busy day, a good dinner is what joins the family together and lets stories be shared and feeling be recited. However, in my family, ever since I was little, we never had such rules in the house. My sister and I ate dinner first. After feeding us, my mother would have her dinner with my helper, since my father was away. However, as we started growing older, and my father settled back in Nepal, meal times did start becoming family time. My sister and I would set out the table very enthusiastically for the whole family, including my little brother, to sit. Once everyone returned home, we would gather together and have a great meal, happily, as a family, sharing the experiences of the day. This example shows us how sometimes, simple things in life can change for the better. Certain modifications can be made which are certainly harmless and can be a good development as well.
These two examples provided show us that when little things in life change, they can be negative or positive.