As a writing teacher, sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself. Sitting at my kitchen table, grading essay after essay, I’ve been known to talk to myself. To do praise cartwheels when I find a great sentence. To shout out loud, “Yes! They got it! What a great opening!” To tear up and actually stop to pray when a student shares his/her emotional work on paper. My heart gets so full, at times, I worry it will explode. It is an honor to read their work.
The past few months my high schoolers have been digging through Steinbeck’s, The Pearl. Discussions about greed, ambition, and personal responsibility/choice have been heated, to say the least. Debates ensue. Opinions are shared. Worldviews are challenged. I’m all for this healthy debate, especially as high schoolers prepare to launch from home. It’s critical they grapple with their questions. I try to provide a safe environment in which to do so. I don’t hold all the answers. Sometimes, I feel I don’t have any. All I ask is that they remain respectful.
So, in a recent assignment, I asked them to respond to the following prompt, “What would you do if you were given a million dollars?” Their essays brought stellar thoughts and deep heart-provoking words. Madeline, a senior, wrote her essay, “The Purpose,” and boy oh boy, did my heart leap. It is so good, I just had to share it with you all. Take a few moments. Think about how you would respond to such a prompt. Enjoy:
The Purpose
by Madeline Porter
Things were happening so fast and yet, it seemed at this moment, things slowed down like a slow-motion movie. Black and white replaced the color of glittery Las Vegas. It was night, but stars could not be seen in the sky because of the bright city lights. To the left of the street, there was a woman strutting out of the casino wearing a short cocktail dress and heels. A look of terror yet confidence powdered her face. She walked quickly but in a way that would not draw attention. She grabbed her phone out of her clutch and answered it. What was said on the other end is a mystery, but whatever it was caused her to turn around and walk back into the casino. Slowly and carefully she moved toward the elevator. Her heart was pounding. It was her second mission. She was holding human lives in her hands but did not know this yet.
Room 258 looked like a death trap. “Do not disturb” dangled off the door handle. As she stared at the door, she choreographed her moves. She had seen this room many times. The layout, the angles, the distance, it was all very familiar to her. She quietly slipped the room key into the door. As it opened, she didn’t know what to expect. The room wreaked of the stench of smoke and alcohol. Her goal was to find the laptop and get the memory card. As she downloaded the information, she noticed a small suitcase wedged between the desk and the wall. She leaned over and unzipped it slowly. She held her breath as the zipper squeaked. Relieved no one awoke, she peeked inside. The unique smell of cold hard cash leaked out of the hole. Now came the hard part, leaving. Her gun tightly fastened on her thigh, she was prepared for anything. Or least she thought she was.
The information she had retrieved would be very important to those back at the home office. Slowly, she slipped out of the door. As she went to step into the elevator, a woman grabbed her arm.
“You shouldn’t be here!” a familiar face warned her. “Why are you here? I thought you were free.”
A beautiful girl stood in the elevator with her. The two were victims in human trafficking until the agency freed them from their terrible life. They walked out together whispering. Quickly, they parted ways. Team members escorted her safely to the van. Entering the van, memories of her days spent in living hell haunted her. Oh how she had prayed for deliverance.
In the van, team members discussed the stolen money and that it needed to be used for something helpful. Her thoughts turned to her friend in the hotel. She wanted to give the money to help stop human trafficking. Thoughts brought a new sense of hope and meaning to her. Three months later, one hundred and twenty-three girls had been rescued out of the same living hell she once had lived in. She was now head of the undercover anti-trafficking agency committed to helping women escape and recover. She had found her purpose in life. Was it fate, luck, or answered prayer that led her to find that million dollars?”
Okay, now it’s your turn. What would you do if you were given a million dollars?
