SLC-S31/W2-“Creative Interpretation| The Phrase (Almost There)”

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Create a piece inspired by the phrase “Almost There.”

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Almost there.

That is my pledge to myself that refrain of silence which is neither hope nor weariness. It is abandoned there in the most meager locations between treads on a superlong highway, between the deep struck seconds on a clock that is impossibly loud at night.

Almost there.

A place where there is no destination. Not really. It is a feeling-weak and stubborn and half-breed. The form that comes as you walk around and you feel pains in your legs, but you will not stop, as you feel your hands shake but your fingers will not loosen. The breath it takes before the final thrust, the ceasing of something before it is other.

You do not know necessarily what there is like. Sometimes it shifts. It is also totally eliminated at other times. But eternal remnants--pulling you like a filament some fish that you might have by merely a little further.

You have not lost at a time when it was easy, as you are almost there. It means that you has pulled yourself scuttlebuttily, noisily, through the silent conflicts of which none had heard any portent. It is, that you are nearer than last night, by which one, though you do not feel like winning today.

It’s a proof of..

Mark that you have not died yet.

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Is your interpretation positive, negative, or mixed? Explain.

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It is mixed actually, yet predominantly positive. The title of the poem, Almost There, feels quite tense, in its nature. On the one hand, it points out that the goal is not achieved yet and it might be frustrating and tiring. It can be even more challenging as the distance between you seems like it is even smaller, and it might lead to doubts that you are going to make it.

Almost is a word that sometimes has that effect of saying what is yet to be filled forming a feeling of impatience and emotional tension. Concurrently, the term has a greater leaning towards a positive interpretation. Almost There is indications of improvement-it demonstrates that you have already passed the most difficult stage.

It demonstrates willpower, strong character and perseverance. It does not stress just on what you are lacking but on what you have achieved and how successful you are. On the whole, it is quite an optimistic and encouraging one, reminding you that, although nothing helps, you have started moving yet, with each step closer to the goal.

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What does “almost” teach about patience or persistence?

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Almost shows that patience is stemming out of just remaining constant when one cannot get the results. It works as a reminder that not all the progress is rewarding immediately and that you are waiting. Being close to the finish line, you need to avoid rushing or quitting and just believe that time and practice will help you to make it through the last mile.

It also teaches to be persistent as it does show that victory is right after the most difficult part. It may also be the point at which you feel the nearest to quitting that is the point at which you are the nearest to your goal too. Almost encourages you not to give up at the point of exhaustion, skepticism, or slowness. It cultivates the practice of doing what you began, even when it is pain, and demonstrates that small, sustained, effort will ultimately get you to the point of it almost being done.

Source

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Share a personal or imagined scenario that connects to your piece.

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I would think of a person who has to take an exam that is significant, and he/she has been working on it all those months. It is late at night and they are exhausted with notes and books all around them. They begin to wonder whether it is all worth it and they become weary of it. The test is only days off, and rather than being confident, they are under pressure and with suspicion.

Almost there at that time does not seem soothing it seems burdensome because they have come so far, yet, they have one step more to make that is not going to be easy. But, after a moment, they check themselves and see that they have already done so much-the hours, the sacrifices, the constancy.

They do not forget that they have invested in quitting and not to quit. Hence they breathe profoundly, turn to their notes and continue. This scene embodies the concept of almost there: it is not necessarily a good or efficient one but the place where a determination makes a difference the most, and where completing it is possible.