In answer to the “Is the glass half empty or half full?” question,  

the pessimistic approach would be to pick half empty,  

while the optimistic approach would choose half full.  

Being optimistic can often be hard in society because of people always striving for more, people fall into the pessimistic way of looking at life. Our societies continually push people to want better and more, leaving others to believe their way of life is not adequate, causing them to be even more pessimistic. As a child Sigmund Freud would say people act out of their ‘ID’ psychic apparatus; because of this children are innocent and optimist because they do not understand reality. Experience comes after ‘ID’, experience would be more under ‘EGO‘ according to Sigmund Freud’s idea of psychic apparatus. To have experience a person must understand reality.  

The child that William Blake describes in “The Chimney Sweeper”, in Songs of Innocence is optimistic. A Romantic would appreciate William Blake’s complex work, the Romantic will see passed the outside and see the beauty within. The young boy who had been abandoned by his father, looks towards the happy side of life.  “You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair,” explains how a child can have faith that having a filthy job can not take the innocence of a child away from them. William Blake shows that young innocent children are suffering because of the job they are doing but the innocent children did not show it.  ”Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,” when the children are cleaned they are the same as everyone else and the Romantic’s can see the perfect young child under the dirt. Children have a way of always looking towards the brighter side Blake displays the carefree emotions that children have with the line, ”Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm.” Children nevertheless, kept happy by imagining the positives of life, God, angels, innocence.  

“The Chimney Sweeper”, in Songs of Experience is a very dark and pessimistic poem.  William Blake expresses this by being very judgmental and gives motive for everyday aspects of life. When reading this poem pictures of a depressed young child who is covered by sin. The first line,  ”A little black thing in the snow”, could be deemed as the black repenting the sin against innocence and the white snow being the innocence. “They clothed me in the clothes of death,” expresses how children are put in horrible unjust places that puts them it harms way. This poem would have been to open the eyes of the Romantics to show them that a child doing this work is not okay and society and church should change to help young children who are being treated like this young boy. William Blake writes this poem with the ideals of a Classicist. 

Both poems talk about religion and the impact the writer felt the church had on society.  Both poems discuss the little boy losing his parents.  Because the boys are still young and innocent, they find the good in their lives and still find joy around them.  The little boys are working as chimney sweeps and are covered in soot that makes them look black as death, but the soot can not take the innocence of a child away from them.  

Both poems symbolize how pessimistic and optimistic people can see the same situation but take totally different opinions from what they see.  Pessimistic people, like the Classicists, will only see the dirty little boys that are working instead of playing, but optimistic people, like the Romantics, will not see the dirty boys, but how the little boys are happy and laughing and playing. Life is what you take from it, it can be either good or bad depending on how you look at the glass.  

I had a lifetime dream of playing of the Canadian Women’s fastball team at the Olympics. I dreamt of wearing that Maple Leaf on my chest and seeing my parents smiling back at me. My family understood what was needed to be at that level and they completely supported me with every move I had to make. My closest friends did not understand the lack of time they could spend with me but they also respected the time we did have.

I have been on a ball field all my life and have played since T-ball. At the age of 15 my parents and I agreed that I was not being challenged enough with the softball in the area and started looking for something more. Lloydminster was our answer.  Playing ‘A’ caliber of fastball helped show off the skills I had learned from various coaches, and my parents. Tracy, the scout of the Canadian women’s fastball team, soon took me under her wing and taught me the needed advancements that allowed me to go with the Calgary Diamond Devils to San Diego.

The pressure of playing at this level was very intense and demanding. The Diamond Devils had four coaches one outfield coach, one infield coach, nutritionist, and one head coach. We all had a small contract to follow which included a no eating list, no cell phone rule, respect clause, and further more. This fastball allowed for little social life because the travel was difficult, and time-consuming. My dad and I normally made the trip to Calgary every weekend and I had to work out every other night and practice on the off days. All my time away from school was to be focused on fastball.

People did not understand how I balanced aspects of my life . I honestly tried to put on a face that showed I had all my life under control but truly the pressure was getting to me and distancing me from friends and my sister.  I changed the amount of communication that I was involved in, I was changing myself I quickly learned. I did not want people to notice the stress I had in my life because it was not their dilemma to be faced with. I never wanted to cause others problems. I wanted to have a separate  life from fastball and home life.

I did not like what this caliber of fastball was doing to my life. My life was changing as I knew it I wanted my old life back. I never thought I would ever pass the chance of my dream up but I had to choose my life or fastball. As I was conflicted between keeping my dream alive or having a social life, my dad and I had numerous, deep talks about our shared dream. My dad kept saying “I will support you in whatever you do, as long as you want to be doing it.” I decided to stop playing this high-end caliber and to regain my social life.

Fastball gave me a rush of freedom, excitement and relaxing joy. Sports are a big part in my families lifestyle, we are strong-headed towards staying fit and spending time together. Family time is limited in our family so sports have brought us together, so sports symbolizes family and being together. I am not losing that feeling just pulling back on the caliber, although I may have the chance to play on a ‘A’ caliber fastball team in edmonton.

Playing in the Olympics was a lifetime goal and dream I shared with my dad. I would have done anything to get to that level but once I found out the amount of time needed to be at that level I couldn’t handle the pressure. The pressure had me change who I was and how I interacted with my family and friends. Being under that pressure caused me to buckle and alter my dream. Family and friends helped me get as far as I did because of their respect, love, help, and commitment.  I owe them all a great amounts of thanks.