The Red Convertible

In the “Red Convertible”, a boy loses his older brother after he had gone to war and lost part of himself. It was debated whether or not the older brother jumped into the river knowing he was going to die. I personally think he did, and I found the last paragraph to be pretty powerful, as he talked about the headlights being on as the car went into the water, and eventually the headlights turn off after the wiring goes out. There were two things I thought of while reading this story. The first was my younger sister. In a story like this you can see the impact an older sibling as on a younger sibling. I tend to forget that, which made me realize how important it is that I stay a good role model for my younger sister, and make sure I keep in contact while I am away for college. The second thing that came to mind was the suicide of his older brother, as I had a good friend commit suicide in high school. In this story, a part of his brother died after going to war. It always makes me wonder what gets people to kill themselves, and how heartbreak or war really can destroy part of a person’s soul. Recently, an elementary school teacher at my former elementary school killed himself. He was divorced, with two young kids, and was a war veteran. I never had him as a teacher, and feel horrible for the young children that have to hear that their teacher won’t be teaching their class anymore. I responded to this story because I was able to make connections with it in my own life, whether they were positive or negative connections. After reading this story, I am more aware of the positive role I need to play as an older sibling. I am also more thankful for the troops that serve our country each day, as their lives are not easy, and they are still heavily impacted after their return from war. I am blessed to be a college student pursuing my dreams, and am thankful for the opportunity to wake up and enjoy life every day I can. After reading this story, I encouraged my family to send more care packages to my neighbor that is in the army. I also plan to participate in more activities on campus that involve writing letters, sending packages to troops, and even suicide awareness charities. This story definitely related to experiences in my life and served as a reminder to how I can positively react and help others!