"His brother and sisters were strangers to him... [He was] a stranger to himself" (Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith 42).
When Vincent Van Gogh was a child, and even when he was an adult, no one was able to really understand him. From an early age, he probably had depression, and his parents' expectations of him did not help one bit. As a child he was a trouble-maker. But deep down inside, he was really a lonely boy, trying to find out who he was and seeking acceptance from his family. He was an introverted, moody, and aloof boy. His personality clashed with his parents' views, and as a result he was viewed as "strange" to everyone around him. However, his brother, Theo, was the exact opposite of him. Theo was loved by his parents. He was the pride and joy of the family, "the spring flower" of his mother and father. The brothers' relationship became strained due to the favoritism and Vincent felt isolated. As Vincent grew older, he became so isolated that he would not interact with his siblings. It's not a surprise that they all became strangers.
I'm sure most of us have all felt like Vincent before. We've all felt that feeling where you believe that no one really understands you, not even your friends. Of course, that's because we're all human, with separate thoughts and feelings. No one can really understand you, and we all go through a period in life where we try to find ourselves. When I was younger I believed that my parents could not understand me at all. I thought that they couldn't understand my interests, my dreams, or my beliefs. To this day I still believe that they don't understand me. But it's not really their fault because you can't read someone's mind. Also, in middle school I had a best friend who I thought I knew everything about. But she slowly changed. I'm not sure how, but one day I just came to school and she seemed like a stranger, a whole new person. But, throughout the years, I've learned that we're all human. We all change and grow. We're all different from each other and that's what makes everyone unique. Plus if you're friend becomes someone you don't know, then you just have to get to know them again, right?
But hey, here's a question for you: have you ever been "a stranger to yourself"? Or maybe you thought you knew someone, but you really didn't?
My Reading Progress so Far:
Anyway, I think I'm doing pretty well, but the book is a bit more slower paced than I thought due to the details of every scene. As far as reading strategies go, I haven't really done anything yet besides taking a few notes here and there. I'm planning to start doing actual summaries for every chapter next week.
When Vincent Van Gogh was a child, and even when he was an adult, no one was able to really understand him. From an early age, he probably had depression, and his parents' expectations of him did not help one bit. As a child he was a trouble-maker. But deep down inside, he was really a lonely boy, trying to find out who he was and seeking acceptance from his family. He was an introverted, moody, and aloof boy. His personality clashed with his parents' views, and as a result he was viewed as "strange" to everyone around him. However, his brother, Theo, was the exact opposite of him. Theo was loved by his parents. He was the pride and joy of the family, "the spring flower" of his mother and father. The brothers' relationship became strained due to the favoritism and Vincent felt isolated. As Vincent grew older, he became so isolated that he would not interact with his siblings. It's not a surprise that they all became strangers.
I'm sure most of us have all felt like Vincent before. We've all felt that feeling where you believe that no one really understands you, not even your friends. Of course, that's because we're all human, with separate thoughts and feelings. No one can really understand you, and we all go through a period in life where we try to find ourselves. When I was younger I believed that my parents could not understand me at all. I thought that they couldn't understand my interests, my dreams, or my beliefs. To this day I still believe that they don't understand me. But it's not really their fault because you can't read someone's mind. Also, in middle school I had a best friend who I thought I knew everything about. But she slowly changed. I'm not sure how, but one day I just came to school and she seemed like a stranger, a whole new person. But, throughout the years, I've learned that we're all human. We all change and grow. We're all different from each other and that's what makes everyone unique. Plus if you're friend becomes someone you don't know, then you just have to get to know them again, right?
But hey, here's a question for you: have you ever been "a stranger to yourself"? Or maybe you thought you knew someone, but you really didn't?
My Reading Progress so Far:
Anyway, I think I'm doing pretty well, but the book is a bit more slower paced than I thought due to the details of every scene. As far as reading strategies go, I haven't really done anything yet besides taking a few notes here and there. I'm planning to start doing actual summaries for every chapter next week.
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