Michael
Bachman
Dr.
Bloomfield
English
101CD
Nelson and Star
In our life we will take many tests. Some
will be easy and won’t require any studying, while others will be very
difficult and will require hours of reviewing and memorizing just to pass.
However, the hardest tests in life aren’t always found in the classroom. They
often come when we least expect them. In “Nelson and Star” from The Dance
House: Stories from Rosebud by Joseph Marshal III, Nelson faced the
toughest test of his life, a storm. The blizzard was a test of Nelson’s
intelligence. He survived the storm by being observant of his surroundings,
trusting his instincts, and trusting his horse, Star.
As Nelson began his journey to town for
provisions for his family, he was observant of his surroundings. While Nelson
and Star slowly made their way towards town, he recognized a group of buildings
called the Drucker place. This memory became very helpful to him on his journey
back home because as the wind began to pick up, and the snow fell harder,
Nelson started to panic and feel unsure about himself. He started to wonder if
he made the wrong decision by not staying in town for the night. Then “he saw
an encouraging sight-dark spots appearing in the whipped up snow where the Drucker
place had to be. They were halfway home”(58). If Nelson hadn’t been so
attentive, then he wouldn’t have received this boost of confidence, and he may
have turned around, or, even worse, became lost. Next, Nelson was observant on
his way home in the blizzard. The night was pitch black, and snow was flying
everywhere. “Keeping his head down and eyes on the trail, Nelson watched the
tracks they had left on the way to town now filling in with blowing snow”(57).
He could only see a few feet ahead of him. Since he couldn’t see the stars, he
had to rely on his surroundings to direct him home, like following the fence
line, noting the wind direction, and scraping away the snow to see if the
gravel road was beneath it. He also noticed when Star would change directions
or go up and down slopes. They had to stay out of the deep snow because the
wind-packed, icy crust gashed the tender skin on Star’s legs. By Nelson wisely
observing his surroundings and Star’s movements, he was able to navigate them
closer to home.
Nelson trusted his instincts. After
traveling for a while towards town, Nelson decided to stop, rest, and let Star
graze. Suddenly, he felt an urge to return home; instead, he followed his
instincts and decided to keep going. “Nelson reminded himself that he knew the
road to town very well”(55). He knew he could not turn around because his
family was counting on him to purchase these supplies. Nelson knew he had to
rely on and trust his own instincts in order to make it to town and back. Also,
after Nelson and Star had purchased the supplies and were leaving town, he had
a sudden feeling of apprehension. He began to look around and noticed a storm
was quickly approaching. He had two choices, either to turn back to town and
wait it out or to keep going. “In a heartbeat Nelson made the decision to
continue his journey, urging Star to walk faster”(57). He decided to go with
his instincts and head for home. He relied on his instincts to guide him and
tell him what to do. They also told him when to trust in Star. Nelson made a
wise choice by always sticking with his intuition.
Finally, Nelson learned to trust his horse.
When he noticed that Star had changed direction, he tried several times to urge
Star to stop and turn around, but Star would never obey him. Nelson couldn’t
figure out why Star was continuously acting this way. Then he suddenly realized
why. He knew that Star would instinctively find his way home. Nelson placed his
trust in Star when he said, “Take us home, boy. Take us home”(63). This wasn’t
easy for Nelson to do, but he knew it was his only way to survive. Nelson also
trusted in Star when they were continuing their journey through the cold,
stormy night. He had already placed his trust in Star to guide them home, but
as time went on, Nelson began to doubt Star. Star had climbed many sharp slopes
and crossed a ravine and this scared Nelson because he could not remember any
such landmarks. He decided it didn’t matter, as long as Star knew where they
were. He made a wise decision in trusting his horse, because Star took them
home safely.
In conclusion, Nelson was intelligent for
being aware of his environment, following his instincts, and for trusting Star.
The storm challenged Nelson in many ways, and he proved himself by reaching
home safely. This test would not grade Nelson with letters; instead, he either
would pass or fail. Luckily, he passed by using his intelligence to make it
home alive. So when the next hard test comes along, think about what Nelson had
to go through to pass his test. You will soon realize there are many harder
tests in life, most of which you aren’t able to prepare for.
888
words