Essay: Expecting Thee

I wrote this sonnet because I always feel that I need to live up to expectations. And when I don’t do what was expected, it seems that the other party is disappointed. Expectations could deal with many things like: sports, school and parents… they just seem to be everywhere. I know that other people experience this feeling of guilt, but we must learn to give our best in everything and if people don’t accept it then so be it.
I open my sonnet with the line “The bar is set high above thee”. I wanted to make sure that the reader has an image or the feeling of a burden upon them. In my mind, I imagine the gymnasium and the high bar above my head. The line “The distance seems to be achievable” helps support the image and the distance in between is as if all thee has to do is jump high in order to reach it. The meaning of this line is that there still is a chance that you will reach that bar and prove yourself to others around you. Yet, more pressure is applied to the person under the bar when “Wonder sets in on how others begin to see
That the one in front seems to be improvable”. In these two lines I try to combine how people judge you and how they point out how you can improve. Before you act upon something or say anything you always wonder how people will react to it. The person under the bar begins to wonder what those who are watching are thinking at the moment and if he/she can accomplish their mindset. I believe that improvement applies to a certain extent. For example: Art. People don’t go up to the artist and criticize on how they can improve on it; rather it should be the artist who realizes his mistakes and takes the initiative to improve on his own. The artist knows his potential to a certain degree and when he exceeds it, in his mind, he knows that he has done what he could to express his emotions and thoughts on a canvas. If people don’t like the painting, they should move forward and purchase art that seems to fit their liking and expectancy. Unfortunately, life is not always like art, unless you’re an artist.
“Falling short on the sets of standard” is a line that kind of gives foreshadowing to the rest of the sonnet. I think the line translates to: Not living up to what was expected. And I tried to avoid using the word: expectation throughout the whole sonnet until the end. The next line “The timid attempt to strive for it once more” creates an image that thee is trying to reach out and touch that bar again but… “Realization occurs, when the head collided hard With the floors, thee will not be like once before” The metaphor I tried to put was that falling hard against something is like when you failed yourself and the critics. Getting an F on a test or quiz doesn’t only affect you, but it also affects the teacher. I think that when you get a low grade, the teacher wonders if he/she is teaching comprehensibly to the class. Also once you do surpass expectations people look forward to you surpassing it again. But only some people can accomplish that, and some cannot. It’s a vicious cycle that we can’t seem to get out of.
“Who is at fault for setting the bar so high? Is it thy critic or thy self who is liable?” I tried to implement that not only does the other party have expectations, but we as individuals have expectations as well. And we can’t always point the finger at those who are trying to help us improve; it would be hypocritical if we did. We need to learn our limits and when we exceed them; we might not exceed expectations the next time around. The line “A person like thee cannot reach such a sky” is metaphor. It’s restating the fact that the bar is as high as a sky, and a normal human being like thee may not be able to reach such a height. But thee tries to attempt once more…“As thee takes a flight, face is in denial”. After so many tries and attempts you can’t help but be in denial if you will at least satisfy others who are watching you. It’s difficult to keep on going when you know that the work that was submitted might not up to par with other people’s work or didn’t live up to expectations like last time.
I think that my sonnet at first is hard to read until it’s revealed on what it is about in the end. I describe expectation, as “This is a burdensome proposition”. It is a burden when someone thinks that you could’ve done better on something. But who are they to tell you that you can improve? How do they know that you have more potential than what was done? Are they trying to help? Or do they just want you to create the ideal image in their mind? These are some of the questions that just run through my mind. Expectations are a complicated thing. Like I said before, it’s a vicious cycle that we can’t seem to get out of. It truly is. The emotions such as guilt and disappointment have a huge impact on the one who is taking in the criticism. We can’t help but think about how others will react to our actions and voices. I think this line sums most of the sonnet and kind of helps the readers understand what was happening all this time “When we cannot live up to expectation”. Living up to expectations is challenging and hard, sometimes we just want to quit being the picture that we didn’t personally paint. An image should be shaped, formed, painted, and detailed by the one who exceeds personal expectations. Unfortunately, the fact is that we really can’t do anything about expectations. We must cope and move forward with our heads held high with confidence. We are our own personal judge on our expectations. My advice is to always expect the unexpected. You never know you when you will surpass your own potential and it might be one of the greatest moments of your life.