Decorations of the Soul

This is an essay I wrote for English that I thought described me well enough to be posted on here. I'm pretty proud of it. It was about how my life related to Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It's a good book, I reccomend it.

(Stupidest rule EVER- no use of the verb "to be")

Decorations of the Soul

In Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand depicts Cyrano as a man who stands up for what he believes in and does the right thing. When Valvert insults Cyrano’s nose, along with his obvious lack of wealth and expensive clothing, Cyrano explains why he does not need the things that Valvert deems so important. In this speech, Cyrano shows his ability to remain true to himself, despite what others think of him. Cyrano’s speech holds true in my own life in my choices in clothing and my sense of right and wrong.

One of the first lines that Cyrano says, “inwardly, I keep my daintiness,” describes how I feel about the things that I wear (37). At school, designer names on clothing mean something to most people, but not so much to me. It matters to them if you have Uggs, or a Coach purse, or a shirt from Abercrombie. I, however, like Cyrano, own none of these things because I prefer not to “dress up like a popinjay,” as de Bergerac so eloquently puts it (37). I do not have any problem at all with those people who do choose to wear these things, but I believe that when everyone feels the pressure to buy from certain stores, it means that we let our clothing define us. I would rather someone look at me for me rather than the clothes that I wear, whether I buy them at Hollister or at Target. The clothing that I choose does not define my personality, the same way the fact that Cyrano does not own fancy clothing does not make him any less valiant, strong or witty, which he explains to Valvert.

Like Cyrano, I have “an honor” that I can feel proud of (38). Throughout my life, my parents taught me that I should not lie, and I learned at a very young age not to. Although, like all teenagers, I have told my fair share of lies, I tend to feel so guilty about my untruthfulness that I usually admit to lying within five minutes. My “badly worn” “set of scruples” plays an important part in who I am, more so than almost any other part of my character (38). And, although “making the sharp truth ring” presents its own set of problems at times, I know that I can have pride in myself for my honesty (38). This sense of right and wrong, that my mom and dad drilled into my head from a young age, represents such a large part of me, that without it, I would not know myself. Choosing the right thing, as Cyrano proves, has its difficulties, but I know from experience that every honest decision, no matter how difficult, can strengthen a person’s integrity and honor.

Cyrano proves to Valvert, in the end, that his clothes do not matter at all when compared to the honest, witty, courageous soul that he carries within himself. Cyrano lives his life freely, the way he wants, with a certain expense. He sacrifices so much to do the “right” thing, that he loses the love of his life, Roxane, to a man that does not earn her love. Just because he wants her to be happy, Cyrano helps a man to win Roxane’s heart, even though he could have tried to hinder his opponent and win her himself. Cyrano’s scruples, in this instance, prevent him from receiving the love he deserved from Roxane, showing that even a good thing, like a strong sense of self, or even right and wrong, can hurt someone without meaning to.