Courage - Comments

I’m here as the new host for the ‘Random Quote Contest’.

This was a very taboo thing to write about, which I appreciated. It’s hard to tackle such a sensitive subject like suicide/suicidal ideologies because, at times, it can come off as romanticizing. So I respect that you did go headfirst into this with a punch. You didn’t sugarcoat anything. You immediately went into it with a kind of vibe that said “this is how it is, that’s just that” and it was really good.

But I didn’t quite connect to the end. I didn’t want the character to die, of course, but the piece was so short that I just didn’t connect. The ending felt like a quick fix-all and where that’s realistic—because I’m sure a baby would definitely give some people a reason to keep living—it felt rushed. I would have liked for you to expand on this more and go deeper into the emotions. I understood the narrator felt hopeless and desperate, but I don’t understand what pushed her to this moment. You vaguely mentioned it but just not enough for me to connect. How did she get pregnant? Where’s the father? Where’s her family? There were so many questions that felt like loose ends that you rushed over that I didn’t totally enjoy the open/ambiguous ending when I usually do.

Other than that, I thought this was a well-written and poignant piece.

I actually liked this, because it spoke the quote, but also the underlying meaning behind the quote. Napolean wasn't saying that you'll lose the people you love so you have to suffer all the time, but he was meaning that you have to find something to live for to end your suffering - dying being a metaphor.

That was very different from what you've been writing but I like how you always bring something new on the table. I enjoyed this and the philosophic thoughts around Napoleon's sentence.