This past weekend, I watched The Bucket List for the third time. Although I had seen the movie before, it not only caused further contemplation but also, of course, made me think of AP English. As the two terminally ill men in The Bucket List escape from a cancer unit and initiate a road trip to accomplish their “must-do’s” before they die, I thought of Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam. In the section of Amsterdam that we read for last week, Clive and Vernon, in reference to Molly, a recently deceased friend, often noted, “she never knew what hit her” (McEwan 3). Additionally, Clive came to his own conclusion that he, like Molly, was soon approaching death. The sudden nature of death and thoughts of death, in both The Bucket List and McEwan’s novel, both caught my attention and intrigued me. After watching the movie, I began to reflect. “If I learned I would die in the next few weeks, what would I do? Where would I go? Who would I want to be with?” These questions boggled my mind for a few hours then, thankfully, drifted away, only to resurface again following the conclusion of tonight’s reading. In hopes of reducing any anxiety about pre-death plans, I decided to blog. I think if I received that type of devastating news, I would invest in an immediate vacation. Instead of ruminating about my inevitable death, as Clive has exemplified, I would either embark on a cruise to the Caribbean or travel to Germany, Switzerland and the Alps. I would ask close family members and friends to join me on my voyage. What better way to spend my last few days than with those I love? For Clive, work and fame come first, but if I thought I would die in the near future, money would make no difference to me. I would go parasailing again, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and possibly skydive. I would love to walk on glaciers in Alaska and kayak in Washington. Additionally, I would love to sightsee from a hot air balloon or jump off a cliff, attached to a hang glider. Although, with college costs looming in the near future, I cannot afford all of these activities, I can, however, in a less anxious manner, say that I have fashioned my own “bucket list.”
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| Parasailing in West Palm Beach |
Emily, I have had the same uncomfortable feelings about death after our readings and discussions this week. It was particularly uncomfortable when we had to discuss crematoriums, and death just seemed so close. So, like you, I have put together my own make-shift bucket-list if I had a week to live: I would get married, even if I wasn’t dating anyone, just so I could say I had been married. I would eat as much food as possible because it wouldn’t matter if I gained weight. I would spend all my time with my family and friends, going on crazy excursions. I would try out for a television show like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance. And I would finally do my back tuck.
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