Students in Mrs. Katie McIlvanie’s seventh-grade ELA class recently wrote paragraphs in response to the question “What can cause a sudden change in someone’s life?” They studied three texts sharing the common theme of transformation or change.

By Sydney Vita

Parents: Domenic and Sheryl Vita

One thing that can cause a significant change in someone’s life is realizing that you need to change, including changing who you are, getting out of a bad situation where you are under stress and pressure or choosing to be different from everyone else. In the story “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, realizes he needs to change his personality and how he acts once he figures out what his future will be. In the story it states, “I have learnt a lesson.” After the ghosts leave his house, Scrooge decides to change who he is completely. This is a significant change in Scrooge’s life because he changes who he was because he realizes that if he doesn’t change, his future will not be the best. A second way someone could have a significant change in their life is demonstrated in the article “At the Crossroads.” This article tells about a man, Hobo Nick, who left everything that he had, including his house, food, a job and everything good in his life. He bought a one-way ticket from his home state, California, to Jacksonville, Florida. When he left, he had nothing but the clothes on his body and his travel kit rolled up in a sleeping bag. His goal was to get back home by foot and live like he was homeless. In the article he says, “I felt a lot of pressure, stress, and anxiety and decided to get out.” This caused a significant change in Hobo Nick’s life because he went from having a home, food to eat, and a car to having nothing, and he had to find his way back home. Last but not least, in the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” the narrator decides to change his life by taking the risky path and choosing to be different from everyone else. The poem states, “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” This causes a significant change in his life because he has no idea what is ahead of him. In conclusion, some causes of a significant change in someone’s life are realizing that you need to change, getting yourself out of a bad situation where you feel stressed and pressured, and choosing to be different from everyone else.