Be Like a Bird

Christen Mangum
CSIS 1020-SP16
FOR AGES 11-19

And Other Important Lessons

from My Uplifts

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Table of Contents

Table of Figures............................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 3
My Uplifts........................................................................................................................................ 4
Though we chisel away as best we can at the mysterious block from which our life is made,
the black vein of destiny continually reappears. Victor Hugo, Les Miserables.........................4
Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away
all the same, knowing she has wings. Victor Hugo...................................................................4
Beware of the barrenness of a busy life. - Socrates..................................................................4
Happiness cannot be pursued, it must ensue. -Victor E. Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning......5
My head is bloody, but unbowed. I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. William Ernest Henley, Invictus.................................................................................................... 5
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................... 6

Table of Figures
Figure 1: Cosette, from the cover of many versions of Les Miserables............................................3
Figure 2: The Wave or My Destiny; painting by Victor Hugo............................................................4
Figure 3: Le Gai Chateau painting by Victor Hugo........................................................................5

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Introduction

Figure 1: Cosette, from the cover of many versions of Les Miserables.

My love for these quotes,

poems, and literature most
likely stems from high school,
where discussion on them was
quite common. For many of my
classes we started by
discussing the meaning, merit,
and relevance of the words
presented to us. The ones that I
am presenting to you, some
Ive found myself, like the ones
I found as I read through the
unabridged tome of Les
Miserables one semester, and
others I was presented with by

others.
Because these quotations came to me in such a formative time in my life, as high school always
is, these important words were the ones that came to mind when theyre lessons I needed to
remember and apply as I move through adulthood after high school. I know that if I had not
learned what I did from these words, I would be a much bitterer and negative person than I am
today. Because what I learned and remember from these quotes is so important to me, I will
share them with you.

The Uplift
Though we chisel away as best we can at the
mysterious block from which our life is made,
the black vein of destiny continually
reappears.
- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

The Lesson

Be Open to Opportunity

- Victor Hugo
Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.
- Socrates
Happiness cannot be pursued, it must
ensue.
-Victor E. Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning
My head is bloody, but unbowed. I am the
master of my fate, I am the captain of my
soul.
-

William Ernest Henley, Invictus

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Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that

she feels bending beneath her, still she sings
away all the same, knowing she has wings.

Self-Reliance

Be Spontaneous
Be Content

You Are in Control of You

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My Uplifts

Though we chisel away as best we can at the mysterious block from which our life is
made, the black vein of destiny continually reappears. Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
So, what does this black vein of destiny look like as you go to work, go to school, and try to be
content and happy? To me, they look like test or trials, or the open a door of opportunity, or
reminders and teachers of who you are.
Simply, I think that this quote means that opportunities knock. Personally, I think you should
answer the door. There were many times in my life where I was presented with opportunities, and
when I accepted what they offered, I gained something in value immeasurable.

Be as a bird perched on a frail

branch that she feels bending
beneath her, still she sings away all
the same, knowing she has wings.
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo, outside of being a novelist,
was also an accomplished poet.1 In one
of these pieces, he wrote this line.
In my life, Ive been perched on quite a
few frail branches. My life has been
Figure 2: The Wave or My Destiny; painting by Victor Hugo uprooted before and Ive been in places
where I had no other support but myself.
During that time in which I was so unavoidably helpless, I learned a very important lesson of
being able to rely on me, and to find way in which I could support me without outside help. I
learned to prepare, and to develop skills like time management or level headedness because the
things you learn, your wings, stay with you wherever you go whereas your environment changes.

Beware of the barrenness of a busy life. - Socrates

In gardening or faming, many know that overused soil loses its nutrients and becomes useless
where nothing can grow, it becomes barren. By going day in and day out with the same routine
will tire you out and you start losing a little of what lets you live. So, break your routine. Be
spontaneous by taking a day off of work, or skip a class and go on a drive. Put some life back in
you, and youll come back better than ever.

1 Victor Hugo also enjoyed screenwriting and painting as well. His paintings, two of them
featured here, were done mostly in ink, however some of his painting were done in interesting
mediums like coffee.

Meaning

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Happiness cannot be pursued, it must ensue. -Victor E. Frankl, Mans Search for

To pursue happiness would to be to try and

catch a rainbow. As everyone who has ever
tried knows, the rainbow just moves to
another location when you get close. This is
what happens to the people who pursue
happiness. What this means is that you
have to live life without the goalpost of
happiness standing tantalizingly in front of
you. You must be content with now, and, of
course, have desires of what you want to
see in your future, but what you dont have
now shouldnt be such an important criteria
of whether you are happy or not. Happiness
can honestly be found anywhere, and those
who have nothing can have happiness.

My head is bloody, but unbowed. I

Figure 3: Le Gai Chateau painting by Victor Hugo

am the master of my fate, I am the

captain of my soul. - William Ernest Henley, Invictus
This whole poem starts out talking about how life around you can be terrible, as the poem says
In the fell clutch of circumstance and Under the bludgeonings of chance. Through artful
wording and impressive imagery, the author states, I thank whatever gods ay be for my
unconquerable soul.
Through all this fancy wording, the point of the poem is that your life may be horrible and may
have a lot of bad things happen in it, but you can control you. You do not have to let the negative
things that happen taint your soul or force you onto a life patch that you do not want. As Henley
says, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

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Bibliography
Bayard, Emile. Cosette. Charcoal.

Frankl, Victor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006. Print.
Henley, William Ernest. Invictus. Print.
Hugo, Victor. La Gai Chateau. Ink.
Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. New York: Signet Classic, 1987. Print.
Hugo, Victor. The Wave or My Destiny. Ink.