Umar Ijaz

English 7-8: Choice(s)

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes…and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” Great emphasis should be given to the word choices, as it is the main idea of this quote. What Eleanor Roosevelt meant was that a person’s ideas and thoughts can never be expressed clearly in words, but through the choices they make, those thoughts can be seen and heard for miles. Simply, you can tell what kind of a person someone is through the choices they make.

The word choice significantly influences or has influenced almost everybody. The formal, dictionary, definition of the word choice is the act or power of picking or choosing. A choice can also be the variety that is offered for selection. For example, when you are deciding what to major in, in college, you are making a choice or choosing. The possible majors that that particular college or university offers, are your choices. In French, the word choice or choices is les choix (layz-shwa), in Spanish it is Opciones and in German it is Wahlen (vuh-len).

In the book, The Giver, Lois Lowry, the author, demonstrates a world considerably lacking in choices, or emotions for that matter. The citizens of a small community ( in the book) have everything chosen for them, from their toys to their occupations. In my opinion, Lois Lowry displays a choice less community to show the reaches the eminent role choices play in our world.
Today, there are many websites that probably use the word choice. During my research, I found five websites that are based on the word choice. www.helpforteens.com was the first website I had come across. The purpose of this website was to help teens make the right choices in their lives. From peer pressure to college, this website had it all and was great. The second website, www.statschoices.com, was a more specific website, designed by the University of Nebraska to advise new students on making the right choices when it comes to registering for classes. www.lifechoices.com and www.lifechoices.org were both websites similar in address, but different in content. The life choices.com website contained links to other appropriate entertainment websites, whereas the life choices.org website was dedicated to helping pregnant women make the right choices during their pregnancies. www.choicesarizona.org, the last website on my list, was actually created by a non-profit organization which is dedicated to legally giving the terminally or hopelessly ill the choice of death.
Choices have and will continue to play a dominating role in our society. From the moment we learn to talk to the moment we die, we are always faced with choices, always!!!