Read and think carefully about the following quotation. Then write an essay in which you refute, support, or qualify Dinesen's claim. Make sure to use appropriate evidence from literary, historical, or personal sources to develop your argument.
We tremble before making our choice in life, and after having made it again tremble in fear of having chosen wrong (52). -- Isak Dinesen
Humans are terrified of the unknown. We want to be in complete control of what is happening, and when it comes to making a choice, there is no control over the outcomes of our decision. But should we tremble? Or should we trust our decisions, and feel comfort?
It is hard to do, but we should feel comfort, and trust our decisions. If we truly want the best for our future, we should trust that we made the best decision possible, because if you have doubts about your decision, the you will definitely find something wrong with your decision. In Babette's Feast, Dinesen presents the two main characters, sisters, Martina and Philippa, with the opportunity to help a young french woman, Babette, with her escape from France by harboring her. By harboring her, they gained a helping hand around their house, and also, had the most delicious french feast they had ever had. In this feast, old friends shared their feelings for each other, and people made revelations to their friends. Originally, the sisters had doubts about taking her in and on allowing her to cook. It turned out to be one of the best decisions in their lives. But they hadn't let her cook french food until twelve years of knowing her. When they saw a turtle as an ingredient, one of the sisters went to ask her future guests to not say anything about the dinner if they found it nasty. They didn't trust their decision, but it ended up being great. And if they had trusted it, it would have been much greater.
FDR once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” If we don't fear the outcomes of our decisions, the decisions can turn out to be even better than they would have been if we hadn't trusted them. If Martina or Philippa had trusted Babette's french cooking, they would have enjoyed great french feasts more often, and if she showed excitement for the feast rather than fear of what was being cooked, she would have saved herself the trouble of worrying. We should trust the decision to trust our decisions and see where that takes us in life.
Works Cited
Dinesen, Isak. Anecdotes of Destiny ; And, Ehrengard. New York: Vintage, 1993.
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