SAT Essay: "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring"

Prompt: In the film "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring", what lesson do you think the monk is trying to teach his young student? Reflectively relate this learning process to your own personal experience.

"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring" is a short film about a monk and his young apprentice. This film is divided into seasons, and in each season, the student learns something new. In spring, the apprentice ties a rock to a fish, a frog, and a snake, and thinks it great fun, watching them struggle. The next day, the monk ties a big rock to the student and tells him to find all the animals. When the student finds the fish and the snake dead, he weeps, realizing his mistake. With this, the monk taught the student a very valuable lesson.

The lesson that the monk tried to teach is respect for others and respect for life. He tied the rock to the student so that the student could really feel his mistake. While lugging the rock around, the student could understand his victims' pain. This taught him to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" - in other words, to look from someone else's viewpoint first and understand them. The second lesson was about respect for life. When the young student found the dead fish and the dead snake, he cried. This means that the student realized the consequences of his so-called "joke". He was finally able to grasp the concept of death, how easily a life can be taken, and he learned to respect living things.

I have a personal experience that is very similar to this movie. When I was little, I did not understand how hard being a housewife is. So I though my mother played all day at home while I was away at school, working and studying hard. I told Mom about this, and she suggested that I try doing her job. Then she told me what to do: prepare lunch, organize the laundry, do the dishes, and clean the living room. She went into her room and told me to wake her when I was done. I started with the dishes, but while struggling to put soap on all of them, I broke a glass cup. I had to clean it up, so I hunted up a broom and swept it up. While sweeping, I got pricked by glass splinters several times. Then I managed to finish the dishes and moved on to the laundry. I dragged all the laundry into the living room - it took 4 to 5 trips - and slumped on the floor for a few minutes because of exhaustion. Then I struggled with the heavy clotheshorse, trying to get it to stand. When I was done, I barely had enough energy to lift my arms. When I realized that I wasn't even half done, I started to cry. Mom came out of her room and said, "See - it's not as easy as it looks, is it?" After that, I was able to fully appreciate all the work Mom does every day to keep our house in order.

I think the monk's method of teaching - making the student experience the same things as his victims - is a very effective method. I am sure of this, because from my personal experience, learning from experience stays in a person's mind longer than just a long lecture. If we learn from experience, we can actually feel what we did wrong, and we can understand the other person better. This helps us to avoid the same mistake in the future. It seems a bit harsh sometimes, but it is worth it if we can learn the lesson thoroughly.

The student in "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring" was taught a very valuable lesson in an effective method - respect others, and respect life. It also helped me reflect on my memories. I think it will be of some help to teachers and parents. I recommend this movie to anyone that is looking for a peaceful movie with an important lesson.