Assignment 1- Fundamentally derived to wonder?

"It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world."

This quote creates quite an adventurous innuendo of life, and how exploration of self is a big journey for Sophie. The implication of this paradox of life portrays how as you grow older and wiser, the out-of-the-box thinking and questioning what is taken for granted is lost. What we manifest as being the norm, could have the roots of a rather debatable issue, with many fascinating brains and inputs being engulfed into one norm. I tend to agree with this, as when we grow older, we don’t question authority as much, or ask why something is at it is. Their paths of life and philosophy get put into routine, and exponentially close down the path of exploration.
In my opinion, the reaction of Sophie to Knox sending her the letters acts as a catalyst and triggers thoughts in the readers minds, on why she reacted so calmly. Her life at this stage is prone and quite exposed to surprises and new challenges, so her curiosity is under control, and she knows how to tackle such situations. She procrastinates figuring out the reasons for such actions, which radiates the message that her intellect of searching is more mature than when we grow. Sophie’s perspective is broad, and hence her exposure to possible solutions and insights is mirrored in her subtle reaction. The child’s mind wonders with less control, but this is what brings the highest control to life situations. This ironic impulse has a wealth of potential. Perhaps it suggests, and tells adults implicitly to let ones child’s mind wonder, it will prosper resulting in wealth and development of oneself.
At a young age, one perseveres until success, may it be resounding self control as shown by Sophie’s curiosity, or until he/she gets it their way. At a wiser age, many have forgotten how to apply these skills, and how to negotiate and to keep trying until success. The world is laid out for us, but at a young age, this is questioned, and is self constructed, hence the title Sophie’s world. Each one possesses unique zest, and the theory of how the knowledge is derived is sharply questioned, and in many cases opposed. This is the fundamental flaw in adulthood, they feel the vertex of life has come, and their optimism and enthusiasm of wondering about the world is lost on the journey to adulthood.
However, on the contrary, adults also are wiser, and have most of life’s vital questions answered for themselves, and hence, wondering too much may result in a tangent to reality. Thus, this may work against them in applying knowledge to life and questioning reality. Therefore, in conclusion, I feel that the mind of an adult does loose the enthusiasm, and perhaps the ability to wonder, however, it is also true that wondering too much would make you feel lost, and loose sense of what is real and true, and what can be questioned. A child’s mind is also diverse, and filled with gaps, in which they are curious to fill.

Parth Shah