Ariel Docuyanan

Yates- Period 4
IB HL English Yr 2
May 28, 2015

Snow Globe

The values we hold dear to us should be treated as such. Integrity, a pillar upon which
our high school was built, is a value that can easily forgotten in our pursuit of success,
enrichment, and ultimately happiness. Despite being a foundational material of the school that I
have been attending for the last four years, integrity is neither naturally durable nor should it be
flexible in times of distress. I believe that integrity is a value that is weak, and easily broken.
Through my perception of integrity, as a snow globe, I hope I will remember that it is precious
and fragile.
If I were to compare integrity to a snow globe, the base of the snow globe would be the
environment I grew up in. Having lived in the same city my whole life, the lessons that Temecula
has instilled in me have allowed me to keep up my integrity. The first of these lessons would be
that external changes are bound to occur. Temecula is a growing city and is constantly
expanding its businesses and a snow globe will never maintain its initial luster. As I go to college
and experience a change in environment, I shouldnt be startled by the differences that I see
around me. However, while I should be accepting of these differences, I should not let it
compromise my integrity. In college, there will be a greater pool of people who will try to press
their values upon you- not all of them well intentioned. The knowledge that I grew up in a small
town where people respect the hard work of the middle class will prevent me from being
associated with these types of people.

As the glass ball of a snow globe encompasses the base, the constant support of my
family encompasses my integrity. With their support, my family has helped me become the
person that I am today. My mom, my dad, and my older siblings have provided equal
contributions to my character. They also have allowed my to view my problems and experiences
with unbiased input. There have been many instances when I have been unable to see my
problems clearly because of my negative outside forces or my skewed perception. This is
similar to how sometimes a snow globe will be so cloudy on the outside that its difficult to look
through. Once that grime is cleared away though, the transparency of the glass provides a clear
view of what is true.
The song of a snow globe can be compared to the friends that I will meet in my life. While
a snow globe is beautiful on its own, people tend to have a different opinion of the snow globe
after they wind it up. Ill meet many people after I graduate from high school . Some of them will
be good influences on me. Others will not. Depending on the type of people I associate myself, I
know that the way society views me and views how much integrity I have will also change. This
thought in mind, I will try to keep my integrity by filling my snow globe with lilting tunes that
inspire people or cheerful ditties that brighten peoples days.
Finally, my own morals lie within the snow globe as the snow. It can be said that the
purpose of a snow globe, besides to be appreciated and protected, is to be shaken. Its to
disrupt the snow that rests in wait to create a flurry of glitter and chaos inside. In that moment,
the snow globe is the most breathtaking. Im likely be tested by obstacles which will shake up
my morals. The ability for my morals, the snow of the snow globe, to stay afloat after being
disrupted shows that my integrity will not be lost. There may be a time when all the snow in the
snow globe will fall. But Im confident that Ill able lean on the initial sources of my integrity, my
familys support and my small town values, and after being shook up once again, my morals will
stay afloat.