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Cynthia Escobar

Professor Beadle

English 115

2 November 2020

Project Text Essay Proposal

People almost always will have a fear of something. For example, can something of your

imagination be scarier? Or the actual reality of people and the things around you. For instance, in

the first source “The Mirror” by Haruki Murakami the author speaks about their own personal

experiences with paranormal events. The author speaks about a time when they were working at

a school at late hours of the night. They further explain how that experience still tidll this days

haunts them. Because they are afraid of it happening again. They are afraid of something that is

not even guaranteed of happening again. They are fearful of their imagination their own thoughts

are what haunts them. Although their experience was something that shook them to the bone it’s

only something that lives in their thoughts and was not really happening how he thought it was.

So everything he thought was true was actually not but since he got used to seeing things he feels

like it will stay that way.

Now where in “The Silence” by Haruki Murakami the author tells another experience

that was not a paranormal experience but is still something that affects them to the present day.

He speaks about an experience when he was younger he experiences something particular

in-person throughout junior and senior high. They explain how their character was not a person

to just hate someone for no rational reason. The author explains how they hated this particular

person because they could see the type of person they are and how they move. He hated the way
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that this person had the power to fool anyone. He just feels like why could he be the same also.

Have that power he wanted but instead, someone else had it. On top of that someone he knew.

The author explains that their true fear is knowing that there are people that can fool many with

the way they present themselves. But their character shows them for who they really are spiteful

and selfish people. Our fears can control our actions, our emotions, and who and what we choose

to confide in.

In “The Mirror” the author speaks on the fear of supernatural experiences and paranormal

activity. The fear of the unknown entities and the thin line between the physical and spirit world.

For example, “But there was one time-just one time when I had an experience that scared me out

my wits…I was afraid to even talk about it .. afraid it might happen again.” (56, Murakami) The

author expresses how this paranormal experience still does not allow them to do certain things

that they used to do. Another example “One thing I did understand was that this other figure

loathed me. Inside it was hatred….Like I was the reflection of what was in the mirror and he was

trying to take control over me.”(59, Murakami)

This shows how that fear that affected them the most was the thought of not having

control over themselves. The fear of not recognizing what they saw, seeing something that is not

familiar to them. Lastly “ You may have noticed that I don’t have a single mirror here in my

house.”(61, Murakami). They still are paranoid about the thought of experiencing something

like that again that fear they felt. Where in “The Silence” the author talks about the fear of

people that don’t have pure intentions. Or people that put on a personality to the public but their

character is different then what they present themselves to be. For example, “He had a

well-tuned head on his shoulders. No wonder everyone was impressed by Aoki but me.”(296,

Marumaki)
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The author expresses how he could always sense that there was something about this

person that felt off to him. Something that made him question why people were so easy to trust

him. Another example, “The headmaster glared at me guilty as charged. For him, anyone who

went to a boxing gym was suspected of delinquency.”(301-302, Murakami) This person had tried

to get revenge from the past. He tried to paint him as an aggressive person so people could favor

him more. Lastly “They think hurting someone senselessly, and permanently. They don’t take

responsibility for their actions. They are the real monsters. They are the ones I have nightmares

about.”(306, Murakami). Once again reinstating that people can be scarier because sometimes

their intentions are impure and cruel.

Overall both of the books speak on different types of fears that can affect you. Both do

have some good points and show some type of detail and evidence to both stories. The first book

speaks more dictionary fears that occupy people’s minds because they are overthinking.

Overthinking it and all that overthinking was just in their head because nothing of it was real.

Everything they were going through was in their head and they might have problems with that

because it can really mess with people. As it did in the story to the guy.Whereas the second book

speaks of more realistic situations that can actually affect you mentally.

The second one is actually speaking about real events that occur I mean the first one did

also but it was all in his head rather than the second one it actually happened to him. Everything

he is going through has actually stayed with him and is basically stuck with his life. Therefore I

believe the second book has more supporting evidence since you can’t control what people do to

you. You also don’t know when things can happen to you and in this story, he felt like he was

stuck with that lifestyle already since it happened when he was younger and it made him
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traumatize. Whereas in the first books the author is just afraid of their thoughts someone you can

control because you are not your thoughts.

I also believe that the second one has more supporting evidence because it does happen

on actual facts rather than in the first one the person thought everything they have seen was real

but in reality, it was nothing but his imagination. It also gives us more examples of why he still

believes he can not trust anyone because of what his childhood was like. So in my opinion, I

believe that the second story has more evidence and can support my claim more than the first

one. I also believe that it gives you more background about what actually happened and how it

leads to that. So in my opinion I would say that the second story supports my claim because it

has all the evidence and it had facts.

Work Cited:

~​Murakami, Haruki. “THE MIRROR.” The Yale Review, vol. 94, no. 3, 2006, p. 130.

~​ Murakami, Haruki. “THE SLIENCE.” The Yale Review, vol. 94, no. 3, 1993,

p.291-306