Double Entry Diary

"There was always quite a crush on the Riva degli Schiavoni, even on a biting-cold day like this, since this was where some of the city's best hotels were to be found. Hundreds of boats docked at the moorings along the canal and there were constant comings and goings.Prosper heard the wind pushing the boats against the piers; he heard the dull thud as they bumped against the wood. He was aware, somewhere, of people laughing and talking in many languages. But he just stood there, his collar turned up against the chill, and looked up at the windows of the Sandwirth. When Ricco put his hand on his shoulder, Prosper spun around". (P.240 paragraph 1)
When I read this passage I felt I was transported to the busy street in front of one of the most prosperous regions of Venice. I could literally feel the cold crushing against my skin as the wind whistled over the canal. I heard the 'thunk, thunk, thunk,' sound of the boats as they hit the dock as the water moved with the burst of wind. I could put myself in Prospers place-standing utterly alone on the crowded plaza-lost in my own thought. I felt the sudden rush of reality when Ricco touched Prosper-I, just as Prosper had, became desperately aware of my surroundings.
This passage reminded me of how completely we can become lost in our own problems. When we don't know how to resolve a matter sometimes we just stand in complete solitude until we can find hope. When someone interrupts our thought process- when we are so engulfed in our own pity, sorrow, longing, etc., we are startled just like Prosper was. He was at a point that he had lost his everything-or so he thought. Little did he know that he had a wealth of friends that were concerned for him and longing for him to return to them. Prosper had forgotten that there is strength in numbers and that as a unified force he and his friends could accomplish what seemed impossible.