The topic I'm going to talk about today has significant meaning to me as a writer: comparing fantasy and reality. Here's an essay I wrote for English class this past year voicing my opinions on the subject; feel free to comment below. We can even have a debate if you think fantasy and reality are similar or different, or whatever questions you come up with branching off of the essay. Hope you like it!
Fantality; The Crossroads Between Fantasy and Reality
Reality leads to imagination. Imagination leads to dreams. Dreams lead to hope. Hope leads to inspiration. Inspiration leads to action. And action leads to change in reality.
To me, the world of imagination, fantasy, and the real world around us, reality, are linked together, . After all, what makes a fantasy a fantasy, or a reality a reality? Who determines what is what, anyway? Well, it’s actually us. Our own personal views of the world dictate how we see a situation; there is no boundary separating reality and fantasy except the one you create yourself. And those who achieve true greatness break through that boundary to make their dreams come true. Did Martin Luther King see equality as a fantasy? No, he saw it as a reality waiting to be reached- an opportunity. Which brings us to a larger question; what is the difference between an opportunity and a dream? Is a dream in reality simply an opportunity in fantasy? And if, as I said before, reality and fantasy are truly liked, doesn’t that make opportunities and dreams linked too?
When you take an opportunity, you are opening a doorway to your dream. Diving deep into the world of imagination, you can do potentially anything you want. Aspiring to be better and to make your surroundings better gives you hope, which can fuel you to work towards your goal.
Can you be dreaming of a better world while seizing an opportunity in reality? Can people be deep in the world of imagination and still keep a firm understanding of the world around them?
The way I connect my imagination with my life is through reading and writing. I am currently writing a novel in which many of the issues we face today are addressed. “Royals” is the tale of three most unlikely friends- a long lost prince, a rebel, and a cursed witch-girl. The story describes how they battle their society and, at times, themselves. While characterizing each of these figures and the crumbling world they live in, I notice how the challenges I make them face in the book are so similar to those people face in real life- betrayal, loneliness, poverty, sickness, distrust.
When I write, I think about myself as a person. All of the trials I’ve been through, and all of the triumphs I’ve accomplished. I portray these real, human feelings to my characters. When I write, I think about the world as a whole. Everything that is wrong with the world; poverty, warfare, sickness, environmental issues. And everything that people, ordinary people, are doing to fix it.
I believe literature, among other forms of art, is a gateway to imagination. When I write, my imagination takes form. I weave words into people, and places, and objects. When people read my writing, they are glimpsing into my imagination, laid out on paper for all to see. My fantasy becomes a possible reality. You can show a better or worse world based off of our own. You can depict what life would be like if we made a wrong or right choice. And most relevant to my topic, you can dive deep into the world of imagination while still understanding what it’s like in real life. Maybe even understanding life more.
In my own life, imagination has always played a key role throughout my childhood. Since I was little, I’ve gobbled up story after story of fantastical tales, each more outlandish than the next, and have soaked in the vital life lessons taught by these narratives. Underneath all of the magical creatures, impossible adventures and futuristic societies, I find the morals that help guide us as we grow. Friendship. Perseverance. Loyalty. Honesty. These stories teach us how to act and what to believe in. So every time I make a character in my book hurdle over a challenge, I am using my imagination to inspire the reader to hurdle over challenges in his or her own life. When I make a character’s dream come true, I show the reader that they have the power to make their own dream come true as well.
Martin Luther King. Albert Einstein. Jane Austen. Steve Jobs. The list goes on. Did any of these great creators focus on the harshness of reality? No. And yet none of them got caught up in impossible fantasies either. They each found a balance between accepting and understanding the issues around them and using their dreams to inspire and lead them to addressing those issues. They each had a goal that lit the way through tough times. Just because someone is constantly imagining a better future doesn’t mean they have forgotten what is really going on in front of them. In fact, dreams are inspired by reality; if someone wants to change something in their reality, that becomes their dream. And all of the prominent leaders from our history took their dreams and made them a reality. It is a constantly moving cycle between what is real and what is not. And that is something we decide. We choose what to think, how to act, what to believe. So it is our decision what happens next to our society, whether we have the strength and courage to make our dreams come true.
