Good Deeds Go Unnoticed

As Linda Poindexter said, "Good deeds go unnoticed". There is a lack of thanks in our world today. It seems that one could save a life, and not a single soul would turn and acknowledge your act. Perhaps it is because there are so many people today; we cannot find room for everyone in our thoughts. Regardless, something must be done, or there will be no good reasons to commit helpful deeds at all. Even though it seems others don't give one respect any way, there are so many people willing to do so many great things, but do not. This is because people feed off acclimation and without that, people aren't motivated in any way. If this cycle continues, people wont feel obligated to help others. The novel "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and the short story "The Destructors" will be used to prove the following thesis: Everyday, people commit helpful deeds and never receive the praise that they deserve.

Along the same lines, life is a delicate thing. Most people cower from death because life is so precious to them but every once in a while, a person is born with enough courage to face death to save another soul. This type of behavior is overlooked because people are not willing to face death: even when its not their own. In the book 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven', a man of this level of courage can be found. The Blue Man, a circus side act, was returning home from his nightly show when a young boy, who happened to be the main character Eddie, ran out onto the street. The Blue man quickly spun the wheel with all of his might to avoid hitting the boy, which saved the child's innocent life, but his own life was lost. The shock of what had just happened caused him to enter cardiac arrest, and, eventually die. This man had the valor to risk his life to save another but did this man get the appreciation he deserved? This act was overlooked because people choose not commend others for the things that they have done. How can people be driven to do good things if they are not rewarded properly?

For some reason, most people would rather be thanked than say thank you. Most people would rather walk through a door, while someone holds it for them. The Destructors shows an exaggerated version of this idea. Thomas, better known as Old Misery, is an old man who lives by himself in a rickety house next to a gang called The Destructors whose sole purpose is to cause mischief in their town. Thomas does nothing but nice deeds for the boys and in particular, one day, he gave them a bag of Smarties. He gently confronts one of the members and says, "I got some chocolates. Don't like 'em myself." Despite his kindness, the boys elected to completely demolish his house when he was away on holiday. Is that how you repay someone for their kind deeds? Not only did the gang not repay him for his kindness, they took away from him the only thing that had meaning in his life. There is

...