Vynikajícího úspěchu dosáhla studentka 4.C Veronika Sýkorová, když v literární soutěži, kterou pořádal česko-americký klub SPUSA, společnost přátel USA, obsadila 5. místo v celé České republice v kategorii Střední školy a gymnázia. Soutěž se konala už po jednadvacáté a letošní téma znělo When I am alone. Mezi porotci, kteří o pořadí rozhodovali, byl mimo jiné i prezident Českého centra PEN klubu Jiří Stránský. Vyhlášení vítězů a předávání proběhlo 27. září v budově Amerického centra na Malé Straně. Veronice k tomuto úspěchu patří velká gratulace a poděkování. Její práci si můžete přečíst níže.
When I am alone
When the night falls and I am alone, I look up at the sky. In the dark, black sky lots of bright stars shine. I am wrapped up in my thoughts. What do the stars want to tell me? They are so far away, but their sparkling light is mirrored in my eyes. I imagine that I am one of them and the rest of the stars, which surround me, represent all the people who live on the Earth. It might surprise someone how many things we have in common with the stars.
Since my childhood, I have admired the beauty of the silent and mysterious night, the night that holds the secret of loneliness. Star clusters in the sky always attract my attention as soon as the sun dips below the western horizon and the darkness spreads through all the land. I used to regard stars as scattered beads of a broken chain, beads of the same shape and colour. But as time passes I realize that stars differ and so do people. Every man lives, loves, feels, thinks, behaves their own way. Day by day, we encounter dozens of various types of people. The faces of sadness, the faces of goodness, the looks of hatred, the looks of happiness, the eyes of truth, the eyes of lies.
I used to take a fancy to the largest and brightest stars shining above me. Nowadays, I know that at first sight inconspicuous stars hide their beauty and grandeur inside. Outer prettiness withers away whereas inner beauty cannot decay. Don’t base your life on things which usually do not last forever. If only certitude would win over the transience…
The most sparkling stars do not exist alone. Unity is strength. When you are down in the dumps, you need someone who can pull you back up. Stars form constellation, people create a society. Stars are born and then they die. One star disappears, new star appears. People come and people go. The night sky changes, the society develops. A man is a social being, so always keep in your mind that you shouldn’t keep away from other people. The appeal of friendship lies in having somebody with whom you can share the joy and the sorrow, the feeling that somebody cares about you. Do not waste your time.
Solitude – the nest of thought. Sometimes you need it to marshal your thoughts. Solitude – challenges you to face your inner dark side. Solitude – gives you an opportunity to reflect whether your journey of your life has the right direction or not. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t be alone all the time. To fear friendship means to fear life, and to fear life leads you to fear yourself.
When the night falls and I am alone, I look up at the sky. Bright stars are shining there. I am wrapped up in my thoughts. What do the stars want to tell me? Now I know as well as YOU…