Beyond the Shadows

Saronawit Belay

Definition Essay

AP Language and Composition 2012

Beyond the Shadow

Like they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Wrinkles are seasoned beauty; wrinkles are wisdom; however, wrinkles are also fallen splendor; wrinkles are grumpy. The definition depends on individual as well as societal perspective. As our good friend Plato said, “Custom is no small thing.” It determines our value system, our self-esteem, our expectations, and almost everything else in our lives. Individuals, reflecting their cultural heritage, welcome or resent old age and its wrinkles.

In some cultures, wrinkles manifest wisdom. They signify the platinum cup awarded only to those who were fortunate to endure the beatings of the fiery wrath of life. Those gorges and folds secure matured wisdom that has been fertilized with the manure of time and experience. In the culture that I grew up in, wrinkles earn their wearer a certain degree of respect. Those people are looked upon for wisdom and advice on important issues. Their extended years on earth equip the newly hatched generations with key components of the necessities of life. In contrary, other cultures consider wrinkles as foretellers of doomsday. Wrinkles come with cranky bones, stiff muscles, crimpy outlook, and grumpy attitude. As wrinkles emerge, youth retreats, and independence frails. Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, “Nothing is more incumbent on the old, than to know…the duties they can no longer perform.” Wrinkles are the reminders of our dwindling days on earth. They represent the presence of death amongst us; the very nature of our mortality. We ought to enjoy our limited time without the constant mockery of wrinkles. Why suffer from perpetual anxiety while we possess the power to demolish these agents of death?

Alas! Wrinkles represent much more than mere old age: wrinkles evidence life. The more strikingly the skin folds and shrinks, the more stories it narrates about all the yesterdays, yesterweeks, and...