Question 1: If you were stranded on a desert island...

To kick off this blog, I want to start with a question. This will be the main format for my posts from here on out, though I might include essays I write for class, drawings, or anything else I might think is interesting. I intend to post once a week on Saturdays, so stay tuned!

My question for this week comes from the application to the Torrey Honors Institute (which I intend to fill out soon):

If you were stranded on a desert island and you already have your Bible, what other two books would you want with you? Why would you choose these books?

There are four distinct qualities I can think of for choosing these two books: personal preference, utility, education, and whether or not the books build up my soul. Personal preference in this case is really a minor quality and should be considered last. Utility only refers to books that would help me to live longer on the island, like a wilderness survival guide. That can only take me so far, since eventually I will die, whether I have such a book or not. Education could be a good quality to look at, but what purpose would it serve on a desert island? I would be building up my mind with no person to share my thoughts with. And lastly, whether or not the books are uplifting... The only book I really need for this last purpose is the Bible, which I am already given in the question.

So I have pretty much eliminated any books that would help me to survive, since they would only really extend the short amount of time I already have in which to live. Educational books may be interesting, but serve little purpose with no one to share your ideas or discoveries with. Any books that would be uplifting would only be in addition to the Bible. I have pretty much settled that one of the most uplifting books I have ever read, and which is my top choice for taking to this imaginary island, is Confessions, the autobiography of St. Augustine.

Now I want to look back to personal preference. I did not completely throw out this option because there is some purpose behind it. If I were stranded on a desert island, life could get pretty boring pretty quickly. Because of this, I'd probably want the second of my two books to be either a novel or poetry. But to make the most of this choice, I would want a story that is uplifting, as well. So here is a list of possibilities: 

• The Count of Monte Cristo. This is my favorite novel at the moment, and because of its length, I could read and re-read this many times over. 
• The Nine Tailors. I recently read this for English, and we were able to pull so much from it that I'm sure I could pull even more out of it if I had it with me on this desert island. 
• The Divine Comedy. I have only read Inferno, but I'm sure Purgatorio and Paradiso would be very interesting reads, as well. 

I'm sure I may come up with more options in future, but as of right now these are my three main choices for that second book. Out of the three, I would probably choose the Divine Comedy, since I've only read part of it and could probably learn more from it than the other two options.

So in the end, my choice of books is Confessions and The Divine Comedy.