Essay Response to "The Circuit"
Stuck in an endless cycle of cruelty and your only hope is to get and education and break the circuit. But if you obsess over your only hope it will dry out and leave you in the darkness forever. Panchito blocks out everything but school and learning to play the trumpet, so when he sees the packed boxes it shatters his little world and sends him into spiraling despair.

This story truly is a tragedy because there really is no hope for Panchito. Because he doesn't realize the difference between passion and obsession, he obsesses over school and when he sees the boxes it finally hits home that his family is moving. What Panchito doesn't realize is that passion is what drives the human nature. It keeps our eyes focused on the goal and gives us the power to succeed. Obsession may seem better but it blocks out the world and that can be dangerous because you can't see the danger around you. When reading this story you find symbols that the author dropped in to let on the true meaning behind this story. Some symbols are barking dogs, twilight, black, and winter. These are a few of the many tragic symbols in this story.

The real tragedy in this story is that Panchito wrought this on himself without knowing it. His obsession of school and learning to play the trumpet completely ruined his life. At the very end of the story the author shows you his cards and reveals the true hopelessness behind the story. He is trying to teach us not to obsess over wonderful things. It is fine to love them but when you start to let them consume your life you are as good as dead.