Application Essay

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Application Essay

            The movie Atonement is one of my favorite films. The reason for this is not just because it left an indelible mark on my life but also because it is relatable to anyone who has ever fallen in love. The romantic tragedy is set during WWII in which 13-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses her older sister Cecilia and the housekeeper’s son, Robert Turner, at the fountain in front of the family estate. She misinterprets the incident, and a sequence of mix-ups and childish annoyance arises, repercussions that will follow them for the rest of their lives. After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter that is meant for Cecilia and concludes that Robert is inappropriate to his sister. Lola, her cousin, is raped, and she reports to the police that she witnessed Robbie committing the act. Robbie is then sent to war, and Cecilia runs away from the house. Briony then becomes a nurse in a hospital. Briony knows that it is not Robbie that raped Lola, but Paul, a millionaire, to whom she is engaged. Briony admits to her sister her wrongdoing and states that she is willing to do whatever it takes to atone for her mistakes and clear Robbie’s. She spends the rest of her life atoning for the lie that cost her sister the love of her life.

What I learn from the movie

            I am mainly stuck by Briony’s actions. Falsely accusing Robbie of rape is not only unjust. It is egotistical and arrogant. Her sense of superiority is not what I condemn her for, but the fact that she is too young to understand what is happening and misinterprets it, quashing her sister’s love life. I am the youngest child in my family, just like Briony. Being the youngest child has its perks, and one is that parents regard what you say highly. Briony reports Robbie for a crime he did not commit, and this lie destroys his life and Cecilia’s. I used to be a lot like Briony. I was sinister and lonely since my elder siblings and cousins were rarely at home. I could snitch on them whenever they came to get the approval of my parents. As a result, I was in the bad books of my cousins and siblings. My only difference with Briony is that in my tell-tale moments, there was not any incident that was significant enough to cause the damage as is in the movie. That, however, does not mean that I did not lose something due to my snitching around.

            My elder siblings and I had a strained relationship, and the favors I received from my parents during the yesteryears were not enough to compensate for this. Briony snitched on Robbie because it was believable, convenient to pin rape on the housekeeper’s son and also because she had a crush on him, as is later revealed in the movie. My motivations for talking about my siblings and cousins are different. Most reported incidents were those of mischief, so I could not wrap my head around the fact that some things never happen when my parents are around, but they keep happening when they are not around. I took it upon myself to report to my parents, and they expressed their appreciation. The cycle kept going.

            One time, my siblings were smoking cigarettes, and I brought this to our father’s attention. He acted promptly and cautioned them. The incident revealed that they had been trying out other drugs and were sent to rehab. I did not know that they would be sent to rehab, but I surely knew that things between us would never be the same again. However, when they came back home, I realized that stopping them had had a positive impact on my family because, to date, they do not indulge in alcohol and drugs. We are trying to work on our relationships as siblings, taking one day at a time.