A Strange Supper

I’ve been encountering some pretty strange questions lately on scholarship and college entrance essays. Things like “What kind of person do you see yourself as?” and “Who has had the most influence on you?” but my favorite is has to be the ”What person(s) dead or alive would you most like to have dinner with?” question. I like it because it reveals the connection to pop culture and to history the writer has, which is a necessary social skill. Secondly, the prompt isn’t just asking whom you would like to meet or whom you would like to ask a question to, it’s who you would like to share a meal with. This is a much more symbolic and somewhat spiritual situation that adds a deeper level to an essay. The Last Supper and the Start-of-Term Feasts at Hogwarts, which I consider an almost spiritual tradition are immediate examples of this meal-sharing that spring to mind as they both unify a group of people. So, without further ado, I shall present the four people dead, alive, and/or fictional that I would most like to have dinner with. Whether that dinner is symbolic of something about me, I will let you, my readers, decide.

The first person has to be King Henry VIII because he was truly the King of Being Motivated. He was so thoroughly motivated by his love/lust that he essentially ripped apart his kingdom and an entire religious sect so he could marry the women he wanted. I’d also like to serve him up a turkey leg and see if he really is as gluttonous as every clichéd sketch shows him to be.

The second dinner guest would be the genius director/producer/creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Firefly”, and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”, Mr. Joss Whedon. This man, for those of you who haven’t yet been enlightened, is an absolute marvel. He was once quoted with saying, “Always be yourself…unless you suck.” I could only hope that he would grace me with a piece of wisdom just as profound at our dinner.

Last, I would like two of my childhood heroes, Frank and Joe Hardy, of the Hardy Boys Series to join us. Though I’m also an intense Nancy Drew fan, I can’t help but think that these “boy detectives” would provide slightly more stimulating conversation. I’m sure we’d all love to be regaled with stories of their adventures and hi-jinks.

So there you have it. Let my fantasy dinner be served and may all you seniors have as much fun as possible writing your college essays! Showing personality and originality can rarely go wrong and with any luck it will prove to be an amusing, entertaining read as well.