First read this short story entitled, The Starfish Story. Even if it is familiar to you, read it over again. Then read the follow up article, Stop Hurling Starfish by Dr. Keith Morton. Take some time to consider the implications of Morton's article on your feelings and beliefs about the classic Starfish Story as well as your own values about community service. Then respond to the questions below.
The Starfish Story
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"
Starfish Hurling and Community Service
One of the most popular stories in community service events is that of the starfish: a (fill in your description, usually young) person is running, hurling starfish deposited on the beach by a storm back into the sea. “What are you doing,” asks a (fill in your description, usually old) person, “you can’t possibly throw all the starfish back. Your effort makes no difference.” “It makes a difference to this one,” replies the first person, who continues off down the beach.
The usual conclusions drawn from this hackneyed tale are about the importance of making a difference where you can, one person or problem at a time; about not being put off by skepticism or criticism or cynicism. The story acknowledges the relief that comes when we find a way to relieve suffering. A somewhat deeper reading is that there is merit in jumping into a situation and finding a way to act - the first step in determining what possibilities for action might exist.
But the tale is, ultimately, mis-educative and I wish people would stop using it. First, it is about a problem - starfish cast up by a storm - that is apolitical (unless you stretch for the connection between pollution and el Nino that might have precipitated the storm). There is seldom any hesitancy or moral complexity in responding to a crisis caused by natural disaster. It is the one circumstance in which charity can be an unmitigated good. The story suggests that all problems are similarly simple - that there is a path of action which is right and can avoid the traps of politics, context, or complex and contradictory human relationships.
Second, the story is about helping starfish and not about helping people. It avoids, therefore, the shadow side of the service, the sticky problem of who deserves our help. The starfish are passive; they have no voice; they cannot have an opinion about their circumstances, at least not that we can hear. This one is much like that one. Their silence coincides with the fact that they can have done nothing (the story suggests) to deserve their fate. In most of the situations where this story is told, service is about people working with people: people with histories, voices, opinions, judgment, more or less power.
Third, the story avoids the possible complexity of ecology: it might be that the starfish are part of a food chain that is being interrupted as they are thrown back - birds might go hungry at a critical time of year, for example; or it might be that the starfish have been released by a storm from the ocean bottom because they have outgrown their habitat. It is never smart to intervene in an ecosystem without understanding how all of its parts are interrelated.
Fourth, the tale suggests that we should work from emotional response and not our heads, even though the problem is, in this case, a knowable one. As “overwhelming” as the miles of beach seem, the dilemma of the starfish is finite and knowable - this many starfish on this stretch of beach; a bit of advance organizing could result in enough volunteers to return all the starfish to the sea.
Fifth, the story privileges random, individual acts of kindness. It avoids questions of community (and we claim “community service” as our ground after all). It avoids questions of working with others. It polarizes the relationship of the two actors: how different would the story be if the second person joined in with the first? In short, the story does nothing to teach us about community or service. This in itself is not necessarily a problem; it could be an entertaining tale, and that could be enough. What makes it a problem, however, is that the tale of the starfish pretends to teach us something about community service, even as it misdirects our sympathies, our intellects and our sense of purpose.
Don’t go charging out to help. Talk, listen, build relationships, know your self, your environment; work with others where they and the situation itself can teach you how to act with more and more knowledge and effectiveness. Stop hurling starfish.
-Keith Morton, Ph.D.
The following questions are meant to stimulate thoughtful discussion about the above essays. You do not need to respond to every single question, but your comments should touch on several of the points below.
Had you read or heard the original short story in the past? If so, what were your previous impressions and feelings about it? How do you feel about Morton's critical analysis of the story and its message?
What aspects of the Spring Cleanup were purely simple- "hurling starfish"? What aspects of the Spring Cleanup work were political/man-made or complex?
How can you balance individual "good works" (aka hurling starfish) with more thoughtful, knowledge-based and effective collective action, as suggested by Morton in his article?
Did it feel wrong to think about criticizing such a sweet, simple message as the one in The Starfish Story? Do you feel it is sometimes okay to criticize different types of community service/civic involvement?
The following questions are meant to stimulate thoughtful discussion about the above essays. You do not need to respond to every single question, but your comments should touch on several of the points below.
Had you read or heard the original short story in the past? If so, what were your previous impressions and feelings about it? How do you feel about Morton's critical analysis of the story and its message?
What aspects of the Spring Cleanup were purely simple- "hurling starfish"? What aspects of the Spring Cleanup work were political/man-made or complex?
How can you balance individual "good works" (aka hurling starfish) with more thoughtful, knowledge-based and effective collective action, as suggested by Morton in his article?
Did it feel wrong to think about criticizing such a sweet, simple message as the one in The Starfish Story? Do you feel it is sometimes okay to criticize different types of community service/civic involvement?
This is the first time I have read the starfish story. My first impression is that it is a short and simple way of telling readers to help others. It shows that one doesn’t have to do something big to make a change in the world. All one has to do is help one person/animal etc.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Morton overanalyzed the story. Although he did have some good points, most of them were a little ridiculous. It was like he took the starfish story too literal. For example, when he wrote “it might be that the starfish are part of a food chain that is being interrupted as they are thrown back”, he took the story in a literal way. To me the story isn’t actually about hurling starfish back into the sea, but helping out in general, even in small ways.
I think this story can be applied to our work at the park and at the river. In this case we didn’t make a big change – we didn’t clean the whole park and all its ponds. Instead we cleaned a small area. Although the whole park wasn’t cleaned we made a difference to the small area we did clean. I’m sure many animals and people will benefit from what we did.
Shenaye Thomas
This was the first time I read the Starfish Story. This story had the impression of doing one thing, even if it's simple, can make a difference that can lead to other great changes. It may be cleaning up a beach, or paying for someone's coffee out of the kindness of your heart, every little thing counts towards making our world a better place to live in and this story definitely promotes that message.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read Morton's analysis until after I made my response about the Starfish Story in fear that it might interfere with my actual opinion on the story itself. In my opinion, I do not completely agree with Morton. The story is not saying that all problems are easily solved. People working to try and make a difference towards solving whatever problem is there is the intention it leans towards. Secondly, the story does not need to be about people to make an impression on them. Yes, starfish may not have a voice, but neither do the newborns and children in our society. Passiveness does not mean that they do not want our help. Third, Morton discusses how this story avoids the complexity of ecology when the complexity isn't affected at all. Despite the fact that there are starfish upon starfish along the miles of beach, the young man can't possibly save them all and therefore wouldn't be affecting the food chain/ecosystem. Finally I feel as if Morton read this story too literally. If he tried to see the meaning behind the story instead of analyzing it, then he would be able to understand the meaning behind the words. The goal of the story is to show people that doing the simplest things can help out your community in becoming a better place.
In my opinion, I felt that the "hurling of starfish" was at Roger Williams Park when we were cleaning up the ponds. Even though we were making a difference, people are still going to throw trash on the ground which will eventually end up in the ponds. I feel as if it'd be more of a difference if they cleaned a few times per year instead of one or two times. However, we were a lot more productive at the river. In the case of the river, the trash got there from the flood and was not put there purposely.
I feel as if we can apply and balance Morton's knowledge-based and collective action idea with the story's "good works" throughout our life. Whether it's taking part in community service projects like cleaning up a park or helping out a school by fundraising, if we have good intentions and go in with a well executed plan, then we can be successful in helping out.
It was not wrong to criticize this story and the message it has. There will always be critics in life picking at one thing or another whether it's simple or complex. We cannot do anything about it. I think that it's okay to criticize community service projects because there is always room for improvement in my opinion. Even though our day cleaning the park and woods by the river had its faults, we helped out the community and definitely improved the ecosystem as well as our knowledge about helping others and taking action about it; difference or not.
-Erin Stavens
This was the first time I have read The Starfish Story, and quite enjoyed doing so. This story put going out and helping your community into a form that everyone could understand the meaning of community service. It also shows how it doesn’t take massive amounts of people to help out a cause, but just one person is enough to make a big improvement in a situation. As I continued along to read Morton’s analysis on the short-story, I thought that he over-looked the big picture the writer was trying to get at by telling this story. He looked to deep into the physical words, and not into the meaning behind them. I believe that he did make some good points, but most were about how actually throwing starfish would affect our ecosystem, and not about how community service is shown through the story. Our personal experiences in community service through the park clean-up are a good example towards The Starfish Story. It took one group or organization of people to gather what was over hundreds of people to help out the local community to make it a better place. Although we were a small group within a bigger group of people, I believe our group made a big change in what little bit of the park and river areas we were able to clean. Later looking back, from the before to the after, you could tell the big difference in the appearance and atmosphere you got while in the park.
ReplyDelete-Nicole Spino-Heyer
I never red or heard about this story in the past but i feel like Morton's critical analysis of the story and it's message very fair. Because even thought the story was about Starfish Hurling but it still gives us a good understanding of how little things that we take our time to do in our community can make a huge difference in the world.
ReplyDelete-Suffrens Hylaire
This is the first time I've read the starfish story as well, I liked it I thought of it as the way that I try to operate day to day from things such as a simple act of kindness- such as throwing a quarter into a meter that is about to expire for someone you don't know.
ReplyDeleteThe truth of the matter is it only adds 15mins and the person may take an hour and they'll get a ticket anyway but what's a quarter out of my pocket to potentially help a stranger?
Secondly, would that person ever do that for me? Probably not, but the acts of random kindness helps me and my attitude just as much as the stranger who probably would even ever have any idea of the act. This relates to the starfish because no one knows that the man is helping the starfish except the random other man who happened to come across him.
Also, the starfish do not have the brainpower to be grateful to thank the man or even realize what had happened but that's not the point, the act of kindness can go without recognition and still be just as kind, if not even more kind.
I did not enjoy reading the criticism of Morton, to be honest initially I read the first sentence then decided not to read the rest because I felt it was too mean and he was digging too deep to criticize it. Afterwards I discovered that I HAD to read it and was actually let down because I dislike the pessimism. He’s missing the point, in my opinion.
Tori Kalitz
TO ERIN:
ReplyDelete"It was not wrong to criticize this story and the message it has. There will always be critics in life picking at one thing or another whether it's simple or complex. We cannot do anything about it. I think that it's okay to criticize community service projects because there is always room for improvement in my opinion."
I completely agree with this. I did not like all the negative things he had to say about the story but I agree that there are always, always critics in life and that there isn’t anything we can do about that whether we like their opinions or not. The opinions of others are more likely to be different that ours rather than the same. Even though I, myself, find it difficult to come up with a negative for the story I understand that not everybody is a s positive as I am and I value all opinions and criticism even if it differs from my own.
Tori Kalitz
TO NICOLE:
ReplyDelete“It also shows how it doesn’t take massive amounts of people to help out a cause, but just one person is enough to make a big improvement in a situation.”
I also agree with this because if huge groups were needed to make a difference in the world or a community then many groups who do make a difference in small numbers would have been discredited and I disagree with that. JWU Community Service Learning in the overall grand scheme of things is small numbers of people going out on different days adding up to a large number of students, we make a difference in small groups which metaphors to the single young man making a difference one starfish at a time.
Tori Kalitz
I have never read or heard of the Starfish Story, but as I read it I could feel the message it was getting out to the reader. It was a message that anything and everything can go a long way, or at least that’s how I interpreted it. After reading this story then reading Morton's critical analysis it was easy to see that he was almost disgusted with the message people were taking from the story, when in reality the story could help convince people to make a change and help do good. But he decided to take the story and over analyze it and go into depth of everything that he could find wrong with the way more people interpret it but in reality what the young man was doing on the beach no matter what was a good thing, and if he really wanted to argue about community service we could bring up what we did cleaning up trash and making a difference in that way, but we all still know more trash will accumulate at another time so in a way he is saying good deeds don’t always matter. This is wrong and everything takes a step at a time to concord and achieves the full potential that is trying to be met. Then again this is just what I think.
ReplyDeleteI feel like picking up the garbage from the ponds and surrounding ponds in a way was like picking up the starfish and putting them where they belong in the ocean. What we were doing was taking what didn’t belong in the pond out of it and helping preserve what was in the ponds and around it as the boy was throwing the starfish in to the ocean to keep them from dying. We were taking the trash out to keep the animals in the ponds from dying, so in a way like the story we were making a difference for nature. The part that is hard to deal with is most of what we were picking up was thrown around, as for the young man he was working against nature in a way when we were working only for it and the part that can bother a person is knowing that what we had accomplished on April 16th won’t last forever and its only a matter of time before the ponds and its surrounding areas need help again.
When you go out and you do a “good deed” you feel good and can go tell a friends as just a funny story of what happened in your day but deep down you do feel good and you hope it can somehow make some little change in your life and in others. I know a lot of people will try to help out less fortunate people in the city by giving them some change or a cigarette and yes its nothing huge and not going to change the whole community but it is going to help brighten someone’s day and give them a positive attitude which can spiral down further and further to eventually make a change in there life’s and maybe someday by helping them they will in return help someone who will help someone. So I feel like a good deed is kind of like that commercial on TV where one person does something good/right and a person sees so they do, I think every deed goes seen and can eventually make a difference whether big or small it’s still a difference that has been made.
-Brendan Kane
I have never read the Starfish story but I believe it has great value. It simply states that one person can make a difference in some way or another in even the smallest way possible. I feel as if Morton's critical analysis of the story is somewhat ignorant. Of course the story is not helping "people" per say, but it serves more as a metaphor. By taking care of other species and the ecosystem, it is ultimately taking care of the environment in itself, which creates a cycle to help people as well. Without waters, and a species that can help maintain the standing of those waters, then the human race will be directly affected in some way or another. The part of the cleanup that was simply "hurling starfish" was mostly all the pollution caused by a natural flood disaster, and by cleaning the pollution up, we are "hurling starfish" by recreating a species' environment that is vital to their existence. The part of the clean up that was complex and man-made was all of the physical, material pollution caused by human beings throwing trash into the waters.
ReplyDeleteIndividual good works can be balanced out by gathering other volunteers to collectively help further progress towards a goal. With more people to help with "good works", the slight difference is increased. Also, good works can be balanced out by focusing on all environments, because every environment needs help in order to maintain life. I do feel like it is wrong to criticize such a sweet, simple story. I don't believe it is ever okay to criticize a work of service or community (unless it's doing harm) because most community service is benefiting a less fortunate group or environment. I also believe it is wrong to criticize because a cause is obviously important to somebody if they are making the effort to promote and help the cause. Therefore, the smallest amount of effort, no matter what it is for, in serving the community makes a large difference because it helps save people, and our earth.
-Aimee Bacon
This is the first time I have ever heard this story and I really enjoyed it because it was short and to the point. I believe that making a difference in a small or large way is still making change for the better. Morton is way too serious and depressing. He took it to a whole new level of over analyzing a story. He made some valid points but he needs to understand that one act of service, no matter the size or importance, still makes a difference on us as people and the environment. I feel that our community service related to the first story but on a larger scale. We had several people all going for one goal---cleaning up an area. We achieved this goal and made a difference. Now these two areas are nice, safe, and better for the environment and animals that inhabit them. No one should criticize any community service. If we don't take care of earth, it's like putting the whole planet in a trash bag. Anything anyone does for the good will still make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThomas Bedrosian
This was not the first time I have ever read the starfish story. This story always gives brings the same response in me. I can appreciate it's value in promoting random acts of kindness, however community service needs to be more stuctured in order for their to be full effectivness. I believe Morton raises valid arguments against the starfish story. His last point was that people need to work together as a community in order to do the most good. If the old man started throwing starfish with the young boy, it would have shown how groups of people can make a greater difference. Where Morton went wrong was overly critisizing small aspects of the story, such as the ecological balance of the ocean, instead of looking at the pure message, which is the point of this story.
ReplyDeleteThe cleanup we all participated in was unique because it demonstrated both community involvement as well as random acts of kindness. Picking up trash is something everyone can do on a day to day basis, simply by picking something off the street and throwing it in a barrell. However, with such a grand number of people going out on one day with this specific goal in mind, we were able to clean up entire sections of the city and state, showing the difference a community can make.
I believe that Morton could critisize the story. He has the same right as everyone to state his opinion, even if some do not agree with it. I personally believe that Morton over analyzed a story with a direct meaning to service, and brought a lot of harsh judgements. However, I am not against him speaking his opinion, as it is evident that he is not against community service.
The story of the starfish hurling is one that many people can pull a lot of different meanings from. It is important that we realize the as individuals, we can make a difference in someone else's life.
- Craig Jones
I had not heard the story about the starfish before, but I have heard similar stories with similar messages. The story makes a person think about how much one person can do for their community. I feel that Morton’s critical analysis was not only to show the point of the story, but also show many things that were wrong with it or how it could have been changed. Morton gives five separate analyses with all different viewpoints. Even though he gives a long analysis about how to better the short story, at the end he gives the main point of the article which is one person can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Spring Cleanup, I have experienced many “hurling starfish” objects that were easy to pick up. The empty water bottles and Dunkn Doughnuts cups were the easiest and the first things to get picked up. The harder things came at the river clean up with oil barrels, wood pallets, and old furniture.
Getting people involved with the cleanup is a more knowledge based action. Instead of one person picking up trash, get your community evolved and more will get done. The more people picking up trash will make the job easier and faster. Also, make sure you have the right tools to get the job done. It will also make the job easier.
I do not feel that it was wrong to criticize the message. This kind of story has so many different viewpoints and the message could be different for everyone. By critically analyzing this, it will help whoever is reading it because it will make them think outside the box. All these different options/analysis of the story will help people better understand the different viewpoints.
-CHRIS BETTINGER
I have never heard this particular story, but growing up my mother would tell me similar stories that dealt with helping others. The littlest things might help someone in need. It is not how much you do to help; it’s the effort one puts in to give back to others in need. It is about not being selfish. Reading this story, I felt that Morton over looked the situation. He did not understand the meaning behind the words, but instead took it very literal. I felt like he made good observations, but did not understand that throwing the starfish back in the water was an attempt at saving their lives, not how they would affect the ecosystem/ food chain. I think that this story goes hand in hand with our work in the Roger Williams Park and at the river. Even though we took on some plight and did the best we could to make it a cleaner and safer environment, we made a difference. Even though we were not able to touch base with all the parts of the park, the little improvement that we did helped. Our intensions were good and that day was a very successful one. I do not feel wrong to criticize the message behind this story. Some people do not really understand certain meanings behind stories but if someone can explain and critique their thoughts, it’s only bettering their knowledge and opening up their mind. Sometimes it is ok to criticize different types of community service because there is always room for improvement. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and in order to better things in the future, mistakes are bound to happen. No matter what flaws we had in the community service, we helped out the community to the best of our ability and improved living environments for not only animals, but for the people as well.
ReplyDeleteSasha Mahon
I had never heard the story until now, and truthfully I enjoyed the short tale. I believe that the story is simple yet inspirering and that is what makes it so good. Mortons Critical analysis was exactly that, critical. He took the story and rationalized it far beyond what is was ment to be. Stories like this one, of the starfish, aren't ment to be taken critically they are simply ment to evoke emotion and thought. The story basicly says that even if only a little is accomplished it still makes a difference. Our time spent cleaning up the park and river waswell spent although in the big picture our group didn't make a huge diiference we contributed to the enviroment. The more people that we can get to contribute the greater the difference we will be able to make. Weather or not the hurling of the starfish was good or bad it was done with good intentions. That is what should be focused on not the actuallity of if hurling starfish back into the ocean is good or bad. Everyone needs to do there part in protecting our enviroment weather its picking up trash or hurling starfish.
ReplyDeleteAnthony J. Glieco
This is the first time I have read the Starfish story and it really is an inspiring one. I do think, however, that Dr. Morton has a point. Resources are limited, therefore projects need to be assessed based on size, location, number of volunteers, whether or not it is economically viable to help and so on. Some projects that are too immense may need to be foregone and attention may rather end up being focused on smaller, more manageable projects. On the other hand, it takes one person to make a ripple effect. And that is the moral of the starfish story. A fire ignites with a spark. Of course once the fire is ignited it needs to be contained and watched carefully to Dr. Morton's point but nonetheless it needs that spark. The starfish story acts as a spark to ignite a flame that I think is dim in our society. Also, the fact that the characters are almost oppositely placed is intriguing. The young man is the one who sees the change, even though it is minute. The older man is the one questioning the boy who is seemingly nieve. It's almost counter intuitive. It's like it should be the younger one going to the older one who is much "wiser". I think this point of the story shows that it doesn't matter what your age is, young or old, anyone can make a difference. We can't let others despise our youth and make us feel like something is too daunting simply because they can't see what we see, or vice versa.
ReplyDelete- Pete Thrasher
I just read this story for the first time and my first impression of this short story is about making a difference. As I am reading Morton’s critical analysis I feel that Morton is taking a simple short story that has a meaning of just making a difference and making it into something that seems so complicated. Morton does make some interesting points that I believe are valid from an adult point of view but I feel as if this short story was designed to teach younger kids about making a difference no matter how big or small it is. This story can also be related to the work that we did with the Pawtucket river/Roger Williams park, we made a difference. We can be compared to as the young person running alongside of the beach and throwing the starfishes back into the ocean or in our case picking up the trash. We certainly weren’t able to pick up every piece of garbage that was on the ground just as the boy wasn’t able to throw every starfish back into the ocean, but we made a difference and the park and river is a lot cleaner than it was before.
ReplyDeleteLuis Acosta
This is the first time I read “The Starfish Story”. My first impression is that this story was created to tell people that they can make difference in their community. It also tells the reader that they should look at their effort based on the people or animals that they are directly helping and not the whole world.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Morton over analyzed the story. The story is not telling people to help voiceless creatures over people as Morton suggests in his analysis. The starfish are being used as a metaphor to show people a small task can have a big out come for a problem, person or animal. Morton is bring in political issues in his analysis. I feel that this is wrong because I feel the story isn’t suppose to be factual or political because I feel that the story is aimed at young children to make them see they can make a difference for an animal, person or creature.
The aspect of picking up trash at Roger Williams Park and the Pawtucket River was like hurling starfish back into the ocean. We picked up trash to help the environment from pollution and making the park a cleaner place for people that like to use it for their enjoyment. The man-made aspect is the trash at Roger Williams Park because that was man-made and is likely to happen again with more people going to the park after we cleaned it up.
You can balance individual “good works” with more knowledge-based and effective collection action by choosing to address a problem in your local community and making a plan on how to solve it. You also need to think of how to prevent the problem from happening again because it is a waste of resources to fix something and having to fix it again at a later time. Fixing the cause of the problem should be in your plan for addressing the problem in most circumstances.
It did feel wrong to think about criticizing the message of “The Starfish Story” because the story isn’t meant to be taken literally. It’s about trying to prove a point that a small task could have a great benefit on a person, animal or problem. It’s wrong to criticize community service and civic involvement because just about every type benefits people, animal or the environment. People that don’t do community service or civic involvement shouldn’t criticize people that want to donate their time, money and effort to an issue in our community.
I have read the starfish story in the past and I enjoy the simple morals behind it. It is very easy to help someone or something out in our lives, yet many people ever do it. They think more along the lines of Dr. Morton. They think that because there are so many "starfish" how can throwing one back in the water help. I did not like Dr. Morton's story because he took a simple topic about helping others and made it into a complex negative situation. Our csl class was a lot like the boy throwing the starfish back into the ocean. We were only picking up a small amount of trash compared to everything that was there, but when many people help out it goes a long way. I disagree with Dr. Morton. I feel more people should read stories like the boy who threw starfish.
ReplyDeleteJosh Peters
The starfish story and I have never crossed paths before so it was very delightful to hear it's morals. It is a moving story that makes you think of what you can be doing to help out where ever and whenever. Even the smallest actions count. It also makes us think of which ways are actually supporting the community and not disrupting nature's plans.
ReplyDeleteOur part in the spring cleanup is very similar to the starfish boy, we were picking up trash along the shoreline and in Roger Williams park. It's a very easy task that will go a long way to make both of those sites look a lot better. At the Craston cleanup site we ran into bigger items to be thownout which needed a truck to be brought out.
Individual "good works" can be more thought out and turned into a group event, which usually will successfully complete the problem at hand in the community.
Yes, I feel that criticzing the starfish story is wrong. It was a simple gesture that most people would walk by and not even realize to throw the starfish back into the water. It is sad though since in this world there will always be critics to whatever you do in life, not letting that effect you is the key. The starfish story should be more public since this was the first time I had heard the story
Robert Slough
I have never read the starfish story before but,the value of hearing the story is very genuine. The thoughtfulness of the young man throwing the starfish back into the water is a great display of care and thought.I do not agree with Dr. Morton's belief in a single person not making a difference.Any effort to help out the community is valued and makes a huge difference.Although, his ideals of arranging a large number of people to help out a community is greatly desired as well.A large group of people can in fact make a greater difference and would inspire many more to join. The parts of the spring clean up that were purely simple would have to be helping out the environment. For example, all the trash that we cleaned out of the lake could have poisoned the water and harmed many of the animals in it.Therefore off setting the ecosystem. As for political and man made reasons, there could have been multiple motives. Community service is sometime broadcast ed on television of acts of kindness. Some organizations take pictures of their work in order to market or obtain sponsors to further help out their efforts. In conclusion the spring clean up day was a very fun and eye opening experience. To see all the people coming together helping out in an area of need was very inspiring.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Chestnut
This was my first opportunity reading the starfish story, however I feel that it was well connected with the community service project. It was short and to-the-point, and relayed the message that good work in helping other does matter, no matter how small the act may be. The best quote from the story was when the young man paused and said "I made a difference to that one!". This statement was very effective in saying that little actions do matter. The aspects of the community service project that were simply "hurling starfish in the water" was when we were simply picking up trash, from what seemed like an unending supply. When a group of students enters into an area, for example the second location we went to, that is filled with trash, it may seem as though no matter how much trash we picked up, there was still going to be more around, similar to the starfish story. However, it is important to realize that every little bit of work does matter, and if everyone shares in that concept in does their fare share to help the community, a lot can be accomplished. Individual good works, as in picking up trash or hurling the starfish, can be balanced by conducting research to make sure the work you do is done in the most effective way possible, and to ensure that by doing that particular work, you are not hurting something else. I think it is ok to criticize certain things, however something as simple and as good-natured as the starfish story should not have been criticized. Overall, Morton's thoughts are over analyzing this story. People should not be criticized by others for choosing to volunteer and help their community. All community service, or volunteering has benefits, and it is wrong for that to be criticized.
ReplyDelete-Jeff Cormier
This is a good story and inspire me a lot. It really connected to the community service what we did. The man in the story who threw starfish to the ocean showed his wisdom to the wise man. One person's power is weak and small, cannot make huge different to the world. But we cannot think like this way. In this world, people are dying in every seconds, so could docotors not to recue people's life? They cannot stop people dying but they still try their best to do that, they cannot make the different that "no people dying any more", but they did the different, this person alived! They did not give up in anytime so that many people back to life from the disease and accident, and their families become happy and thankful since the doctor's work. These are the different they made. So were us, we cannot clean up all the world, even the Rhode Island, even the Roger Williams Park, even the river. But we did, we made the different, we clean the park and river and we got harvest from it. We got happiness from helped the environment. We did our part to the nature and society. That were the different we did.
ReplyDeleteSo, never think what we did is small and made no different at all. What we made is the different we created. Do better and make more different!
-Junmeng Liu
This is the first time that I have read this story. The first impression that I’ve got from reading the short story was an overwhelming feeling. It was not about how the young man has saved starfish but there is a deep meaning behind it. For me it’s the line that the young man has said which was “I made a difference to that one,” even though he is not able to save all of the starfish, at least he was able to save some of them. It is like when we are working as a community; some people might think why we need to help with cleaning up the park or pick up trashes on the ground when they think that someone else will do that anyways. If everybody thinks the same as the first person then no one will be picking up trashes or cleaning up the park. Also if you start to do it even if it is just a little piece of plastic it can make a difference to that park and if more people seeing you do so, they might follow what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteMy Opinion about Morton’s analysis was that he was a little too much, he had some good points but some of it was a little over. I think he was not reading between the lines because I believe that the author or the one who wrote the short story was not actually writing about helping the starfish but he wants us to read between the lines.
There is a connection between the starfish story and our spring cleanup work. When I was picking up trashes in the Park, I still see a lot of them are still waiting to be picked but it was hiding in between the woods. I was not able to pick up all the trashes because it was hard to go through all the branches and especially it was a very steep path. But still all of us have picked up many trashes that were there in the beginning. Even if all of them were not picked up we have made a difference to the part of the park that we have cleaned up.
- Karolin Springer
I haven’t read this story before. I like this story. It is just a short essay, but tells us an important thing. It tells us that though one’s effort cannot change a lot, it can change a little part. If we work together, little part plus little part together, it will become a large part. Maybe it is large enough to change the whole thing. I cannot agree with Morton's critical analysis. He thought that story in a so narrow way. He thought that if it is only a little change, we wouldn’t have to do that. It’s like helping people, though we know it won’t make any change, most of the people will still help others. I like helping others. I don’t care about how little change it will be.
ReplyDeleteWe help clean the park and the river are like “hurling starfish”. What we did is really a little part, even it can’t change a lot of impact on the environment. But our intention is on good purpose, we just want to make an effort to help.
For balance individual “good works”, I think though we have a little people, if we organized well, plan well and everyone makes effort to do the things, we can make a big change. I think it is ok to criticize the people in the story. Everyone has different opinions. For community service is also ok. If people criticize you, it can motivate you to do things better than before. Sometimes the criticizing will give you some advices. So the community service will be better and better in the future.
-Rui Yan
Prior to today I had not read the short story “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley. Morton’s critical analysis of the story and its message to me was bias and harsh. His view of the story is not necessarily wrong but I believe it’s not the only purpose of this tale. He did although make good some good points but this story and be turned into different purposes whether Morton sees that or not. The aspects of the Spring Cleanup that was purely simple were just simply picking up trash making the environment around us cleaner not only for us humans but for animals and the atmosphere. The way you can balance individual “good works” with more thoughtful, knowledge-based and effective collective action is basically to gather a group of volunteers and make not a small difference but a big difference. Criticizing such a sweet, simple message as the one in The Starfish Story did not seem wrong, due to the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinions whether it is right or wrong. I feel this it is sometimes okay to criticize different types of community service/civic involvement. Criticism could easily be utilized to better the situation and make things easier and effective. Overall I believe that the short story “The Star Thrower” sends a simple message out that even the smallest thing you may do can make a difference.
ReplyDelete-Andrea Delgado
I had never read or heard of the Starfish Story before. However, I enjoyed the short story and was able to relate to it after having completed my community service. As I read Morton’s critical analysis of the story, I was rather surprised and put off at how much he delved into deeper topics, seemingly tearing them apart. Although he touched on some interesting points concerning humans and community service, I believe his response to the Starfish Story was a bit too harsh. A simple short story such as that had a simple and meaningful message; every bit of help makes a difference, no matter how small.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing this story to our community service spring cleanup, the purely simple aspect, such as hurling starfish, was picking up litter and debris from the park and river. However, as we cleaned up the area, we not only helped get rid of trash, but we made a more appealing and natural state out of the areas where humans or mother nature had caused debris. Also, we potentially saved some of the animals and their natural habitat. I believe our good works were therefore more thoughtful and “knowledge-based” as Morton suggested in our article. We worked together to serve more than just a simple purpose to pick up trash.
During and after reading the Starfish Story, it was rather upsetting to think that such a simple story and message were brutally torn apart and criticized. Some of Morton’s messages may have had good intentions, but the simple short story had a simple message; no matter what community service you do, no matter how small, it is still significant in some way. Any type of community service/civic involvement stands to be criticized. However, in order to be considered community service in the first place, there has to be some sort of good coming out of the project, right? I believe our efforts at the park and river cleanups were simple tasks which made a great impact to the area, others, and animals. Community service is going beyond simply walking past the helpless starfish or trash, and going even just one step further to making the world; as well as other humans, animals, etc., a better place.
-Tammy Saunders
No, I have never heard the starfish story, though I found it to be really up-lifting and positive. I really don't agree with Morton's critical analysis of the story. In fact, I think he definitely over analyzed a simple and sweet moral story.
ReplyDeleteThe clean up of RWP and the Pawtuxet river in many ways were like hurling starfish. There was tons of trash and debris strewn about and at times, the amount of litter at these locations was a little discouraging. I felt like as a group we weren't making much progress - but after I took a moment to look around and see the hard work my classmates and I accomplished, I was then reminded that together, we are making a difference! The aspect of the spring clean up that I felt was political had to do with the lack of trash cans at RWP. I had a conversation with one of the members from Serve RI about the trash bins and found out the reason why there aren't many places to dispose of trash is because the city of Providence doesn't want to fund for them and pay park rangers to maintain them as well. I was really disappointed to hear that.
I'm really glad I was able to help out this cause. RWP and Pawtuxet river was in great need of help. People who criticize others for volunteering their time are simply ignorant.
- Alexis Antoci
fI have read this story before and I like the message that it implies. I have never read a response like that of what Morton wrote. I couldn't help but through out a small laugh while I was reading the response because this is usually the way that I think. I like to look at something in a way that most people choose not to just for the sake of friendly argument. I feel like Morton looked at the story far too seriously and even answered some of his own questions without realizing it. He says how the story avoids the idea of community service because the older man did not put in a helping hand but I offer to say, what if that's the whole point of the story? To make you think to yourself "What if the old man helped, too?" It provides people with the feeling that maybe they would have been more willing to give a helping in this situation therefore, strongly encouraging community service.
ReplyDeleteNone of what we did at the Spring Cleanup was based solely on the environment. Garbage does not belong to be out in the environment, an we were removing it. I can see how it would be comparable to the starfish just because it was as if we were doing a small act, but I don't think that our actions an this story parallel very much
-William Smith
This is the first time I have read the starfish short story. My first impression of the story is that it is a simple message that even the little things help in a big way. You might be one person but the efforts you put in can make a difference somewhere. With Morton’s response, you cant disagree with his argument. I mean I believe everything happens in this world for some sort of reason, you cant also know or understand the reason behind but there is a reason. I Agree with Morton when he says “Third, the story avoids the possible complexity of ecology: it might be that the starfish are part of a food chain that is being interrupted as they are thrown back - birds might go hungry at a critical time of year, for example; or it might be that the starfish have been released by a storm from the ocean bottom because they have outgrown their habitat. It is never smart to intervene in an ecosystem without understanding how all of its parts are interrelated”. If there is one thing I have learned it is not to mess around with nature. Let nature take its course. You might think you doing the right think by giving the starfish life, but what about the bird you just took dinner away from?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to cleaning the community of trash and from naturally disaster, that something different then starfish hurling. River clean ups and community service in park and local area do help for an extended period of time, but later on down the road some other group of volunteers are going to be clean that same exact spot that community service program just helped restore.
John Campbell
I have never read nor heard the original story titled, The Starfish Story. However, after reading it I found it to be an uplifting metaphor used comparatively for our community service. The story provides readers with this concept that it takes just one person to make a difference in our society. In this scenario, one person assisted the needs of stranded starfish. Similarly, my group of Residential Assistants worked tediously to help others who were impacted by pollution from either the winter season or flooding from Pawtuxet River.
ReplyDeleteContinuing to read Morton's critical analysis, I was somewhat appalled by his statements. The Starfish Story is meant to be something that people read and are compelled to aid others and Morton almost made me feel like I should not participate in community service. He over analyzed the story with negative opinions through clearly stated facts such as the piece on ecosystems. Community service should be something want to do because they will make a difference even if it only a small difference. So go ahead and throw those starfish back into the sea because like the young boy said, “I made a difference to that one!”
-Ashley Shea
The starfish story is a story that I am very familiar with. Every time I read the story I love how the little boy throws back the starfish into the water because he felt as if he could save one starfish. I don’t think that Morton’s critical analysis was necessary. The point of the story is that maybe by just by helping one person you could make a big impact on their life. The story is meant to be inspirational to urge more people to help out their communities.
ReplyDeleteAlthough cleaning up the park was not the same as “hurling” the starfish back into the ocean, but I felt as if we made a big difference to the park. Even though we couldn’t clean all seven lakes within the park, the lakes we did get to we make a huge difference for. If you really think about it, you can see the ponds within the park as the starfish, and we are the main character throwing the starfishes back into the water by cleaning up the ponds. The same goes for the river, We couldn’t clean up all the areas in Rhode Island that were effected by the flood, but by cleaning just one area, we could really make a huge impact.
-Amanda Colaluca
i have never heard of the star fish story before this. I really enjoyed the message that it sent towards me. I also really liked how the young boy threw the starfish back into the oceaN. It shows that one small kind act of helping those in need can in the end make a large impact. The point of the story was very simple and right to the point. This story was also very inspirational and i feel that young children could benefit from this the most.
ReplyDeleteI found Morton to be quite harsh in the way he viewed things. One simple act of kindness i feel can make a difference where as he feels it is a waste of time. His views and perception towards small acts of service are pointless and also meaning. After reading his story and made me not want to do community service because he was so harsh towards the idea of it. He completely over analyzed the whole story and took it was to far.
Ashley Donoghue
The Starfish story is new to me. Overall I felt it had a very simple but effective message that shouldn't have been over analyzed. Morton has the right to criticize the story; however, the question that could arise could be was it the author’s intention to make the story simple. In my opinion, the simplest stories with broad meanings hold greater influence upon people because it allows people to connect to it in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteCleaning both the parks wasn't necessarily as simple as throwing starfish back into the ocean because the items in which we removed did not belong and posed a greater threat to the environment. Though, I do believe that by taking part in the service I was able to make a difference and any change is better than no change.
In conclusion, it is okay to critique community service to make it better but I wouldn't want to belittle anyone’s efforts to help in their community.
-Jake St. Julien
This was the first time that I had read the Starfish story. Though it was short and simple, I believe it had an impactful message. The story proves that one person can make a diffrence. It also proves that it takes one person to get others involved.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mortons points were un-called for. i do not see the point of trying to find a reason why someone shouldent try to help something as small as a starfish. Helping the community can just be with one person, and can go towards helping anything. If the group and I didnt take the initiative to help our community during our service then who would? The small area that we cleaned at the park and by the river is one small step to creating a massive clean up by the community.
-Kimberly Irving
This was not my first time reading the starfish story. I had read it a couple of times in the past. I always thought this story was quite inspirational. I think it’s a story many can learn from. It thought me no matter how big or small a problem is you could help out some way. I’m sure Morton has some logic in his critical analysis of the story, but I do not in any way agree with it. I don’t think we interpreted it the same way and even though I tried rationalizing what he was saying, but despite the many times I read it, I couldn’t agree with his analysis. I think some aspects of the Spring Cleanup that could be considered purely simple “hurling starfish” were probably the cleaning up the liter in the water in the Roger William Park. I don’t think because the lake in the park might get filled up with liter again after the cleanup is a reason to not clean up the water. I believe Morton had a negative view throughout his analysis and underappreciated the message the short story was trying to get across. The short story does not talk about community service per say, but by the “young man” throwing the fish back in the water, I do believe that could be considered community service.
ReplyDeleteJeslie Martinez
I have never personally read the starfish story before, however I felt it conveyed an important message. That is one person can make a difference in this world, but more importantly it proves that one person cannot do it alone and will need to persuade others to help. I believe that Morton makes one very distinct point that people tend to think with emotions rather than logic, his other points were rather silly and a bit too harsh. With being said I believe the work done at the park’s was beneficial, since trash should not be compared with the biological food chain and in this case I personally believe that the starfish story is completely irrelevant in Morton’s point of view, only the general concept of the story should be applied.
ReplyDeleteThe work that was done at the parks was not even close to done, but it is certainly closer than when we first came there. These projects to not happen overnight and I felt privileged to be a part of the effort in cleaning up the parks. I thought I would not have a taste for community service but when I saw the end result I was quite pleased with the work that was done.
- Matthew Hood
I never heard of this story before, I think it is a great message to get out. one by one, little by little, getting the job done to benefit others is a rewarding experience. People may laugh that just one person cant make a difference, but to the others that one person touches it makes a huge difference. This goes back to the quote, "To the world your one person, but to one person your the world." If your the one person making changes for the better to someone, it doesn't matter the quantity of how many people you touch, but the quality, how you did it and that you will always be remembered.
ReplyDeleteHelping clean the parks was a fun experience. It was one day out of the whole year that we could make a difference to the people who go to them and the life involved with it. Granted it was just one day, seeing how much garbage was gone since the beginning was good to see. If people took time out of their day, maybe an hour a day, the parks would never get like that. If everyone helped out little by little, everywhere could be a better place to be in. I was happy to help make a difference for people to enjoy the park rather then seeing a dump in the rivers. I'm glad I can say that I helped out.
- Calli Steiner
I had never read the original short story in the past, but reading it now I think it’s a sweet, basic story of how one person came make a difference to someone. And I don’t really take kindly to the critical analysis provided. The points made in it are valid, yes, I don’t disagree with that. But this story isn’t meant to be a perfectly factual representation of the values of community service. I think of it more as a children’s story, meant to inspire young people to try and do an act of good will in their community.
ReplyDeleteI believe that simple individual acts, such as throwing the starfish, are a result of a moment’s thought. You see a creature in need of assistance and you provide it. It’s simple and pure. But to be an active member in servicing your community I think it is wise to become a part of a more formal organization, one that knows the social and environmental impacts of doing something before they take action. Any act of kindness should be appreciated, but by doing good deeds through an organization I think it makes it easier to participate in acts that are good for you, your community, and the environment.
- Carly Phillips
This is the first time that I have ever heard this story, I thought it was a great simple explanation of community service. The community service that I took part of had a simple factor to it as well, walking around picking up pieces of trash. We picked up all the trash we could even tho it wasn’t every little piece it still made a difference and i feel like that relates to exactly what the little boy thought when throwing the star fish back into the water. He knew that he couldn’t help every single star fish but just throwing one back mad a little difference then not at all, same with picking up all the trash that we could. The clean up at the park was a little different because the trash was there because of the human species, if everyone cared about the environment, we would be better off and would not have to take time out of our day to take care of other peoples messes. In the star fish story you really don’t know whether that was the way the star fish were suppose to be or not but he didn't care he thought that the water was there home and that is where they belong.
ReplyDeleteThe way you can balance “good work” is by being more knowledgable about what your doing to make sure your act of kindness is actually beneficial. The little boy on the story was throwing the star fish back in water because he felt like that was the best thing to do, but it was a thing of natural and stuff like that usually doesn't happen for not apparent reason. I don't feel it was right to criticize just a simple act of kindness, he thought he was helping and sometimes thats what makes a difference a simple act of kindness. Yet i do feel sometimes it is okay to criticize different types of community service because i feel some deserve more help then others and those are the ones that get the least. I feel that the major problems in the world she be the first ones to get help. To help to just say you helped, help because you care. sometimes people use it for status and i feel that is all the wrong reasons.
Ashley Gobeil
Some of the aspects of the spring cleanup that were simple were picking up the plastic and aluminum cans and bottles that were scattered around the woods, and pond. Using the trash picking tools that we used made the job very simple not making people bend over, or have to worry about how disgusting a piece of trash may be. The more complex part of the community service project was when the group encountered big objects that needed to be moved, or when the truck had to come back into the woods and pick up the garbage that was too much to carry.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing our community service project to Hurling Starfish you see that a little does go along way. As I was leaving the last site a man asked me, “Did all that garbage come from those woods?” Yes they did and without us community service volunteers no one would have known and who knows how long the garbage would have sat there. A little difference does go along way and the fact that our school does community service is a good thing because it teaches the students to be aware of their surroundings. The simplest things can go a long way things from rolling a plastic barrel to the nearest dumpster, or picking up a gum wrapper are all the things that will make our world more like hurling starfish.
-Kayla Phinney