Columbine Reflection pgs 237–302

This passage started with a quote out of Eric’s journal that said, “I will choose to kill.” and his explanations were all over the place, why would he choose to kill though? It couldn’t just be because he thinks humans are morons, because that’s just nuts. I 100% agree with the conclusion that Dr. Fuselier came to, Eric was a psychopath. He came to this conclusion by reading Eric’s journals and analyzing his characteristics and decided that was the only way he would be capable of plotting this attack and carrying so much hatred. Not to mention all the people he deceived along the way. Only a psychopath would kill to “demonstrate his superiority and to enjoy it.” Eric enjoyed the whole ride; the lying, deceiving, and in the end the killing. This is horrifying to even think about doing, much less enjoy doing it. Psychopath is a very fitting description for Eric Harris.

On a lighter note, in the face of extreme grief and sadness, there is always hope. Throughout this section there were some really creepy parts, like Eric being a psychopath, but there were also some very touching parts that showed that there was a glimmer of hope. For example, Patrick Ireland was severely injured in the attack and had serious speech and physical issues. But, Patrick battled back and slowly began speaking clearly again. He also fulfilled his goal of being valedictorian. He gave an extremely moving speech that would give anyone hope. Cullen writes, “It had been a rough year, he said. The shooting had made the country aware of the unexpected level of hate and rage that had been hidden in high schools.” He went on to say that he is truly convinced the world is inherently good at heart. He ended his speech with this, “When I fell out the window, I knew somebody would catch me. That’s what I need to tell you: That I knew the loving world was there all the time.” Reading about Patrick’s speech moved me, and I can only imagine the impact it had on his fellow peers.

Lastly, I don’t understand Dylan in the slightest or anything he did. I think that his heart was ever really in this attack. Yet he did it. He did murder people in Columbine. In his journal, all he wrote about was love and how depressed he was. If he was depressed and needed love, I don’t understand why he didn’t seek out help or even talk to his parents about his depression. I know Dylan was a follower, but what kind of follower follows his “friend” in the murder of 13 innocent people? I think that he was looking for a way out of all his loneliness and sadness he held inside. He was very suicidal, but he decided he was going to take people with him. That is extremely upsetting to me.

Throughout this section, I read about a psychopath, a source of hope and inspiration, and an extremely depressed adolescent. I observed that the psychopathic teen influenced the depressed adolescent to commit unthinkable crimes and ruined the lives of countless people. But, a source of hope emerged as Patrick fought his illness and became valedictorian, he inspired many to never lose hope. I learned that in the face of the sadness and grief that there is always hope, all is never lost.