I am not unfamiliar with the word “hope,” and I believe no one is. Hope is something we say every day, and sometimes we have this leaping feeling in our hearts, which we would conclude with the word “hope.” But we only end up being very vague when asked what “hope” actually is.

Somehow, I’m sure it is not a common thing like the candies my dad would bring home every night after work or the pretty little pens they sell in the store around the corner. It has to be so much bigger than that, something exotic, something extraordinary.

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear,” says President Snow in The Hunger Games. A wise and cruel man, he has already sensed a spark of fire preparing to ignite the people’s anger towards the cruelty of the Hunger Games and the domination of the Capital. I was so immersed in the whole story of Katniss’s heroic acts that not until I had finished reading did I realize that I had just encountered a very good definition of “hope.” Hope is like a sunbeam, sending fearful creatures scuttering away.

Before long, I got my hands on The Great Gatsby. Gatsby believes in the green light in front of Daisy’s house, and there is not a day when he gives up trying to get closer to the past. His hard work pays off and soon he buys a mansion in West Egg, just across from Daisy’s house in the East. He places his fantasies in endless parties and hopes that someday the muse of all his dreams will show herself. It is fascinating to see how his hope guides him through all these hardships and difficulties. So there you have it: hope is something that will help you on your way to greatness.

It is said that one should never analyze things with a closed mind. I was determined to get to the root of things and happened to come across one of the greatest movies in the world, The Shawshank Redemption.

The setting of the movie is a prison. A vice president of a large bank, Andy, is accused of killing his wife and her lover. Though Andy did nothing of the kind, he is sent to prison for a lifetime. Andy has a hard time in Shawshank Prison, but he never gives up the idea that he doesn’t belong there. He believes that he is meant to be in the outside world and be surrounded with freedom. He is quiet and steady and almost seems comfortable in the prison. He helps to set up the Shawshank library and educates the other prisoners to help them to get a degree. His talent in economics makes him a tool for many guards, including the warden, to escape high taxes. The warden also uses Andy to launder the money he has gotten illegally. Despite the difficulties, on one stormy night, after 19 years in prison, Andy escapes and is reunited with his friend Red.

“Hope is a dangerous thing,” warns Red. Andy walks away with a smile on his face. As I was still puzzling over Andy’s relaxed behaviors in Shawshank, it suddenly came to me that it is hope that gives him confidence, courage, and perseverance. It is hope that encourages him to dig through the stone wall for 19 years and at last regain his freedom.

Hope is like a spark in the darkness, helping you to see the way ahead of you. Hope is like a compass in the wilderness, helping you to find the route of survival. Hope is like an engine that will motivate you even though all odds are against you. Hope is a kind of miraculous power which will steel you through all kinds of hardships and difficulties and ensure that, someday, you will be standing beside the ocean, polishing a boat while waiting for an old friend.