<Tab/>The poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson takes it's inspiration from the popular legends of King Arthur. It tells the story of a beautiful woman forced to live in a tower room and weave. The poem poses a hidden question--can the belief in a curse bring about suffering simply because that is the "expected" result? At first, the Lady finds solace in her weaving. A mirror placed …showed first 75 words of 1200 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1200 total…not left her room when she did, she could have just as easily died having never known freedom. It gives the reader something to think about; that is, do the choices one makes affect the outcome of one's life, or does predestination rule the course of life? As J.K. Rowling wrote in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, "It is our choices, far more than our abilities, that show who we really are."