Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: Fitting Out !

Submitted By
Words 622
Pages 3
In the locker room, my teammates and I impatiently wait for the game before ours to end. We’re about to play Wagner, a high school basketball powerhouse who had ended both our seasons in two prior years. Six of my teammates are dancing and singing, trying to shake the pre-game jitters away and forget about who we were about to play and what this game could do to our season. Four others are going over plays on the big whiteboard hanging across from the lockers; they’re serious and ready to play. And me? I was in the corner of the locker room, with my headphones stuffed into my ears reading a book.

It’s Academic Decathlon season, Science Fair season, and more importatly basketball season. Everyone in class is talking about the math competition last week or the science bowl competition coming up, or buzzing about how they think they did on the test last period and how stressed they are over a project. And me? I slowly untangle my headphones and retreat to a corner and start reading.

For …show more content…
It’s following your heart and being authentic, instead of hiding behind a painstakingly constructed mask. It means I can stop wondering “what if." Fitting out has taught me so much about myself. When I make a mistake on the court, I learn from it then let it go. When I do poorly on a test I learn from what I did wrong then forget about it. Spending a lot of time on the outside looking in has also led me to being more observant. On the court, I can see when my defender becomes impatient and in the classroom I understand more of the curriculum. I can cope with stress and I’ve learned that complaining to your friends won’t solve any problems. Living on the outside means I can be myself. But most importantly, learning to cope now will help me in the future at college where the stress to conform and perform will be

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Farm Girl

...remind herself of the time on the farm and share with her audience the things that she learned from it.  She is almost giving a reason for why she turned out the way she did, but she is extremely proud about it.  An older audience might perceive it as a child that actually lifted a hand like they did back in the day, whereas a a majority of the younger audience might not be able to relate to working on the farm. 2.) I think for that exact reason, she is reaching out to the younger audiences.  She is sharing her personal experiences in order for this generation to learn from her generation.  She talks about the stress and pressures of being a kid and "fitting in". 3.) She describes/gives credit through her explanation of everyday chore activities and having to choose the farm work and obligations over something that she would rather be doing, or even thrives to do. 4.) Hemaur's responsibility to her readers is to teach them a lesson.  The lesson is that sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do.  By showing/ telling her story and/or experiences, she hopes that the audience can use that information in order to make what she considers to be the right decision.   5.) In order to connect with her audience on a much broader subject, Hemauer talks about internal struggles more than physical labor.  She talks about fitting in and succumbing to peer pressure.  Peer pressure and the hunger to be accepted has and probably always will be a part of teenage life. 6.) I have...

Words: 583 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Occurrence At Owl-Creek Bridge Voice

...The narrative voice often means everything for a story. Some stories want to be very personal, while others want you to see a much broader picture than just one character's feelings. Many authors use different narrative voices to take advantage of their effects. There is not an exception in Ambrose Bierce’s story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, where the author varies the point of view multiple times. Bierce is consistent in the way that he uses third-person, yet it’s form switches throughout the story. The effects of Ambrose Bierce’s variety of narrative voice in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” are many diverse thoughts, sometimes causing very little feeling toward the main character, Farquhar, while other times the voice causes...

Words: 986 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Summary and Personal Response

...Summary and Personal Response By cause of unforeseen circumstances, Suki and her family are forced to give up their "fairy tale" life in South Korea. In her essay “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s Habits,” Suki Kim (2011, p. 62) shares some of the struggles of fitting in that she endures after moving to America. Due to the financial collapse of her father’s businesses and the option of bankruptcy being out of the question, Suki and her family are forced to abandon their extravagant life in South Korea. After arriving in America, the family takes up residence in Queens, New York (Kim, 2011, p. 62). Suki’s new home is anything but glamorous. She describes it as “a crammed, ugly place” compared to the “hilltop mansion” where she grew up. For the first time in 13 years, she has to make her way through the day-to-day routines without the aid of the hired help. Aside from being stripped of her pampered lifestyle, Suki is now attempting to knock down the language and cultural barriers that separate her from her peers. In her new school, Suki is enrolled in an English as a Second Language class. With this class comes the opportunity for Suki to converse with fellow students in her native language. However, in the midst of these common bonds is also the obvious distinction of social status (Kim, 2011, p. 63). America is most often looked upon as a melting pot where all are welcome with the expectation of being treated equally. It doesn’t take long for Suki to realize that...

Words: 470 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Willimon's Argument Against The Fear Of The Other

...God’s love for us. An evaluation of the sources used for the study Willimon primary source for his argument against the fear of the other is the Bible. Appealing to the authority of the Bible, and in particular the life of Jesus, is at the heart of Willimon’s argument. Considering, that Fear of the Other is first and foremost a biblical case for the end of fearing the other this is a fitting primary source for Willimon’s argument. However, the Bible is not the only source that Willimon engages. There is a small list of secondary sources most important of which are Scott Bader-Saye, David Rock and Miroslav Volf. Both Scott...

Words: 1227 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Comparing Pirandello's War And Dulce Et Decorum Est

...In War, a third-person narrative is used, while in Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen uses the first and second person narratives. Both texts lead the reader to think about the limitations of using patriotism to justify loss and suffering. In Pirandello's story, the passengers on the train discuss "which of [their] positions [are] worse” (Pirandello 1370) because they all have children who have been called up to fight in the war. By using the third-person, the reader becomes empathetic towards the stories of the characters, creating a more pitiful tone. In Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen addresses the reader, writing "you too could pace behind the wagon that we flung him in, and watch the white eyes writhing in his face” (Owen l.17-19). Other lines are written in the first person, such as when he describes the poison gas attack he witnessed, saying "under a green sea, I saw him drown” (Owen l.14). This perspective creates a traumatic tone because it places the reader in the story, causing one to imagine oneself in these horrific situations. While Pirandello uses the third person to create a pitiful tone about others’ suffering, Owen uses first and second person to appeal to the reader on a more personal...

Words: 1069 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Week 2

...which meant treating everyday life with emotional sensitivity, showing us how the hardships or highs/lows are supposed to FEEL Jean-Paul Sartre, philosopher with existentialist philosophies: Artists should rebel against societal constraints Responsibility for their own actions Create their own world Alexander Astruc French film critic who said filmmaker needs to use all aspects of camera as a pen Compares it to a novelist and his novel French documentary filmmaking, called “cinema verite” of the 1960’s featuring: Portable camera equipment to make films mobile and flexible Rough, intimate look Informal framing, unsettled camera work British Free Cinema/Italian Neorealism Influence of surrounding film movements in Europe which used Advanced narrative structure Focus on real stories about real people New Wave Tenets Developed by Film theorist Andre Bazin Realism Realistic depiction of everyday life as opposed to exaggerated Hollywood style Mise-en-scene Meaning focusing the elements within the frame Characters, background, ANYTHING in the frame Authorship Director’s style – his vision/perspective Soon-to-be called “Auteur Thoery” New Wave Film Traits (moves away from traditional film making) Unsettled camera movement Unusual angles Addressing the camera Improvisational Rejecting traditional linear story-telling Editing – for the effect of chaos, moves away from smooth transitions “collision of images” Avoids traditional cross cuts in favor of jump cuts Francois Truffaut Film Critic/Director...

Words: 708 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Art Review

...displayed in more ways than one. Kerry James Marshall incorporated his own comic strip into a site specific installation work that he presented covering the glass panels of the display cases in a museum. He titled this piece Rythm Mastr, produced in 1999-2000 the 20 (17 X 11 inch) double page, two-sided printed newspaper comics where made using a photocopy of ink drawing and design marker on paper. This piece is a representational narrative that Marshall uses to try and bridge the gap between modern art and African art. Throughout the comic strip there are many visual elements incorporated into the work, I will point out a few of these. One of the first visual elements that I noticed was the artist’s use of implied time and motion, which is defined as “non-moving image(s) that shows movement through the attributed present in the image.” For example take the stances of the figures and superheroes in the comic strip, each one has its own individual way of showing movement, whether it is the front foot being lifted off the ground, or the arms coming out from the figures sides as it is about to step forward. The artist does a skillful job of showing the implied time and motion this way. The second visual element that caught my attention was the dominant use of primary colors in the color scheme throughout the strip. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue; they are described as being primary “because theoretically they cannot be made by mixing any other colors together.” Marshall...

Words: 1233 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Langston Hughes Salvation Analysis

...and that there had been no years” (White, 80). This recalled memory is triggered by a dragonfly that landed at the tip of his fishing rod. The identification of this dragonfly shows that what makes the lake holy is the idea that there is no time between his memory of the dragonfly and the one with his son, it is as if time stands still at the lake. When you leave the lake, untouched and come back to it later, to find that it will not be stirred, proves that White views this place as being a sacred place finding salvation. Langston Hughes “Salvation” (1061, 2) The main point of Hughes’s narrative is to describe how his experience of being “saved” only caused him to be disappointed in himself. Hughes feeling of guilt pushed him to...

Words: 1706 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Narrative for Lifespan Development

...Narrative of Adolescence Years Abstract This paper is a narrative of my adolescent years from twelve to eighteen. I label these years of awkwardness and pain off a hit show from the early nineties called, “The Growing Pains.” Similar to the characters in the show I struggled creating a personal identity and had difficulty blending in with societal norms. As a result I suffered from much insecurity, false conceptions of beauty, and depression. Up until writing this paper I felt these ideologies and feelings were better left in the past. However, I now understand these experiences shape my current beliefs and will affect my identity as a counselor. Therefore I must address these experiences and deal with them emotionally. As I relive these moments I will correlate my development with the research of the following theorist: Piaget, Erikson, and Seltzer. By showing correlation of my development with their theories I will prove many of experiences as an adolescence were typical of an American teenager. Looking into the mirror I was frustrated. Why isn’t my hair pretty? Other girls wear their hair straight. Why did mine always have to be braided? Why couldn’t I have a relaxer to smooth out my curls? I shook my head in frustration and began to look for the hot comb. On my first day of middle school I was going to look pretty like everyone else. I was going to have my hair straight and laid to the side. My mother usually kept the hot comb under the kitchen sink...

Words: 1877 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

From Literature to Film

...details as closely as possible to the letter of the book. (Linda, Cahir, p16) The second one is traditional, which maintains the overall traits of the book (its plots, settings, and stylistic convention) but revamps particular details in those particular ways that the filmmakers see as necessary and fitting. The third one is radical, which reshapes the book in extreme and revolutionary ways both as a means of interpreting the literature and of making the film a more fully independent work. (Linda Cahir, p17) Traditional adaptation and radical adaptation are considered to be the top two types of film adaptations to discuss since traditional adaptation and radical adaptation are mostly seen in films. In order to examine the effectiveness of both traditional adaptation and radical adaptation in films, Pride and Prejudice (both novel and film), Heart of Darkness (novella) and the film adaptation of this novella Apocalypse Now are going to be discussed here. According to Linda Cahir, “Traditional adaptation maintains the overall traits of the book (its plots, settings, and stylistic convention) but revamps particular details in those particular ways that the filmmakers see as necessary and fitting. (P16)” Pride and Prejudice (both film and novel) is applied here to examine the nature of the traditional adaptation and evaluate the effectiveness of traditional adaptation in the film. As far...

Words: 2845 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Wilfred Owen

...is very effective in evoking feelings from great anger and bitterness to terrible sadness and even sarcasm, making the reader sometimes even feel guilty. Whichever way he chooses to portray the pity of the war the end result is always the same. "Dulce Et Decorum Est" is a direct attack at the people in Britain who had been taken in by the propaganda drive by telling them the truth of what life is really like at the front and in what conditions their sons, fathers, brothers etc. are in. "Dulce Et Decorum Est" consists of four unequal stanzas, the first two in sonnet form, and the last two in a looser structure. The first stanza sets the scene of soldiers limping back from the front. The authorial stance is of Owen telling us of his own personal experiences. The second stanza focuses on one man who could not get his gas mask on in time. This is a recurring nightmare that Owen has, where he sees one man "drown" in the gas and in the third stanza he describes how the man "plunges" at Owen, "guttering, choking, drowning." This is an image Wilfred Owen will never forget. The fourth and final stanza, Wilfred Owen again attacks the people at home who uphold the continuance of the war, unaware ofthe reality. He wishes they could experience his own "smothering dreams" which he then goes on to describe in great detail. At the end of this poem he appeals to people not to tell children "Dulce et decorum est pro patria...

Words: 2515 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Model as a Muse

...Elliott Brown Jr. Professor Deborah Willis Culture, History, Imaging, and Photography Studies December 6, 2011 Model as a Muse In my short career as a conscious photographer, which stems back to my junior year of high school, I have noticed a decisive pattern in my selection of models for my photographs, which lend their selves to fashion specifically, or at least attempt to. While I have not yet developed a particular favor for the aesthetic of one model over the next, it is my experience that the best models, the most responsive, self-aware, intelligent models, are the ones in which I was able to fall in love with. My models usually being women, I could not photograph her if I could not establish some relationship with her that transcended the superficial. I had to spend time with my models, grow with them in some way and understand them, and them myself, to the point where I only needed to provide them with the most minimal of direction during the shoot, and the rest they were able to guide independently. More generally speaking, the relationship between a photographer and those models who remain a distinctive presence in front of the camera amid the “make-up, hairstyling, and clothing being documented” (Koda and Kohle), is particularly fascinating in it’s ability to create additional layers of depth both within the assembled image and the ever-evolving idea of feminine beauty. Accordingly, photographers and designers have been able to portray their artistic visions...

Words: 3133 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Test

...Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies, Jodi Dean argues that “imagining a rhizome might be nice, but rhizomes don’t describe the underlying structure of real networks,”1 rejecting the idea that there is such a thing as a nonhierarchical interconnectedness that structures our contemporary world and means of communication. Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, on the other hand, argue that the Internet is an exemplar of the rhizome: a nonhierarchical, noncentered network—a democratic network with “an indeterminate and potentially unlimited number of interconnected nodes [that] communicate with no central point of control.”2 Our journey begins with early modernism, and if early modernism had a theme, it was oneness. This focus on oneness or unity, on the whole rather than on individual parts, What is at stake in settling this dispute? Being. And, knowledge and power in that being. More specifically, this paper explores how a theory of social ontology has evolved to theories of social ontologies, how the modernist notion of global understanding of individuals working toward a common (rationalized and objectively knowable) goal became pluralistic postmodern theories embracing the idea of local networks. Furthermore, what this summary journey of theoretical evolution allows for is a consideration of why understandings of a world comprising emergent networks need be of concern to composition instructors and their practical activities in the classroom: networks produce knowledge. 1. Jodi...

Words: 7643 - Pages: 31

Premium Essay

Toms Marketing Plan

...Toms Shoes- Case Study ------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary……………………………………………………....3 2. Situation Analysis .....................................................................................4 3. Analysis of case issues using marketing theory 3.1. The trends in the marketing environment …………………….. 5 3.2. Creating value for customers.......................................................6 3.3. Fitting in with the changing marketing environment...................7 4. Conclusion...........………………………………………………………....8 5. References………………………………………………………………...9 1. Executive Summary In the era of globalization and highly competitive business world, it is the goals and desire of every company to take a good portion of market share for their products in the market place. People in different geographic locations are more connected ever than before with advancement of internet and air travels. Online blogs, YouTube and social networking web sites have changed new socio culture across demographics especially in younger generations. Consequently, consumers are also becoming well informed about the brand and products, value conscious and their purchase decision are made beyond the quality of product and its face value alone. The aim of this study is to analyse the key concepts of Toms Shoes Company marketing strategies and important factors that influence the success of this relatively new shoes...

Words: 2472 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

English Paper

...Nina Reed Jhumpa Lahiri is a realist writer of today. Her work is inspired by her experience as an Indian growing up in America and never quite fitting in with both her traditional Indian background and her new American community. Lahiri’s stories express her personal encounter with evading her Indian heritage. She involves in her work the everyday struggles of being stuck between two cultures and remaining true to one’s self. The majority of her stories incorporate her main character having an identity crisis. Lahiri herself, as well as some of her close friends, battled with defining her sense of self as well as how it affected her personal relationships. The author’s stories are relatable in a sense that it deals with the everyday struggles finding one’s true self. On July 11, 1967, Nilanjana Sudheshna Lahiri was born in London England to Bengali Indian immigrants. At the age of three, Nilanjana and her family relocated to the West of the Atlantic to Rhode Island. Because her name was difficult to pronounce, her teacher called her by her nickname, Jhumpa. It was only a pet name that her parents called her, but in America, it became the name she was called by her friends and teachers. This event would mark the beginning of her struggle to assimilate in America. Her father was and still is a librarian at the University of Rhode Island, which influenced her love of reading and writing. While growing up, Jhumpa was often conflicted between both American...

Words: 2335 - Pages: 10