Bullying

Another ordinary day at Merryweather High changed in seconds; as I entered in from the side entrance of the cafeteria I noticed that things were eerily quiet. Not a day nor even a second nor perhaps a millisecond goes by that any high school would ever be this soundless. I sat in the corner alone like always, the Outcast. It wasn’t quiet any longer, almost as if it was me they were waiting for. Imaginary hands crawled like spiders across my skin, snaking around my neck trying to suffocate me, all I wanted to do was scream, yell, yonder any form of communication to get through to my peers. But I just couldn’t speak. In the novel "Speak", Laurie Halse Anderson plays the role of a victim abused by bullying,
 through her times at school we find her struggling to get a grasp at her ever fading life.
 
High school is a scary place, you have to fend for yourself without having parents to protect and guide you. Melinda was thrown into the world of high school without any emphasis on just how vulnerable she is; a shy and unspoken girl, never really participating in any activity during school or at her house because of a tragic accident during the previous summer. However if she would have spoken out about her rape and the fear that associated with it may have changed the way she lived her first year of high school; troubled with hostile treats and relentless teasing. An example of what Melinda went through is exactly like the many people in high school who are put as outcasts, through recent news we have found out that this leads to suicide or other forms of harm. Overwhelmed by the amount of teasing that they get, it makes everything better just to be gone. Or does it? Does becoming a statistic really prove anything? What it does prove is making the bully know that they are the people who are strong, that they will keep doing the same thing to others, because you couldn’t stand up for yourself. Teen Ink.com shows that 60 percent of teenagers have at one point thought of committing suicide; these thoughts may have occurred because they have recently broken up with some one, are failing multiple classes, arguments with parent or a bad family situation. One of the largest reasons this number has drastically increased is due to bullying. There are many forms of bullying such as cyber and verbal. Definitions are a vast range of tempers or behaviors with intentions that can impact social status, reputation, emotions and property. Also it is intentionally meant to be hurtful persistently. We can all say that at one point in time we have been in some type of bullying situation, now if we keep letting things escalate to points where lives are on the line every minute.

When entering high school it is a very frightful place, you can either make the best of it or you can hide in sorrow and become the person that you never would have thought that you would become due to other people's actions. Our life is your own, live it the way you want, not the way others do.

Friday Night Lights and Protecting the Blind Side

"One, Two, Three, BREAK." The play is called, and when the ball is snapped, you run down the field at lightning fast speed. Breaking a hard right, as you look from the corner of your eye the oval shaped ball is spiraling towards your general direction. Lights, some of the brightest you have ever seen, glare right into your eyes as you use all your power to jump. People stand on their feet and cheer before you can even comprehend what is happening. The adrenaline kicks in and takes over your whole body. Sprinting the few short yards that are left and finally you leap into the end zone. Much like scoring a goal in football, life can give you obstacles that are difficult to overcome. In 'The Blind Side', Michael Lewis proves that tackling these obstacles might be challenging but can be immensely rewarding.

"We were wondering if you would like to become a part of this family." Sean Tuhoy asked Michael, but it was when Big Mike replied that had shocked the Tuhoy family. Michael said, "I kinda thought that I already was." One of the most rewarding things that has affected the life of Michael Oher was the appearance of the Tuhoy family. He was one out of thirteen children that never knew his father, birthday or even his name. This wasn’t all, inexplicable acts of his mother caused him to go through a meaningless life. But all the hope of ever making the National Football League seemed to be slipping out of his fingers. That was until this blind side linemen would soon become one of the most spoken about players to have come from one of the toughest places. We have been told that 'once you fall get back up and brush yourself off' or 'if at first you don’t succeed try and try again'. What if you have fallen so far that there is no way to get up? This was true for Big Mike but with the help of Sean and Leigh Anne they landed himself in unknown territory. If Michael hadn't been found he would never have gotten where he was, which means that in turn he couldn’t help other people in situations such as his.

Helping others may not have always been what he had thought that he was going to do until he got to school, "You should really get to know your players. Michael scored in the 98th percentile in protective instincts." But could this be because he was the only person to protect him? The Blind Side symbols just more the simple title that we all thought, the blind side can mean many different things to anyone you ask. But most football fanatics know that you must shield the quarterbacks, the offensive and defensive linemen opposite of his strong hand must act for his 'blind side'. This is the position that Micheal Oher played; it may just be pure coincidence that his defensive impulse is heightened but this seem like perfect position.

Many felt that Michael Oher was incompetent to his hopes and dreams but his determination and perseverance reigned true and was he was able to overcome challenging obstacles. Meticulous work along with a loving and caring family has proved that going through all this work can be rewarding and not just fun and games