Why Must You Degrade Me?: A Thought On Bullying and Intimidation

       Bullying and intimidation are major problems in kids no matter what ethnicity or age. Many people are effected so strongly because of it. Being bullied varies from the classic instances of "Give me your lunch money" to being pushed into criminal activity. No matter what kind of bullying it is, it all hurts the same. Victims of bullying have been known to become very anti social and even more exposed to enduring depression. The reasons for bullying are extremely vague, for bullies can talk about anything from the way a person dresses to how smart they are. This shows that people always talk no matter what you have or don't have. However, if you are a victim, you can't try to change yourself to make people stop talking about you. When I was younger, I was teased very badly. However, I never had low self esteem, so it didn't bother me and I was able to fight through it. I was able to show everyone how smart I was by earning straight As as well as showing my different artistic abilities.In the end, I was able to overcome it.

    Being intimidated goes hand in hand with bullying, but it can be a little different. The way I interpret bullying is when you are getting teased and people alienate you. However, my perception on intimidation is different. Intimidation to me is when someone scares you enough to manipulate the things you do. For instance,  in the story, " The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake, Maleeka is intimidated into doing Charlese's homework. Charlese, however, is supposed to be a type of friend and protector to Maleeka. However, she uses her to get what she wants. Initially, that is my definition to intimidation. When someone makes you do something and uses you to benefit themselves. Its all the same though, really because in the end, you can either let this destroy or make you stronger. You must choose the latter.

       To get more information, you can go to Bullying for help.

      

I'm Alone: The Obstacles of Isolation

Being isolated is one of  hardest obstacles in a teenager's life that they struggle to overcome. Isolation can be internal as well as external. I see isolation in the mind as being very traumatic for a person. On the outside of the teen, they could be very outgoing or even appear happy. However, if you tried to look inside their mind, you could see their hurt. As it gets more  severe, they become more and more difficult to actually interact with and finally become isolated and categorized as an outcast. In the novel, "Pemba's Song: A Ghost Story", she was isolated form her mom and all of her old friends. One of the first problems she encountered was moving away. To make matters worse, she started to feel as though her friends had already started to forget her. Additionally, her mom didn't see how much her problems bothered her and kind of ignored it, which made it even more difficult for Pemba. She felt extremely alone.

  If you ever feel isolated from anything varying form friends to family, I think the best thing to do is try to find a hobby that can fill the sadness of feeling of isolation. Maya Angelou went through a time of silence where she refused to speak to anyone. When she finally spoke again, she was into drama and other extra curricular activities. Also, you could try to take up writing .As an aspiring poet, writing is an escape from life, and it gives you an opportunity to express how you really feel. In the end, maybe you won't feel so alone.