A Beautiful Thing essays

A Beautiful Thing essays Amy Williams Dr.Yow Essay 2 A Beautiful Thing Lucy Grealy, in her essay Mirrors, gives an awesome portrayal of how our external being, as seen by others, shapes and influences our own feelings of inner worth. The author breaks down the true definition of individuality, pointing out that individualism is really nothing more than the way society perceives us. For example, when Lucy was young, her family and doctors rewarded her good behavior (i.e. silence) during chemotherapy by exclaiming, What a brave little girl. Unfortunately, this type of praise installed a false and unhealthy sense of self in Lucy. She became attached to this courageous, stalwart disposition, feeling that her reticence contributed to the approval, attention, and acceptance she received from others. Grealy states, ...if I broke down, this would be seen as despicable in the eyes of both my parents and doctors. I got tired of being brave, every week I told myself not to cry and every week I failed (50). The author f elt that by shedding tears, she had somehow failed to cooperate effectively, leaving disappointment in the heart of her most sought after audience, her parents. Like so many of us experience today, L. Grealy linked her broken life and lack of self-confidence to her outward, flawed appearance. To illustrate, she writes: I didnt feel I could pass up yet another chance to fix my face, which I confusedly thought concurrent with fixing myself, my soul, my life (49). In most cases, it is not necessarily our own face that humans most desire to change, but similarly, we mistakenly long for modification from the outside inward rather than the inside outward. We struggle with self-acceptance, and ascribe our inadequacy to external blemishes, an outside force, Amy Williams Dr.Yow Essay 2 which denies the possibility for self-assertion and growth. As individua ...

Kennedy Assasination essays

Kennedy Assasination essays There is much evidence supporting the innocence of Lee Harvey Oswald involving the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. When one of the most beloved Presidents in United States history was assassinated, Americans were quick to point fingers. Within forty-five minutes of Kennedys assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and within hours, he was charged with the murder of President Kennedy. According to the Warren Commission, the group that investigated Kennedys assassination, Oswald was the lone assassin. The commission stated that he shot a cheap rifle from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, the place of his employment. Three shots were fired, hitting three different people; John Conally, the governor of Texas; President Kennedy, and police officer James Tague. If Oswald had indeed shot this cheap rifle, there should have been a powder burn on his cheek. After Oswald was arrested, his cheek was examined, and no such burn was found. That alone should have supported his innocence. During the day of the assassination, there were two suspicious people at Dealeys Plaza, the area near the murder scene. Both men were standing on a curb, close to Kennedy when he was shot. One man was holding an umbrella, which was strange because it was a warm sunny day and no other bystander was holding one. The second man looked as if he was holding a radio. Both the Dallas Police and the Warren Commission failed to acknowledge these two men throughout the investigation. According to Ralph Schuster, the Zapruder film, clearly shows an open umbrella as the motorcade passed the Stemmons Freeway sign on Elm Street. In photographs taken minutes before and after the assassination, the Umbrella Man pumped his umbrella nearly two feet in the air and then lowered it again. While the Umbrella Man was pumping his umbrella, the man next to him began to raise his arms...