In the two essays by authors White and Grealy, they have similarities. One example would be the groups, White calling them "Tribes" and Grealy calling them "Cliques". These are specific gatherings of kids that form together and are identified through either their actions or the way they dressed. In Whites essay, this could be determined by her use of saying what the "popular kids" wore. The abercrombie and Fitch type kids, and the actions of one group called the "natural healers" being that they were involved in helping out a cause. Other common ground both authors had were speaking about lunchtime and the loneliness felt during it. With White, she was writing as a spectator speaking of the overweight girl, eating alone and trying to ignore the teasing from the boys. Whereas Grealy wrote about her own experience of being teased by the group of boys until ultimately having lunch by herself in her couselors office. The thesis of Grealy, I want to say is about people not understanding one anothers point of view. She speaks about hearing others complain about their misfortune or dispair, however, she thinks they have nothing to complain about being that they are in good health and a normal face. With White, I believe her thesis is of how the many tribes segragate themselves from others. Only interacting when they are teasing others. Once the "natural healers" come to collect pennies for the penny wars, they are all bewildered by it. Not too sure on how to react.
For me, school was not so much a joy. I never truly got the hang of being "cool". I wasn't socially awkward, but I wasn't the most sought after person to hang out with. From my previous writing, I am a mixed race with a weird last name so that didn't always give me points either. Only when I hit highschool did I finally come into my own. I didn't care so much about what others thought and had my own style. I just saw everyday as getting closer to the end of the popularity contest. I wasn't a geek or an outcast, but I wasn't in the most desireable group either. For the most part, people knew my name and I had a lot of friends. I never joined any type of sport but was really athletic. I had two "tribes" of friends for lunch. I call them tribes rather than cliques because they both didn't fit into any specific label of group. Even though I had those two groups and many other friends, I chose to sit in the library to read books. I found that a book of fiction was much more interesting than gossip about who's dating who, or who was pregnant now. Looking back on it now, it all seemed so silly. Growing up shows you what truly matters to others. If I only knew then, what I know now, my adolescence would have been so much easier. I guess, you live and you learn.
For me, school was not so much a joy. I never truly got the hang of being "cool". I wasn't socially awkward, but I wasn't the most sought after person to hang out with. From my previous writing, I am a mixed race with a weird last name so that didn't always give me points either. Only when I hit highschool did I finally come into my own. I didn't care so much about what others thought and had my own style. I just saw everyday as getting closer to the end of the popularity contest. I wasn't a geek or an outcast, but I wasn't in the most desireable group either. For the most part, people knew my name and I had a lot of friends. I never joined any type of sport but was really athletic. I had two "tribes" of friends for lunch. I call them tribes rather than cliques because they both didn't fit into any specific label of group. Even though I had those two groups and many other friends, I chose to sit in the library to read books. I found that a book of fiction was much more interesting than gossip about who's dating who, or who was pregnant now. Looking back on it now, it all seemed so silly. Growing up shows you what truly matters to others. If I only knew then, what I know now, my adolescence would have been so much easier. I guess, you live and you learn.
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