The Best Friend I Ever Had
Influence? Why is it that the people who influence us most influence us in ways that are not easily quantified? Through her work with abused children, my mother has shown me the heroism of selfless dedication to a worthy cause. By being an upstanding individual, my playwriting teacher in middle school acted as an inspiring male role model at a time when I needed one most. By being approachable and interesting, my World History teacher in my freshman year of high school opened my eyes to the connections between a society's culture and its history and broadened my view of cultures and the world. While these influences mean much to me and have contributed greatly to my development, they came too easily to mind.
The fact that I could sit down and write a list of how these people influenced me suggests that the influence did not alter me in any profound way. These people are all my elders, and perhaps I feel distanced from them. The person whose influence shook me to the deepest level is a person whose influence is nearly impossible to describe. Pierre, the best friend I've ever had, changed me, and I changed him at one of the most crucial times in our lives: the seventh grade. We developed our personalities, our senses of humor, and our love for girls at the same time and in the same manner. It would cheapen his influence to quantify it; I am what I am because of him; I cannot say that about anybody else.
Pierre came to my school in the seventh grade, and we immediately clicked. Before he came, I didn't feel like an outcast by any means, as I had my friends that I had known since first grade. However, until Pierre, I never had anyone my age to identify with completely. Pierre made me feel confident in who I was; he reaffirmed my drives and my thoughts and my inspirations. At this awkward stage in our lives, we found uncritical appreciation in each other. We both were obsessed by movies and had a similar sense of humor. We had the same problems and the same thoughts. That was all it took.
Halfway through that same year, Pierre and I became inseparable. In fact, our yearbook had a section that lists the names of students and what they were never seen without.
ubiquitous and constitutes the greatest psychical danger-situation known to the human organism...' (ibid.). Isabel Menzies Lyth argues that these anxieties are
An influence that made an impact throughout our historical events, and in my culture was Cesar Chavez . He is was a civil rights activist and a labor leader who fought for improving the working conditions and fair amount of pay for farm workers. He would lead marches called boycotts, and also did hunger strikes . Before he did all this he himself , with his family worked in the fields as farm workers. Cesar Chavez hardened by his experience and dedicated his life to improving the treatment with nonviolence .
are involved, at one point or another, with Brett, a woman who shares their charact-
"All the gods you have named are not gods at all. They are gods of deceit
quickly became a close friend. He shared his experiences working at summer camps and volunteering in
Jake Barnes, as the narrator and supposed hero of the novel, fell in love with Brett some years ago and is still powerfully and uncontrollably in love with her. However, Jake is unfortunately a casualty of the war, having been emasculated in a freak accident. Still adjusting to his impotence at the beginning of the novel, Jake has lost all power and desire to have sex. Because of this, Jake and Brett cannot be lovers and all attempts at a relationship that is sexually fulfilling are simply futile. Brett is a passionate, lustful woman who is driven by the most intimate and loving act two may share, something that Jake just cannot provide her with. Jake's emasculation only puts the two in a grandly ironic situation. Brett is an extremely passionate woman but is denied the first man she feels true love and admiration for. Jake has loved Brett for years and cannot have her because of his inability to have sex. It is obvious that their love is mutual when Jake tries to kiss Brett in their cab ride home: "'You mustn't.
She was the most caring and dedicated teacher I ever had and she respected every student as an individual. On the other hand, she had a very negative influence on my life. She is the person who told me there was no Santa Clause, which ruined Christmas for me for a very long time. Another person who has had a great influence on my life is Mr. Robinson. He was my first band teacher. He is the person who convinced me to join band, which
My next major influence was my first grade teacher. I remember most of that school year was spent on Martin Luther King Jr. That was the first time I had learned about racism, and what had happened in the past to blacks, amongst others. That school year had a great impact on me and it has changed me ever since to treat all people fairly, no matter what color, sex, intelligence level, social class, etc. This experience has taught me the meaning of democracy, and how to practice it.
Jake suffers from the nagging fear of the loss of his sexual prowess as a result of the wounds suffered during the war. Although this condition is not explicitly mentioned in the story, it is nevertheless implied. This physical dilemma brings psychological consequences so that leaves him insecure about his masculinity. Compounding this feeling is the fact that Brett, the love of his life, refuses to have a relationship with her. Once when there were in a taxi, and he tried to kiss her, Brett's response was, "Don't touch me. Please don't touch me" (33). Although Brett says that she loves him, she really doesn't want to deal with what she perceives as related problems. With other women, like in the case of another character Georgette, Jake can be charming and funny, though he seems to get bored with them quickly. Brett's apparent reservations lead Jake to believe that there could never be a sexual rel...
Jack’s reaction shows evidence of his happiness of his new found brother. The same man that played his brother in their mind games with friends and family.
In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest strongly focuses on those of the upper class society and the vanity of the aristocrats who place emphasis on trivial matters concerning marriage. Both Algernon and Jack assume the identity of "Ernest" yet ironically, they both are beginning their marital lives based on deception and lies. Lady Bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat who forces the concept of a marriage based on wealth or status rather than love. Through farce and exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the foolish and trivial matters that the upper class society looks upon as being important. As said earlier, a satiric piece usually has a didactic side to it. In this case, Lady Bracknell learns that the same person she was criticising is actually her own flesh and blood.
... that he cannot satisfy Brett’s unquenchable needs, and Brett acknowledges this as well. Jake lack of masculinity brings him any empty life, filling him with alcohol and other insufficient objects that can never truly satisfy him.
Teachers serve as the guiding force in a student’s life. They are responsible for molding a student’s personality and shaping his/her mental orientation. Teachers deeply impact our lives and direct the course of our future. One cannot deny the influence of teachers in one’s life. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that, till a certain age, out life revolves around our teachers. They are our constant companions, until we grow old enough to come out of their shadow and move ahead on our own.
I think the most influential people in my life are my parents. They are always there when I need them and sometimes when I think that I don't. They have taught me the value of honesty. I feel that they are the soul reason why I turned out the way I did. I don't drink or do drugs because they have taught me they are wrong and unhealthy. I was taught to respect my self as well as others.
Friendships are one of the most important things you can get out of life. It’s something that everyone has to have because without it we would all go insane. Just think if no one talked to each other and we never made friends, this world would be a ticking time bomb. Studies say human need friendships and love to survive. So friendship is a big part of your life.