Like Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn involves a boy whose inner self is in conflict with what the adult world expects from him.
Write about a time when your own ideas, beliefs or convictions were in conflict with what was expected from you or considered acceptable. What have you done about it? Another way of approaching this would be to write about what element (s) of "normal," "acceptable" adult life is troubling to you.
Just an FYI: The Common Application for college asks a version of this question in its list of college essay topics.
Like Huckleberry Finn in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, I too have struggled with my inner feelings and self-understanding and how the adult world sees I should be. About 9 months ago I came out to my friends and family as bisexual. Since I was little, I had struggled with the idea of myself liking the same sex because of certain things that I had heard or saw online that being gay or bisexual or transgender was an abomination and that we were all going to hell. Myself being a kid immediately decided to repress all of my feelings for girls and to pass as straight because that is what I believed everyone wanted me to be. I even thought the word homosexual was a “bad word” because no one ever said it. But once I came out, I realized how wrong I was. I had probably the best environment around me in which all of my family and friends were 100% accepting. And I'm so grateful to have them in my life.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Huck Finn, I am expected to do what is expected of me and do what everyone else does, but I have grown from it and changed that. I was raised catholic since I was a baby. I went through all of the stages, baptism, first communion, reconciliation, I'm about to be confirmed, etc. I go to CCD class every Sunday and use to go to church afterwards as well. I went to a Catholic school for a year too to please my family. But I hate the religion. I hate it. And I know hate is a strong word but that's why I'm using it. I find Jesus absolutely ridiculous and I don't believe in that God, I'm not sure I believe in a higher power though. But because my Aunt (who is also my godmother) is the head and director of the church she works at, I'm expected to like it and believe in it and do all of the stuff that I’m required to as a catholic. And because it is such a popular religion, people find it weird that I don’t want to be a part of it. But what I did about that was I told my mom that after I get confirmed in January, I want nothing to do with the church, I’m not going there every Sunday, I won’t pray to “God”, etc. The only time I’ll go in a church is for someone else’s celebration or if I’m required to. And she was fine with it.
ReplyDeleteLike Huck Finn, I have pressure from society as to what is expected of me. As a teenager in high school, there is a lot that comes with it. I am expected to go to school for several hours, contribute to extracurricular activities, sports, complete homework, go to my job, have friends, sleep, eat, and somehow stay sane at the end of the day when I lay my head on my pillow. There is so much pressure on all of us to get the best grades ever and be at the top of our class. We are encouraged to take multiple honors and even AP classes per year so colleges will be impressed with us. That’s another thing, college. We are expected, within these four years of schooling to know exactly what we want to do with the rest of our life. How is one supposed to think of this while we are having to ask to use the bathroom or get water. It is said that high school prepares us for the real world, but in reality I am even more scared than I have ever been as to how I’m going to survive out there. Everyday I feel like I am going to explode with the amount of stress on my shoulders. I don’t understand why they put so much pressure on us if they once were in our position and felt what we are now feeling. There is so much expected of us and that we are to do the best at all times, but sometimes it’s too hard to balance. I understand that at some point i’ll become unbalanced and fall, but eventually i’ll get back up. People say not to worry and that things will fall into place when the time is right. But what if that time doesn’t come soon enough?
ReplyDeleteIn common with what Huck Finn puts forward, I have struggled with an inner conflict. Growing up was not as easy as we say it was, especially if you were not the ideal weight. As a kid, I was not always the skinny friend. I was always the bigger one out of the bunch. Yes, it is a fact that some was baby fat and that it would slim down as I age but some of it just stayed. As a 16 year old girl, I am still not the skinniest girl. I may not be the perfect body weight or have the perfect body shape, but I am proud of who I am and what I look like. Society in 2015 is absolutely horrendous. People are judging others on their size and shape. All of that should not have a toll on your judgement of them. We as a society should focus more on personality and how they treat you and others. My friends tell me that I am not fat but I tell them I am not skinny either. I can be a happy medium. Girls my age will tear themselves apart if they are not comfortable in their own skin. Us girls think of situations like if that certain guy does not like her because she is "too big" for him and that he likes this other girl that is "skinny", he would pick the skinny girl. I find that totally disrespectful because if the bigger girl was an overall better person, you would think they would chose her. But because of society, he chose the skinny girl because of his personal image. He didn't want to be caught with a "big girl". My point is, everyone deals with this conflict no matter what age you are and I think that if people focus more on what is deeper than what you see, society would criticize less and learn to accept others for who they are. I have overall learned that we should not care what other people should think of us. For me, I am comfortable in my own skin. Yes, I could maybe shed a few pounds here and there but I love who I am. If others, no matter who it is, a crush, friend, etc. don't see through all the looks, then it is their loss because I am a great person on the inside and out.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Huck struggles with an inner conflict as do I. Society in 2015 has an insane amount of pressure causing a lot of inner conflicts no matter who you are. You have to be the perfect height, weight, be the smartest in your class, most athletic, and so on. Although I’m not the only student who is constantly stressed, there is another hardship I have faced my whole life. Most people think I’m the typical teen who gets decent grades, plays sports, has lots of friends and all, but I also have a rare genetic disorder. It’s called Ehler Danlos which makes all my joints, ligaments and tendons extremely loose causing me to be flexible and very weak. Every month I have at least 10 different doctors appointments even though I never feel sick. Always in and out of the hospital, always injured, but I can never complain. And every appointment is the same, there is never a cure. I’ve heard the sentence “give up sports and avoid a lot of stress,” probably close to a hundred thousand times. People always ask my why I’m always injured, but I laugh it off because the story is too long. I can’t just sit home all day because I can barely move, I have to go to school and be as close to “perfect” as I can. Society expects us to push through our struggles and act like warriors but in reality I’m only 15 years old. I brought up this genetic disorder last year in my biology class, but it didn’t make a big difference. There is not enough awareness for people with genetic disorders, people think if you don’t look sick you are fine. Inner conflicts and issues are a real issue. However, the pain and experiences I have gone through in my short life some people will never understand. Each and every night is pain, each and every day is pain, yet I still have to balance all the daily tasks of an average teen. Everyone has a story or struggle in life. I wish the adult world didn’t have all these stereotypes. Life just needs to go at a slower pace so we can enjoy the little stuff. Teens small shoulders can’t always handle the constant pressure, especially my shoulders.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up my older brother was very successful academically in School and overtime I learned that, that was also expected of me. Ever since middle school I have felt the pressure from my family that I have to get good grades, and play sports so that I can get into a good college when I graduate from high school. I have always tried to make my parents proud by getting honors and high honors since middle school and by having a majority of my classes being honors. Recently I started to think about why it is so important to me to get good grades in school, when some people are just happy with passing the class. I came to the conclusion that society puts pressure on students to get good grades to help get us into college and so that we can get scholarships to pay for college. But because you get a good grade in a class doesn’t mean that you will automatically be successful in life. Yes, it does help, but there are many successful people in the world that did not do well in school at all. When I was younger if I got a bad grade on a test I would be very upset with myself and my mood for the day would change completely, though over time I realized how silly that is. I learned that it is okay to get bad grades every once in a while. Getting a few bad grades in school won’t affect my future as much as society makes it seem like it will.
ReplyDeleteLike Holden I struggle with what I should do in life. Adults expect you to do good in school and they think that it is easy to do that. They also expect you to think about and plan for your future. The expectation of high school is to be in honors and AP classes. For me I do good in school, so that I will get into a good school. I do not want to grow up really, but I do because that is what you are suppose to do. Mostly the reason why I do not want to grow up, is because I do not know what I want to be. College is coming up soon and I will have to pick what I am going to do for the rest of my life, which is going to be difficult. I try to not think about the future too much and just live my life day by day.
ReplyDeleteLike Huck Finn, my feelings sometimes clash with the expectations of the adult world. Teenagers are often expected to get the best possible grades, and to focus all of their energy on that. And while I always try my hardest, I don't agree with the mentality that grades mean everything. Adults expect us to throw ourselves into our studies, to make sure we get into college and have a successful life. And while I agree that one should try to be successful, that shouldn't dominate your life. I have always believed that everyone should do their on thing, and try to make their lives as enjoyable to themselves as possible. Unfortunately, I seem to be one of few to believe so. Adults expect to much from most teenagers, and it can lead to a lot of stress. And in my case, it doesn't help that this stress can be accompanied by the severe panic and anxiety attacks I've been prone to for a majority of my life. Personally , I believe everyone should strive towards making themselves happy, not what anyone else says they should. Everybody's goal should be to enjoy life as much as the can, not dedicate the first eighteen years of their lives to nothing but schoolwork.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I wasn't the most street smart kid but i was always pretty book smart. Now that i'm in Highschool I decided to take Machine Shop. My mom and dad were fine with this decision but next year Machine shop takes over three blocks of my schedule. My mom wants me to drop it next year because she doesn't think i'll be successful in the engineering field and thinks i should take more honors and AP classes to get into better colleges. I’m very torn between making my mother happy or doing what i want to do.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Huckleberry Finn, I too have an inner conflict. Since I was a young boy I was expected to try my hardest on everything I do. When I go to school, I have been expected to try my hardest. When I play an organized sport, whether it be on a field or court, I have been expected to try my hardest. Even when somebody says that you should not be a "try hard" when playing just an average pick up game I tried my hardest. And I have always been told that if I do my best at everything I do, I will get into a good college, I will gain several friends, and I will be successful in whatever field I choose for my life's occupation.But sometimes my mind wanders into the future and I have to ask, "What if I can't perform at the level of others? What if other people that apply for the same job that stand out far more than I do? What if my best is not good enough?" When I ask other people these questions they say that I am smart and have good grades. But grades don't truly measure one's intelligence. Somebody could care extremely little about school and still be a huge success. When somebody becomes a billionaire everybody assumes that the person was a genius in school, when in reality some billionaires, such as David Karp(the founder of Tumblr), don't make it out of high school. Don't misunderstand me, school is necessary for basic knowledge, but few people will ever need to solve a trigonometric proof or use imaginary numbers, that it is completely unnecessary for schools to teach. If I dedicate my time and hard work to the some of the useless knowledge that schools teach students then I may not be the success that society projects me to be. But after I ask myself all of these questions I end up realizing that these are all a bunch of "what if" questions and come to find that I am Matt Smith: Success of the Future.
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ReplyDeleteFor the majority of my life I have tried to release my inner self, but it is in opposition with what was expected from me. Ever since I was young I was practically obligated to constantly help other people or make them happy. That is not a bad thing in any way but I always seem to forget about myself, because may of different people have needed someone for them whether it be family members, or friends. This contradicts how I want to live my life because at the end of the day I am truly the only person that I have, so I should be living a life that satisfies myself. But on someone else’s rainy day I am there to serve as an umbrella, because I cannot refuse, for if I do they may be inflicted with pain or sadness, and if I have the power to prevent that it is my obligation to do so. Examples of this have become more and more prevalent as I have aged, for so many people in my generation cannot care for themselves properly, whatever the reason. This is also shown in school, at jobs etc. You have to do what they ask to appease them, because if you do not, you will not be able to get through life without being poor, uneducated, or hated.
Similar to the character, Huckleberry Finn in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I have struggled to behave in a way that is often considered “acceptable” by adults, especially teachers. I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder in elementary school. This makes school challenging. With ADHD trying to focus on one thing and stay on one task requires a lot of effort. I tend to focus on many different things at one time. For example, while taking a test my attention shifts to who is finished, which student is tapping their pencil, who got up to sharpen a pencil and who just walked by in the hall. Taking notes during a lecture is also difficult. There are moments that I just zone out and miss important pieces what teachers are saying. Long blocks are the absolute worst. Sitting still, being quite, attending to what the teacher is saying these are behaviors that a move and these behaviors can annoy my peers and teachers. As much as I try to control these behaviors I know that I can stand out. The older I get the more I understand that ADHD does not need to define me but it is part of my identity. re expected of me for seven blocks a day. There are times when I can get chatty and really need to
ReplyDeleteIn the novels listed above the characters struggle with what is right to them and what the whole world thinks is right. We all go through this everyday. Growing up I was always told that keeping your feelings in made everyone around you happier and that everyone liked a people pleaser. I felt obligated to always make my friends and family laugh when I was at the brink of tears. It seemed like the more I pushed down what I was feeling the angrier I became. For the longest time I never felt like I had a voice because a lot of people would tell me, "someone out there has it worse than you" which is obviously true but that does not mean the happiest people can't have off days or the strongest people never cry. As I approached my teenage years I realized that's not who I wanted to be, of course I wanted to make others happy but the person I needed to start with was myself. I still have a hard time expressing myself because of all of these ideas put into my head as a child but I have grown to be an optimistic person. I realized that every voice and problem, no matter how small, matters. I have grown to trust and love people like I was always told not to, I woke up and realized I didn't want to be angry anymore, shutting everyone out caused me no benefit. I am growing and learning how to make others happy while staying happy myself.
ReplyDeleteIn the book " The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Huck Finn is in conflict with what the world expects from him. Like the book, I am in dispute with what the world expects from me. Being the eldest child is a lot of pressure. Ideas that surround eldest child is to be perfect at everything, to be a role model for your younger siblings, and to never disappoint the family. Truth be told I'm not perfect. I know, big shocker, but I'm not. Being without fault is literally impossible but your family expects so much from you that you have to fake it until you make it. I'm not great at every subject in school, math and science are my absolute worst subjects. I do Martial Arts but I'm not about to go try out for the girls basketball team because I'm not fantastic at any other Sport. Sometimes I mess up in ways I don't want my younger sister to replicate. I can't a perfect role model all the time because I make mistakes. My family expects me to go into collage and become a doctor or a lawyer, but once I say I want to go to college for the performing arts I become a disappointment. They put me under so much pressure to go and be a success but what they consider a successful person is not what I want to do. Being the oldest sibling there is so much more pressure on me to do well in school, to be a role model, and to not disappoint. My younger sister gets so much more slack then I did at her age. It just shows how much is expected of me compared to my younger sister.
ReplyDeleteLike Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn involves a boy whose inner self is in conflict with what the adult world expects from him. My own ideas, beliefs and conventions have also been in conflict with what was expected from me or considered acceptable. Since I was a child, I have been taught to always do my best in school. All of the adult figures I have looked up to in my life, have expected one thing from me in school and that is to strive to my fullest extent within school. But, this comes with exceptions. Sometimes, even if I try my best or study really hard to get a good grade on something, and I get a bad grade, then I will be punished or looked down upon. At this same time I am told to do my best though, right? I am told to do my best so I can get into colleges, and then get good jobs, and go far in life, but one bad score can lead to disappointment. My expectations are very high and it gets me stressed on many levels. When I am stressed I get anxiety attacks, and cry, and usually never end up doing anything for the rest of the day. This impacts my expectations by a large amount. If i have an essay to write and on top have to study for a test, do math homework, write history notes, and also have work to do within my house, then I will end up doing one, or no, things. I am told to do my best, but looked down upon when I do my best and don't get the grade my guardians look forward to seeing.
ReplyDeleteIn my life I have felt the pressure from adults to do the more normal thing. My parents want me to go to college get an amazing education and go into some boring job which I will most likely hate. That's not really what I want. I have a passion for dance, music, and acting. My dream would be to move to New York, and get some small apartment to myself. Spend my days going to auditions and eventually grasping a role. Or choreograph some hip new musical and win a tony for it. These are dreams I've had for as long I can remember, yet my parents just don't seem to get it. With every show I do I try to prove to them that this is something I can eventually do for a job. They constantly push for a more typical future for me but I try and push back with even more force. I'm not sure what the future holds but I hoping it's like I pictured.
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