Defining Myself: A Short Story
If you were to ask me to describe myself in one word, it would be confused. Confused with myself, my sexuality, and my gender. Who am I, and who do I want to be? I have no idea. All I want to do, is to change myself completely. I want to change the way I look, and I want to be accepted for who I am and who I like. So I did it.
Against my whole family’s decisions and thoughts, against society’s wishes...I am a boy. Not Cadence who is born to sit still, look pretty and bear children, but Ciel, someone who I truly want to be.
“What have you done to yourself!?” Mother and father practically screams at me. It’s 6:30 in the morning, I’m ready to go to school, but our house is practically shaking from the screeching, and our neighbours are
…show more content…
My heart, as fragile as glass, shattered before I even knew it. I promised myself that I wouldn’t regret it, yet what was I doing now? I lay down on the bus, falling into a deep slumber in exhaustion from arguing. It was like falling into the deep, dark, never-ending pit of bad decisions, which I had made myself to believe transitioning into a transgender individual, was a part of.
I’m not a narcissist, yet I do care a lot of what people think of me. The furious whispers and the secluded pointing doesn’t help. I dealt with this situation for my whole senior year, yet I never deliberately came out, but it was like there was a spotlight on me so that I was constantly the center of attention.
So I stared back into the spotlight, even though it pained me to do so. “How can someone be friends with such a...freak.” “She must be insane.” “If you want to say something about me, say it to my face!” I screeched at them. Anger was the main source of my confidence. “Cadence, honey, why don’t you think about this properly, teenagers make rash decisions-” “Ciel. Ciel! Get used to it! I’m not your little girl anymore, and I choose my own identity! I choose who I am, who I love and you can’t stop me. I’m sorry, but this is my
Rhetorical Analysis Of I Feared The Authority Of The Teacher By Mga Nguyen
592 Words | 3 PagesThis form of rhetoric, makes the audience see through her eyes of what she had to go through compared to the other rebellious children. Furthermore, this alludes to how her experience made her assume she had to fix herself, affecting how the audience views her situation; which also influences the audience to think differently about how to treat the “others” because of Nguyen’s personal experience of being emotionally self conscious of herself.
Pathos And Ethos In Jazz Jennings's Being Jazz
1251 Words | 6 PagesTwenty-one is the number of transgender teens that were murdered as of 2015. (Jennings, 141). These are people who were trying to be themselves and trying to live their lives to the fullest. Forty percent have been assaulted in some type of way by others. (Jennings, 203).
Personal Narrative: Christopher Newport University
600 Words | 3 PagesWhen I was was younger, I was a caterpillar crawling around trying to get through life, waiting to turn into the beautiful butterfly I know I could soon become. I made good decisions along with bad ones, saw the beauty in life as well as the unpleasant. I was like everyone else trying to be their own person, but now as I look at myself in the mirror I can finally see who I really am. I see myself as the beautiful butterfly I once dreamed of becoming, ready to fly down my own path. I have been in my chrysalis and I am finally out and ready to fly into my bright future.
Joyce Carol Oates: Search For Self-Identity
742 Words | 3 PagesIn Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”she paints the picture of a teenage girl whose mother is jealous of her, father is absent, and sister is twenty-four and lives at home. Connie is a fifteen year old girl who sneaks around with her friends, is a bit boy crazy and is very much a daydreaming teenager. The beginning of the story starts off rather innocently, then through a series of hints scattered throughout the story, takes a turn for the worse when Connie’s eyes are opened to a face of evil no girl should ever have to experience and no boy should ever become. Oates reveals how family relationships directly and indirectly affect the way teenagers act and how it impacts their search for self-identity. Connie’s relationship with her mother is not one she particularly values.
The Role Of Gender Identity In Pretty Little Liars
1343 Words | 6 PagesIn more recent times, however, transgender representation in film and television has reached new levels and strides. There is Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox, who plays Sophia Burset in Orange is the New Black, a trans-woman of color; There is Amazon’s Golden Globe winning and first original series titled Transparent, that revolves around the story of a transgender woman. Popular shows such as Glee explored and developed a new arch about one of its main characters transitioning from female to male. Even ABC Family premiered a show on its network documenting a young man’s experience as his one of his parents comes out as transgender, calling it Becoming Us. But with all of the seemingly positive examples of trans-characters that are being
Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'
1047 Words | 5 PagesConnie’s search for independence increases as she nears her transition into adulthood, beginning with the changes in her persona. She rejects the role of sister, daughter and nice girl to cultivate her sexual persona needed for attracting the attention of older boys. For example, “everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates). Her personality, clothes, hair, the music she listens to, the way she talks, walks and even the way she laughs are all different examples of her
Analysis Of Connie By Joyce Carol Oates
952 Words | 4 PagesNancy Dessommes, a literary critic, writes that “Connie thinks of little beyond maintaining her own good looks, impressing boys, and living for the excitement of the moment” (435). Since she spends the day fantasying about boys, Connie does have a diminishing relationship with her family, especially her mother and sister. She is constantly going against her mother to prove that she is not following social views on teenage sexuality. She acts out because “she prefers peer approval to parental and depends on it for her identity” (Dessommes 435). Her ego depends on approval from her friends and potential romantic partners to further her breaking out of her innocent image.
Symbolism In 'Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?'
700 Words | 3 PagesIn the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.
Summary Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1576 Words | 7 PagesConnie spends most of her time “dreaming about the boys she met. But all the boys fell back and dissolved into a single face that was not even a face, but an idea, a feeling, mixed up with the urgent insistent pounding of the music” (Oates 305). Needless to say, Connie privately harbors innocent dreams of love, illuminating her humility. Like many adolescent girls, she “sleepwalks through life listening to music only she seems to
Personal Narrative: How My Identities Shaped My Life
1157 Words | 5 PagesThroughout my life I have come from and created a few identities for myself. Perhaps, the most dominant identities that have been apart of my life are being an athlete and being a family orientated man. In this paper I will write about how my identities have shaped my life. First off I believe my biggest identity is being an athlete.
Analysis Of Carol Joyce Oates Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?
1777 Words | 8 PagesCarol Joyce Oates’ “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” presents how falling into temptation leads to giving up control and innocence. Though her mother is unapproving of her actions, Connie spends her time seeking attention from male strangers. Home alone, Connie is approached by a compelling creature who convinces her to leave her life and join him on his unknown journey. Through disapproving her family, having multiple appearances, listening to music, and her desperation to receive attention from boys, Connie gives up control of herself losing the purity of adolescents and contributing to her detrimental fate. It is imperative that one should not be controlled because of a desire to impress others.
External Conflicts In Pretty Little Liars By Sara Shepard
941 Words | 4 PagesHer parents had drilled it into her head that she was an individual, not a follower of the herd and should be herself. Trouble was Aria wasn’t sure who Aria was. Since turing eleven she’d tried punk Aria, artsy Aria, documentary film Aria, and, right before they moved, she’d even tried ideal Rosewood girl Aria, the horse-riding, polo-shirt-wearing, coach-satchel-toting girl who was everything rosewood boys loved, but everything Aria wasn’t. Thankfully, they moved to Iceland two weeks into that disaster, and in Iceland, everything, everything, everything changed.” (31-32)
Monkey Drug Trials Of 1969 Essay
617 Words | 3 PagesMonkey Drug Trials of 1969 In this research study (experiment) a large amount of monkeys and rats were used to see the effects of drugs and drug addiction. The drugs tested on these animals included morphine, alcohol, codeine, cocaine and more. The researchers working on this case trained these animals to inject themselves with the given drug. The monkeys and rats were then left with a supply of their given drug and observed by the researchers.
Truth In Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill
937 Words | 4 PagesYouth and feeling young is all she admires, and when comforted with the truth, her façade is broken and everything she believed was untrue. Ultimately,
More about Defining Myself: A Short Story
Rhetorical Analysis Of I Feared The Authority Of The Teacher By Mga Nguyen
592 Words | 3 PagesPathos And Ethos In Jazz Jennings's Being Jazz
1251 Words | 6 PagesPersonal Narrative: Christopher Newport University
600 Words | 3 PagesJoyce Carol Oates: Search For Self-Identity
742 Words | 3 PagesPersonal Essay: My Legacy At Hunt High School
746 Words | 3 PagesThe Role Of Gender Identity In Pretty Little Liars
1343 Words | 6 PagesJoyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'
1047 Words | 5 PagesAnalysis Of Connie By Joyce Carol Oates
952 Words | 4 PagesSymbolism In 'Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?'
700 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1576 Words | 7 PagesPersonal Narrative: How My Identities Shaped My Life
1157 Words | 5 PagesAnalysis Of Carol Joyce Oates Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?
1777 Words | 8 PagesExternal Conflicts In Pretty Little Liars By Sara Shepard
941 Words | 4 PagesMonkey Drug Trials Of 1969 Essay
617 Words | 3 PagesTruth In Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill
937 Words | 4 Pages