Personal Narrative
A few years ago I noticed a change in myself, a negative change, but I didn’t know what was wrong. I was constantly sad and felt alone, but why? My life wasn’t bad. I had supportive friends and family. Nobody seemed to notice anything was even wrong. When I started to get closer my friend, Rigo, he could tell something was wrong without me even having to tell him. Years later I found out that I was suffering from depression, it had a huge impact on me and would be a long journey ahead to get to a point where I could say I was happy again.
My freshman year of high school I felt different. I wasn't happy and I would randomly burst into tears. Even when I was surrounded by a big group of people I always felt so alone. Although I felt like I was in this dark place I never talked to anyone about it. Then when sophomore year rolled around Rigo and I became closer friends and when he thought that I might be depressed he tried encouraging me to tell my parents about it. So, one day out of the blue I went to my parents saying, “I’m not happy and something is wrong.” when I told them they didn't know what to do or how to help but my dad suggested that I go see a therapist.
At first I hated the idea of going to a therapist. I didn't want to have to sit there and talk to some random person about the way I felt, but I went anyways. A few sessions and a bunch of questions later she thought that she knew what was wrong. To her it seemed like I had depression due to a chemical or hormonal imbalance and wanted me to see a doctor.
When I met with the doctor she said, “I want to run some tests to figure out what's wrong.” The test came back and determined that I have an estradiol deficiency. This means that the amount of testosterone in my body doesn't match up with the amount of estradiol. To solve this issue the doctor put me on an estradiol patch and some sleeping vitamins in the hopes that my hormones would be in balance and my depression would get better. Even after I started the new medication I continued to go to the therapist.
With the help of my doctor, therapist and parents I slowly started to get better. The last time I went to the therapist which was a few weeks ago I told her it was the first time in a long time that I could honestly say I am happy. This experience has had a huge impact on me. I view life differently and I pay more attention to the way I feel and my happiness.
I think dealing with my depression has made me grow as a person and even though it was one of the worst times in my life I wouldn't change it because it has made me learn how to manage my condition, how to communicate my feeling to others and how to have a positive mindset. This has been the most impactful experience I have gone through and has made me into a more well rounded person.
My freshman year of high school I felt different. I wasn't happy and I would randomly burst into tears. Even when I was surrounded by a big group of people I always felt so alone. Although I felt like I was in this dark place I never talked to anyone about it. Then when sophomore year rolled around Rigo and I became closer friends and when he thought that I might be depressed he tried encouraging me to tell my parents about it. So, one day out of the blue I went to my parents saying, “I’m not happy and something is wrong.” when I told them they didn't know what to do or how to help but my dad suggested that I go see a therapist.
At first I hated the idea of going to a therapist. I didn't want to have to sit there and talk to some random person about the way I felt, but I went anyways. A few sessions and a bunch of questions later she thought that she knew what was wrong. To her it seemed like I had depression due to a chemical or hormonal imbalance and wanted me to see a doctor.
When I met with the doctor she said, “I want to run some tests to figure out what's wrong.” The test came back and determined that I have an estradiol deficiency. This means that the amount of testosterone in my body doesn't match up with the amount of estradiol. To solve this issue the doctor put me on an estradiol patch and some sleeping vitamins in the hopes that my hormones would be in balance and my depression would get better. Even after I started the new medication I continued to go to the therapist.
With the help of my doctor, therapist and parents I slowly started to get better. The last time I went to the therapist which was a few weeks ago I told her it was the first time in a long time that I could honestly say I am happy. This experience has had a huge impact on me. I view life differently and I pay more attention to the way I feel and my happiness.
I think dealing with my depression has made me grow as a person and even though it was one of the worst times in my life I wouldn't change it because it has made me learn how to manage my condition, how to communicate my feeling to others and how to have a positive mindset. This has been the most impactful experience I have gone through and has made me into a more well rounded person.
Narritive Benchmark- English class
On that cold winter night I walked into the gloomy hospital and up the dark, depressing stairwell until I got to my grandmother’s room. My mother greeted me at the door and whispered to me, “Come sit with her.” I looked down at my grandmother and thought, “How could a once so spunky and full of life lady now look like this?” She looked like she had aged 20 years within the last week, she was pale, wrinkly and looked so fragile, as if the wind could blow her away if we weren't careful. I sat down next to her and held her cold hand as tears dripped down my cheeks. I rested my head on her arm, hopping for a miracle but my thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of the heart rate monitor and when I looked up the line was flat. My grandma and I were best friends, I didn't know how I was going to move on or what I was going to do, but it was all changed by six simple words.
For the past year I had been away at college. Most of my breaks I would spend on campus and not even bother to go home, but if I would have known that my grandma would be gone so soon, I would have have visited every chance I got. There was so much I still wanted to talk to her about, like the time she went to England or how she snuck out when she was a teenager. Now none of that could be said. I only hopped that I wouldn't forget all the stories she told me or the memories we shared. Everything that seemed so important before was now so meaningless. It didn't matter if I had gone to that concert in the part, that was time that I could have spent with her.
In the days proceeding my grandmother's death I had become withdrawn. I wasn't interested in the people around me or what was going on. Instead I locked myself in my room, where I stared at all of the pictures of us together. One afternoon my mom came into my room, sat down on my bed and asked, “What's up with you?”
I looked up at her with tears forming in my eyes and said, “Nothings the same. I spent so much of my time doing other things when I should have been here with her. I should have been here.”
My mother smiled and said, “Munchkin, you just have to live everyday like its your last. Be grateful for all the people who are still here and love you more than anything. Things will get better, I promise. Be present, interact, smile, enjoy company.”
It's like a switch flipped, the words rang in my head over and over, live every day like its your last. From that day on I promised myself to always be present in the moment and leave nothing unsaid because you never know when something tragic will happen and you not see that person again.
Live everyday like its your last is the credo I live by. It reminds me to take advantage of the moments you have with loved ones and to not waste any time. My grandmother taught me a lot but through her death I learned the most important lesson of all.
For the past year I had been away at college. Most of my breaks I would spend on campus and not even bother to go home, but if I would have known that my grandma would be gone so soon, I would have have visited every chance I got. There was so much I still wanted to talk to her about, like the time she went to England or how she snuck out when she was a teenager. Now none of that could be said. I only hopped that I wouldn't forget all the stories she told me or the memories we shared. Everything that seemed so important before was now so meaningless. It didn't matter if I had gone to that concert in the part, that was time that I could have spent with her.
In the days proceeding my grandmother's death I had become withdrawn. I wasn't interested in the people around me or what was going on. Instead I locked myself in my room, where I stared at all of the pictures of us together. One afternoon my mom came into my room, sat down on my bed and asked, “What's up with you?”
I looked up at her with tears forming in my eyes and said, “Nothings the same. I spent so much of my time doing other things when I should have been here with her. I should have been here.”
My mother smiled and said, “Munchkin, you just have to live everyday like its your last. Be grateful for all the people who are still here and love you more than anything. Things will get better, I promise. Be present, interact, smile, enjoy company.”
It's like a switch flipped, the words rang in my head over and over, live every day like its your last. From that day on I promised myself to always be present in the moment and leave nothing unsaid because you never know when something tragic will happen and you not see that person again.
Live everyday like its your last is the credo I live by. It reminds me to take advantage of the moments you have with loved ones and to not waste any time. My grandmother taught me a lot but through her death I learned the most important lesson of all.
AP US History Speech
America had the bomb, now what?
The question was no longer when is Japan going to quit but how are we going to make them surrender? There was no way japan was going to surrender unconditionally because they wanted to keep their emperor, which was against our demands. The only way to end the war is to have something drastic happen that would make them reconsider risking the loss of even more lives. If the war had gone on more and more soldiers would have died battling, not to mention all the innocent people that would have died too. At the time dropping the atomic bomb seemed like the most logical solution, but it's argued how ethical that decision actually was. So maybe bombing Japan wasn't the best way to go about it but simply put it was just a weapon of war. Put in Truman's place you have to consider the possibilities that are actually going to make a difference in ending world war 2. If there was a way to make a big enough impact to end the War and the suffering of people, wouldn't that make the most sense? While some say that the atomic bomb could have been dropped on Germany and wonder why Japan became the victims, it is simply put this way, there is evidence that shows Franklin D Roosevelt thought about dropping the bomb on Germany but by the time Truman took office the Nazis were beaten and the invasion of Germany was ending. Japan was only singled out for still fighting and when the bomb was dropped it was intended to fall on cities supplying the military. Japan was ready to fight to the death, they weren't going to surrender.
Think about it this way if the war had ended with massive bloodshed and sometime in the years to come he looked at thousands of grieving parents and wounded veterans telling them he had and atomic bomb but that he didn't use it because it was horrible to do such a thing to the enemy and he would rather sacrifice the American people, the people he's supposed to protect, when he could have easily stopped it all.
The question was no longer when is Japan going to quit but how are we going to make them surrender? There was no way japan was going to surrender unconditionally because they wanted to keep their emperor, which was against our demands. The only way to end the war is to have something drastic happen that would make them reconsider risking the loss of even more lives. If the war had gone on more and more soldiers would have died battling, not to mention all the innocent people that would have died too. At the time dropping the atomic bomb seemed like the most logical solution, but it's argued how ethical that decision actually was. So maybe bombing Japan wasn't the best way to go about it but simply put it was just a weapon of war. Put in Truman's place you have to consider the possibilities that are actually going to make a difference in ending world war 2. If there was a way to make a big enough impact to end the War and the suffering of people, wouldn't that make the most sense? While some say that the atomic bomb could have been dropped on Germany and wonder why Japan became the victims, it is simply put this way, there is evidence that shows Franklin D Roosevelt thought about dropping the bomb on Germany but by the time Truman took office the Nazis were beaten and the invasion of Germany was ending. Japan was only singled out for still fighting and when the bomb was dropped it was intended to fall on cities supplying the military. Japan was ready to fight to the death, they weren't going to surrender.
Think about it this way if the war had ended with massive bloodshed and sometime in the years to come he looked at thousands of grieving parents and wounded veterans telling them he had and atomic bomb but that he didn't use it because it was horrible to do such a thing to the enemy and he would rather sacrifice the American people, the people he's supposed to protect, when he could have easily stopped it all.