Essay 9

Being Different:

How My Life Relates To A Quote From To Kill A Mockingbird

January 6, 2012

8th Grade

Pine Point School

Eliza Griffin

On page 234 in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus is speaking to the jury when he says “ We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people have us believe—some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they’re born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than others—some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of men.” This quote tells us that everyone is different, and there are no two people in the world that are the same.
(S.D.)  By using this quote in her plot, Harper Lee emphasizes  the differences between human beings. (C.M) We already know that Mr. Raymond enjoys living  in the life style of how blacks live in Maycomb. (C.M) This makes him different from the other whites in his town as well as most of the white population in the South at this time in history. (C.M) Atticus, always acting so politely and trying to be the best that he can be, is different from everyone in Maycomb too. He is defending Tom Robinson, a black man, which no other white person in  Maycomb was willing to do. (C.M) He is not defending Tom just to be different. He is defending Tom because he knows it is the right thing to do. (S.D) Furthermore, I know I am different from others, in the obvious ways such as height, hair color, and eye color, but the way I feel the most different is because I have a learning disability . (C.M.) This separates me from many others because I cannot read or write as quickly as the average person. (C.M.) It takes me longer to read a page, and decipher new words. (C.S)  Mr. Raymond and Atticus  are different because they want to be. However, I just want to be able to  read and write as easily as everyone  else can. Nelson  Rockefeller  once said, “I was one of the 'puzzle children' myself -- a dyslexic . . . And I still have a hard time reading today. Accept the fact that you have a problem. Refuse to feel sorry for yourself. You have a challenge; never quit!”
Nelson Rockefeller is just one of the many successful people who have had the same disability as I do. His words stay with me and help me accept  that I am different from my classmates. Mr. Raymond’s black lifestyle made me respect his choice to not be like others. Atticus’s  defending of  Tom Robinson inspired me because Atticus accepted the challenge which made him different. Just like the quote, we know that no two men are equal; however, these three men through their differences teach us an honorable lesson. It’s okay to be your own person in life, and there is a lot to learn from those who are not like us.

Self Assessment:
1. One writing problem I am continuing to work on is cutting down on the number of words in each sentence. I am trying to be sure that each word in each sentence is necessary.
2.  A strong point I see in my writing is that I really searched to try and find words that best described what I was trying to say.
3. One weak point I see in my essay is in the introduction sentence in my body paragraph. I feel the sentence could hook the reader more.