Personal Narrative Analysis

Throughout the past year I went through a great deal of undertakings that caused me to become more experienced with my skills and how to overcome various challenges. These really built up my character and the way I am today. In all aspects, this past year consisted of going to Killington, Vermont, my brother going into the Air Force, meeting him in Texas for his graduation of basic training, completing a double backflip on a trampoline, landing a front flip on flat ground, accomplishment of a 2 ½ front flip on a diving board, getting 2nd at leagues, and competing in districts. All of these activities have advanced me in a skill or challenged me to an extent.

For many, their formative years have a large influence on who they become as adults. This can happen in many different ways including new experiences, discovering a new sport or hobby, and uncovering what they are passionate about. For me, this was falling in love with a new language from a very young age and becoming very interested in the culture that was associated with it.

Failure is truly negative if we choose to not learn from it. When we face setbacks and difficulties, we are given golden opportunities to grow as people. Learning from our shortcomings makes us wiser, stronger, and unveils a chance to turn an undesirable outcome into a building block of character. My hockey career has been a sinusoidal trail of highs and lows, but I always learned from the downturns.

It was a frigid March evening in the mountains of Colorado when I began to see life in a new way. While on a youth ski trip hiding from an armed man outside the cabin, I came to a point in my life that changed my way of living. This experience brought me to the realization that I will not always be guaranteed tomorrow so live each day I have to the fullest. I never thought a trip to the mountains of Colorado would help me see life from a new perspective; however, I thought wrong.

From the very beginning of the school year, all the teachers have been acknowledging all the things that will prepare us for high school, and I have been thinking nothing about it. I kept telling myself that high school is still so far away. All of a sudden, it has hit me that i’m graduating and moving on to high school. In my short time in District 57, I have learned a vast amount of things from complex equations in math, to managing homework.

More news is coming out about Rob Kardashian and his marriage to Blac Chyna and it does not leave one with a warm fuzzy feeling of support. Kim Kardashian West expresses her outrage over one vital element that everyone entering marriage must have in place. According to Radar Online, April 14, 2016, Rob wants to marry Blac Chyna without a prenuptial agreement and his family is extremely worried that she will take everything that Rob has.

Even though I have intense animosity toward my parents at times, they are some of the wisest people I know. For many, wisdom means having an excessive amount of money, gray hairs on their head, and a big family. To me, wisdom is learning from experiences and not repeating the same mistake twice.

Everyone will experience a death in their life at least once whether it’s a family member or friend, they will react to it differently and has to grieve in their own way. Death isn't something that someone looks forward too, so watching someone go from healthy, to where they can barely walk or talk on their own isn’t easy. But getting a lesson out of someones death takes away some of the pain, and helps you move on.

Welcome to my outlandish, yet in my opinion, amusing brain! The name presented to me upon birth is Taylor Lee Thompson. Currently, I am suffering through the struggles of junior year at Marion Senior High School. Difficult classes, early mornings, and extracurricular activities have made me an expert in the sport of juggling. The class that has appealed to me the most over the years is Criminal Justice. I found the behind the scenes instruction absolutely riveting! My instructor, Mrs. Hamm, kept me on my toes and I was always learning about crime, criminals, and cases. On the other hand, the class I utterly dread is history. Any and every type of history has always slowly bored me to sleep. I am convinced we are taught the same curriculum

As a 16 year old young man, when I think about responding to a writing prompt asking me to describe an event that I consider a launch pad towards gaining maturation, the first things that should come to my mind are getting my first job, graduating from high school, or being accepted into the college of my choice. This was not the case for me. The event that I feel has marked my transition from childhood to manhood would be the conversation that my mother had with me after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Throughout one’s lifetime, it is almost guaranteed that he or she has heard the saying “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” This saying is pretty self-explanatory, and it is extremely helpful in multiple scenarios, especially in times of struggle. From a young age, I have always been a cheerleader. Recently, circumstances have changed causing me to question my abilities. I have numerous personal experiences throughout my life that illustrate this saying; however, this one is the most recent.

Days after I graduated eighth grade, I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst pain of my life: a stabbing in my stomach. I reluctantly woke up my parents, and they decided we should drive to the emergency room. The stabbing feeling persisted as I curled up in the back seat trying to block out the pain. We finally arrived at the hospital, and I somehow staggered to the entrance. Right outside, I threw up and then began to panic realizing that whatever was happening was more serious than a simple stomach ache. After this point most of what occurred was a blur; the only thing I remember is being transferred to Stanford Children’s Hospital.

I took voice lessons when I was ten; something I had always wanted to do, but had never tried. I wanted to be like Carrie Underwood, writing hit songs, making tons of money, and getting into all kinds of trouble with “cowboy casanovas”. Although singing was something I’d always wanted to do, I was afraid of being substandard, so I kept talking my parents out of it. Finally, my mom dragged me to the class and I was extremely nervous, I was shaking harder than Taylor Swift in her new music video. My mother’s assurance that I was a great singer and that the instructor would love me proved to be a poor buffer against my fears.

Times are changing, and the world is becoming more advanced. Changing times lead to changing education. With changing education schools must decide what is important to keep teaching, for example cursive writing. I believe cursive writing is something that belongs in our past.

My mother Leslie is the only female out of her siblings and as a result, often is perceived as having less credibility than her brothers. Most of the time, her feelings are ignored when family decisions take place. My mom expresses her emotions openly, which is perceived as weak and illogical to her brothers, who all possess more masculine and strong-willed qualities. My Uncle Mark and Uncle David for example, are in charge of my grandparent’s financials while my Uncle Stephen oversees any decisions regarding my grandparent’s health. Even though my mother has no issue being involved in these decisions, she was not even considered for either roles.