Essay Option 1: "A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies." -Oscar Wilde.
Othello and Iago. Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. The Autobots and the Decepticons. History and art are full of heroes and their enemies. Tell us about the relationship between you and your arch-nemesis (either real or imagined).
"Bright student but needs to participate more in classroom discussions" my mother said as she read out my elementary school progress report. My father hardly even reacted to those words anymore; every semester, the comments would be very similar. Throughout my childhood, my family had always been very academically driven. My father, being the first in his family to seek a post-secondary education, actively exercised his belief in the importance of a proper education. Unable to impress my family with anything I did in school, I grew up feeling incompetent and incapable.
"Dad! I got an A on my creative writing piece."
"How about that math test last week?"
To make it worse, I was absolutely terrible at everything my family valued to be the most important. Math, especially, has been a prominent weakness in my life. Growing up with a western-style education, I came to love the social sciences and language arts. These values juxtaposed with my family's values in the mathematics and sciences. Because of the conflicting values between my family and I, I came to accept ineptitude as a character trait. As a result, I developed an introverted personality and found difficulty reaching out to new people.
So many times in class would I would raise my hand quickly - only to quickly pull it back down. Even if I thought I knew the answer, any sliver of doubt would prevent me from responding. The seeds of insecurity that had been planted in me during my early childhood had bloomed into a thriving seedling during my teenage years. Every day, I would sit idly by as my classmates answered questions I knew the answer to. Every day, I would live with a constant air of disappointment and frustration. Every day, I would stare at the hollow-eyed girl staring back at me in the mirror and wallow in the knowledge that I am the person that is holding me back, that I have been my own worst enemy.
During my battles with my insecurities throughout my teenage years, I discovered an unlikely ally. I had started participating in public speaking activities in hopes of improving my public speaking and general communication skills. In these situations, it is usually required that you wear business formal attire so wearing high heels became a routine part of my life. While I initially endured some light-hearted jabs at my inability to walk quickly, I soon began to discover the worth of my sleek, black pumps. While I was wearing the heels, I felt self-assured, confident, important and secure. For the first time, I actually believed the words I was saying without any lingering question marks at the end of my statements. My friends have always thought that I wore high heels to look more feminine or 'pretty', but the real reason why I wore high heels was because the pressure in my toes from the shoes prevented my knees from shaking when I made speeches.
Together, my heels and I battled the demons of my self-doubt and pierced each one through the heart. Slowly but surely, the flowers of my insecurity began to wilt. I learned that my self-worth cannot be quantified simply by what others think of me, no matter how important those people are. As time went on, I watched the girl in the mirror transform from an unconfident and nervous wreck to a strengthened and outspoken woman. The demons in my heart no longer trouble me. As for my heels, they have found a very comfortable place in the back of my closet where they are no longer needed.
Othello and Iago. Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. The Autobots and the Decepticons. History and art are full of heroes and their enemies. Tell us about the relationship between you and your arch-nemesis (either real or imagined).
"Bright student but needs to participate more in classroom discussions" my mother said as she read out my elementary school progress report. My father hardly even reacted to those words anymore; every semester, the comments would be very similar. Throughout my childhood, my family had always been very academically driven. My father, being the first in his family to seek a post-secondary education, actively exercised his belief in the importance of a proper education. Unable to impress my family with anything I did in school, I grew up feeling incompetent and incapable.
"Dad! I got an A on my creative writing piece."
"How about that math test last week?"
To make it worse, I was absolutely terrible at everything my family valued to be the most important. Math, especially, has been a prominent weakness in my life. Growing up with a western-style education, I came to love the social sciences and language arts. These values juxtaposed with my family's values in the mathematics and sciences. Because of the conflicting values between my family and I, I came to accept ineptitude as a character trait. As a result, I developed an introverted personality and found difficulty reaching out to new people.
So many times in class would I would raise my hand quickly - only to quickly pull it back down. Even if I thought I knew the answer, any sliver of doubt would prevent me from responding. The seeds of insecurity that had been planted in me during my early childhood had bloomed into a thriving seedling during my teenage years. Every day, I would sit idly by as my classmates answered questions I knew the answer to. Every day, I would live with a constant air of disappointment and frustration. Every day, I would stare at the hollow-eyed girl staring back at me in the mirror and wallow in the knowledge that I am the person that is holding me back, that I have been my own worst enemy.
During my battles with my insecurities throughout my teenage years, I discovered an unlikely ally. I had started participating in public speaking activities in hopes of improving my public speaking and general communication skills. In these situations, it is usually required that you wear business formal attire so wearing high heels became a routine part of my life. While I initially endured some light-hearted jabs at my inability to walk quickly, I soon began to discover the worth of my sleek, black pumps. While I was wearing the heels, I felt self-assured, confident, important and secure. For the first time, I actually believed the words I was saying without any lingering question marks at the end of my statements. My friends have always thought that I wore high heels to look more feminine or 'pretty', but the real reason why I wore high heels was because the pressure in my toes from the shoes prevented my knees from shaking when I made speeches.
Together, my heels and I battled the demons of my self-doubt and pierced each one through the heart. Slowly but surely, the flowers of my insecurity began to wilt. I learned that my self-worth cannot be quantified simply by what others think of me, no matter how important those people are. As time went on, I watched the girl in the mirror transform from an unconfident and nervous wreck to a strengthened and outspoken woman. The demons in my heart no longer trouble me. As for my heels, they have found a very comfortable place in the back of my closet where they are no longer needed.