Avatar: The Last Airbender

826 Words2 Pages

The world is at war. Genocide is committed and people live in fear that their homes and lives will be taken. An individual destined to protect and save the world from turmoil is nowhere to be found. The world suffers from the wrath of a cruel leader for a hundred years until the prophesized protector is found. This leader, a twelve year old boy named Aang is the main protagonist of the television program Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the show, Aang and his friends go on a journey to train Aang in all four elements in order to defeat the ruthless Fire Lord Ozai. Although there are fun, light-hearted moments during their adventure, the journey is far from easy and Aang’s life is always threatened. As I fell in love with the show, I learned valuable …show more content…

The Avatar’s spirit is randomly reincarnated into any person from the next nation in the Avatar Cycle. Therefore, when Aang, who is just a child, is granted the huge responsibility of protecting the world during a time of war, he decides to run away. Ultimately, Aang is caught in a storm while running away and is frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years. Aang’s fear and rejection of the role of Avatar is understandable; this role carries a large burden of expectations from the people who have been waiting for the Avatar to help them. Similarly, growing up, I had to deal with the different expectations others pushed onto me. Whether it is my parents wanting me to be an archetype of the perfect child or people who I thought were my friends expecting my to be a carbon copy of them, expectations were and continue to be a large weight hanging over my being. Although he ran initially, when Aang is found in the iceberg, he takes his responsibility as Avatar head on. Aang’s experience allowed me to realize that I can develop as my own person and write my own destiny despite the overwhelming expectations surrounding …show more content…

Because she is blind, her parents and others perceive Toph to be weak. Moreover, since she is from a family of nobility, Toph’s parents expect her to be quiet, proper, and “ladylike”. In contrast, Toph is actually outspoken and bold and a talented earthbender. When I was younger, I was sometimes reclusive and hesitant to express myself. Furthermore, in middle school I was teased and bullied so my inability to speak up for myself made this experience long and agonizing. Watching Toph be confident and strong encouraged me to become self-assured. After a period of insecurity and uncertainty in myself, I am now like Toph: a strong willed and vocal girl who is not afraid to be

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