In the story, “Masks” by Grealy, writer of “autobiography of a face”, writes about her experience at school dealing with boys making fun of her and calling her names. Grealy was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer, which left her with only half of her jaw. While Grealy would be at lunch at school, boys would say “that is the ugliest girl I have ever seen”(Grealy 56). At first it did not bother Grealy she just brushed it aside because she knew it had nothing to do with her. After she could not take it anymore, she “broke down and went to [her] guidance counselor to complain”(Grealy 56). When she went to him, he told Grealy that she could eat lunch in his office. While her time sitting in her counselor's office, she started
to notice that her “unhappiness [was] being ugly”(Grealy 56). The Halloween before the kids made called her names and made her feel ugly, she dressed up and “felt wonderful”(Grealy 53). When she was in her costume no one could see her face and she felt very freeing. The next Halloween she dressed up and hoped she would feel free like she did the Halloween before, but she did not. When she dressed up she could not forget about her scare. She could not just hide it for a night and feel better. When the boys had made fun of her she started to believe what they said to her.
A person’s identity develops from birth and is shaped by many components, including values and attitudes given at home. We all have a different perspective about who we want to be and what fits better with our personality. However, is our identity only shaped by personal choices or does culture play an important role here? It is a fact that the human being is always looking for an inclusion in society. For instance, there is a clear emphasis in both, “Masks”, by Lucy Grealy, and “Stranger in the Village”, by James Baldwin that identity can be shaped by culture. Grealy does a great job writing about the main issue that has made her life so difficult: her appearance. Cancer has placed her in a position where people,
A theme in “Our Secret,” by Susan Griffin that is developed through the character of Himmler, and the symbolism with the development of a cell is that if individuals hide constantly behind masks, they will struggle internally.
Author, Marge Piercy, introduces us to a young adolescent girl without a care in the world until puberty begins. The cruelty of her friends emerges and ultimately she takes her own life to achieve perfection in “Barbie Dolls” (648). At the time when all children are adjusting to their ever changing bodies, the insults and cruelties of their peers begin and children who were once friends for many years, become strangers over night caught in a world of bullying. A child who is bullied can develop severe depression which can lead to suicide; and although schools have been educated in recognizing the signs of bullying, there is an epidemic that has yet to be fully addressed within our schools or society.
In the essay “In Defense of Masks,” by Kenneth Gergen, he states how people do not “normally develop a coherent sense of identity” (Gergen 2). Gergen talks about how we as people may “experience severe emotional distress,” (Gergen 2) instead of having a set identity. The difference between the idea of multiple identities that are represented by masks and having a coherent sense of identity of one’s true self, is that having a coherent sense of identity means that a person stays the same in every situation and never changes. On the other hand, having multiple identities that are represented by masks means that one’s identity is ever changing and shifting depending on the situation that they are in and the people who surround them. However, even
In William Golding’s “Lord Of The Flies”, a group of boys is stranded on an island that completely changes them. The boys turn totally different from how they act from society as if they were putting on masks. It’s not just the boys that wear masks, but a lot of people try to hide from other people. What a mask does is that it hides a person’s trait and shows something completely different. I have made a mask like one of the boys, Ralph, that tries to show that he’s a leader, but hides a different personality. Here are some of the qualities of my mask.
One day Rich told her to scrub it off and she used a brillo pad to try to scrub her skin off. As she came out of TJ’s kitchen her arm was covered and blood she says “guys look it worked”. She said it in such a tone that she sounded excited when asked who told her to do this she said “daddy Rich”. In the modern society bullying is a big problem at almost every school around the world. At culler middle school a kid is mentally bullied until it got taken to the next level one day after school when she was physically pulled down by her by another student. No one should be treated this way especially when they are very nice and caring
Inventing Elliot is the story of a boy named Elliot who chooses to be a different person. Him moving to a different school, seems to be the chance for him to stop the bullying. He tries to act like a “cooler” person by putting on different masks. The plan of “standing out in the right way” works too well. Elliot gets noticed by the “Guardians”, a group of people who terrorize students at school. They like the “new Elliot” so much, that they want Elliot to become one of
The mask is a form of deception or illusion. Sometimes, it can be worn as both. It hides the true emotions of slaves, keeping the slave master from knowing what is going on in their minds. The mask also allows the slave to have an identity without the master’s detection. The mask gives the illusion that the slave is exactly how the masters believe, ignorant, incapable of true emotion, and unable to think for themselves.
-- The quote from one the of characters Master Liang pinpoints a key theme in Wu Tianming 's movie The King of Masks, that is, the power of the true feelings in times of oppression and inequality. Wu Tianming is a representative of Chinese fourth generation filmmakers, who are known for a simple, natural and realistic way of storytelling as well as their thematic exploration of human nature and meaning of life . Masks is Wu's academic-winning work through which we can see his philosophy from the depiction of ordinary people and the trivial elements of daily life. The story takes place among 1930s in a small town of Sichuan, revolving around King, a street artist's change of perception from keeping to the feudal idea that his skills cannot be passed on through girls to finally allow his beloved adopted granddaughter Doggie be the heir. 1930s is a time of social hierarchy and gender inequality where the rights of minority are exploited; it is also a time of moral confinement, since most people do not receive education and unquestioningly follow the societal rules and customs simply because they are told to. However, Masks shows us that the power of true feelings and humanity can eventually allow people to overcome all the barriers and defeat injustice, as in the ending King is finally able to let go all of the societal restrictions to teach Doggie face-changing because he realizes that nothing is more important than their familial love and bonding. The film's emphasis on emotional depiction, accompanying by artistic cinematography, tranquil scenery and the charm of Chinese traditional art, all have contributed to the timelessness and immutability of the p...
By the end of P.E, I was hit tripped, pushed, shoved, and elbowed. My body was aching and bruises were forming. “Hah! Did you see her face? It was priceless!!!” Hailey Gee, the queen bee of my school A.K.A my #1 tormentor sneered as we entered the girl 's’ locker room.
Have you ever worn a mask before? Maybe the mask wasn't a costume mask, but it was a mask to make you seem happy, or seem cool, or anything that made you feel like something than you are not normally. Chances are you have. Trying to fit in with the crowd, a mask is used to obtain the things we cannot reach on our own. Masks are especially common today because of the pressures to belong to the 'in'; group, or the pressures to succeed. Books, using masks, commonly show the many connotations of masks. They are used to find out what people are for real, on the inside of the mask. The imagery of masks is used throughout the book of Twelfth Night. Shakespeare uses the imagery of masks to reveal characters true emotions and to express the power of raw beauty. Shakespeare uses this imagery through all of his characters in the play, but especially the two characters of Viola and Feste.
In "Identity" the short film by KJ Adams, The filmmaker uses the symbol of the mask to show that people hide identities.It is only when the protagonists mask breaks that she reveals her true self.In the beginning of the story we see a girl, the protagonist putting on a unique white decorated mask.The protagonists mask seems too be a symbol that she is scared what people think about her true identity because her peers may not accept her differences, so she wears a mask.The author uses the pattern of diffrent solid colored masks throuout the film to symbolize the white decorated protagonists mask as diffrent than all the kids in high school. As the story progresses we are found in a classroom where the teacher is talking about Plato’s Allegory,
How is someone supposed to convey a normal state of mind when pain is encompassing his or her being? Experiences of pain are very common in the healthcare system, yet there are still gaps in distinguishing between the different types of pain that people experience. In addition, pain is physical, emotional, spiritual, and in some instances a combination of them all. Throughout literature, pain is represented and treated in various ways by conveying a patient’s experience and interpreting the meaning of pain and how it can shape an individual. Pain is subjective and each person experiences pain in unique ways. Representations of pain can take place in many forms; pain is personified, pain is self-perpetuating, and pain is selfish. In the
Remaining a constant victim to bullying for 11 years significantly affected how I viewed myself and others around me. To most I wasn’t worth giving more than a single glance. I had a gap between my two front teeth, which was a primary target of ridicule. My clothes were “nice”, but they weren’t by the designer label everyone else was wearing. Not only did I dress and look ugly, I was also a black girl- a lighter skinned
Riese, Jane. “Bullying and Sexual Orientation.”