Union County Tales
A statement of modern society's values and attitudes.
The Student (prologue)
There was once a student who was understanding,
With comprehension that was everlasting.
Most would say she was an extraordinary student,
Who never spoke out of place and was very prudent.
She new how to see life in a way no else would,
And all other people knew very well that she could.
She had a very rare beauty as most might recount,
But she didn't know it, for it was something she did not account.
She was a scene to be admired,
And caused everyone to become inspired.
This brilliant student was very nice,
And gave really good advice.
She believed everyone should be forgiven,
Even if what they did was bad driven.
Forgive and Forget was her motto,
Even if they have an evil bravado,
Her thoughts were those of kindness.
Even when people were very mindless.
Last but not least she believed in determination,
For living without it would be like suffocation.
Needles to say she was very bright,
Just like the moon in a starry night.
Tale
There once was a football player, named Andrew, who was very popular. He was the type of guy who had the looks and the pretty popular cheerleader as his girlfriend.They were the perfect couple at least that's what people thought. He was always the center of attention and was rich beyond imagination, at least his family was. Andrew was the star athlete of the football team and because of him they would win every game. Although he was the most popular student and had the best football abilities, that didn't make up for his character. He was the most arrogant and selfish person ever. His ego was bigger than his brain and he loved to humiliate people. But what Andrew didn't know was that everything was about to change.
It was Monday morning, the last week of school, and Andrew went to school just like he would any other day. He followed his daily routine which was math, English, social studies, and physical education. As the bell rang for fourth period he went to go change to the locker rooms when he got out he decided he was going to go lift some weights without anybody there. What Andrew didn't know was that one of the bolts on the leg press was loose and as soon as he did the first leg press it all came down on him. As soon as the teacher found him he was rushed to the ER. When the doctors saw Andrew they knew that his chances of walking were very slim, and when they told him this news he was devastated. All Andrew wanted was to see Aubrey his girlfriend because he needed someone's affection, but what Andrew didn't count on was that she didn't want nothing to do with someone who was crippled. This of course was something Andrew didn't expect.
By orders from his mom Andrew had to go to school that Friday, since it was the last day of school, she thought it would be nice for him to be distracted. Andrew, trying to be compliant to his mother went to school but it was nothing like he expected it to be. All of his friends, or at least the people he thought were his friends, turned a blind eye on him and didn't want nothing to do with the ex-star of the football team. There was one guy who saw the whole exchange between Andrew and his former jock “friends,” Jared, the guy who Andrew and his gang would make fun of everyday. You Would think that Jared would have pleasured this moment but he didn't he thought that it was something cruel. Jared set aside all of the mean memories he had of them and decided to go talk to Andrew.
Seeing Jared surprised Andrew very much he thought Jared was finally going to get payback for all of the mean and nasty things that he and his gang said or did to him, but what Andrew didn't realize was that not everyone was like him and there are people in this world who are really kind and caring. Jared told Andrew that he was sorry for what happened to him and that if he liked he could come over to his house during the summer to help him with his therapies and maybe watch some movies together.
This made Andrew have a change of heart and realize that it’s not okay to be going around making of fun of people just because it’s seems funny to you and those around you. He realized that he never actually had friends to begin with. Seeing the valor Jared had to forget the whole thing and start from zero made him realize that he had been wrong to judge people and offered him a sincere apology which Jared graciously accepted.
Starting summer Jared would spend most days at Andrews house helping him with his therapies that with both Andrew's determination and Jared's help he were able to make a huge progress. After their therapy session the would end the day watching movies, and playing video games. They had become the best of friends.
Analyisis
I chose to do a student because I felt that it was going to be easier to explain in the prologue and also because students tend to have more of wider perspective of people and are open to more experiences that involve modern day society and values. This particular tale teaches the lesson to never ever inflict harm on others just because it makes your friends and you laugh or because you think it's funny for some odd reason because they may end up helping you in the future when you most need it and least expect it. It’s never “okay” to mess with others because not only are you them, but you are also hurting yourself. You are hurting yourself by setting yourself up for failure. By making fun of others and causing them physical and emotional harm you are letting society know that you are not worth anything because you get pleasure by hurting others and nobody wants to be associated with a bully and eventually you will be by yourself. Today in life and society there are many bullies in school that cause intentional harm to others, however, there are also times when we don’t realize that the things we do or say affect others in a negative way. Either way we are causing harm to people who don't deserve it without actually thinking about the consequences that might arise. What most people don't realize that one day the person that we are harming may end up being our employer or someone who may be able to help us when in dire need. This is what the tale is trying to emphasize. It’s trying to show us that we shouldn't inflict harm on others because we never know when the only person that is willing to stand with us in life are those who we hurt in the past. we might one day be stuck in a situation like Andrew where all of the people who thought were his friends bailed on him because they didn't want to be associated with a crippled and the only person who is willing to help us was that one person we inflicted harm on over and over again. In life people say that what goes around comes around, which I believe means that whatever you do to others will come back to you whether it's good or bad but especially bad. I, at least, believe this saying to be true because there have been times in my life where I haven't been exactly a good person to others and it has come back to bite me in the butt, but whenever I did something good for others I was having really good things coming my way. The catch here is not to be nice to others because you are afraid of something bad happening to you but because you actually mean it. If anything this tale serves to cause awareness in others to be nice to everyone because you may never know when you may be in need of unexpected help.