October
Anti-Bullying Awareness Month
Letter to a Bully
You will read a letter that somebody wrote to their bully. Be prepared to discuss.
Dear KC,
I'm not sure that you remember me: it was only for a short time that we knew each other. But it was in that brief span of life that you made my existence painful and nearly unendurable. My name is Audrey. In that land of preteen heirarchy called middle school, I was made a victim of your cruel words and actions.
What do the words unendurable and heirarchy mean? Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever felt this way?
Continued...
It must take some sort of genius to do as you did; to turn away those I had been friends with and those I would never know. To spread rumors in no foundations with reality; to plant their seed and reap their withered fruits they produced. To tear me apart with a surgical precision that left me breathless and alone. But perhaps I grew too poetic in my nostalgia, too gracious in my words of praise. Your intelligence was no more than that of a pouting child with power, perfect skin and hair, the magical combination of popularity.
How do you think the person is feeling at this moment? What is the author's tone?
Continued...
It all started when you moved to our school. You sat alone at lunch, and I wanted to make you feel welcomed; like you belonged right her with all of us. Now it feels like that was my first mistake- compassion. Had I never felt it, perhaps I would have never know you. My second mistake was my family vacation. In the one week I was gone, you managed to turn all my friends away from me. I realized that I was not an attractive girl in my grade. I suffered acne and greasy hair, glasses, and of course the social murder of braces. And it was tinder to the fire you started. I was a lesbian, you told them. A pervert, something less human, and a slew of words that would make a sailor blush. For a middle schooler, such words are gold, though. Most of us didn't even know the word, much less what they meant. And so their violent connotations equated to hatred turned against me. It meant no one to sit with at lunch, no friends at recess, no partners on class projects- only laughing and taunts and unsure nervous stares. I was made a pariah, the leper of the school, exiled of social life.
What can you infer the words in bold mean? Have you ever felt this way by a friend?
Continued...
I have never been, nor have I since, been that depressed in my life. I was unable to focus on my school work and instead buried myself in books. I went to the worlds that kept me from crying, from feeling lonely. As long as I was surrounded by words, I didn't need anything else. I hardly ate during this time. I hit a growth spurt and probably weighed 100 pounds. Of course, I looked awkward and felt worse than that; I was hitting puberty less graceful than most, and suffering for it. My temperment became violent towards my family. They couldn't help me, and I couldn't tell them what was happening. I was too embarrassed. Finally, a teacher took notice of my depression, and with my parents, confronted me. And all I could do was cry. I was so relieved that someone knew that things were going to change. I didn't need to be afraid to go to school every day.
What advice would you give to a friend if they were in the same situation? What are some options for people being bullied?
Continued...
Most likely, you will never know the pain you caused me, KC. I can't help but believe that anyone with that kind of knowledge would start that sort of harassment. But then, I am often wrong. It took me a very long time to be comfortable around people again. I still feel that strangers could twist my words into something monstrous. I now come up across as stand-offish, and up until 4 years ago, making friends was a difficult process.