Dru
Powell
Mr.
McElveen
English
II
29
August 2013
Symbolic Autobiography
There are many symbols, objects, and
ideas that define who I am as a person.
Everyone, whether they realize it or not, has multiple personalities
that change and evolve depending on their life at that time. However, no matter how much that wavers,
there is always a core foundation that people’s personalities are built
upon. I am changing as a person everyday,
but there are certain symbols that represent my inner complexion such as the
color pink, pictures, my swimming ring, and a quote by Mother Theresa. Each of these symbols has a special meaning
in my life and will be an everlasting source of information about who I truly
am as a person.
From a young age, my favorite color was pink
and it hasn’t changed since then. Today
in society, pink represents femininity, and a “girly girl” would be a good way
to describe me. The color pink represents my outward appearance and feminist
ways. I enjoy shopping, especially with
my family, because they know me well and pick out clothes that I like. I love doing my hair and putting on makeup
just like you would expect any girl to do.
Surprisingly, I don’t wear pink clothes often. Most of my clothes are neutral or pastel
colors. However, my bedspread is pink,
and I have many decorations in my room that are pink. Pink is a happy color, and when I see it, it
makes me feel carefree. This is
important because I get stressed out easily, and having pink in my room helps
me to calm down. I also wear pink
accessories such as my watch and tennis shoes which allow me to carry a little
happiness with me wherever I go.
Symbolically, the color pink represents
compassion, nurture, and love. In my
life, I try to treat everyone with respect, and I give them a fair chance to
show their real selves without judging them.
If I close myself off from others right from the beginning and refuse to
get to know someone, a lot of valuable relationships could be passed up. I try to love unconditionally, and even when
someone makes a mistake or upsets me, I do my best to forgive them. My relationships with people are generally
more than just surface level, and I enjoy connecting with them and
understanding their personalities and how they function. Once I get comfortable with people, there is
a certain level of trust that is built and we can share our concerns with each other
and ask for advice. Many of my friends
come to me for advice, and I consider it an honor that they value my
opinions. I try to be empathetic when a
friend comes to me with a problem, because it always helps to picture myself in
their situation. I know that sooner or
later, I will probably have a similar predicament and ask for the same advice
as them. This reminds me to give them my
full attention and be fair about helping them with important matters in their
life. Because of my experiences talking
to my friends, I have developed an interest in psychology. Helping people overcome struggles gives me a
sense of accomplishment and it feels good to know that I made a difference in
someone’s life. My mom is a
psychologist, so I get to see how she impacts people’s lives every day. The color pink is a good reminder to always
treat people the way that I would want to be treated and to love others.
Besides being sprinkled with the color
pink, my room is covered in pictures.
They add personalization to my space and make it particular to me. Pictures are a way to decorate any space and
make it your own while still allowing it to be interesting for other people to
look at. The pictures not only reflect
the people I like to be with, but also the activities I enjoy and places I have
been. I have multiple pictures from swimming
on my bulletin board because I swim for Episcopal and Crawfish Aquatics and it
is a big part of my life. Over Mardi
Gras break during ninth grade, I went to Spain with a group of Episcopal
students, and I have several pictures from that trip in my room. I will hopefully go back to Spain in the
future, but for now the pictures help me remember what a special trip it
was. Big or small, every picture has
some kind of relationship to life and meaning behind it.
The pictures in my room serve as constant
reminders of the many special people that I am surrounded with daily. They represent the experiences I have had and
what I have learned from them. Every
moment that I share with my friends is an opportunity to grow as a person. I learn life lessons from my friends. By just being around them, they help me to
take life a little slower and enjoy it. Sometimes
when I’m having a really good time, I wish that I could just pause life for a
while so it would last forever. An
experience cannot be perfectly replicated, but if there is a picture to
represent it, some of the feelings that are associated with it start to trickle
back into memory. Taking pictures is a
way to treasure those moments. Encounters with people in life serve many
purposes and by saving pictures, reflections can be made on my experiences so
that I realize more each day how my friends impact my life.
My favorite piece of jewelry is my
swimming state championship ring. Our
team has a trophy that we all share and it’s displayed at school, but our rings
are our individual awards. I wear mine
everyday and rarely take it off because it always reminds me of how great that
feeling was to win a state championship for the first time in Episcopal
history. At the end of the meet when the
announcer called out the scores, all of the girls were huddled in a circle
holding each other’s hands and praying.
As soon as they announced our name, we burst in to tears of happiness
and celebrated with everyone. The whole
season, our team trained for that one meet, and it finally paid off. Knowing that we won last year and having my
ring as a reminder keeps me motivated to accomplish more of my goals.
Besides symbolizing our team’s win, my
ring symbolizes all of the hard work, commitment, and sacrifice that it took to
get to the point in swimming where I am today.
I have been swimming since sixth grade, and for the last two and a half
years, I have basically dedicated my life to the sport. I can’t stay up late on Friday nights because
I always have practice or a meet the next morning. I have practice every day, and in the summer,
I have practice twice a day on two days of the week. Swimming keeps me from hanging out with my
friends sometimes, but in the end, all of my sacrifices are worth it. When I go a best time, it is the greatest
feeling in the world and it keeps me motivated to have that feeling again. In
the pool, I always try to work my hardest, and even when I have a good
practice, I get a little hint of the feeling that is to come at the end of the
season when I go a best time. It feels
good to know that I have given a practice or race my all and to have no
regrets. I am proud of the work that I
have put into this sport and my dedication makes every accomplishment that much
sweeter.
At the end of eighth grade, my parents
gave my sister and me each a framed poem written by Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic religious
sister who dedicated her life to serving the poor. Her words perfect to live by because she says
to not worry about other people’s thoughts of you and just focus on what you
can do to make the world a better place.
I often find myself worrying about these aspects of life, and if I ever feel
I need to be more courageous, I look at her words as a reminder. The words are simple but powerful and have created
an impact in my thinking.
“People are often unreasonable,
irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of
selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some
genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you
are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could
destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you
find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be
forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best
you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and
God. It was never between you and them.”
This poem isn’t just a reminder for me
when I am at a tough place in my life.
It is also a reflection of my morals and view of life. I always strive to be honest, kind, creative,
and generous, and I have found that I am much more successful at upholding
these values when I don’t worry about what others think of me. Even when other people make bad decisions, I
stick to what my conscience tells me to do and what I believe is right. This is an aspect of my life that I am very
proud of, and I hope I continue this way of life in the future. Mother Theresa was a person of great faith,
and the way she lived her life can be a model to everyone.
Individually the aspects of my life that
these symbols represent are ordinary, and almost every person can relate to
them. When they are combined, they
create an individual person that is different from everyone else. These symbols are all part of what makes me
unique from everyone else, and I am proud of my personality and what these
symbols represent.
