That Day in English Class
There was that day in my English class that we were having a Socratic seminar where my classmates and I shared our thoughts on the book, Lord of the Flies. There was one student in my class who rarely came to school, and who everyone chose to pick on. Everyone had preconceived thoughts about him and assumed that his opinion was invalid as nonsensical. They would never give him the chance to express himself. He raised his hand and began to share his thoughts about the overall theme of the book. However, as he stated his ideas, the classroom dismissed them, and demeaned his ideas. There was a murmur and voices came from within saying “what are you talking about, just stop, you didn’t even read the book”. I actually found his thoughts to be very intellectual and thoughtful. The teacher chimed in as the authority figure; and stated, “Nobody understands what you are saying, so we need to move on”. It became a classroom without any rules. It became a classroom where everyone’s inner instinct to be violent, this time with their words, was let out. While discussing this novel, it seemed as if the true meaning was still not being grasped. The true meaning that the boy was trying to explain was not at all understood. I approached him after class and asked him to clarify what he was trying to say, because I truly wanted him to know that I understood. He responded disappointingly, “ You won’t understand, none of y’all ever understand”. I reassured him that I was not like the rest of the class, and that I would understand. I wanted to be THAT person for him who understands him unlike the rest who make him feel unwanted.