Feedback on "I'm Just a Person" | Teen Ink

Feedback on "I'm Just a Person"

April 5, 2017
By sandygoldshteynn SILVER, Brooklyn, New York
sandygoldshteynn SILVER, Brooklyn, New York
9 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I consider myself to be a science person, but in school I also decided to delve into creative writing as a major area of study. Does that necessarily mean that I'm either totally clueless about cell theory and the respiratory system, or completely lost when it comes to putting pen on paper? No, it doesn't, and that is precisely what "I'm Just a Person" by Lauren Hinkley argues. Lauren discusses how we human beings tend to label ourselves too much, and that in turn greatly limits ourselves and our potential regarding education.
  Lauren expresses her dislike of how others expect you to master just one subject in school, and then only see you as "that" person. She says that there are the "math and science people, English and history/social studies people, and those that classify lunch as a subject." Lauren feels that this categorization made her lose interest in classes people didn't expect her to be good at, and I've experienced similar situations. I love science but I also enjoy English and social studies--why should I only be viewed as a "science person?" Why should I, and so many others, have to like just one subject?
  Lauren does admit that "there is some truth in labels"--but she's urging readers to not define themselves based on them. "I am not going to try and actively resist these labels, but I won't follow suit either. I am going to do what makes me happy, not attempt to fit into someone's preconceived notion of what I should be." This message is more important than ever in the age of social media when impressionable young adults struggle to find their identity.



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