Joan Didion Self Respect Essay Joan Didion Slouching Self-Respect Essay

1. Joan Didion
"Life After" opens through the following words: "Life changes fast. / Life changes in the instant.
/ You sit...to dinner and life [concludes]. The [pity question]" (Didion). Joan Didion composes such
lines not long following how her husband has died, a fellow writing composer named John Gregory
Dunne. At a future time, the woman contemplates whether to throw in "the ordinary instant," yet
scraps the idea, making a claim on how such associated words might be superfluous (Didion). The
woman meditates upon the ways wherein feelings on what's normal precede
day–to–day–living–journey–altering tragic events. For instance, the woman cites reports on the calm
existent leading up to Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center attacks. The woman recalls...show
more content...
Though the woman references how Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center got attacked, the
woman does not draw direct comparisons betwixt such tragedies and her own, and/or make
suggestions on how her feelings on grieving are equal to the anguishing able to overwhelm which
followed such attacks. Instead, the woman uses such examples for describing universal responses to
tragedies. In the aftermath on unexpected tragic events, survivors try to find ignored/neglected
cautionary signs for understanding what's happened. Didion isn't differentiated in any sense; she's
found it startling how nothing was around to suggest how she might lose someone with whom she
was in a four–decade–long partnership and relationship. When they made their return following
paying Quintana a visit upon the December 30 evening, Didion joins her husband in dinnertime
preparations. After fetching one alcoholic beverage for John, the woman realizes how he's stopped
with dialog while finding out he's slumping in the chairing occupied by him. She thinks he is trying
to play it up for drama and kicks yet the woman calls ambulances to
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2. Self Respect Essay
SELF RESPECT "The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself." – Mark Twain
Self–respect is fundamental for a great life. If self–respect is lacking this may cause insecurity and
the strive to be someone we are not. To develop self–respect means to cultivate the self–confidence
to deal with whatever life throws at us. Self–respect comes from an inner belief and not an egoistic
feeling of superiority. The following are some ways to improve self–respect:– Learn to Handle
Criticism – To maintain a sense of self–respect we need to learn how to deal with criticism and not
take it personally, but to look at it from a detached perspective. Maybe it is false, in which case we
should ignore it. If there is some truth we...show more content...
Even if things go badly, it is not necessary to lose self–respect. Work with the best intentions and
gain self–respect from that. Respect others – If we have no respect for others, how can we have
self–respect? Self–respect means we have inner confidence and inner assurance, this is not a
confidence or assurance built on superiority. It is the wrong approach to try and feel better by
putting others down. If we look for the good qualities in other people it is easier to remember the
good qualities in ourselves. Look after your appearance – appearance is important, it can give us
confidence or it can make us feel awkward. Dressing smart for the right occasion gives us
self–confidence. Dress for your own benefit: don't dress in the expectation of pleasing others and
receiving compliments. Be True to Yourself– There is great social pressure from parents, work and
society to become a certain person and to achieve certain things – this pressure is hard to detach
from. Self–respect comes from being true to our inner calling, to have faith in our own values and
remember what is important to us. Everyone needs to follow their own path, even if others don't
respect our decision it is important that we do. Do we come into the world to please Tom, Dick and
Harry or to live our own life? Never hate yourself – We make mistakes, we do wrong things, but we
should never put ourselves down unnecessarily. If we are not careful we start bitterly
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3. Joan Didion Slouching
Joan Didion had messed up on a job and had nothing to do since. So on the cold spring of 1967,
she decided to go to San Francisco, where her essay Slouching Towards Bethlehem takes place. San
Francisco is a place where there are full of hippies. In her essay, she illustrates the detailed encounters
with the hippies and portrays their personalities and lifestyles. Although Joan Didion describes the
hippies as immature, she also feels pity for their situation at the same time. Didion expresses that
the hippies are very immature and uses different examples to back it up. She goes to Deadeye's
place and sees that there are several people living with him. She talks about how they are all lazy
because, as grown–ups, they do not know how to...show more content...
These girls are not at the age where they should be drinking or live "on the celebrity and power and
sex a band projects" (90). These girls are taking interest in the areas they should not even be
thinking about, but only the instant pleasure they would get. They should be focusing on getting
education to pursue their goals in their lives. It seems as if they do not care about what going to
happen to their future. An even greater example is when Didion walks into Otto's house, she sees a
5–year–old girl on acid. It is really tragic to see such a really young girl on acid, especially because
"her mother has given her both acid and peyote" (128). The mother should be encouraging her child
to live a drug–free life, but instead she exposes it to her at an early age. Imagine how the young
girl's life would turn out as she gets older. She would end up hanging out with the wrong crowd,
living a reckless life. What a way for the mother to plan their own child's future... It is clear to the
readers that the hippies are living such pathetic lives, yet they seem to enjoy it. They do have the
right to live their lives the way they want; however, they should not make choices that will ruin their
lives and lead them to failure. Instead they should try to work their way up to success. The hippies
should get their senses together and start living a proper life, such as getting education, and stopping
drug
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4. Self-Respect Essay
As we find ourselves held prisoner to four years of constraints, deadlines, and all–nighters, high
school can be whirlwind of trials and tribulations. As emphasis is placed on academic excellence and
social involvement, many students lose themselves in the mix, lacking self–respect. Self–respect and
esteem issues are a constant threat to the average teenager. The worries of acceptance and success
weigh on their minds. Being attentive to those can increase their level of respect/esteem. With this
increase there is a risk. High self esteem individuals are more prone to interpersonal violence as a
result of an inflated self concept. The happy balance between high and low is crucial; but the
positives outweigh the negatives. Individuals with...show more content...
Such problems are all products stemming from skewed perceptions of self–respect. These difficulties
transpire throughout the school with no bearing on age. The halls swiftly spread with the new tales
of scandal and humiliation; all the while those being ridiculed have inner demons in need of
confrontation. The overwhelming notion of improving self–respect at NHS is definite. The
problems that seem to be occurring have no cookie cutter solution. As it pertains to the student
body my partner and I felt there were several avenues worth traveling to increase change. First off,
we believe the resources at NHS at present are terrific, and simply aren't being used to their full
capacity. Ms. Miranda, our student assistance counselor, is at Northville for the sole purpose of
aiding the students in regard to substance abuse difficulties, self–harming behavior troubles, and any
other alarming problems. She is a terrific resource for those students who feel most comfortable
speaking to an authority figure other than their parents. For those who feel as if adult counselors
are not relatable, my partner and I feel it would be terrific for the high school to invest in a peer
mediation program. This would entail a collection of mature, head–strong individuals who would be
on hand at anytime to facilitate their services to students in need of
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