Part A: In the short story “Mirror Image” by Lena Coakley, a fourteen year old girl named Alice underwent a brain transplant that altered her entire life as she knew it. Her and her father had been in a terrible accident, he didn’t survive and the only way for her to live was to have a brain transplant. After spending many months in the hospital, Alice woke up in a forgein body, only left with her original brain. Adapting to life in her new body brought forth many challenges. Alice refused to look in mirrors and she wore sunglasses because the girl in her reflection was not who she saw herself to be. Not only was the change hard on herself, but her twin sister Jenny and mom had difficulty adjusting as well. Jenny didn’t see the new Alice the same. She hung out with new people and was into different activities. She claimed that “She had to get to know (her) better” (Coakley 13), even though she was technically the same person, just with a new body. Her new body once belonged to a girl named Gail Jarred, who had offered to donate her body after death. After the transplant, Alice, known as Girl X, was all the rage, considering it was the first ever successful procedure. However, the Jarred’s did not support what had happened. They didn’t want their dead daughter to be revived, living a completely new life. One day, Alice just happened to see Mr. Jarred on her walk home and he gave her his umbrella. The two had a brief awkward conversation before he rushed off realizing that when “...(he) looked into (her) eyes (he) didn’t see (his) daughter.” (Coakley 18). The story ends there giving the Jarred’s some form of closure, knowing that Alice wasn’t their real daughter. Part B: Who am I? Most people when asked this question simply respond with just their name, one word used to label themselves, differentiate themselves from everyone else. However, the truth is that one name has no significance to one's identity, it merely puts a name to a face. What makes us us is a combination of our outward appearance, our personality and the environment around us. Personally, I consider one’s personality the most significant factor when identifying oneself. Everyone's personality is influenced by their environment and then through their appearance they can express their personality. Generally speaking I would consider myself an outgoing, selfless, easy going person. Throughout my life I have developed these traits from my upbringing as well as the environment around me. I say I am outgoing because I am always keeping myself busy either with sports, music or trying new activities with friends. During my childhood I was enrolled in various activities because of my eagerness to try new things. Continuing on, I identify myself as selfless since I am constantly putting the needs of others first, doing whatever I can to make them happy because it brings me joy in return. I have learned to be selfless after many years of constant support from my friends. Lastly, I identify myself as being an easy going person because I am usually relaxed even when something doesn’t go my way. Those are just a few words I would use to identify myself but there are many others that follow including, hardworking, motivated and athletic. All things considered, I do not believe that one's appearance identifies who they are because for the most part they cannot control how they look. However, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress or by their hygiene. Overall, when asked the question who am I, I say my name is Grace, but underneath what others see is the person that I identify myself to be.
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June 2020
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