The 51st Dragon

In my High School's production of The Fiddler on the Roof I played the role of the constable. Fiddler on the Roof is a story that takes place in the jewish town of Anatevka. During the time the musical takes place many jews were being persecuted and forced to leave their homes and move to a new place. The constable is a Russian who acts as the leader of the local soldiers that are stationed in the town. Before the jews were forced to leave the constable and his men were tasked to keep the jewish people in line. Throughout the duration of the play many brawls occur between the soldiers and the towns people (one even takes place during a wedding). My character was to be stern and forceful; unsympathetic to the troubles of the jews. If you are familiar with my personality I am none of those things. I tend to be more shy and don't try to force my opinions on anyone. I am also a people pleaser and try my best to get along with anyone. While I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this attribute came in handy with many of the associates that I was partnered with. We lived together and practically spent all of our time together (other than when using the bathroom of course). Being in this kind of arrangement can become rather stressful at times and it helped with the overall companionship. Now of course with this trait there was the possibility that I could be taken advantage of. So I learned to keep that attribute and defend my opinions in a way that still allowed us to have a good friendship. Sadly I didn't learn this ability until after High School. It could have helped me understand better how the constable would act. However, my teacher Nan Wharton gave me advice on how I could better portray a militant figure. I had this habit of leaning all of my weight on one leg. It wasn't something I did intentionally; it just effected the overall stern appearance of my macho facade. So, Nan encouraged me to practice putting equal weight on both legs to brake my nasty idiosyncrasy. I also practiced walking with a straight back, my chin in the air, and my arms set straight to my sides. I went into each rehearsal doing my best to perform these acts with utmost precision. Strangely enough I felt it was this act that ultimately helped me get into character. Nan always said, "practice makes permanent." The phrase practice makes permanent is what I thought of as I read about Gawaine and his dragon slaying. He didn't see himself as a dragon slayer. However, his school's headmaster saw that he could be, just like my teacher Nan saw that I could be the constable. To help Gawaine the headmaster gave him the magic word so that he would have something to believe in and focus on while battling the many dragons. The only problem is that this practice became permanent. He relied so much on this magic word that when he learned that it wasn't magic his confidence was broken and he did not know what to do. Maybe the old adage practice makes perfect was only true for the 50th time and practice makes permanent stepped in on the 51st time. The only problem is he hadn't practiced killing a dragon without the magic word. Luckily for me I did not end up like Gawaine. The advice my teacher gave me proved true in the end and I was able to perform without braking character. As our last show ended she gave me a hug and told me how proud she was of me. She knew the challenges I faced with the personality difference I had with the constable and saw me overcome it.

Kenneth Grahame

There are many influential people in my life. Nan Wharton--my drama teacher from high school--who helped me find courage and develop the skill to perform in front of others. Matthew Cooper--trained me while I served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints--helping me learn ways to share the gospel. Many friends who have given me support while going through school. Most of all my parents. It would be hard to tell you all the things that they have done for me. So I will endeavor to tell you a few things that they have done for me. In High School I was heavily involved in the theatre program and working at Mountain View Veterinary Health Center as Kennel/Custodial (which basically means that I was in charge of all the boarding animals). Both required that I wake up early every day and stay out till late in the evening. Whether I was on my way to an early morning rehearsal or heading to one of the clinics to walk and feed all the animals; I was generally the first one up and the last one down every day. Every once in a while I would run into my older brother Highland and he would jokingly say, "Gosh, do you still live here? I haven't seen you for days." This was true and made even more sad because our rooms were directly across the hall from each other. To be honest I didn't really think that much of it at the time, but, every once in a while I would actually be home with neither work or rehearsal to take me away. Well, unless you count homework. It was at times like this that my mom--who also worked--would come up next to me and say, "Hey bud, long time no see. How are you doing?" She would then proceed to give me a hug and follow up with me on what was going on in my life. It wasn't until years later while teaching the importance of families to people in Detroit that I was able to draw on this experience. Relating to another family how much my mom cared about me. That even though she had her own career she would much rather have been at home. Her job made it so she couldn't help out at school with my shows. She even apologized a few times that she couldn't be there like some of the other moms and dads. She regardless was giving me support by just letting me know she loved me through that simple act. My dad also did similar things to show me that love. Whenever I had problems I was going through I never shared them with anyone. I still today don't always open up, though I have become slightly better at sharing. Whenever I had something weighing heavily on my mind my dad could just tell. The cool thing about this is that he would never push me to tell him anything. He would just ask and then wait until I was ready to share. Often that was all I needed to get over whatever was on my mind. Knowing that if I ever wanted to talk he would be there to listen. Growing up is hard. I knew by listening to a few of my peers complain about their parents that I was very lucky. Even if I had parents I never saw sometimes or didn't always confide in them. I knew they cared. They wanted what was best for me.

Martin Luther King Jr. (I Have a Dream)

I love reading Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech I Have a Dream! It does the best job of reminding me that change is constant. In the beginning of his speech he speaks of Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation; which brought about the release of all black slaves. Dr. King further eludes that change is constant when he says,"But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." By saying this Dr. King expresses vividly that the Negro is free of slavery, but not "free" of a different bondage. A bondage that keeps them socially beneath white people. I further love how he does all of this while setting an example; urging other Negro to "...forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.We must not allow of creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force." I relate to this theme of change and doing so peaceably with my constant fight with weight issues. I know it doesn't sound quite as important as when compared to the social bondage Dr. King speaks of. However, I assure you it is. When you are not as thin as everyone else you are often made fun of; that is to be sure. Apart from the numbing effects of the teasing of others; you are the one who fully cripples yourself. Now I am not speaking of a physical paralysis, rather an emotional. I myself have been my worst enemy. Telling myself that I couldn't go out for sports or become the lead in the school play; simply because I was fat and ugly. To be the lead of the play or the captain of the basketball team I had to be skinny/fit. So it was back in Dr. King's day, if you were a negro and not white you could not do anything important and were kept in your place. This is wrong! We must allow ourselves to reach our full potential; further more we must be there to help each other. In High School it was my family and friends who encouraged me to audition for musicals and plays. In our nations history--as mentioned by Dr. King-- it wasn't only black people who wanted their freedom, but a few white people recognized that blacks deserved there freedom too. Dr. King even goes as far as calling those white people in attendance brothers. I think that Dr. King sums everything up perfectly at the end when he states, "And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring,en we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" I know it is a long quote, but it deserves repeating. I felt within myself the truth that all of us can only truly be free if we are all free together. Dr. King doesn't just leave his dream at black people. He expands his dream to encompass the entire globe. He knows it is the only lasting way for all of us to be free. We need to grab hold upon his dream. It doesn't matter is we're fat, skinny, black, white, or somewhere caught in the middle. We deserve it to ourselves to help each other and support each other. Only in this way can we become free.