My turning point.

A turning point in my life would have to be when I lost a massive amount of weight. Pretty much my entire life I have always been a “big girl” and I got teased a lot all throughout school and even at home. I used to weigh 379 pounds. In a way I can kind of relate to Precious and how she felt. The world looks at your differently when you are different. But I only knew about one thing when I would get my feelings hurt, when I would lose or when I would just be feeling sad about something and that was food. It was my comfort zone, my security blanket. It has changed my life not only physically but mentally as well. I feel good about myself now, but when I look back on the harsh words that people would say to me and the pain that I felt deep down inside it saddens me. I used to make fun of myself before anybody else could and laugh along with the other kids that would call me names even though on the inside, I was crying. That led to me cutting myself. I started when I was thirteen years old. That is a day that I will never forget. I was at school. It was near the end of the day and I just could not take it anymore I was tired of the name calling, tired of the tears that I cried everyday from all of the cruel students that I went to school with and most of all tired of the body that I was in. I wanted to be like the cheerleaders and all of the other athletes. I wanted to be that skinny girl that had the cute boyfriend I wanted to be anybody but myself. After that day I went home, entered the bathroom, removed a protractor from my book bag, broke it in half and began to press a jagged side of it into my left wrist. I did this until I bled. At that moment in time, nothing else mattered. Even though it was painful it felt way better than the other pain that was being caused by people who I thought were my friends. When I look back on this I wish that there was someone to tell me something, anything that would have made a difference. Nobody told me not to eat too much of this or don’t get to a point where you will look like that. I had to find out how vicious and cold-blooded the world was on my own and I had to find out the hard way. Music, art and writing were a HUGE output for me and still are to this very day. Instead of bottling up all of my feelings or crying about something I grab my journal or sketch book instantly and begin to draw or write. To me it is very therapeutic and even if a person has no one to talk to or is feeling sad, alone or upset. You can always put every single thought on paper.

Inadequacy in schools.

The public school system has failed us! Precious is a teenager who enjoyed school, received good grades, attended school everyday but was illiterate. Throughout her time in school it was as if she was there to learn but her teachers were not there to teach her. She comprehended and paid attention but because of her own personal struggles she never really learned anything from them. All she new was hurt, pain and rejection.

“I got A in English and never say nuffin’ never do nuffin.’” [Page 49].That alone coming from Precious is a tragedy in itself. English is a subject in school that everybody should just understand, even with a little bit of struggle. Precious is a 16-year-old in the ninth grade she had been held back in school for being pregnant and also suspended for the same reason . I feel like people gave up on her before they even gave her a chance, especially within the school. There are alternatives and options and all Precious needed was for somebody to reach out to her a little earlier in her life and let her know that she had a choice, she always has a choice. She was deprived of so much including a much needed education.

“Focus on the ones who can learn” [Page 37] was said by Precious’s principal to her math teacher. Everybody has the ability to learn. For a teacher to give, even take such advice is baffling. To pay more attention to the students who “can learn” means that you are automatically straying away from the students that are there to learn and that is not fair. I would describe Mr. Wichers and his teaching methods to be inequitable. Even though he tried to create a basic learning environment he went along with the attitudes of the students in his class. Precious is not illiterate because it is what she chooses to be, it is because she was not helped and given the proper attention in school.

Mr. Wichers teaching methods were not very strong at all. Precious may have scared him with her profane language and grotesque appearance but deep down inside she was yearning to learn and be well-educated. This novel proves that even back then some teachers may not have did all that they could to drag out a students full potential. In the end, proper education and kind attention ends up saving Precious from herself. It is understandable that a teacher would want to only be there for his or her students that want to be there as opposed of those who need to be there because they might not have hope for them. In my opinion it was very cowardly and ignorant of Mr. Wichers to not at least reach out to Precious and showed that he cared.

I believe that his statement is both an understandable and forgivable attitude towards students. You cannot help those who do no want to be helped. In this case she was crying out for help but just did not know how to express those feelings that she had. “I is ready. Ready for school. School something (this nuthin‘!) School gonna help me get out dis house” [Page 35] Precious knows and understands that an education is going to be that something that puts her in a stable place in life. She is a prisoner in her body and frees herself by learning how to read and write at the alternative school that she attends.

In conclusion the schools that Precious attended were not entirely to blame, the teachers were. At the same time, they really did not do all that they could to give her a proper education and much-needed tools for everyday life. Even though she was put in tough situations and suffered a very harsh upbringing Precious triumphed in the end. She expressed herself through reading and writing and most importantly had a great teacher and friend to show her the way.

A true road to success.

"Write a hypothetical letter applying for your dream job as if you have just imbibed truth serum. Tell your prospective employer why you want the job, why you are an ideal candidate, and what some of your weaknesses are which make you less than an ideal candidate."

To whom it may concern:

I have always been in love with fashion and art since I was a little girl. Nothing makes me happier than to see those two elements get put together and create something so unique and powerful that it stands out above the rest. My dream job is to be a Veterinarian, but I have always loved to create, design and draw. I believe that I am a great candidate for a position at your well-known corporation, Fashionista Inc., because I have a lot of new, fresh and great ideas to bring to the table even though I tend to be very lazy.

Being that going to college for eight plus years to get my degree in Veterinary Medicine is too much work, I figured that I should just settle for the fashion industry. It does not take up a huge amount of my time, does not require much brains and pratically does all of the work for me. For this job, all I need is my sketch book and pencil and I'm good to go.


I want this job because of the fantastic perks and all of the famous people that I will get to meet in this industry. This job also pays very well and I need the money to pay for school, rent and bills. (New York is not cheap!) Being that sometimes I can be very laid back and focused on a lot of other things in my life right now, I may have to put this job after last in my life. Talking on the phone, going out and surfing the Internet is more like a full-time job for me and it is something that I do very well. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Asha Wilkinson