Outsiders Reflection
The power of being an outsider is being able to see the world from the, ‘outside.’ Cheesy, yes I know, but true. I am able to observe people in a way to see how they act, react, and take action. I get to make a better prediction of how what I say or do will affect them. This also comes with the pain of being an insider. I never feel truthful. I feel robotic and I mostly feel like I’m cheating them in a game. This ties into my integrity. I give my honest opinion, but how I word it or when I say it solely depends on how I have seen them react beforehand. I feel I can relate to both Hester and Pearl, because they are outsiders that observe rather than ignore the insiders. Pearl observes for her own amusement. Hester observes to gain new business opportunities. I sit back and watch and after I feel I have observed enough I calculate how I can best fit in or how what I do and say will affect those around me. This year I feel I have done less watching and more engaging with the people around me, since I realized if they don’t like me as I come and I am then that’s their loss not mine. I do not need people in my life who want to change me from how I naturally am.
To be honest the main reason I didn’t want to show my outsiders video was because I knew it would make other’s think I was looking for pity or sympathy and I’m not. That and I didn’t want to watch it and have it spark up resolved emotional issues in the middle of class, because I knew that would be much worse than them thinking I was looking for pity. This is how I feel like Hester. She doesn’t go around spouting her sob story because she doesn’t want the pity. She tried her best to make them not pity her or sympathize with her or anything else of the sort. She only says what she has to in order to get more work, and well to survive in general otherwise she might have been stoned or worse if it weren’t for what she chooses to say and when she chooses to say it.
This also ties into how I feel like Pearl because I also like to observe others for entertainment. I prefer to sit back and watch a good portion of the people around me make fools of themselves. I mean sometimes it is ok to goof off but really? Are you sure you want to just over that giant metal contraption and three chairs in the middle of the commons after JUST saying you had bad leg cramps the night before? Are you SURE? Although I’ll joke around in class about biking down the Himalayans in nothing but pants, but it’s completely different. The point is she’d rather not partake in anything that’ll make a fool of herself and I whole heartedly agree with that.
What I wonder is how do people not think of this before taking any actions? And if they do why do they not choose to listen to it? I guess what I’m trying to say is think before you act. Not just ponder slightly about your possible actions but thoroughly think them through. I understand how much torture that is but trust me it’s worth it. I haven’t embarrassed myself too much, have I?





