Sunday, October 23, 2011

Twelfth Grade - Empathy Paper

Countless amounts of teenagers complain on a daily basis that their life isn’t what they want it to be. Chances are, most of them think they’re the only one suffering, but millions of others are, too. The song “Welcome To My Life” by Simple Plan talks about being the only one to struggle through life's obstacles. It is the perfect example of the way a teenager sees a simple problem and I feel it creates that sense of empathy in it’s audience.
The song starts with two questions “Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place?”. If you went up to any teenager and asked either of these, I’d bet they’d answer with “Yes.”
Whenever I was struggling through a situation, whether it was as stupid as a fight with a friend, or as serious as my grandpa getting open heart surgery, I always felt like I was the only one not happy. Especially with the technology today. You always know what everyone else is doing. On Facebook, for example, everyone else seems so content and carefree. Sometimes, when you’re struggling, it’s comforting to know that someone else has been in your shoes, and gotten through it. But there will always be those times where you feel like they haven’t and won’t ever be. No matter what life throws at you, it will always be hurtful to feel like you’re all alone. I always have to keep reminding myself that everyone is hurting in some way.
This song creates the feeling of empathy in it’s audience for many reasons. In my mind, it mostly relates to teenagers, and that’s who it was written towards, but everyone experiences tough situations, even adults. No one likes to feel alone and in todays society no one talks enough about anything. People always have to be reminded that they aren’t alone, and someone else’s life is just as difficult as theirs.

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