Individuality Essay

April O

Professor Peterson

English Composition I

9/15/11

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

        The essence of my individuality can be defined through my sense of humor, the bluntness of my speech, and my cerebral outlook towards life. I prize my distinctiveness because I believe it is a rarity. As an American college student, I believe the people of my age group appear to be taken over by the pursuit of physical appearance and informal behavior. With my unique qualities I believe I have what it takes to be self reliant.

        Generally, my sense of humor is barbed. To clarify, I am not rude, nor do I take "cheap shots" at people. I am not one to sugar coat things; I speak satirically, not sarcastically. One example is when I ran into my high school drama teacher at my internship, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison. Even though she was my first drama teacher, I do not hold a lot of respect for her. I expressed to her my passion for acting, and she never helped me improve my craft or even gave me pointers before a performance. When I saw her, she asked how my internship was going and what major I am pursuing. I did not think her logic was that far-fetched, but my response was, with a smirk, criminal justice. She raised her eyebrows, pasted an artificial smile on her face, and carried on with her business. To this day, I fail to understand why I did not simply give in and tell her my major. According to my instinct, a question as careless as that was too good to resist.

        Furthermore, the straightforwardness of my speech works to my advantage. When I act, I "tell it like it is." I speak with austerity and still get my message across. This quality gives me my big stage presence. Though I am small, my voice can fill up a room.

        Finally, my cerebral perspective is a notable characteristic. It is the reason I have no interest in running off to the "Jersey Shore" and why I am very pleased with who I am.  People often forget about personality and charm today. Coworkers at my internship in the office curse profusely and dress very casually. (I was the only one in office attire.) They chit chat and extend their fifteen minute assignment to an entire day. My mentor stares at me inquisitively when I began to mail invoices instead of simply emailing clients. I am sorry; I just do not think that asking someone for almost four hundred dollars is informal. To summarize, I am not accustomed to the management style of my office.

        All in all, my sharp witticism, bold manner of speaking and intellect, combine to make me an individualist. My humor coincides with the way I converse. Thus, those features rest in my intelligence. These contributing factors are what make me different from everyone else.