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Jenny Evans Ms. Gardner English 10H (2) 12 January 2015 “Eye” Bet You Didn’t See This Coming I was alone when I saw her. She was a pale, pitiful thing, with dull hair and tangled hands that were in an awkward heap that trembled on the countertop. She breathed in short, hiccuping gulps of air that shook her shivering frame. Her eyes were an ocean: glazed with salt water and as frenzied as the crashing waves in a marine storm. “I’m fine,” she whispered halfheartedly, but the way that she teared up afterwards made it clear that she was not. She continued to stare at me, pleading for me to help her, to comfort her, to make her feel something besides distress--all conveyed through her supplicating eyes. I tried to help her, I really did, but there was nothing I could say, nothing I could do, to save this stranger, this poor lost soul. So instead I turned away from the mirror, flicked off the bathroom light, and headed back to bed. William Shakespeare once said that “The eyes are the window to your soul.” I completely agree. I believe that your eyes have the power to reveal your deepest secrets, your authentic or fictitious happiness, your arcane desires, and your genuine emotions. This

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Essay reflecting on the omnipotence of my eyes and how they have served me in my life

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Jenny EvansMs. GardnerEnglish 10H (2)12 January 2015Eye Bet You Didnt See This ComingI was alone when I saw her. She was a pale, pitiful thing, with dull hair and tangled hands that were in an awkward heap that trembled on the countertop. She breathed in short, hiccuping gulps of air that shook her shivering frame. Her eyes were an ocean: glazed with salt water and as frenzied as the crashing waves in a marine storm. Im fine, she whispered halfheartedly, but the way that she teared up afterwards made it clear that she was not. She continued to stare at me, pleading for me to help her, to comfort her, to make her feel something besides distress--all conveyed through her supplicating eyes. I tried to help her, I really did, but there was nothing I could say, nothing I could do, to save this stranger, this poor lost soul. So instead I turned away from the mirror, flicked off the bathroom light, and headed back to bed.William Shakespeare once said that The eyes are the window to your soul. I completely agree. I believe that your eyes have the power to reveal your deepest secrets, your authentic or fictitious happiness, your arcane desires, and your genuine emotions. This beautifully equitable aptitude that your eyes have is both a blessing and a curse. It has served that duality for me on multiple occasions. One of those occasions took place in sixth grade, when my eyes betrayed me.It had been a normal day in Mrs. Pollock's cozy classroom at Corona Creek Elementary School. We had finished preparing for a math test, I believe it was on fractions, and had moved on to game time. Some of my friends and I were sitting in a circle playing a game of Scrabble. It was a hot afternoon, and even the short plaid dress I had worn to school that day didnt protect me from feeling squeamish in the heat. I decided to remove the tights that I had been wearing under my dress to help cool me down. By doing so, I was revealing my legs, a body part that haunted me throughout elementary school. Almost immediately after doing so, one of my friends noticed them, and proceeded to exclaim in front of our group: Eww, Jenny, you have such dried out legs! I froze, my eyes widening like a beach when the tide goes out, as I tucked my legs away under my desk. I shrugged my shoulders, attempting to displace her curiosity, but it was in vain. Everyone in our group stared at me and my dried out legs. I tried to act like her didnt bother me, but my eyes inadvertently blew my cover. I started to tear up like an overflowing ocean in front of everybody.Our eyes have an extensive artillery, with tears being one of their most effective weapons. Sure, tears are there to serve the function of cleaning and moistening our eyes, but they are capable of doing so much more. Tears can reveal when youre excessively upset, happy, or laughing. In my case, they exposed my anguish. I had eczema, a skin condition that I struggled with throughout my pre-teen years. Due to this predicament that I had been incredibly embarrassed of, my skin was constantly dried out. My tears betrayed me in that they revealed my shame. However, they also provided a sort of blessing: the girl who had pointed out my legs felt lousy about hurting my feelings, and was nicer to me to make up for it. She became my best friend for the next two years. As I headed into my teenage years and outgrew my eczema, my old manner of tearing up in front of people and exposing my less than happy emotions evaporated. Even though I no longer saw myself with my terribly dried legs, I increasingly noticed things that I did not want to see happening.Cafeteria food, PE workouts, a guy I liked dating another girl--all of these were displeasing sights that I witnessed at school. These scenes, however, were not what truly bothered me. What really irritated me was how I saw people pass judgement and direct hate towards them, and towards so many other things. I saw groups of friends snicker at students who participated in the free lunch program. I saw classmates glaring at our PE teacher for making us run an extra lap, and then saying that she was mean and hated us behind her back. I saw boys and girls huddle together in impenetrable circles, gossiping about who was dating who, who liked who, and who to avoid at all costs. Outside of school, these hate scenes intensified. In the media, I saw people publically making fun of celebrities like Miley Cyrus and her provocative dancing and music videos and the Kardashians and their melodramatic plethora of television shows. In the news, I saw people going to war with and hurting each other because they believed in different things, such as religion, race, gender, etc. In the streets, I saw people being made fun of for their appearances, things that they had no control over. Today, I still see all of these things through eyes that are drowning in anguish caused by these abhorrent actions. In a world where there is so much potential for love and joy, I constantly see people wasting their opportunity to achieve happiness. And for what? To make fun of or direct hate towards another person? I dont understand why people can be so mean, so hurtful, so vile towards other people. These abominable actions are utterly unnecessary. Being hateful or judgemental does not benefit you. Being hateful or judgemental does not help you achieve happiness in life. Being hateful or judgemental definitely does not make you a better person. So why do we humans continue to act hateful or judgemental? The answers vary. Some people are mean because it makes them feel better about themselves. Some people are mean because they relish the power and dominance they feel from being rude. Some people are mean because they seek vengeance or revenge for past inflicted wrongdoings. Ultimately, there are countless reasons for why people are mean, and each reason is specifically tailored for each individual. The truth is that we all have our reasons for acting in unkind ways, because everyone has acted in an unfriendly or rude way at least once in their lives. Im no saint; Ive been mean to people in the past. Im human. I have flaws, just like everyone else. However, I believe that if we humans look around us and see how harmful our hateful and judgemental actions can be, and put in effort to eradicate these unnecessary actions, in the future we will be able to look around at each other with warm eyes and achieve our happiness. Until then, humans will be forever trapped in a world where universal happiness is as unattainable as fresh water out at sea. Mahatma Ghandi once said, An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. However, maybe if we couldnt see, we wouldn't judge and hate each other so harshly. If that were true, I know that I wouldnt be alone in my bathroom looking at the mess in the mirror that still gets upset over the mean and judgemental things people say to her. My image has become distorted due to societys method of reflecting judgment and hate towards its people. When I look in the mirror, I see a strangers aquatic eyes that hold an entire ocean in their recesses. I hope it doesnt burst.