Pygmalion Essay

        Reading Pygmalion, I was intrigued by the themes that appeared. Some themes were easier to point out than other. There were two themes that really stood out from the rest of them. I can relate to changing and/or being forced to change my identity. I can also relate to the feeling of changing my appearance and the difference it makes in my social life. Pygmalion was written back in the day when the way a woman looked and spoke defined her as a person. As I sit and think about the story, I find myself asking “have things changed much since then?”

Identity is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” Eliza Doolittle was simply a flower girl who had an atrocious way of speaking and dressing. Professor Higgins made a bet with Pickering that he could improve Eliza’s speech and appearance. Eliza wanted to better herself by allowing Higgins to help her improve. The way that I looked at this story was Eliza knew she was different and she was ashamed. She changed her whole identity to become someone whom she was not. Moving around the country throughout my life, I have experienced changing my identity, becoming someone completely different from who I was before and starting fresh. When I moved to Arizona, I practiced every day for the longest time to lose my southern dialect. I did the same thing that Eliza did. I lost a sense of myself, although, I eventually “fitted in” with the other people that surrounded me. 

Appearance and identity tie into each other in Pygmalion. When someone changes their identity, they sometimes change their appearance. In the story, Higgins was determined to transform Eliza into a high-class beauty. He was successful in changing her speech and appearance. One thing that I noticed when Higgins became successful, Eliza received more attention. Her social life boosted and she gained more respect from the high-society members. This theme reminded me of when I moved to Phoenix and lived in a very high-society area. I did not have the trendiest haircut, or the most fashionable clothes and shoes. I was considered a “nobody”. After a few months of being ignored and disrespected because of the way I looked, I went out and bought clothes that were up to everyone else’s standards. I craved to fit in with the other people at my school. When I came back to school with my brand new appearance, I received more attention from the other kids. I got asked to the school dance and joined a good group of friends. I thrived off of the attention. I, again, changed who I was to fit in.

This story contained many meaningful themes; themes that some people can relate to. Although Eliza changed dramatically in Pygmalion, she continued to be a flower girl and opened up a shop. That must have been my favorite part of the story because she gained back a little of her old self even after the transformation. 

It's Here! Senior Year!

Senior year has finally started. Though I never thought that I would ever reach this time in my life, I’ve always had a plan. The day I started kindergarten, I wanted to be a “Flower Picker”. I was 5 at the time and all I knew was that I loved flowers. As I got older I changed from aspiring to be a Flower Picker to wanting to be a teacher. I have changed my mind numerous amounts of times since that first day in Kindergarten. I have so many goals in life now, and it is making my head spin. 

Your senior year in high school is supposed to be “the best time of your life”. However, I have found it to be quite stressful. Thinking about college and knowing how much it’s going to cost is taking its toll on me. My main goal for senior year is to get as many grants/ scholarships as possible. High school, in general, has been stressful for me. I get caught up in the gossip, and the drama, and tend to be unfocused. This year, to reach my goal of receiving grants/ scholarships, I will not allow the triumphs of high school to stand in my way. 

My parents sat me down and asked me where I saw myself in the next 10 years. I answered with “I will be a teacher”. The next question they asked was “What is your dream?”. Immediately, I responded with “I want to work with homicides. I want to investigate them and find who committed them”. After I said that, I realized that’s what I wanted to do. I was settling for teaching because it seemed easier. My goal after high school is to become a homicide investigator. I want to find a school that has an outstanding forensics program, and succeed in everything I do. To reach my goal, I will find all of the information that I need and save the money that I need. I’ll keep my eyes on the prize.

I know what career I want to have and I know what I have to do to reach that goal. One dream/goal I have is to start a family. I want a little family to come home to at night, and to love. I want kids. I want to be a wife and a mother. A goal for my future family is to never get so caught up in work that I forget to make enough time for my family. I want to be Santa and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. I want all of the good and the bad times. To reach my goal of not being so busy making a living that  forget to make a life, I need to learn how to divide my time equally among work and family.

I have a long year ahead of me, and plenty of time to figure out more ways to reach all of my goals in life. It seems so unreal that this time has arrived where I am thinking about graduation and the rest of my life. Im so excited to see what is in store for me. I am determined to reach all of my goals.