Reflection Essay about Being an Outsider

“I am completely alone” I reflected sitting there observing all the other students running around playing. Little did I know how many kids experienced the same dreaded situations as I did. Like those kids on my playground, some people may always fit in, but being an outsider is a universal experience because not everyone is popular and not everyone is socially validated. 

Essentially, being an outsider is a universal experience because not everyone is socially validated.  In The Doll House, the Kelvey children were despised for their social status. The text states, “They walked past the Kelvey’s with their heads in the air, and as they set the fashion in all matters of behavior, the Kelvey’s are shunned by everyone.” This textual evidence proves the Kelvey’s had been socially invalid by everyone, making them outsiders. To add to this, in Metamorphosis Grete, the sister of Gregor, describes her brother as a “monster” and persuades the rest of her family to “get rid of” Gregor. The text states “I will not utter my brother’s name in front of this monster, and thus I say only that we must try to get rid of it.” The textual evidence proves that Gregor was neglected and socially rejected by his own family. These two situations relate to being an outsider because the characters in the story both feel a sense of loneliness due to their social status as outsiders.

Additionally, Not everyone is popular. In Sonnet With Bird the unspoken Indian describes himself to be so “lonely” because he has no friends making him unpopular “I am the only Indian in this country right now. I am the only Indian within a five thousand mile circle.” You may be wondering how this statement relates to being an outcast, well, in the unspoken Indians experience he is lonely because he is unpopular and that of an outsider. The other ‘not so popular’ characters were the Kelvey’s. The Kelvey’s were so unpopular they “were always outside” by themselves. The text states, “And the only two who stayed outside the ring were the two Who were always outside, the little Kelvey’s.” This textual evidence proves how the Kelvey’s were always alone and unpopular. These characters relate to each other because they were all out of place misfits who were lonely. These characters are outsiders because they never found a place where they were welcome.

 Some people might argue that everyone has their own cliques and will always fit in. For example jocks or the popular girls will always have a place where they fit in because they’re social and they’re popular. This observation may be true but for those “popular” kids who are brought into classrooms without any friends, what are they now?

Outsiders. Even the popular kids experience being an outsider! Therefore this observation is incorrect because those popular kids are not always popular, especially not after high school. In Revenge Of The Geeks the text states, “so what happens to high school’s popular students? Research shows that they are more likely than outcasts to conform…” This textual evidence proves that even the popular kids become outsiders, meaning they experience this feeling as well, proving that the experience of being an outsider is a universal experience. 

Thus, being an outsider is a universal experience. The points presented all relate to one another because they prove how everyone is different. Starting each reason with “Not everyone is…” goes to show how each of these differences are what makes being an outsider a common universal experience.