Ryan Moop s Obstacle Journey. A timeline leading to Self Acceptance

Transcription

1 Ryan Moop s Obstacle Journey A timeline leading to Self Acceptance

2 External Conflict: Man VS Man I ll spare you the details, but the important thing to know is that everyone was calling me this awful nickname, and trusted friends were scarce (Ryan, Page 24). This conflict is important because this introduces Ryan s first obstacle of being bullied due to his last name. From then on, he is cautious about letting people know his last name in fear of being rejected. Instead of not caring what others think about him, he now feels like he needs to hide from the truth. Ryan reacted to this conflict by making the decision to lie about who he truly is from this point forward. Ryan is bullied by others for his weird last name. This picture demonstrates that Ryan was at school and his classmates were making fun of his last name. This man versus man conflict affects Ryan s self confidence and acceptance towards himself, creating an internal conflict that Ryan will soon need to face. Moop! HA!! Weirdo!

3 Internal Conflict: Man VS Self I blew out a sigh of relief. I was making it past attendance. No one heard my last name (Ryan, Page 24). This conflict is important because it shows that Ryan is embarrassed about who he is. He does not accept himself, especially his own last name. He is desperate to keep who he really is from the class. Ryan reacted to this conflict by rudely stopping the instructor from saying his last name so no one would hear it. He was so focused on if the instructor was calling out last names he was not listening to the Russian last names of his peers. This photo represents when Ryan arrived at the after-school tennis class. He was overly concerned that the group of tennis players would hear his last name during attendance. He was extremely relieved that he avoided them hearing his name, even if it meant interrupting his instructor while taking attendance. Yes! I m Here! I shouted, I just go by Ryan. No need for a last name. Ryan M--

4 Internal Conflict: Man VS Self Vera told me a joke every session (though I didn t know if it was the same one or not), and I always laughed on cue, louder than everyone else to prove that I really got it (Ryan, Page 25). This conflict is important because Ryan chooses to lie to his friends and pretend he can speak Russian as well. Although he does not directly tell his friends that he can speak Russian, he masters how to simulate responses using nonverbal gestures like smiling and nodding his head at the appropriate time. Ryan reacted to this conflict by pretending to be someone he s not, by acting and laughing louder than everyone else- he is being a fake friend. This photo represents Ryan s internal conflict becoming more complicated. This picture shows Ryan trying to fit in since he does speak Russian and laughing at a joke he cannot understand. This shows Ryan s fear of being accepted is escalating; he cared more about faking his identity then to just be opened and honest from the beginning.

5 Internal Conflict Man Vs. Self I did the best to follow the lesson visually, but I was in constant panic that I d be found out. I was always behind the other kids because I never understood the instructions (Ryan, Page 26). This conflict is important because at this moment in the story you see Ryan s internal panic. His lie is going too far to now pretend how to play tennis. The only reason Ryan is there is to play tennis and make friends and he is not doing either. Ryan reacted to this conflict by still making the decision to lie because pretending to play tennis is less embarrassing than everyone knowing the truth. This photo represents how Ryan s lying caused him to feel uncomfortable during his tennis lessons. He cannot understand any of the directions and cannot make any genuine friendships while he is lying about speaking Russian.

6 Internal Conflict: Man VS Self I turned to the class and confessed. I was afraid to say something. My name is Ryan Moop. You can all make fun of me now. The kids looked at each other in shock. It s not a big deal, Ryan, Vera said, finally. Why didn t you just say so? (Ryan, Page 27). This conflict is important because Ryan learns an important lesson to not lie regardless the reason. The most important lesson is to not assume everyone will judge you, and you need to accept yourself first. Ryan resolved this conflict by making the decision to speak the truth and to no longer pretend he understands what is happening. This picture demonstrates that Ryan s obstacle was finally resolved when his instructor, Nadia, realized Ryan did not speak Russian and confronted him. He knew he could not lie anymore, and confessed that he lied because of his last name.

7 Theme Slide Theme: True friendships are based off of truth and acceptance. Big Idea: Truth, Friendship, and Self Acceptance Early on in the short story, the main character, Ryan Moop, faces an internal conflict because he is fearful that his mother and tennis teammates will find out the truth that he cannot speak Russian and he will lose all the new friends he just made. The conflict begins to resolve itself later on in the story when Ryan realizes that his teammates do not care what language he speaks and like him for who he is on the inside. Ryan is not used to having real friends that accept him, and Ryan learned that true friends accepted you for you. Ryan s lack of self-acceptance, internal conflict, taught him a valuable lesson to not assume everyone is the sameand will judge you. If you accept who you are, the friends that want to be around you will support you even your insecurities. Readers can also learn a valuable lesson from Ryan, accept yourself, and true friends will accept you for you; pretending to be someone you are not is not the way to build friendships.