WOULD YOU SPEAK UP?

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Marianne Ibale Fuentes
IV - Enrico Fermi


Do you think before you speak or not speak up at all? Many people really do have different interpretations and beliefs about a certain person based on his gestures and actions. They usually point out the flaws and mistakes of the person that affects its whole personality and character. So, you sometimes think that it is better to keep silent than to speak out about a particular matter. But the big problem is, what will you do if you hear something bad about you from a very close friend that is not true? Or if your best friend is insisting on having match friendship rings made out of nylon but nylon gives you the rushes? Would you dare to speak up or rather shut up?

Many people say that speaking up is really a difficult part especially in a group of friends. There are some reasons why some people are so worried and bothered in speaking up with other people. First, they say that some people might think that we are being bossy. We admit it or not, it really happens to us particularly during reports in school. When someone tried to lead the group and he is the only one who planned and talked about the whole report, some people cannot avoid to give him comments that he is so bossy and wants to have the report on his own. No one likes a bossy person because no one likes being brusquely told what to do. But being bossy means you are shouting orders at people when you do not have the right to do it to them and do not care about other people’s judgments. So if you think that your classmate’s suggestion is not that good, and you are suggesting yours, let everyone choose which they like better – that is being concerned, not being bossy.

Thinking that we might say something wrong and people may laugh about it is the second reason why some of us do not want to speak up. All of us had those moments that we cannot truly believe that we had said something bad or wrong that must not be said. We cannot always be right, so we all have to realize from our slip-ups. The next time you know the answer (though you are not that sure about it), raise your hand with confidence. If it is wrong, join them with a giggle rather than wonder if you could have been right.

Peer pressure is one of the frequent problems that are being talked about in a circle of friends. They say that if they do not agree with their friends, they will feel out of place or commonly known as “O.P.”. This makes the third in the list. We all know that even identical twins have their own brains, so what makes us think that one girl group’s got to share one? We all have some distinctive characteristics that we must be very proud of. Each one of us has the right to have our own likes and dislikes. If they turn their backs on you and they make you feel out of place for thinking differently among them, maybe they are not really your friends – after all, true friends understand each other no matter what.

The fear of being accused of being loud mouth is another factor why some people choose to be quiet than to speak up. Actually, there is really a very big difference between speaking up and being a blabbermouth or a loud mouth. Loud mouths just like to be heard without bearing in mind the feelings of others or just keep talking so that the interest is all on them. We must remember all the time that it is so good to say what is on our own minds, but what other people have to say is significant too, so we must be very cautious on the words that we are going to say before its too late.