Sam

This was the first piece I wrote in a college-level English class, during a workshop about perspective and points of view. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take college English classes through the local Community College during my senior year of high school. This assignment was about a gender neutral person or animal named Sam. My teacher, whom I absolutely adored and remains my inspiration to this day, asked us questions about our individual Sam and we wrote down the responses. The questions were things like: What gender is your Sam? How old is he/she/it? What does your Sam look like? What is his/her/its biggest conflict? What lesson does your Sam learn? If your Sam could share one thing with the world, what would it be? From here, we were given ten minutes to write a very basic short story based on our Sam and our responses to the questions, choosing two different points of view to represent. And these are mine:


First Person
Sam is my two year old son. Sam shares my red hair, green eyes, and freckles. Sam is giggly, smart, and a very social young boy. We love to play and laugh together, and he sleeps very often because of this. Sam adores nature, and I make it a priority to let him experience it. Sam learns from our family and observes everything carefully. We are in Ireland, where our family is rooted. I have noticed lately that Same has been learning to walk. This is the biggest conflict he has had so far, and I have seen him work at it everyday. I feel that his perseverance is paying off, and that this is the one thing he would share with the world if he could. Sam and I have a strong relationship and he is a happy, determined little boy.

Third Person Objective
Sam is Jenna’s two year old son. Sam and Jenna share their red hair, green eyes, and light freckles. Sam’s laugh pierces the air and his intelligence is impressive. Sam and Jenna play together and laugh very often. This seems to tire Sam out. Sam is always out in nature, and the pair experience its together. Sam observes everything carefully and learns from his family. Jenna and Sam live in Ireland, where they can experience their family’s culture. Sam has been learning to walk lately and has battle scars to prove it. This is the biggest conflict in his life thus far, and he works at it every single day. Sam’s perseverance is paying off, and his bumps and bruises seem to show it. If he could share one thing with the world, it would be just that. Sam and Jenna have what appears to be a strong relationship, and he is a happy, lively, and determined little boy.