# data[].attributes.body
One of my biggest insecurities while growing up was how people judged me and thought of me. My appearance, my acts, my thoughts, everything that happened around me, I would think to myself, if this happened, how would things turn out for me, what would people think about me? I’ve always been insecure about myself, but mostly my height and the ways I interacted with people. My height, one of the biggest problems of my life(haha). Being shorter than most kids in school was terrifying, almost everyone I talked to was taller than me and I felt left out of conversations. As I read Cyrano de Bergerac, I sympathised with him.

Cyrano had a massive nose that made him stand out from others and was humiliated for it. Interestingly, he didn’t just accept what others said about him, instead he joined in on humiliating himself using all types of insults, such as, “That's a blue cucumber!”( 37) Cyrano shows no shame in his nose and is instead showing people that nothing they say about his nose can hurt his feelings. I think this really relates to me because I shouldn’t be afraid of what others say about my height, instead, I should be proud of my height and have more confidence in myself.

Through Cyrano, readers learn that love is at first based on appearances, but true love is found on the inside. Christian gains Roxane’s love by his good looks, but underneath the good looks, was not Roxane loved. She truly loved Cyrano, who was talking through Christian to Roxane. Cyrano also shows us what real courage is by taking on the 100 men by himself, just because a friend needed help. This teaches us to stand up for our friends, even if the odds are not in our favor. Furthermore, he Cyrano teaches us that panache can be used to challenge ourselves. He challenges himself to come up with a poem while fighting to test his limits and to show people that he is not just an ordinary man. From Cyrano, we learn that love can easily be found from the outside, but true love is found on this inside, we should always be courageous and stand up for what we believe in and for our friends, and to be a panache, to challenge ourselves and test our limits.

# data[].attributes.body
Happiness, the feeling everyone wants to experience everywhere they go, can be easily found by some, but also very difficult to find for others. It’s different for everyone, but anyone can learn to be happy, they just need to want it. Personally, I’ve been happy almost everyday of my life, no matter how much bad things happened that day. I think that happiness can come from anything, but most of the time, it comes from our friends and family. Most people associate happiness with laughter.

Happiness comes from good friends. Friends that make you laugh are a source of happiness to your life. These types of friends will always be there when bad things happen to cheer you up and provide happiness, and be there when good things happen to celebrate with you. Happiness can come from friends, who cheer you on and make you laugh.

How can happiness come from something sad? The answer is all in one’s head. Once you realize how blessed you are and how so many people in the world will never have what you have, you can find happiness even in the worst of times. Happiness comes from within, as long as you look on the bright side, you can be happy whenever you choose to. In the end, I think that happiness comes from how you choose to live your life, and whether or not you choose to be happy. Living like this will ensure happiness of your future self.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear son/daughter,

What is up yo. In this letter, i’m going to give you some advice I wish I lived by during my time in highschool, so pay attention. There is so much advice to give, but I will tell you the three main things you should focus on in highschool, to find great friends, try new things(not drugs or alcohol), and most importantly be humble and be yourself.

Finding great friends can be a easy task for some, or terribly hard for another, it just depends on how lucky you are. You can become friends with anyone and everyone, but there will be a few that become your best friends in life. Look for the good qualities, and stay away from the bad qualities. The best friends are the ones that make you a better person. They reveal to you who you really are and allow you to be yourself. Friends with similar or even the same interests and humor as you do. These types of friends will help you improve and make you become the best you that you can be.

Trying new things is scary, but also exciting. You never know what you can do until you try it. Give it a chance, and it might happen, but if u dont give it a chance, you’ll never know what you can do. Opportunities come and go, and I regret not taking a lot of the opportunities to do fun things in high school, so I encourage you to try new things and take these opportunities and make the most out of them. If you like singing, do it, if you like dancing, then do it, chase after what you’re passionate in and explore your abilities.

Being humble and being yourself is one of the biggest challenges I faced in high school, and I hope you can do better than I did with this. One thing to keep in mind, is to always be humble, don't brag, or talk down on others because it will always come back to haunt you. Keep your reputation good, because then others will respect you. Being humble doesnt mean that you keep all your talents hidden, you should show others how talented you are when the opportunity comes, but don’t go bragging about it, stay humble, and you will see results. Most importantly, find yourself in high school. Find out what you love to do, what you are passionate about, and pursue it, don’t be afraid of others don't like what you like, or think what you like is stupid. Listen to your heart and be who you are, don’t put on a false front because then you will get involved with the wrong group of friends. Be yourself, no matter what others say.

Sincerely,

Your awesome dad

# data[].attributes.headline
Literary Self - Which Piece of Literature Impacted you the most?

# data[].attributes.subject
Literary Self - Which Piece of Literature Impacted you the most?

# data[].attributes.body
Out of all the novels, poems, and short stories we read over the year, I think that the book Cyrano De Bergerac impacted me the most because it showed me that looks matter a lot, but real friends are found when two people know each other on the inside. Not only that, but Cyrano De Bergerac also made me realize that even if I have a flaw in my appearance, I shouldn't care what others say, I should embrace who I am because I was made like this. Reading this book changed who I am as a person because it made me feel like I could be proud of myself, my appearances, and made me act more confidently. Cyrano became one of my role models. I looked up to him because he is able to confidently speak to crowds even though everyone is staring and thinking bad thoughts about his gigantic nose. He shows the readers how to be courageous and reveals to us that nothing should keep you from being who you really are.

# data[].attributes.body
Life and a River

Life is like a flowing river,

Encountering different things everyday,

Passing through the changing weather,

Observing surroundings as it goes to the bay.

Life is like a flowing river,

Meeting with the ducks and the geese,

And catching all of their feathers,

Learning from them as it pleases.

Life is like a flowing river,

It sees the good and the bad,

The beautiful blooming flower,

And the yellowing lilly pad.

Life is like a flowing river,

But it won't go on forever

# data[].attributes.body
Forgiving people is one of the hardest things to do. It challenges us to go out of our comfort zone and admit that we are wrong. As the quote says, "forgiveness won't change the past," but it does make the future open to a lot more possibilities. I choose this as my lines to live by because from my past experience, forgiving people can save friendships and prevent any drama from starting. Holding grudges doesn't do anything good, it just makes life worse for two people, but forgiveness fixes relationships and allows people to move on.

# data[].attributes.body
Hi! My name is Hanzen Mui, I am 17 years old, and I live in San Jose, California. I plan to study business in college, mostly in the marketing area. Some of my favorite hobbies are playing sports(all types), gaming, watching TV, making duct tape wallets, and adventuring too new places. I'm not sure what I want to do with my future yet, but I hope its going to be exciting :). I want to thank everyone that helped me become who I am today, especially my friends, my family, and my teachers!

# data[].attributes.body
1. Minecraft
2. Overwatch
3. League of Legends
4. The 100
5. How I Met Your Mother
6. Sour Patch Kids
7. Logan Paul
8. Roman Atwood
9. Niga Higa
10. Wong Fu Productions