To Bully a Mockingbird Seth Loftis

It’s safe to say that I went through an awkward stage primarily during my middle school days. Foreign endorphins, peer pressure and poor judgment basically describe grades six through eight. This period of self-identity stretched into my high school years as well. My common conformist attitude shined brightly during these stages when I succumbed to the bullies by not speaking out and joining them in jeering an innocent girl, who I later found out suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. The girl, Leah, is to me as Boo Radley is to Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Harper Lee writes, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Boo Radley was an innocent man who always minded his own business. Leah was the exact same way; she never bothered anyone else. In fact, she was usually found reading Hugo’s Les Misérables or a nonfiction book about the Titanic. Her unkempt appearance was the main source of ridicule from her peers. Jokes about her frizzy hair and later, in high school, her unshaved legs bounced from wall to wall. Although I never witnessed any physical harm, I strongly believe that words can be the worst...