How Bobby Does and Does not Show Respect

How Bobby does and does not respect

  Owen Morehead  

Respecting is always a problem in life. People’s instinct is just not to respect, most of us that is. If none of us respect others then life will be hard and full of problems. And Bobby in the Misfits by James Howe also has a problem showing respect early out in the book, but he learns how to respect others and their feelings later on in the book. Whether it’s caring or respecting, all the main characters in the Misfits have a problem expressing their real feelings. Bobby, Addie, Joe, and Skeezie call themselves “The Gang of Five.” They always get bullied and called names in a small school called Paintbrush Falls. But then the chance comes to stop the name calling with the student election. Will respecting be fixed in Paintbrush falls, or will the names keep on coming?

          Bobby has a hard time showing his respect for other people early on in the Misfits. There are many examples in this book of how Bobby Goodspeed doesn't show respect. For example, Bobby made a third party without asking Ms. Wyman a teacher at Paintbrush Falls School about starting it. This shows that Bobby doesn't respect people’s thoughts and didn't think he needed to ask Ms. Wyman about starting the third party. Which was a big deal. (181-190) Another example of why Bobby doesn’t show respect early in the book would be that Bobby doesn’t respect his dad. Bobby doesn't want to end up like his dad, and he’s disrespectful to him and his thoughts. Bobby calls his dad “A low life character.”(59) This would show that Bobby doesn’t think his dad is a good role model, and Bobby doesn’t want to end up being lonely and drunk, because Bobby's dad used to be an alcoholic. “I remember more than once when my dad had a glass of scotch in one hand and a book in the other while he was reading to me.” (59) One other case of Bobby showing such little respect for adults would be that Bobby doesn't respect Mr. Kellerman. He doesn't take him seriously even though he is Bobby's boss. Bobby’s nickname for Kellerman is “Killer man”. That shows that Bobby doesn't really understand or trust Mr. Kellerman. He also says “You have to hand it to the guy; he has style, even if he has the personality of a doorstop.” Or “I know I have to work, but why this job.” Most importantly Bobby doesn't show respect to himself. He doesn't believe in himself, and he doesn't trust in himself. Bobby calls himself “fat”, and “no one will ever like him.”(80) This shows that Bobby still doesn't trust himself, and doesn't think he is a good person.

          Throughout the story Bobby starts to gain respect for people. For example, Bobby respects Brittney and her party for winning the election and he doesn’t get angry at her. He respects the ability of Brittney, even though he wanted to win the election, but he still feels good about his no name party and what they achieved.(260)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Bobby even said “ It isn’t always about winning the election... Sometimes it’s about winning something much bigger.”(260). That shows that Bobby is learning to respect people like Brittney for who they are and if they win something he wanted to win he still respects them winning because Bobby was okay with losing. Another way of Bobby respecting would be that while Bobby was giving his big speech for the election, he went out of the way and mentioned Addie and the rest of his no name party, and how they have been a big help to the group, and have been his friends ever since he was little. They have helped him through a lot and no matter what any of them do; he respects them for who they are. Bobby even says “What I want to say is that Addie has been my friend my whole life, and Skeezie and Joe for a long time...” (252) and “I think they are winners... I know they are winners.” (252) That shows that Bobby has the courage to mention his best friends even during a big speech. Bobby is learning to show that he actually respects people like his friends, and is expressing his feelings out loud.

          In James Howe’s the Misfits, Howe was able to show the importance of Bobby changing throughout the story in learning how to respect. I think I can relate to Bobby because Bobby might not be able to take people seriously like Mr. Kellerman, but when they start to become better friends Bobby starts to understand and respect people for who they are. I would say that's the same as me. Some people I don't know that well, I don't respect as much because I'm not that good of a friend with them. Although when I get to know them better, I start to understand and respect them.

Owen

10/5/11

THE BEEHIVE.....

My friend Jordan and I have been friends for as long as we were in our mama’s tummies. We have the same hair-do which is dirty blond hair, we are about the same height, and we like a lot of the same things, for example, basketball. We have been on the same basketball team for a long time. We think alike, if I say one thing that no one else understands, Jordan will understand it. We have a lot of memories together, but one I will always remember is the “Beehive Accident”.

We were about ten or eleven when this accident happened. One day Jordan, me, and my other friend Shane were playing in a kitty pool in my yard. But then we got bored of the pool, we had an urge to go up in a tree stump that was in my yard about 10 feet high. We were picking huckleberries up there, red ones to be exact. I saw a really big huckleberry so I yelled out “Honker!” as in a big huckleberry. But the next thing I knew was that Jordan had stepped on a beehive that none of us knew was there because it was under a log, and the sad thing was, we were all barefoot.

Jordan screamed “There’s a beehive there!” So we needed to get down. He let Shane and I get down first. There is a rock climbing wall and that's how you get up and down. So Shane climbed down the rock climbing wall, but I couldn't wait to get down since I didn't want to get stung so I just jumped down. But one nice thing Jordan did was let us both get down first and he waited up in the tree. So after we got down Jordan finally did also. He ran into the pool that we had been playing in earlier, and luckily we didn't take the water out of it, Because Jordan needed it. Jordan is allergic to bees so he needed the pool water to jump into so he could get the bees off of him.

Once the whole accident was over we found out that they were actually wasps who stung us, not bees. Jordan had fourteen wasp stings all over his body and Shane and I only had a couple. We thanked Jordan for letting us get down first, and that he took the risk of getting stung for letting us get down. My mom soon gave us some clay cream that was supposed to help the wasp stings, and it did help. A LOT! Jordan did a very courageous thing that day, and what he did really shows that he is a good friend. Ever since that accident I don't like going up to that stump, but I will if I have to. That accident is something Jordan, Shane, and I will always remember.