I found this something I could ironically relate to, though only through hubris of my teenage years. Many a time I found myself at odds with my teacher and class as they just didn't get something that I did.
Obviously such a belief has passed and we're left with this interesting piece of work. You've well dug into the mind of a youth of that age and, whether its a reflection of my own experiences or an intended effect, you have provided this impression of an upstart youth who is right in their convictions and facing the world.
And damn you I wanted him to be right. That's no small feat, generating a character from nothing but a journal entry that we can cheer for. I don't mean a sympathetic character either, as the characters self-superiority easily negates any sympathy I would feel for them. But you feel they are an underdog. Someone oppressed by their views and forced to conform into a class of those doing the same.
You start off with a sharp note, using a word with such angry feeling to it. 'Detest'. It's a powerful use and sets up many of the feelings that will follow about the character. In fact, you could say this is where my lack of sympathy comes; the opening aggression.
I guess I have to apologize at this point. Instead of a review you're going to have me gushing for paragraphs about how very realistic you've managed this and how brilliant it is. For a young reader of the teenage years they would see this text and interpret it as it is; a complaint about unfair treatment. It is something they can so easily relate to after all. Almost every student has that one teacher that hates them, or that they hate and imagine the feeling is mutual.
But an older reader, one who has long since passed that stage of their life (god forbid I say I'm at that stage a mere handful of years later), can read between the lines and see that this is, well... Teenagers being teenagers. They can smile and shake their heads fondly at the thought that this teenager would go above and beyond to genuinely be superior to his classmates because they've all been there, and have since shedded such notions.
The last two paragraphs are perhaps the most powerful of all the text. It's the same escapist fantasy every teen falls into. They know they aren't special. In fact that usually holds a negative feeling to it even when it's a positive term. But they are individual. After all, no one else is like they are.
Eventually he will reach the end of this unjustness, and when he's there he will feel free. And someday when he looks back he'll see things in a different light. That maybe he was being judged more harshly because the teacher knew his potential. Or maybe he wasn't as great as he thought. Or maybe he was normal, like everyone else, and everyone felt the same.
Ultimately I want to congratulate you. This was great fun to read. You established a character without stating gender, race, age or any physical appearance. An upstart youth of some sort who tries hard or at least they think they do, who's efforts are unrewarded just because they happened to point out a flaw they saw that no one else did.
And I guess in closing I will admit a part of me wanted them to find out they were unique and special. Making your audience want to read more is, well... A job well done.
Thanks, Patch.
Points: 1790
Reviews: 12
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