The Salem Girls
In seventh grade I was bullied by a girl named Kayla and her “group.” Kayla, one of the tallest, toughest girls in Illinois, had, as every bully has, a group. These girls swarmed to her, eager to get a share of the power or to avoid getting bullied themselves. Kayla was rarely seen without these girls.
“Hey new girl,” a rough voice whispers in my ear. It’s the first day of school at my new school, Fremont Middle School. I was looking at my map, trying to figure out how to get to my next class when they closed in. I look up and see myself surrounded; lockers on my right side and people, tough, menacing, girls on the other three.
“Welcome to Fremont.” The girl who’s speaking is definitely the leader, I decided. She’s also the ugliest person I’ve ever met. Her hair is dull brown and stringy and her complexion is poxy. Her teeth point in every direction. She exudes the power-hungry aura of a bully.
“I-” The rest of my words are lost as she bursts out laughing. After a couple seconds the other girls start to laugh to. She glances up. The teacher who usually stands at the end of the hallway is gone. Cracking her knuckles menacingly, she looks back at me. I glance around. Is no one going to help me? She laughs as, reaching over she slams me into the lockers.
“Have a nice day,” she calls as I pick myself up off the ground.
In this memory I can find many of whom I call, the Salem girls. Abigail, Mary Warren, and Betty. Abigail, or Kayla, wants power. As her power grows in the village, the girls cling to her more tightly. Because they are not stopped by an adult figure, that power grows to consume the whole of Salem. Just as Kayla’s power was unchecked by teachers who (no offense Mrs. Culver) rarely saw anything. Kayla’s group formed largely because people were afraid of her. While I’m sure some enjoyed the power, like Mercy Lewis, many joined to avoid getting bullied. Being in the Salem girls was a sure way of making sure you weren’t accused of witchcraft.
There was one girl in Kayla’s group named Grace who always doubted. She doubted whether what they were doing was right and she doubted whether it was worth it to break from the group and stick up for her values. She reminds me a lot of Mary Warren. At one point Grace had stopped participating in the bullying. She failed to stop it, just as Mary did, but she herself stopped for a period. Then, like Mary Warren, she succumbed to the peer pressure and resumed bullying.
Every leader, bully, follower, and mob have something in common, whether it be mobs having fear, or bullies having control issues. Abigail is like Kayla because both control with fear. Kayla’s group is like the Salem Girls because both follow a leader who bullies, controls, and does something they know is completely wrong.
I worked to improve word choice and conventions in this piece.
“Hey new girl,” a rough voice whispers in my ear. It’s the first day of school at my new school, Fremont Middle School. I was looking at my map, trying to figure out how to get to my next class when they closed in. I look up and see myself surrounded; lockers on my right side and people, tough, menacing, girls on the other three.
“Welcome to Fremont.” The girl who’s speaking is definitely the leader, I decided. She’s also the ugliest person I’ve ever met. Her hair is dull brown and stringy and her complexion is poxy. Her teeth point in every direction. She exudes the power-hungry aura of a bully.
“I-” The rest of my words are lost as she bursts out laughing. After a couple seconds the other girls start to laugh to. She glances up. The teacher who usually stands at the end of the hallway is gone. Cracking her knuckles menacingly, she looks back at me. I glance around. Is no one going to help me? She laughs as, reaching over she slams me into the lockers.
“Have a nice day,” she calls as I pick myself up off the ground.
In this memory I can find many of whom I call, the Salem girls. Abigail, Mary Warren, and Betty. Abigail, or Kayla, wants power. As her power grows in the village, the girls cling to her more tightly. Because they are not stopped by an adult figure, that power grows to consume the whole of Salem. Just as Kayla’s power was unchecked by teachers who (no offense Mrs. Culver) rarely saw anything. Kayla’s group formed largely because people were afraid of her. While I’m sure some enjoyed the power, like Mercy Lewis, many joined to avoid getting bullied. Being in the Salem girls was a sure way of making sure you weren’t accused of witchcraft.
There was one girl in Kayla’s group named Grace who always doubted. She doubted whether what they were doing was right and she doubted whether it was worth it to break from the group and stick up for her values. She reminds me a lot of Mary Warren. At one point Grace had stopped participating in the bullying. She failed to stop it, just as Mary did, but she herself stopped for a period. Then, like Mary Warren, she succumbed to the peer pressure and resumed bullying.
Every leader, bully, follower, and mob have something in common, whether it be mobs having fear, or bullies having control issues. Abigail is like Kayla because both control with fear. Kayla’s group is like the Salem Girls because both follow a leader who bullies, controls, and does something they know is completely wrong.
I worked to improve word choice and conventions in this piece.