First Read: Dear Miss Breed By Louise Ogawa

Argumentative Essay Conflict is hard to deal with. Although, there are many ways in which humans respond to conflict. Both Anne Frank from “First Read: Anne Frank” and Louise Ogawa from “First Read: Dear Miss Breed” both prove that staying positive in stressful or conflicting situations can help, even in times of war. Some believe that taking action or rebelling might be the best response, however, people can best respond to conflict by staying positive because it affects their physical and mental health in a helpful way and can affect others around them as well. Positive thinking is one of the best ways to respond to conflict because it can affect a person’s physical health in a constructive way. The Mayo Clinic Staff states that a positive

In the short story, “Dear Miss Breed”, a young Japanese girl shares her experience in a concentration camp. To Miss Breed, she writes, “This trip has made me realize the wonderful work of nature. Her delicate work in shaping the stone mountains, the beautiful coloring of the surroundings—it seemed as if I was looking at the picture or a painting of a genius” (Ogawa). Young Louise prefers to focus on the good side of a situation; it can help her cope better with things that have happened around her. Mostly because she is young; older people would most likely focus on the bad side of the situation. In a short passage from Anne Frank’s diary, Anne claims that first, she packed her, “diary, and then curlers, handkerchiefs, schoolbooks, a comb and some old letters. Preoccupied by the thought of going into hiding, I stuck the craziest things in the bag, but I'm not sorry. Memories mean more to me than dresses…” In a rush, Anne packs the items that would be more important to her than necessities. Again, she preferred to pack things that would make her happy and would help her to get through tough times. Lastly, staying positive can not only have physical health effects but mental ones as well. There are many health benefits, such as “Lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, better psychological well-being, better coping skills during hardships and times of stress…” (Mayo Clinic Staff). Of course, if one stays positive, that person would be able to cope with things like depression and distress. As a person could live with a negative attitude, a positive attitude helps the body function better because it produces hormones like endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. Being able to produce these hormones helps the body have better coping skills and are more likely to act in a constructive