Personal Narrative: The Great Wall Of South Africa

“The name Hitler does not offend a black South African because Hitler is not the worst thing a black South African can imagine. Every country thinks their history is the most important, and that’s especially true in the West. But if black South Africans could go back in time and kill one person, Cecil Rhodes would come up before Hitler.” (Pg. 195)

A couple of years ago, my family and I visited China. China was a fascinating region, bustling with people and commerce. The land was industrial yet spiritual, with every corner marked by dragons, lions, and Buddhas. Along the way, we visited another famous icon: the Great Wall of China. Although it was massive, its stature didn't deter us from wanting to conquer it, so we walked and walked and walked

Thankfully, we encountered one of the many malls that dot the Chinese metropolis and decided to cool off in the air-conditioned interior. Of course, we also wanted to observe the insides of a Chinese mall and see if it were any different from its American counterpart. The streets were alive with neon and the belligerent cries of vendors. An abundance of merchandise, a great wall in itself, was available for purchase, including unsurprisingly shoes, jackets, shirts and gadgets. However, among the wide range of objects that lined the walls and floors, something grabbed my attention: fidget spinners. Along with my two younger brothers, I was immediately drawn to them. At the time, these spinners were one of the most popular playthings in the U.S. When we approached the vast selection of shiny, mesmerizing toys, we were taken aback. There were so many spinners of practically indiscernible colors, sizes, and shapes, but one caught my eye. It was shaped like a swastika and seemed disturbingly out of place. Shocked, I instinctively turned around to re-evaluate my surroundings. Did the vendors not know? I checked my family’s reaction to make sure they mirrored mine. When I asked the vendor about

He was new to our school so we knew nothing about him. The first time I met him, he started talking to me and asked if I had done the math homework. I told him I hadn't. One day in math class my teacher was checking who had and hadn’t done the homework when suddenly the kid blurted out that I don’t do math homework. This shocked me because as usual, I had done my homework that day, but he thought that just because I hadn't done the homework one day, I didn't ever do it. I immediately disliked him for making generalizations about me. It only got worse from there. Since we didn't like each other, we argued and expertly “roasted” each other. He was a jerk, and a ruthless one. He constantly found reasons to fight and argue with my friend and me and basically everyone in our math class. He made fun of my friend’s appearance by calling him fat when my friend hadn’t done anything to provoke him other than turn around in class to look at him while he was answering a question. He would say things like, “Why are you looking at me? Turn around and pay attention, I’m surprised you can even turn around in the first place!” One time after an intense round of teasing in the cafeteria, he charged and ineffectively swung at me — he was a few inches shorter and not very athletic. He would try to sneak up on me and my friend would have to warn me and say, “Watch out, he’s lurking,” although there wasn't really anything to fear other