Brynli Whittaker

Jackie, Burr Instructor

English 2010

9 May, 2019

The Look Back Effect

Memoir #1

When I was around ten years old my mom’s best friends daughter, Canyon, who was my

same age, said to me, “did you know that Corbin is gay?” Corbin, my older cousin is someone

who I had looked up to since I was old enough to understand humor. To this day, I still look

forward to seeing him at family events because he makes me laugh more than anyone. He truly is

one of the best people that I know and everybody loves him so much. I denied Canyon’s

assumption because no one had told me and why would she know and not me when she wasn’t

even a part of my family? My sister also acted confused at her comment although I later found

out that my sister already knew it was true.

The first time I ever used the word “gay” was in 3rd grade when I came home to my

mom and said “Mom, Mrs. Turner’s husband is gay.” She was instantly concerned in the

statement I had made and asked me what I even thought that word meant. I told her, “I don’t

know but I could tell by the shoes that he was wearing.” I obviously had no idea what I was

talking about but I think it was time my mom educated me on the topic so I wouldn’t go around

telling other people that Mrs. Turner’s husband was gay because of his sneakers.

When the time finally came that my mom told me Corbin was gay, I had figured out what

it meant. I don’t know why it took her so long but I do know that it wasn’t because she disagreed
or anything. She told me and I was way more offended that my sister knew before I did and that I

told Canyon I didn’t believe her when she was telling the truth. My mom told me that she and

my family knew he was gay ever since he was a little boy which that, I did not understand but I

just went with it. Why did everyone avoid telling me for so long? I was still pretty young and I

won’t lie, it made me nervous for my cousin now that I knew everyone knew and I thought about

it a lot when I saw him the next few times. I wouldn’t say that I was judgmental, but just curious.

I wondered if he was always aware about his sexuality, and if anything was physically different

about him than other boys, such as his clothing. And then after he brought his boyfriend to

Thanksgiving dinner for the first time I realized that it was normal and I stopped seeing it as

something that wasn’t.

When I was growing up, I babysat a boy and his older brother. I would have one boy

tugging on my right arm trying to get me to have a sword fight with him and another tapping my

left arm inviting me to come see the barbie figure he had just finished sketching in his notebook.

I started to understand how my mom knew that Corbin was gay ever since he was a young boy. I

learned more and I met more people who were gay and I never even knew that it was something

a lot of people actually saw as a bad thing.

Today I am in high school and I have several people around me, family and friends, who

are supporters of the LGBT community. I attended a same sex wedding in Vegas a couple years

ago, I witnessed my aunt and her husband separate because she found a girlfriend, I had a crush

on a boy in junior high school who acted interested until he kissed another boy and forgot about

me. And I am a supporter of the LGBT community. I believe I was in eighth grade when there

was an LGBT movement and snapchat had one filter after another with rainbows and the words
“love wins.” And I cannot believe that there are people who actually discriminate against people

who are gay. I saw this tweet that was funny but also had much more meaning than to make

people laugh. It said, “if sexuality were a choice, nobody would actually choose to like a male.”

Sexuality is not a choice just like skin color is not a choice. So how can someone be against

racism but then turn around and treat someone differently because they different as far as their

sexuality. All of these people in my life and all of the other people around us are no different.

People will love who they love and I loved all of my family members before I knew who they

loved so I continue to love them for who they are.

Memoir #2

When I was ten years old and naive to anything outside of a typical fourth graders

knowledge, Canyon asked me in a perturbed voice, “did you know that Corbin is gay?” Canyon,

my best friend who had no relations to my extended family, had just made a comment about my

favorite cousin whom I had looked up to since I was old enough to understand humor. A

comment that I was not accepting of. Corbin is the center of attention at all family events, the

one who brings laughter to every room, he was like the king of the cousins when we were

younger. And there was no way I was going to let Canyon tell me he was gay. So, I denied

Canyon’s presumed assumption because if it were really true, I imagined and hoped that this

friend of mine would not be the first to tell me.

My mom was the type who waited for me to incorrectly speak of something before she

had certain conversations with me. The first time I ever used the word “gay” was in 3rd grade

when I came home and unaware of an important definition, left my mom with wide eyes when I

claimed “Mrs. Turner’s husband is gay.” She responded with nothing but sharp eyebrows and a
simple question. “What do you think it means to be gay?” she asked me. I paused as I repeated

the question in my head and then after a moment told her, “I don’t know, but I could tell by the

shoes that he was wearing.” Clearly, I no idea what I was talking about. And my mom realized

that it was a good time to educate me on this topic.

It was only a few weeks after Canyon and I talked about it when my mom confirmed my

confusion that Corbin was gay. More than anything, I was offended to have been left in the dust

for so long and wondered why my sister got to know, but not me. I was still young and it didn’t

completely make sense to me which, was probably why my mom felt it unnecessary for me to

know. Of course my mom taught me that there was nothing wrong with him, he just had different

interests than what I was used to seeing in people. I never judged my cousin although I was

young and full of judgement. I was confused, but never judging.

As a child, it isn’t something we recognize until we start to grow older and experience it.

When we have classmates who are boys, but they are only interested girly activities and dress

more feminine than the boys who come prepared to compete at every sport during recess. When

we see two individuals of the same gender kissing goodbye after a lunch date at the same

restaurant we are eating at. As everything else in this world, once we start experiencing and

observing it is when we start to understand it. And then we usually interpret it based on the

influence of our parents opinions and teachings. Luckily, mine taught me to love everybody

equally, which is how I continue to feel at the age of eighteen.

Today I am in high school and I have several people around me including family, friends,

neighbors, and teachers who are part of or supporters of the LGBT community. I’ve attended a

gay wedding, which was just as beautiful as a traditional man and woman wedding; I witnessed
my aunt and her husband separate because she found interest in a woman, which impacted her

children beyond measure; I had a boyfriend in ninth grade who unexpectedly cheated on me with

another male. And I am a supporter of the LGBT community. I am a supporter because love is

love. And it is a confusing thing that there are people who actually discriminate against the gay

community. Sexuality is not a choice. Skin color is not a choice. Judgements should never be

placed among an individual because they are in love. One will never come across one human like

another. We all have opinions and we all have differences, but no matter what, we all deserve to

love equally.

Vitamin Supplements #1

Vitamins and minerals are something that human bodies can not develop properly

without. Vitamin supplements are forms of nutrients that make up for possible lacking minerals

in ones body. For example, someone may be anemic so they take a blood builder supplement.

Not every individual who includes these vitamins in their diet are in need, however. Some people

may be in great health but still desire a pill such as biotin to help their hair and nails become

stronger. Supplements come in many forms such as pills, liquid drinks, power, bars. Individuals

can decide if they think their body would be benefited by a supplement and also choose how they

desire to consume it.

People are often born with deficiencies in minerals which causes their body to require

assistance. They also could have developed a disease at a random point in their life or their body

could start to be affected by a new dislike of certain foods. An example would be a child with

osteogenesis imperfecta. This is a disorder which causes bones to break even when performing a

basic tasks. In this case, a calcium dietary supplement would be vital to the child's health because
simple day to day activities are harmful. There are many diseases that require a supplement

which their body will become dependent on. This isn’t always a good thing for someone who

has great health before they start relying on a different source, but not everyone has that option,

especially if they are born with it.

Multi-vitamins should never be considered a replacement for food. A healthy and

balanced diet should always be the first option and is always the best option. Because of this fact,

taking vitamins may become a risk because one could mistake certain supplements as their main

source of minerals. They are not as reliable as food but instead they are an option for people who

are lacking in certain areas of their dietary needs and may want to enhance their intake. If one

does allow their body to rely on this pill and ignores the dangers, they can reduce the ability of

organs to function well on their own which would cause future problems. Another reason that

vitamins could be a risk to one’s health is because they may not understand their specific needs.

If their body is thriving with iron and they are taking a pill that provides them with even more

iron, this could result in what is called vitamin toxicity. Everybody knows that it is unhealthy for

your body to be deficient in something, but not everybody thinks it is equally as bad to have too

much of something. It is appropriate for people to have their own opinions and to take care of

their own body, but it is a good idea to check up with a doctor to decide if the body has too

much, too little, or just the right amount of something.

As a vegetarian, I believe that vitamin supplements are a positive thing for one’s health.

In some cases, there are limited options for receiving specific minerals. For example, I do not

consume meat which, especially red meat, has an abundance of iron. As a female, this

supplement is crucial to the health of my body. I do my best to replace the lack of meat in my
diet by foods such as spinach and lentils. My doctor has informed me, however, that it is highly

beneficial to my health that I take a pill as an additional source. Not everyone has the same

reasons for consuming other forms of minerals separate from basic foods. I believe that even if it

is just something meant to enhance certain areas of one’s health and it isn’t vital, they are still a

great option. It is important that one understands their intake and doesn’t rely on a tablet, but

vitamin supplements can make strong, effective differences in human bodies.

Vitamin Supplements #2

Without vitamins and mineral, our bodies could not function properly. Therefore, vitamin

supplements are forms of nutrients that make up for possible lacking minerals in ones body. For

example, someone may be anemic so they take a blood builder supplement to help their body

receive the minerals it needs; however, not every individual who includes these vitamins in their

diet are in need. Some people may be in great health, but still desire a pill such as biotin to help

their hair and nails to become stronger. Supplements come in many forms such as pills, liquid

drinks, power, bars. Individuals can decide if they think their body would be benefited by a

supplement or if it is instead just a preference, and then also choose how they desire to consume

said supplements.

A common misfortune among babies is having deficiencies in minerals at birth. When

this is the case, their bodies instantly require assistance. They also could have developed a

disease at a random point in their life or their body could start to be affected by a new dislike of

certain foods. Osteogenesis imperfecta is a disorder which causes bones to break even when

performing a basic tasks, which is a great example of the previous statement. In this case, a

calcium dietary supplement would be vital to the child's health because simple day to day
activities are harmful. There are many diseases that require a supplement, which their body will

become dependent on. This isn’t always a good thing for someone who has great health before

they start relying on a different source, but not everyone has that option, especially if they are

born with it.

Multi-vitamins should never be considered a replacement for food. A healthy and

balanced diet based off of real food is always the best option; taking vitamins may become a risk

because one could mistake certain supplements as their main source of minerals. Vitamins are

never a smart replacement for food; they are an option for people who are lacking in certain

areas of their dietary needs and may want to enhance their intake. If an individual with a high

vitamin intake ignores the health of their body and relies too heavily on supplements, they are at

risk of reducing the ability of vital organs to function properly on their own, which could cause

future malfunctions.

Before any individual begins including vitamin supplements into their diet, they should

speak with a doctor to become educated and aware of their specific needs. If ones body is

thriving with iron, but they decide to consume a pill that provides them with even more iron, this

could result in what is called vitamin toxicity. It is well known that one’s body should never be

deficient in something, but it is usually misunderstood that having too much of something can be

equally as dangerous as lacking another thing. Often times individuals may think they know

what they are doing to their body, but it has never hurt someone to check up with a doctor and

get advice. It is sometimes difficult to tell if ones body has too much, too little, or just the right

amount of something.
 As a vegetarian, I believe that vitamin supplements are a positive contribution to one’s

health. In certain situations, there are limited options for receiving specific minerals. For

example, I do not consume meat, which has an abundance of iron. As a female, this supplement

is crucial to the health of my body. I do my best to replace the lack of meat in my diet through

the consumption of foods such as spinach and lentils. My doctor has informed me, however, that

it is highly beneficial to my health that I take a pill as an additional source. Not everyone has the

same reasons for consuming minerals aside from basic foods. It is important that one understands

their intake and doesn’t rely on a tablet, but vitamin supplements can make strong, effective

differences in human bodies whether they are being used to enhance certain areas of one’s health

or they are vital to their well-being.

Revision Reflection

For both of my revisions, one of the overall goals I had was to advance my punctuation

skills. I tried to include the use of semicolons to change some sentences and I also added some

missing punctuation, such as commas. In the first re-write specifically, I changed a lot of the

sentences and even paragraphs. I thought that my original essay sounded like I was trying to

meet a page requirement and I wasn’t enjoying reading my own work; granted that assignment

was supposed to be something we whipped out as a practice and didn’t review at all. So with this

assignment I took the opportunity to make it into something worth reading and I believe that it

tells a better story now. In the second re-write I did my best to refine some areas of my writing.

The addition of punctuation helped and the change up of some words became very beneficial to

different meanings. I think both of the essays I revised flow a lot smoother now that I made

changes and polished different areas.