In life, things get tough and people expect you to be something your not. This applies for these two stories, Raymond's Run and Everything will be Ok. These two texts demonstrate this theme amazingly. They show the true value of being yourself.
Raymond’s Run. A story about a girl called Squeaky, who is the fastest runner in the school. Her only responsibility is to protect her little brother Raymond. Witch Squeaky says “ Is enough.” Look a bit deeper, and you discover that by adapting a tough girl attitude to protect Raymond, she pushes everyone away. THis relates to the theme because she isn’t being herself, but, because she isn’t being herself she pushes people away. At the end of the text she sees Raymond keeping up with her in a race, and…show more content… Unlike Raymond's Run, it sets a more emotional tone. James, the main character is struggling to fit in. His father and brother constantly coax him to “be a man”, except to them being a man means hunting and shooting animals and exhibiting cruel behavior. Basically, they want him to be a tough guy like them. During his struggles he comes across a sickly kitten wandering in the forest. He takes it home, only to have his family tell him that the kitten is to sick and might as well be put out of its misery. They tell him the next day they will give it to his brother (who works for Dr. Milk, a vet) to put it to sleep. When it is put to sleep his brother forces him into watching the cruel way the kitten dies. He is told about the many methods of putting the animal to sleep, and his brother chooses the one I feel is personally the cruelest. He doesn’t even use the proper equipment, he uses a pretzel can and puts the kitten in while deadly gas is pumped in, suffocating the kitten inside. That night James decides to be his own man, he goes to sleep smiling. This relates to the theme because when he was trying to be like his brother and father he was unhappy. BUt when he made up his mind to be himself, he was. Also, he realizes that being himself means that he can save animals in the
