“A Face”-“Love Letter to my Bully”
Tonya Hurley writes, “Everytime I struggled with a difficult college course, a hopeless job interview, a terse rejection letter, a thankless boss, a petty colleague, a bad relationship, or just some impatient jerk on the subway, it was your face I saw. You have taken many shapes and forms since, but after all these years, it’s still you.” Steven’s face is omnipresent in Hurley’s life. She has not forgotten the bullying which he subjected her to. Accordingly, sees his face, which is symbolic of pain when facing the difficult circumstances outlined above because he was the pioneer source of pain in Hurley’s life.
Psychoanalysis-“Love Letter to my Bully”
Tonya Hurley writes, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve psychoanalyzed you (Steven-the bully) in hopes of trying to understand you, to figure out how people can be so awful to another, whether it’s learned behaviour or genetic predisposition. I’ve tried to excuse you, putting your callousness down to a bad upbringing, broken home, lack of discipline, insecurity, or maybe just a lack of love in your live and compassion in your soul.” Hurley's psychoanalysis of Steven's bullying actions infers that the bullying may have been motivated by underlying psychological issues in Steven's life. Hurley employs psychoanalysis to exonerate Steven from his behaviors which were harmful. Perhaps, bullying is attributed to mental issues which when resolved would stop one from projecting his hurt to innocent and vulnerable victims.
Fear-“Dear Bully”
Laurie Faria Stolarz recounts, “I’m not sure if you remember me. But I definitely remember you. You were my first real bully-the boy who made me fear getting out of bed in the morning, who made me dread the end of the weekend because I’d have to see you the next day, and who prompted me to take self-defense classes.” The bully creates extreme fear in Stolarz’s life to the degree that she lacks the drive to continue with her life. Seemingly, the bully’s objectives is attained because he breaks Stolarz emotionally. Fear is the main weapon which bullies such as Stolarz’s employ to frighten their victims.
Name-calling-“Dear Bully”
Laurie Faria Stolarz recounts, “At first it was just name-calling: dumbdorkstupiduglytrash…You just got more people involved. Other boys (not all, but some) were drawn to you and helped you out with your ridicule. I’d be called a stuck-up snob when I ignored all of you, and then a nasty-ass bitch when I didn’t.” Name-calling humiliates and terrorizes Stolarz. She is helpless because the name-calling is habitual. She is overpowered because there is a group of boys, who are representative of masculinity, who are hell bent on daunting her. Calling her demeaning names daunts her and makes her to feel inferior and contributes to her emotional pain.
Diversity-“Why do We Celebrate Bullying”
Hellen Hopkins recommends, “Picking on others is learned behaviour. The kid who manifests violence has learned violence somewhere. Too often, that somewhere is home. Parents should teach their children to respect diversity.” The inability to appreciate diversity contributes to insensitive behaviors. Insensitive kids or individuals, who feel superior to others, could bully or demean those who are different from them. Diversity is a permeant reality among humanity; hence, it should be appreciated instead of being exploited to trigger bullying tendencies.
