Sandy Lu

Ms. Pasche
AP Language & Composition 3
rd
Period
May 16, 2014
What Anger Does
When I hear the word anger, it automatically gives off a negative connotation. Everyone
has their own method of expressing and dealing with anger. Some would shout at anyone and
anything that is in their way. Some would take that anger and allow it to motivate them to
accomplish a task in order to purge the anger. Some tend to bottle it all up and explode at an
innocent individual later on. Anger can be destructive when we start lashing out and spreading it
to others, which can destroy relationships, however, anger can also lead you to want to do
something in order to make a change that would benefit you, those around you, and even the
whole world.
Weve all been angry to the point where we just want to slam doors and scream as loud as
we can. When you take out your anger on other people, this can cause them to become upset at
you. In return, they may lash out at other people due to being angry with you. According to
Barry, there is a decline of people being considerate to one another, which is causing anger to
spread, almost like a contagious disease (Source B). Once one person is angry, another person
would become angry, and it would just keep spreading in a never ending cycle. When we are
angry, we sometimes forget about the feelings of other people. Barreca states, anger makes us
lash out at our loved ones, makes us bitter and self-destructive, makes us miserable company
(Source C). No one wants to be around a person who is constantly angry. It can make someone
uncomfortable and not want to be around the person who is angry, which can cause the
uncomfortable person to view the angry person differently. For example, if you meet someone
for the first time and theyre very sweet to you but then you see that person shouting at someone
else, wouldnt you think differently of that person? It may cause you to take a step back away
from that person because you become afraid that youll be treated the same way if that person
becomes angry at you.
In addition, anger can cause you to become foolish. If we become angry at things that
arent so important such as when we are driving or at gossip, it will become destructive. If we let
anger eat us alive, its like were going to the devil (Source D). This type of anger can cause you
to take revenge on those who angered you and as a result, it could destroy your relationship with
that person. If you have a friend who promised to study with you for an important upcoming test
but then your friend ditches you last minute, you would become angry. The next time you plan
on hanging out with your friend, the memory of your friend ditching you would come to your
mind. If you ditch your friend because you think she deserves it for what she did to you, that is
destructive anger because it can destroy your feelings for one another. The anger can create a
major dent to the trust you both previously had. Your friend already feels bad for not being able
to show up the first time but you dont have to put her into your shoes. Anger can also destroy
yourself and your mentality. It can cause you to lose focus on a task because you would be too
occupied on dealing with your anger. When you cant focus on your task, you wont accomplish
anything. In the end, anger can cause major stress.
However, anger isnt always destructive. We all know about the civil war and civil rights
movement. These historic events have erupted over anger on slavery and segregation. Many
people were brought together which led to successful changes in the law or policies. According
to Barreca, When life isnt fair to us or to those we love, we get angry (Source C). Thousands
of people were outraged that they didnt have equal rights and so it began the start of a war.
Anger at this injustice has made a great and lasting change. After many years of slavery, people
were getting sick, tired, and angry over the unfair treatment. Barreca states, Anger is like a
magnifying glass that makes everything clearer (Source C). As a result, they realized that
slavery is wrong and should be abolished. This anger caused them to move forward in life
(Source A). Slavery was abolished but there was still discrimination and segregation. Anger
continues to live on within that time period which led to the civil rights movement. If our anger
never led us to take action, we could still be living in a world of slavery or segregation.
Productive anger doesnt just apply to laws and civil rights. According to Aristotle, we
should reason with anger rather than getting revenge (Source E). We can become angry at our
friends if they do something wrong, such as breaking a promise. Instead of trying to get revenge
on them or holding a grudge, if we actually talk to them and work out the issue, this can create a
stronger friendship between the two of you. Talking is one of the best ways to solve a problem
that is why there are family therapy and marriage counseling. If people would take the time to
discuss an issue they have, it can be resolved and create a better understanding and intimacy for
one another.
Anger is a powerful emotion. It can be both destructive and productive. It can be used to
bring beneficial change in our lives and it can be spread to other people when we lash out at a
person which leads to destroyed relationships.




Works Cited
Ehrenreich, Barbara. "The Menace of Negative People." The Bedford Reader. Ed. X. J. Kennedy,
Dorthy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012.
634-39. Print.
Barry, Dave. "Road Warrior." 100 Great Essays. Vol. 3. N.p.: Longman, n.d. 75-77. Print.
Barreca, Regina. The Fires Within. Chicago Tribune. 10 Sept. 1995. 1-3. Print.
Fuller, Thomas. "Of Anger." Holy State, and the Profane State. London: Hardpress, 1841. 154-
56. American Libraries. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Aristotle. "Book II." Rhetoric. Trans. W. Rhys Roberts. New York: Modern Library, 1954. N.
pag. Internet Classics Archive. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.