Sam Talner

Humanities
Writing Response
April 6th 2016
A Boy Named Sue

Whenever you look at a specific scenario it is very important to visualize and consider
different perspectives. The idea of perspective and point of view is explored in the song, A Boy
Named Sue.
A Boy Named Sue written by Shel Silverstein is about a father who named his newborn
son, Sue. Sue ended up growing up a tough kid because had had to deal with constant verbal and
physical misconduct because of his typical feminine name. Sues father left him only days after
he was born, spent his entire life getting abused because of his name, and hating his father. He
thought that his father was a coward because of his actions a few days after Sue was born. Sue
knew his father was a drinker from stories his mother had told of him, so Sue went from bar to
bar looking for his father. Sue sits next to a man at a bar and recognizes him as his father. He
knew what his father looked like from old pictures around the house. He confronts his father and
begins to physically attack him. Claiming that his father was a coward and that it was his fault
that he always got beat up in school and that everyone made fun of his name. The father begins
to defend himself by telling Sue that the only reason that he would name him that, was because
he wanted to make sure that Sue grew up a tough kid and would never turn into the man that he
was. As you can see by this excerpt:
"Son, this world is rough

And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough

And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong
Without perspective the world would be full of quick conclusions and no form of
empathy. For example, you are making a big decision, before you make the decision you need to
think about the effects on other people, the effects on yourself, and the effects on loved ones.
And that all requires perspective. Without empathy we would not live together as humans, we
would all be individuals and would not care about the feelings, emotions, and well being of
others. We would only care about the wellbeing of ourselves.
Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty.
I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be. -George Carlin
Perspective is also based on experience, and how to society around us, influences our
views. Someone from the middle east is more likely to rely on eastern forms of medicine rather
than our traditional western medicine. Someone's hero is always someone's enemy. It is all based
on the perspective and the influences around you. Osama bin laden was once America's worst
fear, and everyone that heard the name Osama Bin Laden had fear drivin into them. Yet,
someone from the other side of the world would think the exact opposite: Osama Bin Laden
brings justice to horrible bombings from the terrible American Government and America
deserved the 911 attacks. This is an example of two different people with two dramatically
different perspectives and that all happens based on their part of the world and what they have
had to deal with in their life.

One person's craziness is another person's reality. -Tim Burton

Have you ever felt like the car you were in was rolling backwards, only to realize that
your car was actually still, but the car next to you was moving forward? You inadvertently
judged your own movement based not on what was truly happening, but on what your mind
thought was happening. Sometimes what we see, experience, and believe is not completely valid
or true. Like an optical illusion where what the eye sees isnt accurate, it can be difficult to gain a
correct perspective at times. We must always remember that everyone in entitled to their own
perspectives. A woman who miscarried may not be able to attend a baby shower. Dont judge
someone on how they view things; you most likely dont have a clear idea of what they are going
through.

Ultimately, there is only one thing you can control in life. It is the only thing that no one
in the world can change or alter in any way, regardless of circumstance or situation. We all know
what im talking about, your perspective. Nathaniel Wolkstein is a journalist fresh out of college
and he talks about his techniques for staying happy during stressful periods of his life. And the
main thing he talks about is taking things into perspective. Once he starts figuring out how to
receive joy from normal activities, even boring activities all those things start to become hobbies
instead of no purpose labor. As you can see from this quote:
Once you are able to start finding some form of joy and pleasure in even the most monotonous
and tiresome undertakings in life, the beautiful things around you that may have slipped by
unnoticed or left unappreciated are suddenly more meaningful and significant. - Nathaniel
Wolkstein
In conclusion, you use perspective in so many aspects of your day to day life. Your
decision making abilities all rely on your ability to put things into perspective. You are more

likely to make the right decision if you think about the perspectives of other people and how
your decisions affect others. So next time you feel like you need to judge others put things into
perspective and that things are not always how they appear to be.

Source Page

Harmon, Jenise. "The Importance of Perspective." Sorting Out Your Life. N.p., 26 June 2012.
Web. 10 May 2016

Wolkstein, Nathaniel. "Embracing The Struggle, And The Importance Of Perspective." Thought
Catalog. N.p., 28 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 May 2016.

Sturgeon, Samantha. "Why Perspective Is Important." Odyssey. N.p., 26 Jan. 2016. Web. 19 May
2016.

Boothe, Glenn. "The Importance of Perspective in Our Lives | Glenn Boothe." The Importance
of Perspective in Our Lives | Glenn Boothe. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.