McCarty

Composition II

9 September 2021

Conversation

Language development is something that I believe to be important, not understanding

what somebody is saying can be frustrating and embarrassing, especially when it’s intentional.

My uncle Aaron graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1998, but then went back to school

to get his masters from Harvard University. Since I was little, he would always say words I had

no idea the meaning of but then he would tell me what it meant. We would joke around and say

that you needed a dictionary to communicate with him. It made me work harder and really work

on my grammar, which made my communication skills much stronger. Conversation is important

because it helps us younger generation gain knowledge that nobody can share with us but elders,

it keeps our minds open and thinking creatively, and it gives you the ability to trust one another.

My Papa is my dad's step dad, he grew up outside of my home town being the youngest

of 5. Growing up he didn’t have money, he had times when he has to ride his bicycle across town

just to get to the ball fields to catch the bus for his games. He did everything he could do to be

successful in life and eventually he got it. After being a professional angler for years he worked

up enough money to start his own business. This helped him grow up while learning to become

the great grandfather he was. He taught me several things over the years, he was my first

baseball coach and he also taught me everything around the ranch. Without that I would not have

grown up knowing what I know. This can also take place in history, communicating with people
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who have been through rough times such as war can help us understand it and possibly prevent

it.

In the article, If you were an elephant, Foster says, “We can be cautiously Beatrix-

Pottery with elephants. When the temporal glands near their eyes stream in circumstances

that, for us, would be emotional, they’re crying” (Foster). These emotions are due to a bond

the animals have that I believe helps them communicate. The more you know one another the

better you communication is. Also in the article, Being a Good Neighbor, Brotherton says,

“It’s in every man’s best interest to live in the best neighborhood he can. And by “best

neighborhood,” I don’t mean a gated community filled with McMansions. I mean a

neighborhood filled with belonging, identity, empathy, understanding, and a strong sense of

community”. (Brotherton). I think these two quotes that are divergent from one another are still

having the same end goal. There’s a bunch of negativities in the world and “being like an

elephant” or “being a good neighbor” is something we can all become better at to strengthen one

another and become closer.

When I was young, I was a very outgoing, goofy, onery, and had an amazing

imagination. As I’ve became older, I am still all of those qualities but for some people it’s not the

same. I believe as some people grow up, they lose that imagination that has caused them to grow

and think creatively. The drive they once had to become the best they could possibly be has left

and they start settling. This creative thinking can help you open doors with your life, you could

be walking down an aisle at Walmart and just smile at someone friendly and your life can

change. This communication can lead to jobs in the future or even a lifelong friendship.

Conversation with one another can be the difference in getting that new job or still waiting for

our next opportunity.

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All of these things start with conversation, conversation isn’t just hanging out with your

grandparents or being friendly to people in public. It’s helping one another become better people

and getting them where they want to be in life. I am very thankful for my family raising me to be

polite and helping me become successful in life, and one day when I become a teacher, I plan on

doing the same thing.

Works Cited

Brotherton, Marcus. “Being a Good Neighbor.” The Art of Manliness , 30 May 2021,

www.artofmanliness.com/2013/05/23/on-being-neighborly/.

Foster, Charles. "If I Were an Elephant.." The Guardian, 19 January 2017,

www.theguardian.com. 19 February 2018.