Week 1 Storytelling: The Nerd and The Bully

There once was a young boy named Timmy who lived in a small town with a small family. Timmy wore glasses that were a little too big for his scrawny face and had acne that made him feel insecure. He wasn’t much for social interaction, but he enjoyed the few close friends he had. Intelligent beyond his years, Timmy skipped three years of middle school and transferred to high school classes.

He loved to read whenever he had the chance. Timmy read fiction books, history books, comic books and almost every type of book imaginable. He enjoyed the quietness and simplicity of reading. Timmy loved reading books so much that he replaced playing sports or joining school activities for reading his books. 

Timmy’s reserved attitude and low self-esteem left him alone to his books most of the time. His parents wouldn’t let him hang out with any high school students because they thought he was too young.  Many of the other students would pick on him for not quite fitting in. They laughed at his glasses and called him a nerd. Timmy never said anything rude back to the bullies. Most people thought he was too scared to stick up for himself. He was bullied for his entire time as a student in high school, but Timmy knew his diligence to studying and reading would pay off. Timmy left high school angry. He hardly had any friends and was bitter toward his past bullies. He knew he couldn’t let others tear him down.

A few years later, Time Magazine published Timmy on the front cover page. That year, Timmy had created a website that attracted millions of users. He became an instant multi-millionaire at his young age. He retired the following year with enough wealth to last him his entire life.

As a couple of more years went on, Timmy received an invitation to his high school reunion. Reluctant due to past memories, Timmy decided to face his fear and attend the reunion. He was proud of the success he had accomplished and was confident others would approve of who he had become. Upon his arrival he greeted by familiar faces. His old peers praised him for his numerous accomplishments. As the reunion progressed he heard an infamous voice. “Hey, four eyes!” said a past bully. Timmy looked toward the bully, and walked away. His comments weren’t worth Timmy’s time.

Timmy and the Bully.

Photo Cred: The Daily Mash

Author's Note: The story comes from the fable The Lion and The Ass. In the fable, a confident lion walks through the forest and animals clear a pathway. An Ass says an ignorant comment to the lion as he passes by and angers the lion. When the lion sees who said the comment, he walks on and ignores the critic. The meaning of the fable is to not resent the remarks of a fool, but to ignore them. 

My story has the same meaning, but involves modern-day people. Timmy, the nerd, who is constantly being bullied is the lion while the Ass is the bully. Timmy chooses to ignore the bully when he continues to harsh, because the bully is not worth Timmy's time.

I love stories where an underdog can overcome adversity! Timmy is meant to inspire people to never give up and ignore the cruel while fighting through adversity. Although he was made fun of and teased, he never gave up.

Personally, I hate bullies. It is unfortunate that so many people get picked on by other people and even more unfortunate that sometimes, there isn't always a happy ending. I wanted this story to give an understanding to the person who gets bullied. I think everyone is different and has their own insecurities and everyone should respect that. It is sad to see so many people bullied for being different.

I had never heard of this fable before reading this textbook, but I really enjoyed it. Not only was it short and to the point, but if offered a great message to readers. This will be a fable that sticks with me because of its great message.

--The image is a representation of the typical "bully and nerd" people see at school or in the movies. Luckily, schools are getting stricter and stricter on bullying and less harmful activities such as this occur in schools. We can all do our part to make sure this does;t happen and look out for one another!

Bibliography:

Book: The Æsop for Children

Author: Æsop

Year Published: 2006

Web Source: Gutenberg