iRead Journal Prompt #2 for The Declaration

AJ Pendharkar

English III Honors

Coach Morrell

April 3, 2013

iRead Journal Prompt #2 for The Declaration

            Anna grew greatly in confidence over multiple occasions.  One of the main ones was when she was rewarded with a journal after she completed a job at Mrs. Sharpe’s home.  Anna treasured that journal and spent the first couple days just staring at the beautiful book.  She didn’t want to write in the book just yet; although Anna knows how to read and write, she was never allowed to own a journal.  She knew the amount of trouble she would be in if Mrs. Pincent or any other teacher found the journal, so she had to keep it hidden.

            Throughout the remaining months Anna was at Grange Hall, she recorded almost everything that happened to her in that journal, and in great detail as well.  It wasn’t until she escaped with Peter that she greatly regretted ever writing in it.  Little did Anna know that the journal would cause her parents to kill themselves.  Writing in the journal helped Anna grow in confidence.  Before, she would blindly follow all the rules and orders that Mrs. Pincent would force her to do, but when she got the journal Anna could write her feelings in there and she truly understood that she didn’t deserve any of this – no one did. 

            Another occasion that caused Anna to grow in confidence was when she met Peter.  At first, she hated Peter and tried to avoid him at all costs.  However, the more she was around him, the more she began to like him.  She realized how smart he was and when Peter told her that he was sent by her parents to retrieve her, she thought he was crazy.  However, after a lot of talking, Peter convinced her that his intentions were true and they should escape immediately.  While Peter was in solitary, Anna felt alone.  She then realized how safe Peter made her feel.  Anna didn’t want to escape to find her parents at first, but when she overheard Mrs. Pincent talking with a doctor to strategize the death of Peter, she immediately got put in solitary to escape with Peter.  If she never met Peter, Anna would have stayed at Grange Hall being a Surplus for the rest of her life.

            Another huge impact on Anna’s confidence was finally meeting her parents for the first time.  Throughout her childhood, she was told that her parents hated her and wanted her to die, and Anna completely believed it.  However, when she finally met her parents, she realized how Mrs. Pincent and all the other teachers were just persuading her to think her parents were the bad guys and Grange Hall was her savior.  After meeting her parents, she realized how wrong Mrs. Pinent had been about her parents; they were the nicest people she’s ever met, and loving too (something she’s never experienced while at Grange Hall).  It’s amazing how just a couple of incidents could completely change ones life.