Essay 18

Colin Burlingham

Mr. Salsich

8 English

3/10/10

Forgiveness:

An Essay about Bob and

Mayella Ewel being Forgiven

And Forgiveness in My Own Life

_____(TS)Forgiveness is the ability "to grant pardon for or remission of an offense and to cease to feel resentment against" according to dictionary.com. (CM) To be forgiven for malicious acts, one is given a second chance to gain trust by others again, though to stop feeling resentment is the hardest part. (CM)Its easier to grant forgiveness if you know the reasons why a person has done certain acts, and I have found this true in my own life. (CS)In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird and in my life, there are people who have committed offensive acts that I feel deserve forgiveness.

_____(TS)One of the greatest gifts a man can give is forgiveness. (SD)Bob Ewell, a drunk, a meager man, a father, helped to kill Tom Robinson and I forgive him (A Tricolon and a Apt. Thesaurus Word). (CM)I understand that he has had a hard life and I can see he didn't want to be the poor man anymore. (CM)I see that Mr. Ewell wanted to be respected instead of being looked down upon and this is why I would forgive him for everything that he had done. (SD)Mayella Ewell, Bob's daughter, is also a person responsible for Tom's death who deserves forgiveness. (CM)When I walk in Mayella's shoes, all I see is fear; fear of no friends, fear of her father, and fear of her life (Tricolon). (CM)I understand why she lied to the court because if she hadn't, her father might have beaten her or worse; I would forgive Mayella. (SD) Both Mayella and Bob Ewell would put this man in jail for a few reasons. (CM)They wanted to be liked, and loved, but most of all, they wanted to be respected. (CM)They both have done something that was not right, but I would want them to know one thing. (CS)I would have forgiven them.

_____(TS)To be forgiven is one of the greatest gifts one can receive. (SD)A long time ago, my sister, Caroline, and I were roller-blading down the driveway. (CM)We were racing and I was close to winning when all of a sudden, she pushed me off the road and I broke my arm. (CM)This was hard to cope with, but I forgave her, ended my resentment, and didn't demand restitution (Tricolon and a Apt. Thesaurus Word). (SD)In addition, when I was young, I used to get really jealous of my friend's possessions. (CM)I can remember stealing my friend's toy car and I felt bad about it, but I thought I would get into trouble if I told him, so I never did. (CM)Now, I wanted to ask him for his forgiveness and say I am sorry. (SD)In addition, on my PTPI (People to People International) trip, one of the first kids I met stole my iPod from my room when I wasn't looking. (CM)Later, I found out he took it; he gave the iPod back to me and said "Sorry."(CM)I later forgave him for this and we became great friends. (CS)To be forgiven is one of the greatest gifts one can receive and also that one can give out.

_____(TS)To earn some one's forgiveness is hard because most people hold resentment. (CM)Bob and Mayella Ewel both had committed a crime, and had reasons for doing so. (CM)I forgave them just like I have forgiven many people in my own life. (CS)It is better to ask for forgiveness than to let guilt eat me up.