"We are the Same"

       In Emily Renie’s personal essay, “We are the Same,” (2015), she suggests that two people from totally different cultures and backgrounds can have a lot more in common than what meets the eye. The author develops her thesis by recalling a couple of experiences she had regarding the way people see herself and others. Renie wrote this essay in order to tell people not to let others define who they are. The audience of Renie’s essay was her English Composition professor.
       As human beings, we tend to always see the negative more than the positive things about other people. The narrator, Emily, was able to connect to the Tonga girl due to past experience of being bullied. My best friend, Shona, and I became friends because emotionally we were connected to each other. When she tells me her problem I was able to see a reflection of myself. I was in Shona's position once; therefore, I was able to empathize with her story. Over the years, Emily learned to love herself, and she was hoping the little girl would soon learn to embrace herself also. This is very crucial for everyone to understand. Self-love is the best love.
       Renie’s personal essay was written to highlight that everyone, no matter where they come from, experience insecurities. “Although we lived 8,000 miles apart, grew up in different cultures, and did not share the same skin color...We both felt the same insecurities and the way they constantly pick away our source of courage.” Renie gave us insight to an insecurity that she held concerning her smile, and how it did not affect her until someone rudely pointed out her “flawed” teeth. I’ve noticed that no one is ever insecure about themselves until they see something that tells them or makes them think of that part of themselves as not beautiful. Renie wanted to combat this by making a girl who had been picked on feel better about herself. “I smiled and very gently touched the tip of her nose. ‘Mubontu’...‘Mubontu’ means beautiful in Tonga I wanted her to know exactly what she is despite what others say.”(Renie, 147) Even though Renie did not have to encourage the girl, she seemed to realize that sometimes it helps to hear positive words from someone else.