PE 12/2 Jen Lee Speech – Part 1

My sister and I grew up on a poor street in a rich town. It was bad enough that everyone in America was wearing Seventies clothes, but we were in hand-me-down Seventies clothes. And to make it worse, I had the energy of the Tasmanian devil and the grace of a pile of pick-up sticks.

* hand-me-down: used clothing given to a younger child when the older child has outgrown them

ex> The little girl’s hand-me-downs were worn out by her two older siblings and were hardly fit to wear in public.

* to make it worse: to suggest that something being described is more negative than one thought

= to make it even worse; to worsen things; to make matters worse

ex> It wasn’t bad enough that he was blinded by a chemical accident, but to make it worse he was slowly going deaf, too.

And something happens to you, when everything you do is fuel for ridicule and mockery. Eventually you drink the bully Kool-aid and self-doubt takes over.

* something takes over: an internal factor gains control of a person

ex> Sometimes something takes over and a person finds a strength they never knew they had.

People talk about the dangers of rose-colored glasses, but let me tell you, the lenses of self-doubt are far worse. They are nasty. Thick and filthy…

* rose-colored glasses: a positive light

ex> Even after her divorce, Claire saw the world through rose-colored glasses and believed everything happens for a reason.

And they’re nearly impossible to see past.

* see past: to look beyond an obstruction

ex> sure, the house needs work, but if you can see past the sunken roof and the broken staircase, it really is a gem.