What is Friendship?
An Honors Thesis (HONRS 499) Creative Project by Sarah Groth
Thesis Advisor Dr. Nina Yssel
Ball State University Muncie, Indiana Spring Semester 2008
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Abstract
Friendship is universal. It can bridge societal gaps of gender, race, social class, and differences in abilities. College is a time of personal growth, and friendships have a tremendous impact on the development and experiences of an individual. Through Best Buddies, college students and adults in the community with disabilities have the opportunity to share friendships. These relationships bring people of all abilities, interests, and talents together, as equals and as friends. I chose to look at these friendships
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By taking these stories and pictures and putting them in a cohesive format, I hope to pass something on to our organization and on our campus as I graduate that will continue to remind others not only of the work that has gone into this organization, but more importantly, the incredible friendships and experiences that have resulted and far outweighed any obstacles. I chose to create a project using pictures and music to portray the friendships in Best Buddies, compiling this information into a brief, concise, and highly visual arrangement that can be used to explain and depict for others what words cannot always
do justice to. The goal is to describe the friendships formed between people from what could be considered two very different worlds, and the influence these friendships have had on the many individuals involved. As I began the planning process for my thesis, I was overwhelmed with the possibilities of what I could do or wanted to do and which direction I should go. I eventually decided to do a creative project looking specifically at Best Buddies, but more generally at friendship, as something to summarize my career and all I have learned in my time at Ball State through the Special Education and Honors College programs that I have been a part of. The anticipated implications of this project were to represent the relationships that have affected students on campus through friendships with people who have disabilities.
This summer, my life was flipped upside down due to the death of one of my best friends. Many friends reached out to provide support in this difficult time. Having grown up in a small town, most of us “Ucon kids” grew unusually close. Weekly parties, school
Friendships is a poem by Erica Fryberg that can relate to almost anybody who has experienced real and fake friendships, as it is about the speaker’s perspective on friendships, and the difference between having real and fake friends, forced friendships and real friendships. Through a comparison of friendships and furniture, the poet uses a humorous tone to describe friendships, making the speaker relatable. I particularly enjoyed this, as on a personal level I was able to relate to this, as a student at a school where teachers attempted to force unnatural relationships multiple times. Overall, this poem was an engaging poem, which, through language and poetic devices, clearly described the difference between real and fake friendships.
1.) In what ways might it be possible for persons who are differently abled to enjoy deep and meaningful friendships compared with those outside of the community? What are the challenges? It is possible for persons who are differently abled to enjoy deep and meaningful relationships by integrating them more into society. I expect some of the challenges occurring at the beginning of the relationship while getting to know that person.
What does true friendship look like? A show of quick wit and humor, Friends has been the show that has influenced people from all about the globe, that is to say if those influences are exceptional or inadequate. For ten years viewers have seen the development, maturity, and loyalty of friendship; this gang of six introduces the culture of the mid 1990s to the early 2000s and audiences are shown evidence of change in modern society. In this longer episode of Friends, “The Last One: Part 1 & Part 2,” viewers see the development of growth among the six companions.
The role of a friendship in caring for a mentally disabled person is about becoming closer to them and helping them with things their disability limits them from doing.
As I spent the summer of 2015 at the Governor’s School of North Carolina, located at Meredith College, I learned how to open up to different people in a new place with new possibilities. Governor’s School had a welcoming environment where both staff and students shared respect for each other. I was surrounded by people that I had never met before, but found it simple to make friendships that were strong and would last longer than the experience we shared at Governor’s School. The friendships that were made helped to transform me into an adult by sharing life experiences such as living on our own, supporting each other both personally and professionally, and sharing diverse backgrounds. Of my close friend group each of us had different areas
In conclusion, many books, movies, cartoons, and more show that unlikely alliances are something that happens everyday. These examples show that friendship is something that isn’t effortless, but the reward for having them by your side is wonderful. We should honor those who show this, because it proves that when we need help we can turn to this people as an example, whether in real life or in a book. Of some of the many examples that there are, Prim and buttercup (The Hunger Games, trilogy ), Jonas and Gabe (The Giver), Harry and Dobby(Harry Potter, series) are gorgeous examples of unlikely relationships, even if the aren’t always strong.
The importance of friendship and how Bullard TALENT cultivates it can be seen on an everyday basis if one only looks at the relationships between the students of 8th grade. Every single student is always willing to help, not because they are obligated to, but merely because there is a feeling of camaraderie at this school. I believe that this is due to the fact that the 8th graders have grown very close and are now akin to family. We have been through both the good and the bad during our time here at Bullard TALENT and supported each other all along the way. These few acts of kindness have established an atmosphere of safety and friendship. Everywhere you turn, you can witness laughing and
The first camper paired with me was Sarah - a fourteen-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Although she was bound to a wheelchair, she was as boy crazy as any fourteen-year-old girl. Because we were the same age, we bonded over several things, especially our love for Justin Bieber and One Direction. Our friendship did not start as a normal friendship would since I assisted her in all daily activities, but it was a friendship built on love and appreciation of one another.
I’ve become more socially active, in high school. I noticed that I knew many of my classmates but I didn't know who they personally were. Despite the fact I have been with them since preschool, I hadn’t actually met them. This persuaded me to go out and discover who they are; The feeling I got when I began to discover my own friends left me with curiosity.
Friends make up for a huge part of one 's life. Friendship is one of the most valued treasures of today. We meet a lot of people in our lives, but some of the closest friends that we make are from school. We meet various people with varied characteristics when we enter school, some become dear to us, some may become our enemies (those silly childhood egos of choosing sides), and some choose to become our best friends. In a class of, say 40 students, there are always a few really studious ones, a few notorious ones who always get shouted at, ones who sleep in class, a regular absentee, a teacher 's pet, the back benchers and so on. But there remain a few people who leave such a strong impression in your life that it 's hard to ever forget their existence.
“Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness."[Euripides]. This quote means a lot to me because this is what I have in my friend. This is suitable on my best friend. She always supports me in my troubles of life. Life become easy if we have this kind of friends in our life. I met to Jasdeep about two years ago. Now we are living together. She is my sister-in law as well. She never treats me as a sister- in law. We always talk like good friends. I started to communicate with her after my engagement in 2016. When I came from India and It was totally different life here. But because of her, I never felt uncomfortable.
A friend is defined as a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts, therefore this is a friendship. In every society in the world people have and follow this relationship and support it. In some societies this relationship is given more importance than others. In our society friends are given almost the same attention as ones family member. Family is the closest relationship a person has, and if that is disturbed a friend can be very helpful. During the development of a friendship in the adolescence years is very important and it gives you positive influences on their behavior. Teenagers take their friendship very seriously, but what they don’t know is how harmful it may get. I believe that the friendship during the
Around the age of four, I was deposited on the doorstep of Somerset Primary’s Infant Block for my first day in kindergarten. In what can only be described as fate, I found my best friend among that sea of little children. From across the room, our eyes met. At that moment I just knew. Like recognizes like. Her name was Kianna and although neither of us had realized it yet we would be together for the rest of our lives. Through the years, I have been able to compose my own definition of what friendship truly is. It is difficult to describe Kianna in simple terms, like my confidante or comforter. In essence, she is self-sufficient, hard-working, and deeply wise, all traits that have allowed me to establish the type of person I want to be. In fact, she is someone that I cannot help but look up to. I find it admirable that Kianna is the epitome of independence.
As i grow up i realize that the people who i thought were important to are sometimes just a waste of time. I had a friendship that started at childhood and grew us into best friends and we always stuck together no matter what. I was always there for her through everything, when she had no home i welcomed her into my home, i was her main support. All throughout middle and elementary school i never really payed attention to all the bad things she said or did, honestly i knew it hurt but i never knew how bad it really was. She constantly put me down for the way i dressed, looked,and honestly everything i ever did just to make herself look better than me as she copied anything i did in life. Honestly i didn't want to lose the closest friend i've ever had not noticing the toxic friendship, we knew each other so well. We were kinda like the same person growing up any face expression one of us made we knew exactly what it meant, we were always together and at times we would say that we were sisters because we were so alike. I put her before anything and pushed away a lot of good people along with ton of good friendships that could have been amazing. She knew about my past and fear of people leaving me like my mom did when i was younger so she used it against me honestly. She would get mad at the smallest things and put the blame on me so i tried hard to keep her happy so i could keep our friendship going which meant giving up things i didn't wanna lose sometimes. When i look bad