A sample Personal story essay:

This essay is about the journey from low to high self-esteem of a seventeen-year old teenager. Imad grew up in a small family. He has one elder brother only, Samir, who is ten years older than he is. His father is sixty-two and his mother is fifty-seven. Imad was a slow child, always scolded and treated as a kid who would never grow up or become independent. His brother got all the attention because he was excellent in school, and because he was the pride and joy of his parents. Imad, on the other hand, was left behind, doing poorly in school and hardly getting any attention. He was always silent, shy, avoiding others, and basically friendless.

At the age of fourteen, Imad was still passing his exams and classes, but he was not a bright child. His relationship with his parents was always difficult because they treated him like a little boy, disregarding the fact that he was growing up into a young man.

When he was about to be fourteen, Imad witnessed a dramatic event in the family. His brother Samir had a horrible car accident while racing and eventually became totally paralyzed, hardly able to speak. This was a major trauma in the life of Imad who suddenly realized that he had become the only young adult in the family. The event happened in summer, and therefore, during the entire summer vacation, it was his duty to serve the family, to run the errands, and to take care of his father’s spare-parts business, especially that his parents were busy at hospitals and with the doctors. Without noticing it, Imad became an invisible man and he was doing all kinds of activities that were not allowed for him. He opened the shop everyday, supervised the workers, took care of the accounts, made payments to the suppliers, and above all, he was to take care of the family and his parents.

These traumatic events continued for the entire year during which Imad had to drop out of school. Despite this, he was beginning to discover a lot about himself. Although grieved with sorrow, his parents realized that he had the potential and showed him a lot of respect. He even gained new friends at work, and many of his classmates came over to visit him at home.

Imad says that his brother’s accident turned his life upside down. He was forced to develop into a reliable and sensible person who had to take care not only of himself, but also of his family. All of a sudden, the kid disappeared and was replaced by a vigorous and busy man. Imad is now back in school, but all his friends and teachers know his story. They recognize his sorrow but at the same time, they also recognize what he is doing in the family.

Imad told me that he wants to finish school very quickly and then go to business school while working with his father. He fears that his parents are too old now and that he has to be with them to support them in the coming years. Although the family is financially in a good position, Imad feels that it is his duty to be supporting the family as soon as possible. He also hopes that technology will develop to find a solution for his paralyzed brother who has been in bed for over two years now.

By analyzing Imad’s journey, we can reach several conclusions. First of all, Imad’s self-esteem was changed when he was given the opportunity to prove himself. Although he did not receive direct attention, the fact that he was treated like a reliable person implied that the way the family and society perceived him had changed (Owens, Mortimer and Finch, online, p.1). Moreover, Imad’s accomplishments after his brother’s accident showed that he was a hero in a specific way. The fact that he was recognized as such by his family, teachers and schoolmates had a tremendous positive effect on his self-worth. For Imad, the situation changed from “I am a worthless person who is good for nothing” into “Everybody is counting on me now and I have to meet their expectations” thus showing a change in self-perception (Bee, p.289) It is awful that Imad could get his opportunity for improving his self-esteem through a traumatic event in the family, but this also shows that many individuals can only take such a journey after they pass through hardships in which they prove their potentials as independent, reliable, and worthy human beings (Owens, Mortimer and Finch, online, p.1).

Writing a personal story essay can be challenging for new writers… That is a sample essay provided for student help.