Andy's Struggle Against His Guilt And Depression example essay topic

The protagonist of "Tears of a Tiger" is Andy Jackson, a seventeen year-old African American who suffered depression throughout this story. Andy was a boy who had average intelligence and great athletic abilities which made him a star on his High school Basketball team. He had two parents and a six year old brother named Monty who loved him. Andy was a student at Hazelwood High School which is located in the South-Eastern part of the US. He was a fun, cocky and confident young man. He had a smart mouth and a wise cracking attitude towards almost anything.

: "-You better be lookin' out for me- here's my card- Andy Jackson- superstar shooter and lover to all the ladies"; But sadly, all that he ever had was shattered through a night of unexpected horror. One night, after a basketball post game victory, Andy and his friends decided to celebrate this by drinking and driving. Andy, who was drunk behind the wheel, crashed into a wall. Andy and two of his friends got out of the burning car safely, but his best friend, Rob, was still in the car dying. Rob was burning alive and he said, "Oh God, Please don't let me die like this". Ever since this accident, Andy was greatly depressed and he blamed himself for everything.

Andy had begun his gradual deterioration. After the death of Rob, Andy could not stop blaming himself. He had begun to get deeper and deeper into depression. He was unable to resolve his feelings of guilt and remorse so his parents sent him to a psychologist. "-It does kinda help to talk about some of this stuff" This quote expresses that Andy is not satisfied with his psychologist and he still needs more help. At this point, no one can really help Andy's struggle against his guilt and depression.

Even worse, Andy's girlfriend, Rhonda that he loved so much left him because of his anger and tears. "-Do you know what I put up with from you?" Andy did not realize that everyone was supporting him. "Why don't you just go to hell!" Andy had begun to turn away from all his loved ones. At one night, Andy had begun to think about the easy way out: "suicide". No one could have accurately perceived Andy's depth of depression to actually help him. Andy could not reach out to anyone for help.

His parents loved Andy but seemed to be preoccupied with their own lives. This made them helpless to see the pain that Andy suffered. So, he killed himself with his dad's shot gun. Andy demonstrated fear in this case. In conclusion, I have learned that one must have the ability to face the future instead of trying to avoid it.

Andy tried to escape from reality by killing himself, but that was a selfish act because it just left everyone in sorrow. If I was in Andy's shoes, I would of have just waited until the next day and get some real help. Word count: 500.