Post #2 - Robert Kennedy: His Life

Bobby Kennedy switched schools many times as a kid, further adding to to his troubles. He had trouble making friends and fitting in. Instead of learning people's names, he just called the boys "fella", and soon, it became his nickname. Bobby didn't care very much however. He played football and made one friend whose name was David Hackett. The book reads, "Hackett was impressed with Kennedy's unwillingness to compromise to gain acceptance. Kennedy would not join in dirty jokes. He disliked bullying and would step in when an upperslassman tried to push around a younger boy" (39). Even as a high schooler, Bobby Kennedy had a true sense of right and wrong, moral and immoral. I believe that this shows it was a part of his true character and always was. It wasn't simply aqquired when he became a public servant.
Also, when an African-American was invited to speak at his college, Harvard, the man refused to come speak since the audience was going to be segregated. However, "Kennedy was determined he should come and that the university should open its doors. When other student leaders balked, Kennedy stood up and shouted, "You're all gutless!" He became so enraged addressing the university's governing board that he was vitually incoherent. But Kennedy's insistence worked: Bunche spoke to an integrated audience, open to the public" (55). Bobby Kennedy was a determined person and would go to any measure to make sure what was morally right happened. I think it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there, especially for an unpopular stance. That takes courage. I think it must have run in the Kennedy family, considering his brother JFK wrote "Profiles In Courage", which describes many courageous men in history who put their popularity aside during their service to their country.

Post #1 - Robert Kennedy: His Life

Robert Kennedy had an interesting childhood. He was one of eight children and was the last boy born. He was small and had a dark personality. Maybe dark isn't the best word but he was certainly pessimistic. Everyone made fun of him, including his family. That is everyone except his mother. Then, people called him his mother's "pet". This really shaped his childhood. Being constantly put down caused him to be self-concious and unsure about himself. He even described himself as awkward. He was never considered smart and his father thought that he had no potential. His family described him as "...hopeless and (he) would never amount to anything" (31). I can't imagine how hard it would have been to grow up in this enviroment. I am truly lucky to have supporting parents. I believe that this poor living enviroment as a child caused him to want to make something of his life to prove everyone wrong.
Everyone in his life was always telling him what he couldn't do. One time, when he and his family were sailing on the ocean, his father made fun of him for not being able to swim. So, Bobby jumped off the boat into the ocean to prove him wrong. His oldest brother ended up jumping in and bringing him back to the boat. His brother, Jack, said about the ordeal, "It showed wither a lot of guts, or no sense at all, depending how you looked at it" (35). I think this showed how desperate he was for some attention of any kind. He was daring and willing to do anything to get his, especially from his father. Again, I believe that this strained relationship and constant want to please his father caused him to make something of his life. I can't wait to see how their relationship changed when Bobby became a politician. I guess i'll have to just keep reading to find out.
This realates to the struggles in a teenagers everyday life. One has to decide whether or not they are going to listen to what other people tell them or if they are going to shape their own future and ignore the negative things in their life. I believe that one should always think about the positives of themself as a person instead of the negatives. Sometimes it can be hard, especially when people are making fun of you, but everyone has their flaws. Why dwell on them? I think that if Bobby Kennedy had ignored what others were saying about him, he wouldn't have acted so desperate and awkward as a child.