Growing Up

I‟m short. I‟m five foot five – well, five foot six if I want to impress someone. If the average height of American men is five foot ten, that means I‟m nearly half a foot shorter than the average Joe out there. And then there are the basketball players.

My height has always been something that‟s set me apart; it‟s helped define me. It‟s just that as long as I can remember, I haven‟t liked the definition very much. Every Sunday in grade school my dad and I would watch ESPN Primetime Football. Playing with friends at home, I always imagined the booming ESPN voice of Chris Berman giving the play-by-play of our street football games. But no matter how well I performed at home with friends, during school recess the stigma of “short kid” stuck with me while choosing teams. Still concerned as senior year rolled along, I visited a growth specialist. Pacing the exam room in a shaky, elliptical orbit worried, “What if I‟ve stopped growing? Will my social status forever be marked by my shortness?” In a grade school dream, I imagined Chris “ESPN” Berman‟s voice as he analyzed the fantastic catch I had made for a touchdown when – with a start – the doctor strode in. damp with nervous sweat, I sat quietly with my mom as he showed us the X-ray taken of my hand. The bones in my seventeen-year-old body had matured. I would not grow any more.

Whoa. I clenched the steering wheel in frustration as I drove home. What good were my grades and “college transcript” achievements when even my friends poked fun of the short kid? What good was it to pray, or to genuinely live a life of love? No matter how many Taekwondo medals I had won, could I ever be considered truly athletic in a wiry, five foot five frame? I could be dark and handsome, but could I ever be the “tall” in “tall, dark and handsome”? All I wanted was someone special to look up into my eyes; all I wanted was someone to ask, “Could you reach that for me?”

It‟s been hard to deal with. I haven‟t answered all those questions, but I have learned that height isn‟t all it‟s made out to be. I „d rather be a shorter, compassionate person than a tall tyrant. I can be a giant in so many other ways: intellectually, spiritually and emotionally.

I‟ve ironically grown taller from being short. It‟s enriched my life. Being short has certainly had its advantages. During elementary school in earthquake-prone California for example, my teachers constantly praised my “duck and cover” skills. The school budget was tight and the desks were so small an occasional limb could always be seen sticking out. Yet Chris Shim, “blessed” in height, always managed to squeeze himself into a compact and safe fetal position. The same quality has paid off in hide-and-go-seek. (I‟m the unofficial champion on my block.)

Lincoln once debated with Senator Stephen A. Douglas – a magnificent orator, nationally recognized as the leader of the Democratic Party of 1858… and barely five feet four inches tall. It seems silly, but standing on the floor of the Senate last year I remembered Senator Douglas and imagined that I would one day debate with a future president. (It helped to have a tall, lanky, bearded man with a stove-top hat talk with me that afternoon.) But I could just as easily become an astronaut, if not for my childlike, gaping-mouth-eyes-straining wonderment of the stars, then maybe in the hope of growing a few inches (the spine spontaneously expands in the absence of gravity).

Even at five feet, six inches, the actor Dustin Hoffman held his own against Tome Cruise in the movie Rainman and went on to win his second Academy Award for Best Actor. Michael J. Fox (5‟5”) constantly uses taller actors to his comedic advantage. Height has enhanced the athleticism of “Muggsy” Bogues, the shortest player in the history of the NBA at five foot three. He‟s used that edge to lead his basketball team in steals (they don‟t

call him “Muggsy” for nothing). Their height has put no limits to their work in the arts or athletics. Neither will mine.

I‟m five foot five. I‟ve struggled with it at times, but I‟ve realized that being five-five can‟t stop me from joining the Senate. It won‟t stem my dream of becoming an astronaut (I even have the application from NASA). My height can‟t prevent me from directing a movie and excelling in Taekwondo (or even basketball). At five foot five I can laugh, jump, run, dance, write, paint, help, volunteer, pray, love and cry. I can break 100 in bowling. I can sing along to Nat King Cole. I can recite Audrey Hepburn‟s lines from Breakfast at Tiffany‟s. I can run the mile in under six minutes, dance like a wild monkey and be hopelessly wrapped up in a good book (though I have yet to master the ability to do it all at once). I‟ve learned that my height, even as a defining characteristic, is only a part of the whole. It won‟t limit me. Besides, this way I‟ll never outgrow my favorite sweater. 专家点评：

“Growing Up” follows the form of discussing a physical or character trait, and exploring its impact on one‟s life. Shim‟s strategy is for the reader to understand his frustrations with his height, a physical characteristic that has played a great role in the way he sees himself among his family, friends, and peers.

这篇文章根据讨论生理或者性格特征的格式，描述了对于一个人的影响。Shim的策略是让读者理解他在身高问题上的困扰，一个生理特征对于他在家庭，朋友和同龄之间的形象的影响。

This piece works because it is to the point, honest, and straight-forward. The opening, “I‟m short,” delivers a clear message to the reader of the essay‟s main idea. As the essay progresses, Shim reveals his personal feelings and aspirations. He gives us a window into the very moment of discovery that he would no longer be able to grow. We are taken on a

tour of what makes Shim tick. Being short has shaped and influenced his outlook on the world, yet it has not diminished his goals. It is personal, yet remains positive. He

recognizes both the benefits and negatives of his short stature and is able to convey them in a thoughtful manner. Furthermore, the essay not only lets us into Shim‟s thoughts on being small but tells us his varied interests in politics, space exploration, sports, and the arts. Shim hasn‟t just told us how his height “doesn‟t limit him” he has shown us why. 这是篇很好的文章因为它写到了要点，诚实而且坦率。开头“I‟m short”很直接地把文章的主题传达给了读者。随着文章的进程，Shim向读者展示了他个人的感受和渴望。他为我们打开了一扇窗来进入他再也长不高的内心世界。我们和他一起经历了使他成长的事件。个子矮影响了他对世界的看法，但是这并没有改变他的人生目标。这是个人的态度，但保留了积极的一面。他清楚的看到了自己的优点和劣势，并能很好的考虑这些特点。另外，这篇文章并不仅仅告诉了我们Shim对于身高的想法，也告诉了我们他在各方面的兴趣，包括政治，空间探索，体育和艺术。Shim并不仅是告诉我们他不屈服于他的身高，而是向我们展示了他的身高为什么不能限制他。 译文： 成长

我很矮。我有五尺五高，如果为了给某人留下印象，也可以说是五尺六。如果说美国人的平均人高是五尺十的话，那就意味着我比平均身高低了近半英尺，更不用说和那些篮球运动员比了。我的身高总是成为我的特征之一。自从我能记事起，我就不喜欢这个特征。小学时，每个周日我都会和父亲一起看ESPN的橄榄球节目。在家里和朋友们一起玩耍的时候，我总是想象着像ESPN的Chris Berman那样用高亢的声音为我们的街头橄榄球赛做出详细报道。但不管我在家里和朋友们玩的时候表现的有多好，在学校休息间隙我们选队伍的时候，矮子这个称号总是伴随着我。

小学的最后一年，我仍然很担心长不高，于是去找了一位增高专家。我在诊室里踱着椭圆的步子担心着，“如果我就这样停止长高了怎么办？我的社会地位会永远被我的身高所影响吗？”我正在想像Chris Berman在解说我的一次精彩的触地得分时，医生进来了。紧张的有点出汗了，我安静的坐在妈妈边上，看着医生给我们展示我的手的X光片。我的骨头在我17岁时已经定型了，我不会再长高了。

Whoa，我紧紧的抓着方向盘在懊恼中开车回家。当朋友们笑话我是个矮个小孩时，再好的成绩有什么用？祈祷永远生活在爱里有什么用？不管我赢了多少场跆拳道比赛，我还是被认为是个不会运动的只有五尺五高的矮子；我可以是又黑又帅，但我想要变的又高又黑又帅。我所想的是某个人可以抬头来看我的眼睛；我所想的是某个人来问我，“可以帮我够到那个东西吗？”

很难处理这些问题。我还没有把问题都回答完，但我认识到身高并不是全部。我宁愿是一个矮一点，但充满同情心的人，也不要做一个个子很高，但很暴戾的人。我可以在其他方面成为一个巨人，比如智慧，精神和情绪。

我曾经因为矮而变的更高。这丰富了我的人生。做个矮个子肯定也有一定的好处。比如在CA上小学躲避地震时，老师不停的夸我闪避和掩护自己的技巧。学校的经费很紧张，所以桌子都很小，想把整个身子都放在桌下对很多人来说都做不到。比如Chris Shim，天生的高个子，总是想要把自己挤进一个非常狭小的安全位置。同样的，我在捉迷藏这个游戏中表现的也很出色。（在我住的那块街区，我是大家都承认的非正式的冠军）

林肯曾经和参议员Stephen A. Douglas展开过辩论，后者是一位非常出色的雄辩家，1958年曾经在全国范围内被认为是民主党的领袖，但是他的身高仅有五尺四寸。看起来可能很傻，当去年我参观参议院时，我站在参议院的地板上，想起Douglas，并想象着自己也能有一天站在这里和一位未来的总统辩论。（这帮助我在那个下午和一位瘦高并戴着高顶帽的胡须男谈话）我可以成为一名太空人，如果不是那么孩子气的话，比如张着嘴睁大眼惊叹

星空的美妙，那样我可能会再长高几英寸（因为在太空没有重力的情况下，脊椎的成长可能会没有那么多限制）

尽管只有五尺六，演员Dustin Hoffman在电影雨人中的表演打败了Tome Cruise并获得了他的第二个奥斯卡奖。Michael J. Fox (5尺5寸)经常在他的喜剧表演中起用高个演员。在体育运动中，NBA最矮的球员„Muggsy‟Bogues只有五尺三寸。在比赛中他利用不停的断球带领他的球队走向胜利（„Muggsy‟的称呼并不是没有由来的）。他们的身高并没有限制他们在艺术或者运动方面的表现。我想我也是这样的人。

我身高五尺五英寸。有时候我会为这个感到困扰，但我知道身高并不能阻止我加入参议院。身高也不能阻止我成为一名太空人的梦想（我曾经向NASA提交过申请）。我的身高不能阻止我导演一场电影或者在跆拳道、篮球比赛中表现优异。五尺五身高的我可以笑，跳，跑，跳舞，写作，绘画，帮助别人，做志愿者，做祷告，爱和哭。我打保龄球可以破百，我可以唱的和Nat King Cole一样，我可以从Breakfast at Tiffany开始朗诵Audrey Hepburn的诗句，我可以6分钟内跑英里，像野猴子一样跳舞，绝望的酷爱圣经（虽然我还没有把这些事情一次性全做完的本事）。我知道我的身高，尽管是我一个特征，也是我的一部分。这不能限制我，并且，我从来没有放弃过我的梦想。