Is this madness, this?  April 11, 2008 - June 11, 2008

Literature reflects society and makes people think again.

The rules are simple, but the finding results can be challenging. The idea is that most people naturally gravitate towards things perceived as positive. That brings a certain excitement. However, when our defense mechanisms kick in many people lose their balance because negative responses also bring excitement. The contest is to write, in any genre or form, a compelling argument for a positive solution to a challenging situation that people normally use negative methods to address. For example, in a simple situation, when someone calls you a bad name, how do you handle it?

The solution must be pratical. Here's the scenario:

Johnny's nose runs constantly because of the polution and pollen in the air. He is in the 3rd grade and the other kids tease him and call him "buger boy". The teachers think his snot is disgusting and refuse to stop the constant teasing. Johnny's single mom is too wrapped up her own life to take the time and help him or get him the proper medicine, so Johnny is doomed to be teased and not have any friends unless he can change how people respond to him. He cannot stop the snot from running and uses handfulls of tissue each day while at his desk, from which he is not allowed to keep getting up from to throw them all away. The tissues pile up, the snot keeps running, and Johnny has no one to turn to for comfort or relief.

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8 Contestants
13 Submissions
574 Views
Created Apr 11, 2008