The Power of Respect
12/19/2019
The Power of Respect
Father and Son
By Max Troiano
Mutual respect is a must-have in any sustainable relationship, and without it the relationship will crumble. I learned this lesson the hard way, through years of tension and conflict with my father. Last spring, we were in our worst place yet. Nearly every interaction ended in conflict, I would try to avoid him after getting home from school, and neither of us even considered the other’s viewpoint. The tension, the anger, the fear, had all come to a breaking point. Something had to give.
But, instead of a final altercation where one snarling lion established its dominance, peace tiptoed in. He went upstairs to watch TV, and after a few minutes I followed him, knowing that this next conversation would be among my most important. We talked for two full hours, each doing their best to see the other honestly. He talked about his feelings, and I about mine. He discussed growing up in a strict Italian household, and I talked about how many of my friends had more freedom than me. That conversation was truly difficult, and it took constant effort not to delve back into our usual mud-slugging altercations. The result, though, was well worth the price. We eventually worked it out, and at the end of the ordeal decided that the reason our relationship had collapsed was because of the lack of mutual respect. Recognizing the power of respect saved my relationship with my dad, and since then we have made great strides. I don’t know where we would be if we didn’t have that talk, but I know it wouldn’t be good by any means. We respect each other not only as people, but as a wise father and a maturing son. I love my dad, more than anything. But that love can easily turn to hatred without the power of respect.
I really liked your similes and comparisons to lions and the words you used, it really made your plot stand out.
Posted by: Colin Soukup | 12/20/2019 at 05:44 AM
Incredible story about mutual respect, I really can relate in my life, and you showed how you brought a relationship back together with respect.
Posted by: Ethan | 12/20/2019 at 05:45 AM
This piece had a very relatable theme, that I think most people have experienced. We all get into fights eventually with the people closet to jus, and that is truly what makes these people so close. Respect is something that is little given in most cases, so the key is when you are respected by someone, you have to show respect back. Treating each other like equals and not like master and servant is something that is needed for a stable relationship with any person. By showing your respect to your dad you can now truly say that he respects you back.
Posted by: Max | 12/20/2019 at 06:04 AM
This was a great example of how respecting others can change your life, and your relationships. I thought you did a great job incorporating how these interactions were like snarling lions, and the ending was cool to see proof that there is truly a fine line between love and hate.
Posted by: William O'Malley | 12/20/2019 at 06:09 AM
A strong family conflict is a really strong thing to write about. I really like seeing that you and your father are good with each other now. What you did is hard for many people to do and I respect what you did. Saying that the conversation went on for two hours really emphasized the importance of it. If you hadn’t done what you did, you and your father could still be in this conflict. But because you realized the importance of respect, you are not in conflict anymore. The words you used writing this really showed your theme. Great job.
Posted by: Sean Leahy | 12/20/2019 at 06:19 AM
You went into hard times in a relationship and then you talked about how it was save by respect. It is really hard for someone to write about. It shows real courage to do that. Great writing Max!
Posted by: Rory Kennealy | 12/20/2019 at 06:20 AM
You stuck to your theme throughout the story, and you talked about how important a family relationship is. All relationships have their ups and downs, but you and your dad are better now, and that’s great to hear. Great writing, Max.
Posted by: Jamie Book | 12/20/2019 at 06:36 AM
I can actually relate to this story. My dad and I would also have fights, and eventually, like you said you did, we would work them out. You also used some pretty good vocabulary in your piece, making it easier to understand than most.
Posted by: Max Merhige | 12/20/2019 at 06:39 AM
In this piece you chose a very hard thing to go through. Fights with family members aren’t fun, but like what you said, we work them out. I like the use of light muscular verbs, to make reading very easy. It felt again like I wasn’t reading.
Posted by: Dylan | 12/20/2019 at 08:01 AM