Personal Narrative: My Personal Failure

Evading jabs, dodging roundhouse kicks, struggling to keep up. This was the hardest sparring match I had ever faced in my life. Not only, because of the physical aspect, but also the mental restraint. THUMP. I felt as if I had collided with a freight truck right in the stomach. Losing my balance and eventually falling, time momentarily stopped. Who could this mighty opponent I was facing? It was the person most similar to me. A “mini-me,” as most would say: black hair, brown eyes, brown skin, and half my height, yet just as powerful in spirit. This fearsome opponent happened to be my brother, Josh. I was six years old when Josh was born, initially I wanted a brother simply to play card games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, or rummy, with. As we both grew older, I knew this would not happen. As I tried to explain the rules of a game to him, he would return a blank stare. Furthermore, losing was not an …show more content…
From cleaning up after Josh, to making sure he doesn’t eat his favorite snack (bugs), my parents had instilled this responsibility within me. I had to look after my brother, and any of Josh’s faults or harm would fall upon me and be deemed as a personal failure. As a seven year old boy who only wanted to play video games, this task was detrimental towards my goal of becoming a Pokémon master, but the irritation my brother provided didn’t stop there. He would mimic every habit of mine! From watching television, to holding a toy, Josh would cry and throw a fit until he got his way, which was to copy my way. When Josh was young I could assert my physical dominance over him, but as I got older he got bulkier. As a 100 pound 10 year old, my brother sparked a fascination towards the wrestling entertainment industry, and most afternoons ended with Josh’s demonstration of his visually acquired skills onto myself. Through his 12 years of being my brother, I have faced plenty of adversity, yet, one thing remained true: my care for