I believe that everything happens for a reason, and at the age of seventeen I have acquired many lessons, and have been thrown into the scorching sun like the prisoner in Greek philosopher, Plato’s story, Allegory of the Cave. I have been mentally, physically, emotionally, and verbally abused by the very people who were supposed to show me love, security, and affection. I have felt the feeling of loneliness, stress, and confusion; but one challenge I’ve faced, and still facing is being independent at the age of seventeen. My father was verbally and physically abusive, and left when I was four, so from then I was raised by my mother. Though she did her absolute best to raise four young children at the age of twenty-four, my mother had her own
