A Letter From The Fringe Analysis

Shannon L. Alder wisely declared that “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” This implies that every single person is talented in various ways own way. Do not conform to the standards of other people, because you are not them. This will force you to act a certain way, dress a certain way, think a certain way. Now, wouldn’t it be easier to just be yourself. If you in fact do fit the standards of other people while you act they way you truly are, than continue to do so. Think about this fact. Is every flower the same color? Does every day of the year have different weather? Does all food taste the same? Is every animal the same? Do we all have the same Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as our neighbors.
Everything is unique in one way or another. That was Shannon L. Alder was implying. In Joan Bauer’s short story “A Letter From The Fringe,” the protagonist Dana and her friend Sally constantly gets bullied by the antagonists Doug Booker and Charlie Bass at Bronley High School. They are not fitting the standards given to them by society. Dana wants to speak up not just for herself and Sally, but everyone who sits at the Fringe Table. The people at the Fringe Table are labeled as social outcasts by the other popular kids. On the other side, they do have talents such as art and computers. However she cannot muster up enough courage to do so. She seeks help from her stuffed koala bear, Qantas. Dana tells Qantas what she would say to the ICIs. She writes it in a letter that is from the fringe. Using the symbols of ICIs, Qantas and the Fringe Table concludes the essential message of the short story titled “A Letter From The Fringe” is that different people have different skills/talents, and that is what makes every one of us