ENG 111
David Hartman
April 24, 2012
French novelist, Albert Camus once said, “Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” What are friends? What kind of friends do we have? How are friends different? In Marion Winks article “What Are Friends For?” Winik supports the idea that each friendship we obtain has immeasurable value and many differences. “I was thinking about how everybody can’t be everything to each other, but some people can be something to each other,” states Winik. We acquire many types of friend’s throughout our lives that help us get through everyday hardships and through times when you simply just need someone to talk to.
All of us have heard of the good ol’ former friend. A former friend is a friend who either done us wrong, we done wrong, or just a clash of views that led to destruction. However, we learn from former friends by our or their mistakes. Winik describes a former friend as
The friend described in Winik’s article I find most important, is buddies. Winik describes a buddy as the type of friend that keeps a person busy, entertained, and free from boredom. Buddies are the friends that can lend a listening ear in a time of distress or just call to chat up the recent town gossip. Buddies are there for us when we need a ride to the airport, help finding an outfit for a hot date, or for a much needed night out on the town. I consider buddies to be my closest friends. My buddies help me in making some of the major decisions in life such as what I want to pursue in college, what type of traits I am attracted to in the opposite sex, and what I would consider a first big purchase. Close friends are my shoulders to cry on when I lose a family member, my support when a job promotion arises, and my phone call after receiving good news. Without these friends, I don’t know where I would be. Hero friends are the friends we admire