You Found the Secret Personal Essay! (Not really though lol)
DISCLAIMER: This essay is just and additional fun essay I decided to create (I know it will be awful). If everyone likes this one more than essay #5, I could make this the essay I decide to go forward with this one instead.
Image Idea: Linden Peters
Akeel Dixon
Mrs. Rodems
Nonfiction Writing
4/17/2026
Prompt: Do you like being alone?
When/Why I like to Be Alone
Some people are probably diving into this essay thinking “Of course you’re a loner, Akeel, you always share stories about how introverted you are.” And my response is “You’re…halfway there.” Yes, I am an introvert but when it comes to being alone it really depends on my mood and who’s around me. For example, I always want to be around my brother, Amari, as we’ve been together our entire lives due to being twins, but there are some days where I don’t need Amari around me. When it comes to other members of my family it’s the same way, however with friends and other people it’s a lot more different. Because my loneliness depends on my mood, if I'm sad or tired I hardly talk to friends, but the opposite is true when I’m happy or neutral. When it comes to meeting up with others for group projects, work, or for a visit I’d like to be alone depending on who the person is. At the end of the day I’m still my own person with certain preferences for my alone time but I’m not a die hard loner.
Amari, is the person I’m the most comfortable with out of all 8 billion people on Earth, not like I know all of them anyway. I always like having him in my room working on homework together, reading, playing video games, etc.. But having someone who’s experienced roughly everything you have isn’t perfect, and it gets annoying fast. It’s a lot like eating your favorite chips, you love the feeling that you get when eating them but eventually after consuming them for weeks you get sick of it, and take a well deserved detox. For me and Amari, we usually end up arguing and it takes us a few hours or roughly a day to forgive each other and return to “normal”. But I think this can be described as less of me wanting to be alone due to avoiding people and more along the lines of burnout.
For people I’m less familiar with it’s a lot more evident that I’d rather be alone. No one else shares the bond I have with Amari, but I also just work well alone. Amari is just company and I don’t really need to interact with him to work, I just find his presence welcoming. I still like to work on projects and assignments by myself, however sometimes I will require assistance. It’s why I don’t really like group projects when I’m alone. I can implement my own ideas, creativity, and passion into a project, without having bossy group members, slackers, and know-it-alls. If studying and being alone is the best way to handle this then that’s what I’ll do.
Despite everything explained here, I do like to be alone or with a small number of people at events/gatherings. This is where I think my introvertism plays a part, in that I would rather avoid conversations with “strangers”. I don’t avoid conversations because I hate people, but rather because I’m worried I’ll screw up first impressions by making myself look weird or stupid. But this doesn’t mean I’m a loner who rejects society.
I do like to be alone and I won’t hide it, but it’s a lot more complicated than “I don’t like talking to people”. My brother is just the one person I’ve known the longest so it’s expected we’d be inseparable (and we really aren’t even that). I like to work and exist with no one around me except for when I’m happy around those who I can trust. I want to tell people about, my life, my favorite books, and my favorite games, but it just depends on how their behavior and my behavior mix.
Feedback Requests
I know it’s an essay that was written in a day but how could I make it better?
Where can I add a narrative, does it even need one?
Grammar and Lexicon errors are anticipated!!!
Hi Akeel! I loved how you were able to be so honest and share your real feelings in this essay. I think that balance between wanting to be alone and socializing with people is really relatable and I feel that all the time. It is so sweet the bond you have with your brother, and I share the same feelings about my sister! She is one of the few people where hanging out doesn't drain my social battery. I think you have a good amount of reflection but maybe you could add a bit more specific details of experiences you have had with people and strengthen the ending a bit more. Other than that - great job!
ReplyDeleteNice job Akeel! I loved your blog and how it makes me feel like I'm talking to instead of just reading. You do a really good job on telling your perspective of being almost a "loner" and how you feel good about it. I always like to establish the difference between loneliness and solitude, since one you feel bad and the other you feel good (sorry about the English :p). It is also awesome to see how strong is your connection with Amari and how he works as a "social anchor" to you and that is very relatable since I "use" my sister in the same way. Overall, you did a great job here (btw I loved the picture of Linden Peters the goat).
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