ENGL051 Assignment: Reflecting on Embarrassing Moments in Narrative

This essay, written by a student, presents a personal narrative exploring various embarrassing moments experienced throughout life. The author recounts several incidents, primarily from school years, including a misunderstanding about cleaning the school floor, a disastrous cake-baking attempt at a house party, and an encounter with a monkey on a jungle trip. These anecdotes are used to illustrate how embarrassing moments, despite causing initial discomfort, can bring laughter, provide valuable life lessons, and contribute to a person's overall perspective. The essay highlights the author's reflections on these experiences, emphasizing the impact of embarrassment and the ability to find humor and resilience in difficult situations, ultimately concluding that such moments, though unwanted, contribute to a cheerful outlook on life. The essay also includes a reference to a relevant academic source.

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Firstname Lastname
Nancy Gong
ENGL051
27 September 2018
Embarrassing moments of my life
Every human being goes through various embarrassing moments in life but few of
them remains in our memories forever. These moments keeps us rejuvenating us from
strenuous situation we encounter in life. Therefore, the memories even being embarrassing,
help us put smile on our face (Billig). My embarrassing moments are mostly related to school
life as most of my time were spent with my friends. The paper delivers the narrative
statement regarding the embarrassing moments of life.
I remember the day when I witnessed two students cleaning the school floor. I
perceived their act in a positive way that it is a good initiative to keep the school environment
clean. Little did I know then that they were punished for not completing their assignment.
Following their act, I encouraged my friends to start a plan of cleaning in order to highlight
this task as a noble one. The moment we started the plan, other students thought that we were
also one of those students who never completes assignments and thereby, everyone started
laughing at us and mocking in every possible way. We felt embarrassed but when our
teachers noticed it. They appreciated us for being involved in such task in a positive way. The
appreciation was immense and the embarrassments ultimately changed to a heroic feeling
provided with the fact that we looked dirty in our spoiled clothes.
However, there were other embarrassing moments that led to more intense situations.
As a teenager, I was at my intense adolescence period, falling apart in my dreamland of
dating a new comer in our class. I was shy back then, but also simultaneously trying out to act
or perform something extraordinary that would grab his attention. It was a house party at my

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friend’s place and every one of our class was invited. I decided to bake a cake for everyone at
my friend’s place. I arranged everything for it and even finished baking the cake except the
icing of the cake which I left for the moment once every one arrives. I was in my best dress
but the moment when I started icing the cake, the platter below was misplaced from the
position and the electric rotator device rotated so fast that the cake splashed at disastrously on
my pretty dress causing every laughed as well as the new comer, whom I wanted to impress.
It was indeed the most embarrassing day yet I did feel good as I was the reason that made
them laugh hilariously and happy.
Following the house party event, I was quite embarrassed the day at school. But
things got normal at the end of the day. Another embarrassing event was when our school
took us to jungle trip, and I was immensely excited to make good and adventurous
experiences. But things did not turn out well as I was chased by a monkey which was
attracted to the scarf I wore. It was a precise gift from my grandmother and I was not willing
to give it away. I kept on protecting my scarf by running around but the monkey followed me
throughout the journey and my friends kept on laughing at the scene of monkey chasing me.
From the above explanation of my experiences, it is concluded that embarrassing
moment can never be prevented. One has to face the consequences. It the moment when one
desperately wishes to dig hole on earth instantly and hide so that no one would have the
chance to laugh at him (Billig). The moment that makes one undergo through anxiety and lot
of discomfort as everything around seems to be at a standstill. However, these funny
moments keeps us cheerful throughout the life.

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References
Billig, Michael. "Humour and embarrassment: Limits ofnice-guy'theories of social
life." Theory, Culture & Society 18.5 (2001): 23-43.