The Seminal Song: An Autobiographical Essay

For many kids in middle school, having the right friends is very important. This is the foundation for having fun together, especially when taking part in extracurricular activities. At least that is what everyone wants, somewhere they belong. No one wants to be secluded, that is terrible news for a middle school student. No one wants peers who bully, and that is why many bullies are not fun, at least that is what we knew while in middle school. Much of m middle school years at first were not as good as later days primarily because of bullies. To exacerbate the situation I had no good friends, and that is why Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park was one of my favorite songs in middle school. The song was a top-rated one, and the radio played it many times, and I downloaded it on my computer and would listen to it on repeat, clearly craving for somewhere I belonged characterized by good friends.

The song starts out with an interesting sample and acoustics. What you hear at first is a sample that sounds like keyboards, but in reality, it is a guitar progression that Chester Bennington played. It had a fresh sequence with an acoustic guitar that anyone listening to it would be interested in listening more. Another member of the band (Mike) then takes over the sample, relays it, effects it and flips it backward and cut it into four pieces, which creates the primary sample of the song. The chorus is catchy and high pitched, and anyone listening to it would quickly master it. That is why I had mastered it very quickly in middle school.

In my early middle school, I was bullied, and I vividly remember on one occasion, I was going to class when a group of boys turned on me when I accidentally bumped into one of them. Since I was courteous, I said sorry, but to my amusement, they did not care and told men in a warning tone that they would teach me a lesson. Once I was out of class later in the day, three of the boys, including the one who I had accidentally bumped into kicked and pushed me is that I fell on the stairs. It was so disturbing that no one seemed to care. The other students just stood there and laughed at me. I felt the lyrics dawning on me about the negativity of the other students, and I was unable to justify the way others, or rather, everyone was looking at me. I had no friends I could lose or could came to my aid, definitely, nothing to gain, was hollow and alone. The song rang in my ears all along, I felt devoid, like I was nothing. It was so painful. I cried but stopped after a while since nobody seemed to care. I did not tell anyone even though my parents enquired why I was in a foul mood that day. Once I got home, I turned on that song since it was on my mind all along and listened to it. The words of the song that hit me hard on that day were, Just stuck, hollow and alone. And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own. I thought that if I had friends, they would have helped me out and probably kick their ass. Being a new feeling, I was so confused, clearly reminiscing the intonation of Chester Bennington, and I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me (I was confused).

The incident in my early middle school was not an isolated one. I would be subjected to a few more bullying incidents. Every time I would listen to the song. I remember listening it on repeat until I dozed off, only to awake to the same song. It gave me hope that I would make new friends and bullying was not to last. The song encouraged me. The background sound effects, the guitars, and drumming all gave a good sensation that was so unique at the time. I wanted to heal, I wanted to feel what I thought was never real, I wanted to let go of the pain I did feel for so long. This song just gave the right mix of words; it was so incredible listening to it. The song lyrically and sonically gave me motivation and the encouragement I craved for. I told myself, just as the lyrics reinforced that I would never fully know myself until I had reliable friends, I had fun with them. I also knew that I would never feel anything else until my wounds of bullying healed, and this would only be realized via making new friends. Just as the lyrics, I made up my mind that I would never feel anything else until my wounds of bullying healed. I also thought that I could never be anything until I could beat loneliness by making new friends. However, the song gave hope and encouragement that I will one day break away from loneliness and make new friends. Any situation is not permanent; I decoded the message in the song. Clearly, the song was in my favor, that I would one day not be lonely.

Through the song, I gathered the courage to talk to my parents who supported me, and spoke to the school regarding the matter of bullying. Few of the students who bullied me were talked to, and since then they did not bully me anymore. This provided an opportunity to have made new friends as most of the students knew what transpired. Most of the kids who were bullied became friends as it was some source of strength, being a brothers keeper. I made new friends, and it all changed, I was somewhere I felt I belonged, just as the song. It was a new feeling. Was alone no more I had friends. It was fun. The song lyrics were such gratification; I could even find myself singing alone, I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real, I wanna find something I've wanted all along, Somewhere I belong Making friends was the best thing in middle school.

The acoustic melody and the low-pitched assertion of somewhere I belong drew a parallel towards being with friends who were reliable. Friends I could identify with, and who we could do things together, including extracurricular activities somewhere I belong. What could we do in our free time? Everyone had the answer and being alone was no more, we were together, we belonged together. We could play together, sing along, and laugh together. It was fun. It was something I treasured, we treasured. I even familiarised the song to my friends, and yes, it was a common ground, a friendship we could relate, we belonged to each other. Friendship was something we belonged together. My parents were happy that I was able to cope with my low, and now that I was in my high, it was never the same again. I was jovial, which was quickly noticed by my parents.

I had healed, something I never actually believed would come sooner. I had let go of the pain of bullying that I had felt for so long. The pain was but all erased and it was all gone. It was indeed a good feeling. Now that I had friends, I felt that everything just fitted, the education, the teachers, the friends, and other students. I had become a positive thinker. I, in fact, made more friends and grew happier. We could learn together. Most importantly, we sang along the song, and everyone had indeed mastered it. Even though I do not meet many of my friends from middle school, I guess even when we meet today, the song would be a blueprint of our middle school friendship. It is just a song that I cannot forget, one of my favorite rock songs.

As such the song was rather an inspiration. It made middle school so memorable, so exciting, and a thrilling place. Through the song, I learned that accepting other students for who they are plays a significant role in kids, particularly in creating confidence. Kids want to go to middle school and feel that they belong, not somewhere that they feel hurt or liked for who they are as a person. The song, somewhere I belong by Linkin Park, was a favorite song at the time, and it makes me remember about I beat bullying, a significant milestone in my middle school. At least it reminisces playful and fun middle school years somewhere I actually belonged.