100 Miles Per Hour, Upside Down and Sideways

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Kamilla JnBaptiste Watts English 101 15 September 2014 Life in the Fast Lane It is intangible, but it influences how we feel about ourselves. It is not perceived with the eyes, but when we take recognition of our reflection, it is there. It is undetectable by sound, but when we have a conversation about ourselves, there it is again to be found. The symbolic mystery that is being described is our self-esteem. When one talks about having a sense of self-esteem, what are we really referring to? According to psychology expert, Kendra Cherry, the term self-esteem is used to describe a person’s overall sense of self-worth and personal value. In Rick Bragg’s excerpt, “100 Miles per Hour, Upside Down and Sideways,” Bragg conveys images of the vehicles that he drove and what it was like to drive them, but he also announces how the performance of driving a fast car changed the way that he saw both himself and his place in the community (37). Although Rick Bragg’s high elevated sense of self-esteem had a positive outcome in enabling him to gain self-confidence, dominance, and a sense of self-worth, periodically, it also inserted him into impending situations. Self-esteem primarily indicates having confidence and satisfaction in oneself (“Self-esteem”). Rick Bragg addresses how driving a fast car or motorcycle gave him an elevated sense of pride in himself (37). Coming from an upbringing that was unfortunate, Bragg viewed his car as being able to alter his perception of his place on earth. For instance, Bragg states how, even though he was invited to parties that had popular kids in attendance and went out on dates with attractive women, he still felt isolated from everyone. His car, in a sense, made him feel balanced with his peers, which he states brought him “closer to where I wanted and needed to be” in life (Bragg 38). Bragg recalls the night of speeding down the
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