Kindness Narrative Mentor Text

The following is a text version of the Mentor Text is offered as a model for students writing their personal narrative essay inspired by reading Anne Frank with the topic of kindness



TITLE PAGE:

A RACE OF A DIFFERENT KIND

by Mr. Chappell

7th Hour

8th Grade Language Arts

1/31/17

500 words

ESSAY:

July 26th, 2014

Dear Diary:

          This weekend I traveled to Mount Morris, Michigan where several friends and I participated in the “Warrior Dash,” a five kilometer mud run over obstacles including flaming coals, chest-deep mud swamps, and wobbly rope bridges.  It was a breezy, mid 60s, overcast day with the smell of raw earth and wet grass in the wind.  The six of us, a motley crew of 40-something weekend warwaterriors, had trained all that spring.  Some of us even dressed in Scottish kilts in order to get into the spirit of the event.

          We had just reached an obstacle called “Alcatraz” where we had to swim across a lake to a floating structure and then swim to the other side.  While I was racing with my group, I heard a man cry for help.  My friend Brad, who was closer (and not a great swimmer) went to assist him.  But when Brad got there, he grabbed Brad and -- desperate to stay above the water -- pushed Brad beneath the brown current!  Not good.  Luckily, Brad broke away and came up, a bit freaked out.  By the time I reached the drowning man he was gasping and coughing in a life-or-death panic.  So I calmly said, “I got you.  Take my hand.”

          “Can’t -- swim.  Help -- PLEASE!” he begged as he sputtered and choked while bobbing below the surface.  Our hands clasped in a moment of hope.  I thought to myself, Where are the professional lifeguards?  Between Brad taking his left hand, and myself taking his right, we managed to keep his head up above the water by the two of us treading, then dog paddling for the weight of three heavy, water-logged men.  It was exhausting!   All the while I wouldn’t let myself get close enough for him to grab me and pull me under.  But I wasn’t going to give up on him either.  Slowly and with great effort, we wended our way to the awaiting safety of the shoreline.

          Upon reaching the other side the man wheezed and sputtered, vomiting up lake water.  “Thank you,” was all that he could muster.

          My wife, Michelle, turned to me and blurted in shock, “You just saved that guy’s life.”

          I’ll never know what would have happened if Brad and I hadn’t intervened and been good Samaritans, but I do know that, at least for that moment, an act of unselfish kindness gave a young athlete a second chance.   In hindsight, I was pretty dumb to attempt to do something so dangerous without proper training.  A month later there was a drowning accident where a father tried to save his son.  Both died.  This being the “Great Lakes State,” that sort of tragedy seems to occur a couple of times every summer.  For whatever reason, I got lucky this time.  And that’s also a gift of kindness from the universe.