Helen on Eighty Sixth Street Personal Narrative

Personal Response to Literature: “Helen on Eighty-sixth Street

There are many ways that Vita and I are similar. “Helen on Eighty-sixth Street” by Wendi Kaufman is about a young girl named Vita who faces many challenges throughout her life. I can relate to Vita by means of confidence, jealousy, and spirituality.
I can relate to Vita by means of confidence. Vita, the main character in the story, has a hard time confronting reality and letting go of her losses and disappointments. In my life, I face many difficult challenges and obstacles that I must get through. For example, my teachers at school assign a lot of homework every day that I must complete. If I am lazy and do not feel like finishing it, I will encounter chaos and get into all kinds of trouble. Like Vita, when she shows confidence to her audience by saying, “Hear my supplication,” I demonstrate confidence. This quote also shows that she has the confidence to stand upon the stage and act her part. When I set my mind on doing something, I successfully complete it.
I can relate to Vita by means of jealousy. During the story, Vita says, “I hate Helen. That’s all I can say. I hate her. Helen McGuire is playing Helen so Mr. Dodd says, because, out of the entire sixth grade, she most embodies Helen of Troy.” This represents jealousy; she is jealous that Helen McGuire gets to play the part as Helen of Troy because she herself wanted the part. According to what she thinks, she knows all about Helen of Troy and the Trojan history. At times, I can be a little jealous myself. For example, if my friend gets a higher grade than me on a test, I can get a little hot headed, especially if he rubs it in my face. I can get a little childish as this occurs.

I can relate to Vita by means of spirituality. When Helen says, “ I think of any Greek words I know: spanakopita, moussaka, gyro,” she thought she was in the process of her very own ritual and thought it would work. She kept repeating the words until she got...