HILLCREST SECONDARY SCHOOL Final HILLCREST MAG 2017 | Page 42

Modesty Corner
Boys’ Corner
42
Writers’ block. You’ve probably experienced it firsthand when
given an assignment by an English teacher. Where do I begin? I
felt that way when Mrs Muthama asked me to write something
about modesty in the context of school. What was I going to say?
So I did what we all like to do under the circumstances- an internet
search on the word ‘Modesty’. The definition that jumped out was:
moderation in speech, dress and behaviour. I read about styles
of dressing and how culture determines this; did you know for
instance that Aborigines appear indifferent to nakedness but are
deeply embarrassed if they are seen eating? But this is not about
school, right? Modesty- we like to link this phrase with girls yet
modesty is important too for boys. If you look up the antonyms of
the word modesty, you will gain an insight about why it is a boy
thing too. Pride is the word. And pride is about focusing attention
on ourselves- ‘look at me’ kind of attitude. It is about being the
loudest, the funniest, the strongest, the craziest, the most watched
person in the room. That’s why we use the idiom ‘as proud as a
peacock’ because a male peacock is really narcissistic; he displays
his plumage amidst some cacophonous drama to attract attention.
And that’s what we do sometimes because we want attention.
Modesty is about self control and not going out of our way to draw
attention to ourselves. Playing the ‘one-up’ game in which you’re
always better than others or telling inappropriate jokes and using
inappropriate language to make people laugh is a display and in the
end not many people will respect you even when they think you’re
funny. Oh, and one last thing from my internet search? Recent
scientific research has shown that it’s not the bright tail feathers of
the male peacock that draw the most attention from the females.
Instead, it’s his vocalization—his words, so to speak. Positive
attention can be gained through the kindness, gentleness and
sensitivity of your words.
By Cuba Houghton
2017 | Hillcrest Magazine