Don't Hurt my Friend
Elmira Kaipova, 14, Ufa
 

 

Elmira_Kaipova

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One day a boy, Artur, in our village thought it was “cool” to say something ugly and hurt my friend. He was about 11 years old and he hurt my best friend, Fatima.

She didn't say anything to me but when I went outside I saw that she was crying. I asked, “What happened?”

She said, “Nothing.”

“Fatima, tell me about it.” She then told me about the way he had acted and I decided to talk with him about his rudeness.

The next day I met him, “Why did you hurt my friend?” His name was Artur.

“Elmira, I don't want to listen to you,” he said.

“Artur, was it you who hurt Fatima?”

“Yes, why do you care? It's not you.”

“She is my best friend. Wouldn't you take care of your best friend?”

He looked away for a while. “I don't have a best friend. I guess I am sorry. I don't know why I did that to her.”

“Well, I will call her over here and you can apologize to her.”

He did this and now we are all friends.

Exercises

I. Understanding the Story
With a partner, discuss what this story says about friendship.

II. Vocabulary
Answer the questions about the words in bold.
1. How do young people use the word “cool”?
2. “Ugly” usually refers to the way you look. What does it mean here?
3. How does the writer take care of her friend, Fatima?
4. How do you apologize to someone? Give an example.

III. Now you Talk
1. Tell about a time when you were hurt by what someone said.
2. What would you have done if you were friends with Artur?
3. What would your mother say to you if you were Artur?
4. What does it mean to apologize to someone?

IV. Now you Write
1. Write a letter to Artur.
2. Write a short original story about friendship.
3. Write a description of any of the characters (add details).

V: Role Play
A. The writer and Fatima: They talk about what Artur did.
B. The writer and Artur: She asks him why he hurt Fatima.
C. Artur and Fatima: He apologizes to her.
D. Artur and his mother: She talks to him about rudeness.
E. Fatima and the writer: Fatima thanks the writer.