Although it is difficult for teens to find courage in a bullied situation and fight back, in the novel, Bystander, the character Eric had courage to fight back against the school bully, Griffin. In fact, this novel helps teens understand how world champions like Mike Tyson got bullied as a kid and found courage to rise above the whole situation.
Mike Tyson got bullied really badly as a kid, emotionally and physically. Mike Tyson was afraid to fight back but finally when his pet pigeons head was ripped off Mike Tyson threw his first punch. He also dropped a TV off a balcony on one of the bullies head. In my book, Bystander, Eric got bullied by Griffin and his gang, the school bullies. Eric then stood up to Griffin and then Griffin lost all his friends and never bullied another kid again.
Mike Tyson's fastest knockout (30 sec.)
Mike Tyson with Cus D'amaro at age 14 (1980)
What prompted Tyson’s first fight:
Tyson threw his first punch over a pigeon. He said, "The guy ripped the head off my pigeon. This was the first thing I ever loved in my life, the pigeon.” The boxer, who would go on to have one of the most successful fighting careers of the modern era, has always been a keen pigeon fancier. Tyson gets his anger and energy before every fight by thinking back to his pigeon getting murdered and how he got bullied really badly
Works Cited
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Mike Tyson with Cus D'amato. Digital image. About Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
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