I Never Expected This Essay

Hey guys, I’m writing my English exam soon, and would really appreciate it if you can give me some suggestions one how to improve this piece. The word limit is 400~450, so I’m a little over the limit here. Topic is: This is the story of a young man/woman who was able to escape from a difficult past to make a success of his/her life. My essay: â€Å"This is the story of a young woman who was able to escape from a difficult past to make a success of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I tuned off the school principal’s voice at this point, ignoring his excited gestures and flying spittle. I was eight then. The man came out of nowhere, and I remember pain, horror, screaming, torn clothes, more screaming†¦It was only afterwards, in the hospital, that I understood what had happened to me. Twenty years ago the society wasn’t exactly sympathetic towards rape victims; it still isn’t today. Principal Clarke’s voice pulled me back to reality. I stood up to the pitiful round of applause, and walked up the stage. As I looked down, half the students were dozing off; and most of the other half had a snicker on their face. I putted on a smile, and began to tell my story in a grave voice: how I struggled to live with my past; how my family gave me hope and support; how, after years of hard work, I finally became a bestselling author. It is a boring old story, nothing unheard of before. And if this speech managed to inspire even one of these students, it would be nothing short of a miracle. Of course, there are things that a high school guest speaker just cannot include in her speech. For example, the way my mother indulged in various substances after my â€Å"incident†, and my father and I never sent her to the rehabilitation centre for the fear of even more publicity. Or better, how I found my puppy strangled and hung from a tree one day, the words â€Å"WHORE† in red paint glistening right behind him. And the fact that my ex-boyfriend had left with all my money last year, leaving me too heartbroken to write is definitely unmentionable. If it was not for this, I would not have been stuck at this little school, allowing people to dig up my past for a minuscule payment in return. There are some things that a person simply cannot look past. I sat back down, and endured another hour of the old principal’s speech. Apparently, according to Principal Clarke, if I can live with been raped then the students can surely get over their teenage issues and focus on learning instead. His words are not what finally pushed me over the edge, though. It was his the way he looked at me – as if I am some pathetic, filthy stray dog. I caught his eyes when he turned towards me again, and smiled until he hurriedly looked away. The next morning I rose early, and in the aroma of fresh coffee listened to the radio news reporting the shocking, gruesome death of a certain high school principal. I hummed to myself, and started typing my new story.