Alexandra Silva’s “Ending 10 Years of Silence” opened my eyes up to the issue over child molestation. Alexandria addresses her story of an experience in which she was molested by her babysitter’s daughter at the age of four. She describes how she hid her secret for 10 years, although she yearned to tell of it. She captures how society is always blaming themselves even though they are not at fault. Society is afraid to blame other people and speak of it, so they blame themselves. All that fear and terror was hiding in Alexandria when she was too afraid to come out as having been molested — too afraid that her babysitter’s daughter would be at fault for all of this.

Silva speaks of how she forgives her abuser and how it made her stronger, which is something to consider. She states, “She took my childhood. But I forgive her… I am stronger because of it.” Forgiveness can seem simple, but it is often overlooked at how difficult it is to forgive someone who has greatly scarred another. Silva presents a theme to her audience and gave me a greater understanding of how someone can choose to let their past define them as a person or choose to let it guide them and prepare them for the adventures ahead of their future. I choose to let my past guide me and stop dwelling upon it.