Budge Wilson's MetaphorEveryone has a different outlook on life. A person's perception can have a significant impact on how they perceive the rest of the world. This perception can be both positive and negative. Perception often plays an important role in determining how a person is perceived by themselves and others. People are often judged by their appearance and their actions. However, it is things like their personality and character that truly define them as individuals. In “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson, Miss Hancock is confronted with the fact that others often neglect her. Even if others are not aware of what they are doing, their actions can have a significant impact on another person throughout their life. How a person is perceived can both positively and negatively affect how others perceive them as an individual, which can greatly affect their entire life. The short story “The Metaphor” is based on this perception. Charlotte looks up to and looks up to her seventh grade teacher, Miss Hancock. Miss Hancock is a very kind and caring person. “I could tell she felt concerned and kind, not nosy” (p. 69) but unfortunately she is often overlooked because of the way she dresses. "Her head was covered in a profusion of small, bushy, shiny, aggressive, golden curls. (Page 66) However, as Charlotte and the rest of her classmates discover, she is actually quite a sophisticated person. "Miss Hancock was equally comfortable in his two fields of creative writing and literature. It was the first time I was excited. , truly moved, by poems, plays, stories." (Pg. 66) The more the pupils developed, the happier Miss Hancock became. "But we were delighted with ourselves. And she with us." (Pg. 67) She took great pride in her work and truly enjoyed teaching her students. The more the children got to know Miss Hancock, the more they began to like her as an individual and the more Miss Hancock became happy. When Miss Hancock came to teach at the high school, she was filled with eccentricity and liveliness. This enthusiasm quickly turned to disappointment when the students quickly dismissed Miss Hancock. was that she was a joke and they didn't take her very seriously. This quickly dampened Miss Hancock's spirit. offered his material timidly, with hesitation, certain of being rejected, of humiliation.".