"Read the following article and form your own opinion over the subject"

My own opinion? What is that?

See, I've been putting this off for days and still this “opinion '' I must form from my own thoughts gives me as much panic as it did when I was young. What is this opinion? What if I'm wrong? What if I make someone mad? I can’t have someone mad at me, that makes me a bad person. Maybe I could use someone else's opinion as my own…

“... form your own opinion…”

What the hell is that? I don’t have an opinion, I can’t. You see, teacher, if I don't have an opinion then I can’t get hurt. If I express my thoughts then it can have backlash. Last time I spoke my opinion I was told to shut my dumb little mouth. When I didn't, the outcome wasn’t pretty. Since then I forgot what an opinion was. A thought? Something I like? Those can’t be an opinion, they have no weight. I can’t get hurt again. Not again sir…

So no teacher, I can’t form my own opinion. I will sit back quietly and read my classmates' opinions. I am sorry if this is an inconvenience to your grading, but I can’t open up. No, I will not open up. I will protect myself from any chance of hurt.