...heard that phrase countless times. While adversity can cause depression and loss of confidence in most people, facing adversity in one’s life can have extremely positive results. Going through challenging times can help anyone assess who they are and who they want to be. Helen Keller faced adversity all throughout her life. Becoming deaf and blind as a child brought huge challenges to her life. Not learning how to compensate for her problems and learning to communicate would have been the easy way out for Helen. While she could have avoided the challenge of learning to communicate and going through many years of difficult studies, without the ability to communicate, she would have lived a very sheltered, dark, and confused life. Instead Helen spent all of her life learning to communicate through sign language. Mastering sign language is difficult enough for someone with their vision and so without hers, Helen had even more of a challenge. While working through her challenges in life, Helen was able to learn more about herself and the world around her. Because of adverse conditions in England, the Pilgrims came to America and began our history. A major factor in why the Pilgrims left England was a desire for religious freedom. The Church of England was intolerant towards other religious beliefs. Many citizens of England wanted to worship God how they wanted without being faced with persecution. By leaving England and starting fresh in America, the Pilgrims were free from the Church...
Words: 355 - Pages: 2
...Choices: An analyses on how your decisions or peoples decisions can affect your life As we go through life everyone is searching to find out who we really are as a person. This process can take many years, and in the end we may truly never find our identity. In that process you will go through many obstacles and road blocks, but these are what defines you as a person. In the short story “How to slowly kill yourself and others in America” by Kiese LayMon is about this man who grows up in Mississippi and he explains all of his close counters of almost getting shot, and all the disappointment he has brought on others. In the poem “A Soldier Lives” by Robert West is about how the government treats the dead soldiers, and how they just keep recruiting more and more to replace each fallen comrade. Both stories show betrayal, and in each story they are facing a adversity that will help shape there life in either a bad or good way. Most people don’t think that higher authority would betray them. They believe they will protect them, but not in these cases. In both short stories they face betrayal from higher authority. “They zero in on the eyes of Mama, as Harmon tells her that I am being suspended from mill says for at least a year for taking and returning Red Badge of Courage from the library without formally checking it out”(Laymon 243). Laymon identifies that he knows he did something wrong by not checking the book out properly, but he cant believe he is getting suspended...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
...Dickens Adversity is something all humans face in their lifetime. Adversity can take many shapes like the loss of a family member, financial problems, or personal health issues. Moving forward from any shape of adversity requires a tremendous amount of strength and determination, but how a person reacts to adversity shapes the success of their future. American actor Kevin Conroy explains adversity exquisitely when he says, “Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one’s journey is easy. It’s how they handle it that makes people unique.” Although knowing how to overcome an obstacle is sometimes tricky, it’s important to always push through. Hearing stories of inspiration and triumph over adversity can spark motivation in anyone; especially after knowing the author went through rough times, too....
Words: 1057 - Pages: 5
...The Roots of Ambition: How Alexander Hamilton's Childhood Shaped His Legacy Alexander Hamilton, a man who is renowned across America as one of the founding fathers of the United States, a brave soldier who battled for independence in the Revolutionary War, the man who drafted the US Constitution, the documents that make up the laws of our country, and etc., had suffered multiple tragedies, like parental abandonment, and parental loss. How did his trauma from a young age affect his decisions in life later on, in higher education, and in US renown? During his childhood, Hamilton faced significant trauma, starting from a very young age. At just the age of eight, Alexander left his peaceful life to move to St Croix, for his father James Hamilton’s, job. Almost...
Words: 927 - Pages: 4
...Life is a series of ups and down everyone must deal with adversity have gone through paying for and Joe for moments are the must deal with adversity have gone through painful and joyful moments, but the hardest predicament I have dealt with is moving to America. Moving gave me default challenges to deal with such as losing friends and family, adopting to new environment, and the Constant feeling of being out of place. In 2008 I played, laughed, and shared stories with my friends for the last time. This is one of the many obstacle I had to overcome in the journey to coming America. I was around ten years old and I had grown up with most of the kids in the village so when I was told to say goodbye it left me heart broken so I grow closer to my brothers because they were more mature but also understood my pain. And once we settled in I found new friends and hope and pray that I will see my childhood friends again. Saying goodbye was a hard obstacle that I overcame by looking forward to when we would meet again....
Words: 463 - Pages: 2
...Gerri Stewart Professor Maselli English 103 17 January 2016 Two Is Always Better Than One In this life people are destined to have one father that is responsible for the creation of their life. However Danticat was blessed to have two fathers who loved and taught her the essence of strength. While reading the book “Brother, I’m Dying” Danticat tells a story about her life in Haiti, being raised by her uncle, and her father who lived in America. She later reunited with her father and joined him in the United States. The story shows how two different influences ignited her passion for writing. Uncle Joseph was a man who exemplified courage. Miracin was a man who fought through his sickness. Both men had their own struggles, however, they were able to persevere through them and teach Danticat how to be a fighter, and how to proclaim courage despite adversity. Next Danticat saw her uncle Joseph go to the ends of the earth for a child he raised as his own in hopes to save Marie from the hands of death from another man. She has seen him fight through the disease that left him with no voice, and she even saw him endure the loss of his wife. Yet he still was able to continue on despite the feelings of loneliness and pain. The time when Uncle Joseph continued to stay in his home while war broke out. Or the time when he told his family to leave his home and let him stay behind. He never gave up the fight for justice, and peace. This gave Danticat knowledge on how to defeat any...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4
...Keller and the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri reflect this quotation. The life experiences of non-fiction character, Helen Keller, greatly reflect those of fictional character, Ashima Ganguli. Both of these women and their families are faced with the similar challenges of adaptation, overcoming adversity and forming a positive sense of identity throughout their lives. These challenges are overcome using literature and the consistent,...
Words: 2779 - Pages: 12
...For many years, America has been thought of as the land of opportunity and success. What is often overlooked are the challenges and discrimination immigrants received when coming to this nation. Education was an arduous goal to reach for many immigrants, and attaining it was rare. Following that, racing against the crowds of other people for dangerous and cheap jobs was also very challenging. Reconstruction was a rough period for many, including immigrants, who faced adversity and were challenged when coming to America. Being discriminated against because of one's ethnic background was one of the most prevalent challenge immigrants faced. Race, gender, religion, or anything that was different from the populace they migrated to set off a reaction of animosity and prejudice. In the book My Antonia, after a conflict between an...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
...Title Racial inequality has existed in America since its birth. From the day African Americans were introduced to this country they have endured hardship after hardship. The African American equals rights movement is a big part of American history along the way we have seen prominent leaders arise in the fight for racial equality including Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Throughout this fight we see many people arise in trying to make this country a greater place. People like Jackie Robinson also helped make an impacted in achieving equality. Robinson didn’t use speeches and politic realms to do this but he used baseball, an American pastime, to bring together our country. The film 42 is a depiction of how one baseball player took strides to not only unite a team but an entire country. In the film Remember the Titans a group of high school boys both white and black are forced to come together to be the best team they can be. This film shows how overcoming adversity can be accomplished by anyone who believes in the cause enough. Over the past century African Americans have made great strides in overcoming racial adversity, and gaining most of the same freedoms of white Americans. These films both address and attract viewer support for the equality of African Americans. However, the film 42 does a better job at attracting viewer support because of the historical accuracy, the larger audience it appeals to and its’ stronger historical significance. The film 42...
Words: 1389 - Pages: 6
...I have been a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) for seven years but I had never heard the story of Richard Wallrath. His dedication to his faith and generosity toward the FFA and 4H were truly inspiring. However, it was Mr. Wallrath’s resiliency in the face of adversity that resonated the most with me. I have had my own adversity to overcome and feel I too have risen above that adversity and have gone above and beyond expectations. Like a majority of the kids, I went to Pre K and Kindergarten before entering elementary school. I had wonderful teachers who were attentive and I still remember fondly. I remember playing with my friends, participating in sports, and simply being a kid. Unbeknownst to me, words like “potential” and “limitations” were becoming regular conversation between my parents and teachers. What I did not know at the time was my parents had become aware I was having a difficult time reading “cold” or unfamiliar material. At that early stage in school, my teachers were unaware of the true difficulty I was having with my reading. One reason for this was God blessed me with an...
Words: 693 - Pages: 3
...Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me expresses the wisdom he acquired on his educational journey. Despite his disinterest in school growing up, Coates still aspired to attend Howard University. Once there, he was able to develop his own perspective on the black experience in America. Perhaps one of the most significant events that contributed to the crafting of his views was the death of his friend Prince Jones. Coates explained that his death was similar to that of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown; another black man whose life was unjustly taken and eventually forgotten by society. It was experiences such as this that allowed Coates to come to the realization that living as a black man in America is one of the worlds greatest struggles. Within this overarching theme of the black struggle, there are three crucial messages to take away from Coates work: people only see what they want to see, remembering the past is essential, and we (the black community) need to embrace the struggle....
Words: 564 - Pages: 3
...This essay will discuss the roles of women and their rights at different times and places in history. The three articles discussed in this essay, will look at how the view of women has changed throughout history. The first article discussed is about a woman Pharaoh named Hatshepsut. She was a woman that made herself a leader of one of the powerhouse countries of the time. Another article that will be discussed is in this essay is “Women of Saudi Arabia”. These women are working through adversity and trying to get equal rights. The last article that is discussed is “Women at Work”. This article focuses on how women can hold and achieve the same jobs a man can. These three, well written article, come together with one common theme. This theme...
Words: 1100 - Pages: 5
...though the situation in South Africa is more extreme, it reminds Wes of Baltimore and the Bronx. Rows of shacks stretch in every direction, and Wes notices that the poverty he’s observed in America is nothing compared to what exists in South Africa. At the house where Wes is staying, a short woman, Mama, welcomes...
Words: 424 - Pages: 2
...often overwhelmingly intimidating. We overthink the possibilities of unfamiliar routes and chaotic neighbors. Imagine abandoning the motherland that speaks volumes of your heritage and the native tongue your baba has been preaching to you since the day you learned to speak, and moving into a country with strangers, unfamiliar traditions and a language your tongue is unaccustomed to. Millions of immigrants, similar to my family, immigrate to an unknown environment in anticipation of a better life. We leave everything behind and engage with people who don’t want us around because we aspire for a promising future. Understanding the struggles of immigration is necessary for both immigrants and non-immigrants alike to increase awareness of adversity faced by millions of individuals, to live a life many take for granted....
Words: 774 - Pages: 4
...The articles “New World, New Foods,” by Tom Standage, “America, Found and Lost,” by Charles C. Mann, and “Food Assimilation and the Malleability of the Human Body in Early Virginia” all examine how the pre and post Columbian exchange have affected and continue to do so in nations across the globe today. The effects of the Columbian exchange were so widespread that, “the exchange and redistribution of food crops… redefined the demographics of the Americas, Africa, and Europe…” as Standage argues throughout his article “New World, New Foods” (Standage 112). He begins his argument by chronicling the journey of two specific crops as they spread between the Old and New worlds. Sugar is one example; it became a staple across the world and played...
Words: 272 - Pages: 2
