Premium Essay

Hidden Figures Book Summary Essay

Submitted By
Words 674
Pages 3
Every day there are new obstacles that get in the way of life; whether they’re political, economic, educational, familial, or societal. In the book, Hidden Figures, a nonfictional narrative written by Margot Lee Shetterly, Shetterly describes the lives of four women and other African-Americans, and the obstacles they had to overcome growing up as African-Americans in Hampton Virginia during the early to late 1900’s. While those women had many amazing personality traits and characteristics that helped them overcome many obstacles, perseverance was the most dominant trait that allowed them to overcome obstacles in their lives, such as familial, societal, and political.

There are many obstacles in society that can be overcome, or at least improved, by perseverance. Perseverance helped many African Americans, overcome many societal problems. One way the African Americans persevered through societal problems was through non-violent sit-ins. One quote from Hidden Figures states, “The students called their protests ‘sit-downs’ or ‘sit-ins.’ Sometimes, the police arrested the protesters and took them off to jail. The prison sentences that followed didn’t discourage the activists. They did not intend to back down until they had defeated segregation.” The definition of perseverance, “steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay …show more content…
Abraham lincoln showed how important it was to persevere through political obstacles when he wrote the emancipation proclamation. Not only did some people not believe in the freedom of slavery, but he had to go through a lot of work, and if he hadn't, imagine where our world would be today. Abraham Lincoln’s perseverance helped shape our society into how it was today and it showed others just how important it was to persevere through political

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

“Identify and Discuss the Skills and Strategies Needed for Effective Learning”

...needed for effective learning” Word Count: 858 Effective learning involves students learning a broad range of core skills and strategies that can be learnt and developed throughout the Higher Education (HE) life span. Throughout this essay discussion will explore the core tasks and strategies of effective learning, including the importance of “self” within the context of learning, the academic skills required and the scholarly expertise required to understand, research and produce academic essays or reports. Finally, a summary of the approach to effective learning will be detailed within the conclusion Studying at HE differs from other types of studying as students are expected to manage and their learning. Cottrell (2013, p. 10) reaffirms this, stating “that in HE, success lies largely in your own hands.” Generic literature (Payne and Whittaker, 2006; Price and Maier, 2006; Moore et al, 2010; Burns and Sinfield, 2012; McMillan and Weyers, 2012; Bedford and Wilson, 2013; Cottrell, 2013) is published on study skills and provides broad based overviews (skills, tasks and strategies) of the prerequisites required for learning at HE level. More task focused texts Godfrey (2011) on writing for university, Godwin (2014) on writing an essay, Cottrell (2011) on critical thinking, McMillan and Weyers (2012) on referencing and plagiarism and Williams et al. (2012) on reflective writing run parallel to the generic texts. Both these lists are in no way exhaustive but provide a flavour...

Words: 1196 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

My Lute Awake

...Literary Analysis: Hamlet In the tragedy Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, Hamlet is this young man who experiences close relation death which was his father. He later finds out it was his uncle who murdered his father just to take heir to the throne. Hamlet constant brooding about death and humanity comes ahead. (Tennen) Hamlet is arguably the greatest dramatic character ever created from the moment we meet the crestfallen prince we are enraptured by his elegant intensity. (Mabillard) William Shakespeare hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. (Stockton) In “Hamlet” the tragedy hamlet the prince holds a great internal conflict throughout the play. (Studymode) On a dark winter night a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore castle in Denmark. (Sparknotes)The first edition of hamlet was published in 1603 from a previous sketch composed several years earlier the second one following 1604. (Bates) Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy Bernado’s question betrays the mood of uncertainty that prevails throughout the play. (George) So speaks Shakespeare’s prince hamlet of the transient nature of all mankind throughout the play humanity and frailty is a common theme. (Mortensen) In Hamlet the tragedy, hamlet, the prince of Demark with holds a great internal conflict throughout the play. (Directessays) Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play and the play responsible for the immortal lines “to be or not to be that is the question” (Taylor) The story...

Words: 3813 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Analyze a Movie Poster from a Film Directed by Martin Scorsese and Then, with Reference to the Ideas of Pierce and Saussure, Apply Techniques in Semiotics and Semiology in Order to Illustrate How the Text Can Be Interpreted.

...Ashesi University Subject: Text and Meaning Lecturer: Mr. Mark Poynter Date: 5th October 2009 Assignment: Assessment Point One Essay Title: No. 4) Analyze a movie poster from a film directed by Martin Scorsese and then, with reference to the ideas of Pierce and Saussure, apply techniques in Semiotics and Semiology in order to illustrate how the text can be interpreted. Any and every piece of text in this world has meaning, or a point it is trying to put across. If you look at a portrait, or a page in a book, different aspects of the picture, or the way the words are put together on the page, all have purpose; To convey a certain message. This technique of analyzing different parts of texts, using signs and symbols, is termed “semiotics. [1] In this essay, we shall be using the techniques of semiotics, to interpret a poster of renowned Director, Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster movie, “Shutter Island”. According to Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles S. Pierce, two founding fathers of semiotics; a sign consists of “the signifier” and “the signified”. The signifier of a sign is the form in which the sign takes, and the signified stands for what the sign represents. [2] Let’s take for example, a picture of a young boy crying. In this scenario, the little boys face would be a sign, the act of him crying would be the signifier, and the signified would probably be that the boy is sad because something has gone wrong. Delving deeper into semiotic analysis, there are two types of relationships...

Words: 1956 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Director

...Summary vs Executive Summary Summary and Executive summary are two terms that are used quite often in education and business areas differently. A summary is a short or a brief account, sometimes elaborate too of the various events of a play. An executive summary on the other hand is a term used in business for a short document that summarizes a longer report, especially a business report. An executive summary is normally a condensed version of the full business document. Hence it needs skill on the part of the writer to execute an executive summary. On the other hand a summary should give salient features of any given aspect of a novel, or a short story or a play. This is the difference between a summary and an executive summary. You can write a summary of any particular episode of a novel or any other fiction written by Jane Austen. The particular summary should contain the various events of the episode in a nutshell or briefly. On the other hand an executive summary should be written in non-technical language. This is the main difference between the two. An executive summary should necessarily have a conclusion. On the other hand a conclusion is not necessary while writing a summary of a play or any scene of a play. An executive summary should ultimately make a business recommendation. No such intention is included in the writing of a summary. An executive summary should contain short and concise paragraphs. On the other hand a summary need not have short and concise paragraphs...

Words: 4170 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Phil Literature

...genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, often with subgroups. The most general genres in literature are (in loose chronological order) epic, tragedy,[1] comedy, and creative nonfiction.[citation needed] They can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as a subgenre (see below), but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were composed. Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused with format, such as graphic novel or picture book. GenresEdit For more details on this topic, see List of literary genres. Just as in painting, there are different types: the landscape, the still life, the portrait; there are different types of literary works. These types tend to share specific characteristics. Genres describe those works which share specific conventions.[2] Genres are often divided into subgenres. Literature, is divided into the classic three forms of Ancient Greece, poetry, drama, and prose. Poetry may then be subdivided into the genres of lyric, epic, and dramatic. The lyric includes all the shorter forms of poetry, e.g., song, ode, ballad, elegy, sonnet.[2] Dramatic poetry might include comedy, tragedy, melodrama, and mixtures like tragicomedy. The standard...

Words: 3155 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

A Passage to India

...A Passage to India E. M. Forster Online Information For the online version of BookRags' A Passage to India Premium Study Guide, including complete copyright information, please visit: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide−passageindia/ Copyright Information ©2000−2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare &Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources. ©1998−2002; ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". © 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". © 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham. All other...

Words: 37224 - Pages: 149

Premium Essay

Person Centred Approach

...underpinning the Person-Centred Approach and of ‘the Approach in action in a psychotherapeutic context. Introduction Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987) is the pioneer of Person-Centred therapy. In this essay, I will discuss the approach, which revolved over 70 years of his life. His necessary and sufficient conditions which he said was all that was needed to self-actualize and become a fully functioning person. I will also talk about contributions from others and expansion of his theory and lastly, I will discuss the limitations of person-centred approach that may result in ineffective therapy. Philosophy of person-centred approach Carl Rogers developed person-centred therapy in the 1940s. He wanted to move away from therapist reliant to a therapeutic relationship where he had a more humanistic philosophy which is captured nicely by the metaphor of “how an acorn, if provided with the appropriate conditions will “automatically” grow in positive ways, pushed naturally towards its actualization as an oak.” Rogers was born in Illinois to a very strict religions family. He originally studied agriculture, then theology and finally psychology. Rogers approach was developed over four periods. The first being in the 1940s which saw the birth of “non-directive counselling”. Rogers became the leading figure in the third force of psychology known as the Humanistic psychology movement. His philosophy was that people are essentially all good and for the most part able to solve their own problems...

Words: 1919 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Using Km and Dm to Improve Business Performance

...Al-Shawabkeh Topic Using Data Mining and Knowledge Management to Improve Business Performance By Nurudeen Babatunde Lawal 000620744 Table of Contents Content Page No. Table of Contents 2 List of Figures 3 Abstract 4 Chapter One 5 1.1 Overview of Business 5 1.2 Nature of Business 5 1.3 Business Challenges 6 Chapter Two 2.1 Knowledge and Knowledge Management 8 2.1.1 Knowledge 8 2.1.2 Knowledge management 9 2.1.3 Knowledge Management Process 9 2.1.4 Knowledge Discovery from Database 10 2.2 Data Mining 12 2.2.1 Data Mining Tasks in Knowledge Management 12 2.2.2 Data Mining and Knowledge Management in Business 14 Chapter Three 17 3.1 Implementation Challenges of KM in Business 17 3.2 Limitations of Data Mining Applications 18 3.3 Conclusion 18 References 19 List of Figures Figure No. Description Page No. Figure 1 Forms of Knowledge Organisation 8 Figure 2 Integration of KM Technologies with KM Process Cycle 10 Figure 3 DM and KDD Process 11 Figure 4 Intersection of DM and KM 14 Abstract In recent years, there have been a lot of approaches employed by organisation to satisfy their customers and gain competitive advantage, continuous development of information...

Words: 5606 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

Edward Snowden

...11 Position Papers I f you like to argue, you will enjoy writing position papers and argument essays. The purpose of a position paper or argument essay is to explain both sides of a controversy and then argue for one side over the other. This two-sided approach is what makes position papers and argument essays different from commentaries (Chapter 10). A commentary usually only expresses the author’s personal opinion about a current issue or event. A position paper or argument essay explains both sides and discusses why one is stronger or better than the other. Your goal is to fairly explain your side and your opponents’ side of the issue, while highlighting the differences between these opposing views. You need to use solid reasoning and factual evidence to persuade your readers that your view is more valid or advantageous than your opponents’ view. In college, your professors will ask you to write position papers and argument essays to show that you understand both sides of an issue and can support one side or the other. In the workplace, corporate position papers are used to argue for or against business strategies or alternatives. The ability to argue effectively is a useful skill that will help you throughout your life. 221 CHAPTER AT–A–GLANCE Position Papers This diagram shows two basic organizations for a position paper, but other arrangements of these sections will work too. In the pattern on the left, the opponents’ position is described up front with its...

Words: 11159 - Pages: 45

Premium Essay

Shade

...examination: Thursday 22 September Time: 2 pm (2 hours) This is a closed book examination.  Section A  Answer True / False questions. (10 marks)   Section B Multiple Choice questions (10 marks)   Section C  Answer short structured questions (15 marks) Short essay type responses (15 marks) 2 Section D  How you should prepare     Define terms you have learnt in this unit and think about examples of these concepts. Review the slides and refer to the respective pages in the textbook. The summary of each chapter is also a very useful reference. Practice the exercises in the textbook and handouts / slides to reinforce your learning Practice writing essays 3 Lesson 1a & 1b Critical Thinking What is What are critical the barriers thinking? to critical Why is it thinking? important? How to develop critical thinking skills? What is an argument? How to differentiate arguments from nonarguments? 4 Lesson 1a What is Critical Thinking?  Complex process of deliberation involving a range of skills and attitudes Identifying arguments Reading between the lines Drawing conclusions Evaluating Evidence Recognising techniques Presenting viewpoints Weighing arguments Reflecting on issues Critical thinking focuses on: Arguments  Evaluate messages conveyed through speech, writing, performance or other media  Identify the obvious and hidden messages more accurately  Understand the process by which an argument...

Words: 6480 - Pages: 26

Premium Essay

Writing for Success

...This text was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee. Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org 1 Preface Writing is often a challenge. If you were ever challenged to express yourself via the written word, this book is for you. Writing for Success is a text that provides instruction in steps, builds writing, reading, and critical thinking, and combines comprehensive grammar review with an introduction to paragraph writing and composition. Beginning with the sentence and its essential elements, this book addresses each concept with clear, concise, and effective examples that are immediately reinforced with exercises and opportunities to demonstrate learning. Each chapter allows students to demonstrate mastery of the principles of quality writing. With its incremental approach, this book can address a range of writing levels and abilities, helping each student prepare for the next writing or university course. Constant reinforcement is provided through examples and exercises, and the text involves students in the learning process through reading, problem solving, practicing, listening, and experiencing the writing process. Each chapter also has integrated examples that unify the discussion and form a common, easy-tounderstand basis for discussion and exploration. This will put students at ease and allow for greater...

Words: 171477 - Pages: 686

Free Essay

Charities Are Outmoded Institutions That Have No Contribution to Make to Modern Society. What Is Needed Are Social Enterprises. Discuss.

...Charities are outmoded institutions that have no contribution to make to modern society. What is needed are social enterprises. Discuss. Introduction In this essay I will start by looking at definitions of both “Charities” and “Social Enterprises” before going on to look at a short history of the development of the voluntary sector in the UK. I will then move on to examine the arguments suggesting that charities have become outmoded and the perceived benefits of social enterprises as an alternative approach. In the final section I attempt to critically assess these arguments and to draw some conclusions. Some definitions Charities are essentially organisations established to provide some form of public good, with most of their funding being generated through donations from individuals, companies or government departments. In the UK a charity must be registered with the Charity Commission and the purposes of the charity must meet the “public benefit requirement”. Its purposes will be defined in its governing document or constitution, and ALL of its purposes must be exclusively charitable. This is the main distinction between charities and social enterprises. This latter term is used to describe a wide range of organisations which are run as businesses (and often constituted as companies rather than charities) but don’t exist purely to make money for their stakeholders. Instead they have other goals such as to benefit the community, the environment or any other social interest...

Words: 3419 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Reflections

...Read the following articles from Unit 5, jotting down your first impressions of each article to use in the reflections. * Sleeping with Guns by Bruce Holbert * My Daughter Smokes by Alice Walker * A Drunken Ride, A Tragic Aftermath by Theresa Conroy and Christine M. Johnson * Young and Isolated by Jennifer M. Silva Sleeping With Guns By BRUCE HOLBERT THE summer before my sophomore year in high school, I moved into my father’s house. My father had remarried and the only unoccupied bedroom in his house was the gun room. Against one wall was a gun case he had built in high school, and beside it were two empty refrigerators stocked with rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. My bed’s headboard resided against the other wall and, above it, a resigned-looking, marble-eyed, five-point mule deer’s head with a fedora on its antler rack. The room had no windows, so the smell of gun oil filled my senses at least eight hours each day. It clung to my clothes like smoke, and like a smoker’s cigarettes, it became my smell. No one in my high school noticed. We all smelled like something: motorheads of motor oil, farm kids of wheat chaff and cow dung, athletes like footballs and grass, dopers like the other kind of grass. It did not appear to anyone — including me — that residing within my family’s weapons cache might affect my life. Together, my three brothers own at least a dozen weapons and have yet to harm anyone with them. Despite their guns (or, arguably, because...

Words: 6088 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

An Outline of English Literature

...ENGLISH LITERATURE ITS HISTORY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE LIFE OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD A TEXT-BOOK FOR SCHOOLS BY WILLIAM J. LONG, PH.D. (Heidelberg) TO MY FRIEND C H T IN GRATITUDE FOR HIS CONTINUED HELP IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS BOOK CANTERBURY PILGRIMS From Royal MS., 18 D.ii, in the British Museum PREFACE This book, which presents the whole splendid history of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the close of the Victorian Era, has three specific aims. The first is to create or to encourage in every student the desire to read the best books, and to know literature itself rather than what has been written about literature. The second is to interpret literature both personally and historically, that is, to show how a great book generally reflects not only the author's life and thought but also the spirit of the age and the ideals of the nation's history. The third aim is to show, by a study of each successive period, how our literature has steadily developed from its first simple songs and stories to its present complexity in prose and poetry. To carry out these aims we have introduced the following features: (1) A brief, accurate summary of historical events and social conditions in each period, and a consideration of the ideals which stirred the whole nation, as in the days of Elizabeth, before they found expression in literature. (2) A study of the various literary epochs in turn, showing what each gained from...

Words: 16972 - Pages: 68

Premium Essay

Computer Cthics

...------------------------------------------------- Computer Ethics Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the behavior of a group or individual. Therefore, computer ethics is set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers. Some common issues of computer ethics include intellectual property rights (such as copyrighted electronic content), privacy concerns, and how computers affect society. For example, while it is easy to duplicate copyrighted electronic (or digital) content, computer ethics would suggest that it is wrong to do so without the author's approval. And while it may be possible to access someone's personal information on a computer system, computer ethics would advise that such an action is unethical. As technology advances, computers continue to have a greater impact on society. Therefore, computer ethics promotes the discussion of how much influence computers should have in areas such as artificial intelligence and human communication. As the world of computers evolves, computer ethics continues to create ethical standards that address new issues raised by new technologies. Computer Ethics is a part of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct.[1] Margaret Anne Pierce, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computers at Georgia Southern University has categorized the ethical decisions related to computer technology and usage into 3 primary influences: ...

Words: 3631 - Pages: 15