The Road to Perseverance
By : Doug Weller 5/27/15
What is Perseverance?
Perseverance is the drive to get through tough times and adversity. Many traits are needed to get through the struggles that face you. A person must be resilient so they can bounce back from problems. A person will also need a strong conviction to reach their end goal. They must commit themselves and never give up.
A Description of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was a very achieved man. He was a war hero, politician, and many other things. With success, though, came many adversities. His parents were out of the house most of the time, and at a young age, his nanny and friend, died. He went to a boarding school and when finished, left as a writer for the army. He was captured and kept as a prisoner. He went through awful adversities and eventually made it out safe. When he was done serving the war efforts, he focused himself on politics. He started low and worked his way up the ranks. He was kicked out many times, but kept fighting back in. When he was made Prime Minister, he knew that Germany posed a great encumbering threat. When Britain entered World War II, many were scared. Churchill brought countries together as the allies, and we won the war and defeated one of the biggest adversities in the 20th century. He was taken out of politics again but made it back in later. People knew he was a great leader. He was made a knight, but a few years later, Churchill died. We can look back at him, and see his great conviction, and use that to make our lives better.
Problem and Solution
Carroll Academy is a school for kids who have been abused, or faced with other adversities and have become problematic. This school shows them how to fix their lives and make a better future. A common problem for the kids at this school is their parents. Some have alcohol problems while some have abusive problems. This school has taken them in and showed ways to alleviate their pain by playing basketball. These girls knew nothing about basketball, but with the focus they had, they were able to get better. They might not have been great, but they had fun and forgot about all of their problems. You can truly see the help they get and how great it is when a kid graduates and is able to go back to their regular school. The happiness and accomplishment makes the entire thing worth it. The teachers and coaches ventured to another world of hurting to do something great, and truly did a good thing.
Eleanor Roosevelt had a tough childhood. Her father abused alcohol and her mother was complacent with the problem. This left her extremely shy and sad. She knew that she would be a better person, and used that to become happier. As she grew up, she met a man named Franklin Roosevelt. She had many kids but then learned that Franklin was having an affair with another women. He promised to never see her again, and Eleanor learned that she needed to worry about herself. She began public speaking about civil rights for women when Franklin became president. All of her childhood shyness was completely gone and she became a public figure. She passed minimum wage and pushed for women’s rights. Without Eleanor, today’s world could be extremely different. She shaped most of the labor and civil right laws we have today. Her conviction in civil rights got many people what they deserve.
Compare/Contrast Chart (Graphic) Jackie Robinson and Eleanor Roosevelt
As shown, perseverance is needed to achieve a great feat. Many times, people learn from others in the past in order to reach their goals. People can take any story and find an example of perseverance, although some are small, they are all worth something. The main thing that can be learned from the people studied is that without hard work, resilience, determination, and many other traits, perseverance would be impossible. Next time a feeling of inability comes, just remember that it is possible and it can be done