Synthesis Paper Final Draft and Bibliography

How a story ends itself can make or break a story. Many people, especially Americans, will overlook the majority of the story if the resolution results in a negative fashion. Now questions of why Americans are obsessed with happy endings began to arise. There may be no sure answer why, but a series of past events and mindsets could contribute to the preoccupation. Those past events and mindsets could range from the Revolutionary War to the famous American Dream.
The Revolutionary War was one of the most influential events in American history. Our founding fathers and ancestors rose up together in one voice and decided to secede from the British Empire. Now at the time the British Empire was the premier power of its day. Its culture and technology were vast and superior to almost every country it had encountered on the globe. No empire had ever reached the size or power the British Empire had managed to acquire; in fact, it was said that, “His Majesty's dominions, on which the sun never sets” to demonstrate how large that empire was (John Wilson). In Layman’s terms, “The sun never sets on the British Empire” (John Wilson). Yet even though Britain had all the resources of thirty million square miles of land and one fourth of world’s population, America still had the courage to fight against it. Then once America gained its independence from the empire, it solidified the American sense of patriotism and stubborn defense of the American way of life. That defense would not let Europeans interfere with what Americans believed to be right and repelled them from the western hemisphere. Free from European cultural influences, America could begin to form its own culture. This newfound freedom would be the stepping stones for other events that would shape the Land of the Free.
Now skip one hundred and sixty years into the future into the mid 1930’s America stricken by the Great Depression. Imagine yourself standing among a shanty town that has risen out of Central Park in New York City that has turned it into an eyesore. The homes, if they can be called homes, are little more than scrapes of left over materials of tin and wood that provide minimal protection against the cold. You note that filth and disease run rampant throughout as you venture deeper into the makeshift town. Also, the shanty town looks deserted and devoid of life when you finally reach what you think to be the center of this town, but then you hear it, the sound of a radio being drowned out by a chorus of laughter. As you approach the noise, you ask yourself, “What could these people possibly be laughing at occupying while in this poverty?” Finally, you reach a group of people crowded along a radio roaring with laughter over CBS’s radio personality, Joe Penner. That was a scene common throughout America as the Depression drew on. Entertainment began to reflect on America’s need to escape from the cold hard reality. For example, The Wizard of Oz is a key example of the positive role Hollywood began to undertake. The Wizard of Oz provided escapism by providing a magical world that made the viewer forget the poverty and the tension at home. In addition, The Wizard of Oz contained that all important happy ending that would later be adopted by a majority of modern films. Another great film from the Great Depression was Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was phenomenon that radically changed the idea that cartoons could become movies, but more importantly it would be the first of a long series of movies by Walt that would end in a positive manner. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was resolved when the prince awakened Snow White from her poisoned induced slumber by kissing her and they ended with getting married and all ending well. It would help influence certain fades in future films, such as the protagonist repeatedly defeating the antagonist and always finding some kind of love. In short, motion picture films that were born from the bleak and gloom of the Great Depression would pass on its optimism onto to its future predecessors.
This country has a rich and proud history, but it has the unique and vital social views and perspectives that make happy endings an American obsession. The American Dream is an essential part in what America is, yet it is hard to define what the Dream really is. However, we know it be real because immigrants come to America from all corners of the world upon hearing rumors of the American Dream, and how the poor rose from rags to the upper echelons of the wealthy. They hear the tales of how men like John Rockefeller, who was the world’s first billionaire, and how Andrew Carnegie earned one hundred and twenty billion dollars. After hearing these stories, they rightly believed they could come to America and create a better life for their families. This is what makes America so great is that a person could be down and out of luck, but still have the opportunity get back up to find that happy ending. To put all that together, the American Dream is the opportunity to work through the ranks in order to achieve a comfortable life style that does not have to extravagant, but is very fair when compared to other parts of the world. Another factor in American’s obsession with happy endings is the “Can Do” attitude that enables the American society, despite its flaws, to accomplish some truly amazing feats. The space race between the Soviet Union and United States of America is a great example of this. Much of the resources and great scientific minds of both countries were devoted to conquering the great unknown of space. When the American public was watching the Apollo Mission they did not know how the mission would end, but they knew that the mission would be a success. It is those combinations of American perspectives that make them so preoccupied with a fair resolution. They could not imagine putting in the work and effort, only to have it crash down on top of them.
Another interesting spigot that reveals the American obsession has taken place in the present during this years Winter Olympics. Now with advances in technology that allow information, such as the results of Olympic events that take place hours before they televised, to be sent instantly across the world. That was a major reason why this years ratings on NBC was so popular because viewers could watch their country compete knowing that their country will end up taking gold home. NPR’s Frank DeFord believed that American’s really did prefer this and had this to say about it, “What was so revealing about this [ratings] victory [over American Idol] was that the feature attraction was Lindsey Vonn’s victory in the downhill — which, of course, had happened hours beforehand and was thus, in this Internet world, already known to most viewers. Evidently, we would now rather revel in an assured triumph than suffer through a live competition with a problematic outcome. Perhaps this suggests that at this time when there is so little good news in America, when we do not enjoy the everyday success we used to rather expect, when we are so at loggerheads as a people, that there is something comforting about us coming together to watch a beautiful young woman, struggling with injury, secure in our knowledge that she will raise Old Glory on high” (mediate.com). American’s might like this form of viewing the Olympics because it ensures that agony of defeat is not experienced after watching their country’s athlete endure a loss. Instead, the viewers can skip forward to the bliss of watching how their athlete won his or hers gold medal with the guarantee that the agony of loss will not be experienced. That skip forward is also pleasing to Americans because they live in a society where their needs and wants can be fulfilled almost instantly with little or no effort. Yet this is not so for all of the citizens of America, as most know, America is in a recession where news of companies cutting employees and services are common place. The lovely media, only reporting on the worse of the worse, makes Americans believe that world is full of negativity and the simple security of hearing some good news is extremely gratifying.
American is preoccupied with their happy resolutions for a number of reasons that involve the American Revolutionary War to the bleak and hopeless Great Depression. The ends Americans will go to ensure a fairy tale ending is proof alone that they need a story to end happily, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, one must experience a failure or unhappy ending to avoid being entirely ignorant of what happens in the real world. Not everything ends well and people need to accept that fact, but that doesn’t necessarily mean to given in. It means that people should try harder and put forth more effort to insure the security of their happy ending because everything eventually comes to an end, whether it wants to or not.


Bibliography
"Hollywood in the Depression." American Studies @ The University of Virginia. University of Virginia, 15 Dec. 2000. Web. 21 May 2010. .
MacNicol, Glynnis. "Americans Actually Love NBC?s Tape Delay! Guaranteed Happy Ending | Mediaite." Mediaite.com | News & Opinion | Media: TV, Print, Online, Jobs, Ranking. 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 May 2010. .
MacNicol, Glynnis. "Americans Actually Love NBC?s Tape Delay! Guaranteed Happy Ending | Mediaite." Mediaite.com | News & Opinion | Media: TV, Print, Online, Jobs, Ranking. Mediate.com, 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 May 2010. .
"Top 10 Rags to Riches Stories | Top 10 Lists | TopTenz.net." Top 10 Lists - Top Ten Lists - TopTenz.net. Toptenz.net. Web. 21 May 2010. .
"The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies - Company History." The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies - Corporate Information. Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies. Web. 21 May 2010. .
"What Is the American Dream?" American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page. Library of Congress, 19 Nov. 2002. Web. 21 May 2010. .

Synthesis Paper Rough Draft

How a story ends itself can make or break a story. Many people, especially Americans, will overlook the majority of the story if the resolution results in a negative fashion. Now questions of why Americans are obsessed with happy endings began to arise. There may be no sure answer why, but a series of past events and mindsets could contribute to the preoccupation. Those past events and mindsets could range from the Revolutionary War to the famous American Dream.
The Revolutionary War was one of the most influential events in American history. Our founding fathers and ancestors rose up together in one voice and decided to secede from the British Empire. Now at the time the British Empire was the premier power of its day. Its culture and technology were vast and superior to almost every country it had encountered on the globe. No empire had ever reached the size or power the British Empire had managed to acquire; in fact, it was said that, “His Majesty's dominions, on which the sun never sets” to demonstrate how large that empire was (John Wilson). In Layman’s terms, “The sun never sets on the British Empire” (John Wilson). Yet even though Britain had all the resources of thirty million square miles of land and one fourth of world’s population, America still had the courage to fight against it. Then once America gained its independence from the empire, it solidified the American sense of patriotism and stubborn defense of the American way of life. That defense would not let Europeans interfere with what Americans believed to be right and repelled them from the western hemisphere. Free from European cultural influences, America could begin to form its own culture. This newfound freedom would be the stepping stones for other events that would shape the Land of the Free.
Now skip one hundred and sixty years into the future into the mid 1930’s America stricken by the Great Depression. Imagine yourself standing among a shanty town that has risen out of Central Park in New York City that has turned it into an eyesore. The homes, if they can be called homes, are little more than scrapes of left over materials of tin and wood that provide minimal protection against the cold. You note that filth and disease run rampant throughout as you venture deeper into the makeshift town. Also, the shanty town looks deserted and devoid of life when you finally reach what you think to be the center of this town, but then you hear it, a the sound of a radio being drowned out by a chorus of laughter. As you approach the noise, you ask yourself, “What could these people possibly being laughing at occupying while in this poverty?” Finally, you reach a group of people crowded along a radio roaring with laughter over CBS’s radio personality, Joe Penner. That was a scene common throughout America as the Depression drew on. Entertainment began to reflect on America’s need to escape from the cold hard reality. For example, The Wizard of Oz is a key example of the positive role Hollywood began to undertake. The Wizard of Oz provided escapism by providing a magical world that made the viewer forget the poverty and the tension at home. In addition, The Wizard of Oz contained that all important happy ending that would later be adopted by a majority of modern films. Another great film from the Great Depression as was Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was phenomenon that radically changed the idea that cartoons could become movies, but more importantly it would be the first of a long series of movies by Walt that would end in a positive manner. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was resolved when the prince awakened Snow White from her poisoned induced slumber by kissing her and they ended with getting married and all ending well. It would help influence certain fades in future films, such as the protagonist repeatedly defeating the antagonist and always finding some kind of love. In short, motion picture films that were born from the bleak and gloom of the Great Depression would pass on its optimism onto to its future predecessors.
This country has a rich and proud history, but it has the unique and vital social views and perspectives that make happy endings an American obsession. The American Dream is an essential part in what America is, yet it is hard to define what the Dream really is. However, we know it be real because immigrants come to America from all corners of the world upon hearing rumors of the American Dream, and how the poor rose from rags to the upper echelons of the wealthy. They hear the tales of how men like John Rockefeller, who was the world’s first billionaire, and how Andrew Carnegie earned one hundred and twenty billion dollars. After hearing these stories, they rightly believed they could come to America and create a better life for their families. This is what makes America so great is that a person could be down and out of luck, but still have the opportunity get back up to find that happy ending. To put all that together, the American Dream is the opportunity to work through the ranks in order to achieve a comfortable life style that does not have to extravagant, but is very fair when compared to other parts of the world. Another factor in American’s obsession with happy endings is the “Can Do” attitude that enables the American society, despite its flaws, to accomplish some truly amazing feats. The space race between the Soviet Union and United States of America is a great example of this. Much of the resources and great scientific minds of both countries were devoted to conquering the great unknown of space. When the American public was watching the Apollo Mission they did not know how the mission would end, but they knew that the mission would be a success. It is those combinations of American perspectives that make them so preoccupied with a fair resolution. They could not imagine putting in the work and effort, only to have it crash down on top of them. No, they would not believe that no matter how the odds are stacked against.
Another interesting spigot that reveals the American obsession has taken place in the present during this years Winter Olympics. Now with advances in technology that allow information, such as the results of Olympic events that take place hours before they televised, to be sent instantly across the world. That was a major reason why this years ratings on NBC was so popular because viewers could watch their country compete knowing that their country will end up taking gold home. NPR’s Frank DeFord believed that American’s really did prefer this and had this to say about it, “What was so revealing about this [ratings] victory [over American Idol] was that the feature attraction was Lindsey Vonn’s victory in the downhill — which, of course, had happened hours beforehand and was thus, in this Internet world, already known to most viewers. Evidently, we would now rather revel in an assured triumph than suffer through a live competition with a problematic outcomePerhaps this suggests that at this time when there is so little good news in America, when we do not enjoy the everyday success we used to rather expect, when we are so at loggerheads as a people, that there is something comforting about us coming together to watch a beautiful young woman, struggling with injury, secure in our knowledge that she will raise Old Glory on high” (mediate.com). American’s might like this form of viewing the Olympics because it ensures that agony of defeat is not experienced after watching their country’s athlete endure a loss. Instead, the viewers can skip forward to the bliss of watching how their athlete won his or hers gold medal with the guarantee that the agony of loss will not be experienced. That skip forward is also pleasing to Americans because they live in a society where their needs and wants can be fulfilled almost instantly with little or no effort. Yet this is not so for all of the citizens of America, as most know, America is in a recession where news of companies cutting employees and services are common place. The lovely media, only reporting on the worse of the worse, makes Americans believe that world is full of negativity and the simple security of hearing some good news is extremely gratifying.
American is preoccupied with their happy resolutions for a number of reasons that involve the American Revolutionary War to the bleak and hopeless Great Depression. The ends Americans will go to ensure a fairy tale ending is proof alone that they need a story to end happily, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, one must experience a failure or unhappy ending to avoid being entirely ignorant what happens in the real world. Not everything ends will and people need to accept that fact, but that doesn’t necessarily mean to given in. It means that people should try harder and put forth more effort to insure the security of their happy ending because everything eventually comes to an end, whether it wants to or not.

The Secret and The Miracle of Water Essay

What makes the human race so radically superior to our primate cousins? We share 99% of the same DNA, so why shouldn’t we be equal? Using logic to eliminate the possibilities we can show that it is not or physical being, then it must be our thoughts and souls that are intangible... The human thoughts and emotions are extremely powerful forces in lives of people. These forces can easily manifest themselves into our world and affect it for better or worse. How this is so can be explained in a number of ways, such as the theories presented in the beliefs of The Secret and The Miracle of Water. To understand why these theories are plausible in proving that a person defines themselves with their thoughts, we must understand each belief and the unique qualities of water.
Water is one of the most valuable resources to the survival of the human race; thus, it is easy to understand why it would convey thoughts with its unique properties. Even though, “When you look at water, taste and smell it - well, what could be more boring? Pure water is virtually colorless and has no taste or smell. But the hidden qualities of water make it a most interesting subject” (water.usgs.gov). Obviously, people need water to survive longer than a day or two; this is because the average man’s body consists of sixty percent of water and fifty-five percent for the average woman. Since water is part of our very being, it can pass on some of its unique properties on to us. One characteristic that water has that is important to us is the ability to adapt to and reflect the environment that surrounds it. That astounding ability helps convey thoughts and emotions to others.
Recently a man named Masaru Emoto developed a study involving water crystals, human emotions, and words written onto the beakers of the water being tested. Soon after Masaru let the water freeze, he removed the ice and took microscopic pictures of the formations of the ice crystals. The results were astounding, to say the least. Negative words, such as hate or Adolf Hitler, formed unorganized and foul looking formations. However, positive words, like love and Jesus Christ, formed organized and eye-pleasing formations. This astounding phenomenon may explained by the vibrations that humans send off when they from thoughts. As stated earlier, water has the ability to replicate the environment surrounding it on a physical and molecular level by responding to factors such as vibrations and materials around it. When a person thinks up a positive thought it affects the water molecules in that person’s body in a positive fashion, and vice versa for a negative thought. In essence, a person’s thoughts define who and what kind of person they are in life because the water in their bodies will synchronize with the present thought, and reflect that physically. For example, a person obsesses with hate and they will eventually fall apart and watch their health fade. It is evident that, “We know that human life is directly connected to the quality of our water, both within and all around us” (life-enthusiast.com).
Then there is The Secret, which we must go into depth to gain a better understanding of how thoughts come into play. Rhonda Byrne created the “secret”, or rather realized, after she endured a series of tragedies nearing the end of 2004. Those tragedies help her forge The Secret after receiving a book from her daughter. She describes her experience as follows, “Something inside of me had me turn the pages one by one, and I can still remember my tears hitting the pages as I was reading it. It gave me a glimpse of The Secret and it was like a flame inside of my heart” (thesecret.tv). Rhonda felt those emotions after reading The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, and felt the desire research more about this feeling she had. What is interesting about Rhonda’s belief is that it encompasses a number of religions and historic figures, such as Albert Einstein, the Bible, Winston Churchill, and Buddha. Her two month long odyssey took her thousands of years back into history and solidified her belief in what she had found.
Now that we understand where The Secret comes from, we can finally answer how it applies and what it is exactly. The Secret, or Law of Attraction, states that whatever a person has in their mind is what they attract. For example, if you say I want one million dollars the universe will provide. However, simply stating your desire will not guarantee it; you must truly believe with unquestionable faith that you are going to obtain what you desire. This is possible because the mind sends out signals to the universe on what is on the mind to attract it. The universe will provide your desire, even if everyone in the world is using The Secret. If a person believes that, “The essence of this law is that you must think abundance; see abundance, feel abundance, and believe abundance. Let no thought of limitation enter your mind” (Robert Collier). Also, staying positive and grateful will attract like minded people and positive events in a person life; thus, the thoughts of person define who they are and the quality of their life. Henry Ford does an exquisite job of putting this into words he said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right” (Ford, Henry). The mind creates thoughts, which in turn, define ourselves and the world.
Together The Secret and The Miracle of Water prove that thoughts really do define who we are, what we are capable of, and the people that we are associated with. The Secret depicts the mindset that must go along with manifesting the correct thoughts that make a person successful in life endeavors. Only positive thoughts that promote growth and faith are able to invoke the power of the human mind. The Miracle of Water describes how our thoughts can be established into the physical world. Water helps us change into what we want to become and attract the people that are similar to us in beliefs and personalities.
Again, thoughts are a defining factor in the human race. These two beliefs help explain how powerful their potential for change is. That potential is inside every human being is simply incredible and shows no sign of limitations. With faith, determination, and imagination, the human race can accomplish amazing feats in every single endeavor imaginable.

Definition Paper Final Draft 2

Success seems ever so distant; it is blotted out by the dark, ominous clouds that loom overhead. These clouds represent the adversities that lay before goals and dreams. They must be surpassed in order to be successful; yet, those goals would be meaningless without that adversity. A person is proud of their accomplishments because of what they had to overcome, not the job, not the car, or fame they acquire in the end.
The dictionary definition of adversity, in my personal opinion, fails to define adversity in a positive light that it deserves. In literal terms adversity is as follows: “Adverse fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress” (dictionary.com). This definition does not give any of the positive aspects that adversity brings. I believe that, adversity is the hardships and obstacles that must be removed in order to reach the desired goal or outcome. It is sustenance that makes dreams and goals materialize in to the world, so goals would meaningless without the challenges because they could be reached by all. This is why the adversity we hate and face is what we end up loving and being proud of.
Through the years, the meaning adversity has changed little throughout history. It has been associated with a challenge and improving as a result. Even in Malcolm X’s generation it was viewed the same way. Malcolm X said, “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time” (Malcolm X). That is why the adversity is so unique. The meaning is written into stone, and it hasn’t changed through the passage of time. It is almost like the word knows what it is, and will not change. Even in a word, that is a rare because languages constantly evolve throughout generations.
In my personal opinion, the real world form of adversity is my swim coach, Lynn Painter. Like adversity, the first impression fails to due justice towards Painter. Painter has a looming presence that can easily intimidate the people around him. The feeling of intimidation is solidified with his uncanny ability to create sets that nothing less than the definition of adversity. During those seven thousand yard practices, a swimmer begins to question whether or not they are capable of swimming that far and push through the pain. Painter loves to place those barriers in paths of his swimmers, in the hopes that they are able to push through them. In addition to the gaining endurance, he wants his swimmer to confront the doubtful voice in your head when it begins to protest against the exertion of Painter’s practice. That little voice must be muted because it is what keeps a swimmer’s true potential from being realized. Paint puts his swimmers through adversity because he wants make his athletes better and people because that is his goal. Adversity, also shares the same goal as Painter because as Walt Disney put it, “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you” (Walt Disney). This is why I feel that Paint is one of the best coaches I have ever had, and I have had plenty. He is one of the best because he really does care about all of his swimmers that care about swimming.
My life is dependent on adversity, especially in answering who I am and what am I capable of. When I am facing adversity, I feel like those answers slowly come to surface. Last summer, that is part of the reason I decided to become a lifeguard at the Family Funplex in Greeley. I became a lifeguard because I wanted to see how I would react under the extreme stress of saving someone’s child or life. Would I be frozen in place by fear or would I do what I was trained to do? The question of finding out who I am has haunted me like a specter for the majority of my life. I seek adversity to answer that question because it is the only true way answer that question. Then if I discover a flaw in my character, I correct it so that I can be better. It is my belief that everyone needs adversity to grow and flourish, and I try to practice that each and every day; because as Johnson Samuel said, “Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself” (Samuel). Also, adversity shows me what I am capable of. I feel that when my back is against the wall, and I have no other option than to overcome what is cornering me, that is when I am at my best. My persistent flaw of over analyzing problems often times limits me in what I can do, but when adversity presents an overwhelming challenge I can stop thinking and focus. When I swim, I always look for that one person that will doubt me and say that I am not good enough. I search for that person because I see him or her as a barrier that must be surpassed so that I can prove them wrong. Because there is nothing better than seeing the look that is on their face once you passed through all the adversity and have reached that point that they never said you would reach.
The effect adversity has on my character is what seek so I may be better physically and mentally. Just the idea of adversity fuels my drive to reach my goals and make a difference in the world around me. It is my hope that others can get something from this essay, and face adversity rather than try to avoid it. Even if adversity decisively defeats you; use that defeat to learn and try again. That is the beauty of using adversity as an advantage, rather than thinking of it as a negative.

Bibliography of Definition Paper

Bibliography
"Adversity | Define Adversity at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .
Disney, Walt. "Adversity Quotes at Great-Inspirational-Quotes.com." Beautiful Collection of Inspirational Quotes, Poems and Short Stories for Women. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. . All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.?
Johnson, Samuel. "Adversity Quotes." Famous Quotes and Quotations at BrainyQuote. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. . Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.

Definition Paper

Success seems ever so distant; it is blotted out by the dark, ominous clouds that loom overhead. These clouds represent the adversities that lay before goals and dreams. They must be surpassed in order to be successful, yet those goals would be meaningless without that adversity. Think about it. A person is proud of their accomplishments because of what they had to overcome, not the job, car, or fame they got in the end.
The dictionary definition of adversity, in my personal opinion, fails to define adversity in a positive light that it deserves. In literal terms adversity is as follows: “Adverse fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress” (dictionary.com). This definition does not give any of the positive aspects that adversity brings. In my personal definition, adversity is the hardships and obstacles that must be removed in order to reach the desired goal or outcome. It is sustenance that makes dreams and goals materialize in to the world. Goals would be so meaningless with the challenges because they could be reached by all. This is why the adversity we hate and face is what we end up loving and being proud of.
To further define adversity, the real world form of adversity is my swim coach, Lin Painter. Like adversity, first thoughts fail to due justice towards Painter. Painter has a big looming presence that feels like it could be triggered at the slightest action he dislikes on his first meeting. Also, Painter sets these seemingly impossible expectations for every one of his athletes. Painter’s appearance also helps solidify the idea that he is adversity. He almost looks like a mean version of Santa without the presents; that can make himself look bigger than he really is with subtle movements and expressions. He can easily show that he is angry with you by folding his arms and his shoulders begin to rise steadily upwards. However, when Painter is silent and in that position, that is when he is most intimidating, adversity is intimidating also. It has to because it must make you doubt what you are doing and inspire that doubtful little voice in your head to speak. That little voice must force you gather the strength to ignore it and focus on what you are doing. Yet, both Painter and adversity have are very different once you get to know them better. Painter likes to act tough and mean, but he is just really a big Teddy bear, especially around little children. He puts on that persona to make his swimmers better athletes and people because that is his goal. Adversity, also shares the same goal as Painter because as Walt Disney put it, “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you” (Walt Disney). This is why I feel that Paint is one of the best coaches I have ever had, and I have had plenty. He pushes you farther than you ever thought was possible, but if don’t hold back and leave it out there, it is well worth the effort. Adversity, like Painter, must push you farther and harder than you think you can go.
Through the years, the meaning adversity has changed little throughout history. It has been associated with a challenge and improving as a result. Even in Malcolm X’s generation it was viewed the same way. Malcolm X said, “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time” (Malcolm X). That is why the adversity is so unique. The meaning is written into stone, and it hasn’t changed through the passage of time. It is almost like the word knows what it is, and will not change. Even in a word, that is a rare because languages constantly evolve throughout generations.
My life is dependent on adversity, especially in answering who I am and what am I capable of. When I am facing adversity, I like those answers slowly come to surface. This summer I became a lifeguard at the Family Funplex in Greeley. I became a lifeguard because I wanted to see how I would react under the extreme stress of saving someone’s child or life. Would I be frozen in place by fear or would I do what I was trained to do? The question of finding out who I am has haunted me like a specter for the majority of my life. I seek adversity to answer that question because it is the only true way answer that question. Then if I discover a flaw in my character, I correct it so that I can be better. It is my belief that everyone needs adversity to grow and flourish, and I try to practice that each and every day. Because as Johnson Samuel said, “Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself” (Samuel).
The effect adversity has on my character is what seek so I may be better physically and mentally. Just the idea of adversity fuels my drive to reach my goals and make a difference in the world around me. It is my hope that others can get something from this essay, and face adversity rather than try to avoid it. Even if adversity decisively defeats you, you can use that defeat to learn and try again. That is the beauty of using adversity as an advantage, rather than thinking of it as a negative.

Roosevelt Alumni Scholarship Essay Revised

The sounds of the outside world failed to intrude upon my concentration, as I stared at the blank paper laid out before me. My task was simple, to design a C02 powered car for my advanced technology class; yet, I found it that I was dumbstruck by all the possibilities I could place upon this paper. The idea of putting something from my mind on to paper, then later materializing that design into something that could be felt and seen by others was astounding to me. This simple little project would have a profound effect on my career choice and future in the years to come.
This project showed how I could use all the skills that I have acquired over the years can be put into a single project. The idea of that intrigued me and it is because of this project that I knew I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I want to be an aerospace engineer because of the design process, testing, fabrication, and finding solutions to problems that may occur in the design. The University of Colorado has one of the best aerospace programs in the nation, and the price tag of twenty thousand dollars for two semesters to go with it. So, I feel that getting accepted into that program would be a great opportunity to accomplish my goal. Obtaining the required four year degree for aerospace engineering could cost upwards of forty thousand dollars, not including room and board. So in order to get my way through college, I will need help from scholarships, such as this one. My family will help me pay for college, and I will pay for most of it through my job as a lifeguard, but money is still a prevalent problem. So applying for scholarships will be extremely important as I advance through high school. They are going to be one of the best ways to pay through college. So, I am going to approach every scholarship as opportunities to get me where I want to go, and I must never waste that opportunity.
Looking back at that little C02 powered car now, I realized how that simple project pulled everything together. All of those skills to be successful were there and they were just waiting to be found. Now I take every opportunity that presents itself, so that I may further hone my skills to be better. Also, I must never waste an opportunity because by wasting an opportunity I am hurting myself and letting those that depend on me down. Even if I fail to accomplish an opportunity, such as a race or test, I can use that failure to learn and make myself better for the future.