Baseball as a Motivator - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 475 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/02 Category Sports Essay Level High school Tags: Baseball Essay Did you like this example? I believe that baseball has taught me to treat every task with my full effort and dedication, as it is the best way to give myself the greatest chance to succeed while leaving me satisfied with the resulting outcome of my effort. I settled my left foot in the batters box. It was my freshman season, and I was selected for the Varsity Baseball Team. We were playing the best team in the area, and I was our teams last chance to avoid a no-hit game. The pitcher went through his wind-up, then released the ball. Time slowed. I recognized the curveball out of his hand, and I swung. Strike three! The game was over. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Baseball as a Motivator" essay for you Create order We went on to have a disastrous season with a nauseating record of 3-21. I had two options: I could hang up my cleats or I could try to do something about it. I wanted to quit because, combined with my trouble to adapting to a rigorous IB curriculum, I felt that all of my effort had not paid off. Instead of quitting, I decided that I would use my frustration to better myself as a player. That summer, I worked for hours on end in the excruciating Florida heat, practicing to prepare for the upcoming season. I believe that the following summer taught me that hard work and commitment could be both rewarding and satisfying. 3-21! my teammates yelled as we stormed the field on opening day, not as a signal of defeat but as a source of motivation. We were ready. I was proud to have earned the starting first baseman position. My team began the season 9-0, possibly unmatched by any baseball team in our schools history. Then we struck out again, losing seven of the next eight games. Yet, instead of letting this pull us apart, we grew closer and more determined to succeed. My team rallied to finish the season with a 14-10 record, qualifying for the playoffs. We won the first round with ease, but then had to face the number one seed in the tournament. We lost in extra innings, but we had still exceeded all expectations. Through all of its ups and downs, baseball has taught me the priceless quality of perseverance. Through hard work and dedication, I have developed resilience and the ability to bounce back after failure. I have learned to apply this quality to all areas of my life. Intense preparation and dedication has allowed me to excel both academically and athletically, and when I encounter problems or make mistakes, I choose to learn from them instead of being controlled by them. This is why I believe that baseball is the perfect game. It has caused me to continually strive to exhibit the resilience necessary to overcome the difficult challenges I face, even when life throws me a curveball.

Literary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby - 1142 Words

Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby Literature is medium that allows authors to express personal beliefs and value to others in a variety of ways. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, regarded as one of the best writers in America, wrote The Great Gatsby to convey his perception of American society in the early 20th century. Fitzgerald uses a specific orientation of storytelling to render his purpose of writing the novel. The Great Gatsby revolves around Jay Gatsby. His mysterious background and behavior attracts others to be involved in his affairs, especially Nick Carraway. Gatsby only has one ambition. The strong desire and hope for him to achieve it changes his outlook on life. Everything begins to unravel when an odd friendship with Nick is formed. Fitzgerald tells the story by using the eyes of Nick and shows its significance by implying that Nick as author of the novel. QUOTE If the narrator is another character, the entirety of the novel changes. Nick narrates his experiences and thoughts according to his observations. However, Nick is not the main focus of the novel. Fitzgerald made Nick is a flexible narrator. His presence as a character is almost a spectator of the events taking place because of his small involvement in the main conflict of the novel. This makes some parts of the novel to be perceived as a third person limited narrator because as the novel progresses more information about each character begins to unravel only with his observations, experiences,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby 1673 Words   |  7 PagesApril 2015 Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby Dreams are a compelling force in people’s lives. They are what propel them forward each and every day in an effort to reach something better. The American Dream has been sought after by millions all over the world for hundreds of years. This country was founded on the belief that anyone could achieve their dreams. However, in the 1920s these hopes and aspirations began to splinter until they ultimately shattered. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. ScottRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby 1490 Words   |  6 PagesJaylinn Cooper Mrs. Fowler English III March 3, 2017 Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby The 1920s in America, known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of celebration after a destructive war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of disruption associated with modernity and a break with traditions.The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited oldRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby Essay1898 Words   |  8 PagesSameet K. Mann Ms. Rowe IB English 7 September 2016 Literary Analysis: The American Dream The century old concept of the American Dream is the belief that no matter what race, gender, religion or background a person is from, she/he has the ability to become successful through the means of hard work and determination. Unlike today, Americans during the 1920s lived in the illusion that achieving the American Dream involved immoral actions and only the satisfaction of their greedy pleasures. ThisRead MoreLiterary Analysis : The Great Gatsby1806 Words   |  8 Pages Literary analysis: The Great Gatsby To truly achieve The American Dream is nearly impossible without personal sacrifice, as evidenced by The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald. As the characters, especially Gatsby himself, eventually learn, there is no way to make the fantasy of a perfect life a reality. There are ways to imitate the results, such hiding one’s true self from others, as Gatsby attempts with Nick, or an all-encompassing devotion to one thing or person, as if that thing or personRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Literary Analysis1049 Words   |  5 PagesLama 1 Verdiana Lama Mr.Joannes ENG 4UN July 18, 2017 Money gets to your head The pressures of social class tend to give us an urgency to act a certain way. In The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, He carefully sets up his novel into wonderful agencies but, in the long run, every group has its personal issues to take care of, leaving a powerful reminder of what a precarious region the world truly is. By creating awesome social instructions which include new moneyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Literary Analysis741 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald was on the the greatest pieces of American literature ever constructed. F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the five greatest authors in American history. His Book â€Å"The Great Gatsby† was named the third most important book in American literature. An article by John A. Pidgeon it says â€Å"I am absolutely convinced that â€Å"The Great Gatsby† is one of the finest of american literature†(Pidgeon) â€Å"The Great Gatsby† is clearly a highly thought of piece of literatureRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby1787 Words   |  8 PagesThe Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is hailed as masterpiece of American fictions of its time. It is noted for the remarkable way its author captures a cross-section of American society during the 1920s. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald offers up a commentary on the American society of which he was a part. He successfully encapsulates the mood of a generation during a politically and socially crucial and chaotic period of American history. In fact, The Great Gatsby is a brilliant piece of EnglishRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald2128 Words   |  9 PagesLiterary Analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is an incredible novel written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a prolific American author, and published by Scribner’s. Nevertheless, during its first release, the book sold poorly and received mixed reviews. In fact, Fitzgerald died in 1940 considering himself and his works a failure. However, the onset of the Second World War revived the novel, which later became an essential component of high school curricula and differentRead Moresparknotes vs cliffnotes830 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstanding the literary elements, character developments, and plot development that a author uses to help create the story. Both sites provide similar information, ranging from overall plot summaries and character analysis, but Sparknotes goes more into the literary aspect of the book, while cliffnotes focuses more on the character and his motives. In analyzing Jay Gatsby, Cliffnotes focuses much more on Gatsby himself and his underlying motives to his character, like â€Å"In assessing Gatsby, one must examineRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald921 Words   |  4 Pagesof The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald relays the first encounter with the protagonist of the novel, and is also were his use of literary techniques emotionally involves the reader whilst effectively telling the story so brilliantly. Also his varied use of diverse methods of structure and form, than what has been previously seen in his commentaries, allows the readers to explore the events of the naive narrator, Nick, with other people other than the materialistic and drunk lifestyle that Gatsby and his

About Me free essay sample

Its 4:30 in the afternoon and I see my dad come in the front door he’s exhausted from back breaking hard day at work. That’s when my mind goes to work and tells me I have to do this. I was born in Chicago and moved to Oak Lawn in the sixth grade I was just the typical kid going to school every day to talk to friend and do schoolwork. My dad inspired me to be the hardworking person that I am today. And listening to my family’s complaints about how important it is for me to go to school and how hard it was for them to live without ever going to school or having any type of an education made me want to be the best that I can be. Being first generation in the United States you always hear your other family members talk about bad memories and hard times they went through as children or when they were my age. We will write a custom essay sample on About Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was at my uncle’s house one day for a party my cousins and I we were all sitting at the table outside on the patio having dinner. For most of the time I was just hurrying up to eat because my cousins and I were going to go somewhere. My uncle ended up not letting us use the car so we just sat there and listened to our other family members talk. They lectured us and told us how important it was for us to go to school. My grandpa started to talk and said that when he was younger he didn’t really care for school because he didn’t know what it was and said besides that I had to work from seven to seven everyday and I only made about twenty five cents a day. He said if you don’t want to have to get up every day and worry about how you’re going to pay for living costs go to school and get yourself a decent education and follow a career path that’s going to pay off and give you a decent living. Next my great grandma went on about how hard it was for her to provide for her children whether it was food, clothes, or spending time with them. They all told me the same thing so I went along with it and just said yes. That night we left and my brother was talking about Xbox and I was still thinking about what the family had talked about it. I had all the resources that they didn’t have I had no excuse. I told my self that I was going to live the life they never had and make them proud. Since I could remember my dad has always been the person that was there to take care of me and get me out of any trouble I got into. He has also been the one that made me the hard working person I am today. One day me and my dad we were coming home from Georgia because we had gone to visit my uncle for the most part of the trip back home I was listening to music and sleeping while my dad would just drive. So we were in Tennessee when I woke up and my dad just started talking to me. He was telling told me a story about when he was my age I was twelve at the time. He switched the conversation and started telling me how I should act with other people he told me to be respectful to anyone older than me and that all I needed to be successful was to respect others and try my best at school every day. He told me you don’t want to end up with a full time job at a factory that’s not going to pay you good. He set himself as the example to me and said I want you to be better than me. That’s why I’m trying to give you all the opportunities and the life that I never even dreamed of having. Next he said, so take advantage of the resources you have and try and become anything you want to be. At the end he just said â€Å"remember not to ever take laugh at anybody who doesn’t have anything that you don’t have to be able to succeed, instead help them out if you can†. That’s why I’m the hard working person that I am today. All in all, being inspired by my dad, and listening to my family’s sad memories and them saying they never went to school also inspired me. From that moment on I told myself that I had to work hard at my education because my future depended on it. I’ve learned that my education is the success in my future. Knowing that nobody in my family had the chance to a full education or not an education at all has made me grateful and even more determined to work to my full extent. What makes m e different from others is that I believe that I have more support from my family because other people that do come from families with an education are probably not pushed or supported as much as I am.

Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works Essay Example

Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works Essay Comparison of how Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in The Outsider have used moral issues to develop their works It is debatable whether morality is a code of conduct that is considered right by society or whether it is a code unilaterally decided upon by an individual. When we consider morality as a tool used by both Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in The Outsider, this debate holds immense relevance. Wonderful Fool, heavily influenced by Christian doctrine, addresses the degeneration of Japanese society and the way moral issues are presented in the novel reflects this. In Wonderful Fool Shusaku Endo looks upon morality as the value system defined by the Bible, where Jesus Christ is regarded as the epitome of true goodness. In his portrayal of the main character he draws upon examples from Christ’s life to recreate a character whose morality is nearly flawless. The Outsider as a philosophical social commentary uses moral issues to demonstrate the absurdity of existence. Camus chooses to present morality as the code of conduct that an individual chooses to uphold regardless of the views of society or religion. He creates a character that lives according to his own â€Å"morality†. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Although supposed by most readers to be amoral, this character, Meursault appears to be true to his personal convictions of objectivism. Meursault’s commitment to objectivity makes him moral in my opinion. Coined post-Camus, moral objectivism in this context refers to objectivity being used to guide one’s actions as opposed to subjective emotions or traditions. Both writers utilize characterization to present moral issues concerning honesty, consistency and non-conformity in a manner that supports their respective viewpoints. In both texts characterization is frequently used as a vehicle through which morality is presented. In Shusaku Endo’s novel Gaston is presented as a clumsy ‘horse-like’ (Endo 43) Frenchman who is incongruous with the modern slick Japanese city of Tokyo. This ‘fool’ who descended from greatness (Napoleon) is very much like Jesus who is also an unwelcome descendant of a ruler (King David). Gaston, like Jesus, is not physically attractive . Both were rejected by people in society, especially the fashionable, rich or powerful. Jesus was rejected at Nazareth his hometown. People scoffed, â€Å"He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary† (Mark 6:3), whilst Gaston is constantly referred to as the â€Å"foreigner,† never integrating into Tokyo. His rejection is best characterised by Tomoe. â€Å"’hope you are satisfied†¦bringing that fool into our home,’ she said with deep resentment† (Endo 51). She did not welcome his presence in her house. Gaston makes companions of the lowliest members of society: prostitutes, murderers, and stray dogs. In this way he resembles Christ who befriended the outcasts of his society, such as lepers and prostitutes. He demonstrates selflessness and patience as he attempts to befriend a thug that was beating him up. â€Å"No matter what trick†¦he was of such a temperament that he could not hate his persecutors† (Endo 83). This demonstrates a parallel with Christ who forgave those who taunted him on the cross. His self-sacrificing, unconditional ‘childlike faith’ (Psalm 116:6) in the goodness of people bears a strong resemblance to Jesus and this presents him to the reader as being morally good. Shusaku Endo uses Gaston’s character as a foil, against which he shows the individualistic nature of Japanese society. Endo conveys his disapproval of this societal trait by painting a positive picture of Gaston’s selflessness against the gloom of Japanese hedonism. Gaston is seen by the reader as being altruistic and therefore the reader is led to feel that Japan is self-seeking because of the harsh contrast between his magnanimity and the city’s self-absorbed nature. This contrast is created through other character’s response to Gaston as well as the scenes in which Gaston’s tale is told. The other characters in the novel respond to Gaston’s actions with disdain. For instance, when â€Å"Gaston took food from his own plate and threw it to the dog†¦Tomoe and Matchan looked away in disgust† (Endo 51). His simple act of kindness disgusted them. This contrast between the ideal (embodied by Gaston) and reality (of the character Japanese society) demonstrates Shusaku Endo’s disapproval of the judgemental society that Japan had become. Contrast is further evident in the following examples: the scene at â€Å"Hilltop Hotel† (a brothel), the incident at Sanya where â€Å"even the police†¦close their eyes to prostitution† and â€Å"extortion, theft and other such crimes flourish† (Endo 115). By playing out Gaston’s story in these places, which are hedonistic, dark and cruel, Gaston’s kindness and compassion is even more apparent as he unwittingly helps the prostitute in need. The writer places Gaston in the company of a murderer, Endo, â€Å"who was able to kill a man in cold blood† (Endo 118). Endo (the character) embodies the Japanese in a way that suggests they are self-serving as he acts without regard for Gaston trying to satisfy his own needs. Despite Endo’s aggression Gaston’s response to Endo is one of concern for him as opposed to worry for himself. This relationship further emphasises the idea of the Japanese being too egotistical by contrasting Endo’s selfishness with Gaston’s unselfishness. Albert Camus has a similar approach in his choice of characteristics for his principle character. Meursault, as the title implies, is an outsider and apathetically goes about life. Meursault appears not to concern himself with the conventions of his society. When his mother died Meursault’s response was one of indifference as he concerned himself more with the date and logistics than acknowledging the gravity of her death. â€Å"Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday†¦I’ll come back tomorrow† (Camus 9). However he is not completely indifferent; truth is of great importance to him. Like Gaston he never wavers from his belief system, upholding objectivity without compromise. He is honest and true as a result. By the end of the text when Meursault is offered an alternative to execution in exchange for his faith in God he refuses. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦with God’s help he would do something for me† (Camus 67) †¦ [he asked] me if I believed in God. I said no† (Camus 68). He sees no need for a lawyer, â€Å"I could answer for myself† (Camus 66). His unwillingness to compromise or immersion in his ‘simple’ belief system turns Meursault almost into a martyr, dying for his belief. Meursault’s commitment to honesty to himself overrides the instinctive response of self-preservation. He is a non-conformist and does not understand society. This emphasizes how this judgmental society imposes its own belief system on individuals, requiring assimilation. Meursault, like Gaston, is consistent in his conduct, not lying once in the text, making him moral in his own mind. Similar to Shusaku Endo, Camus uses the contrast of the ideal characterised by Meursault to highlight a fault in the society he presents. Meursault’s objectivity demonstrates, through juxtaposition, the absurdity of our society. He comments on how murder is murder, thus it makes no difference if a man is shot once or four times, or if a man is killed by a stranger or his own son. During the trial his lawyer asks, â€Å"Is he being accused of burying his mother or of killing a man? † (Camus 93). This question showing how the court or society was judging him based on â€Å"exposing the dark workings of this criminal soul† (Camus 96), as opposed to the arbitrary shooting. The murder was not malicious. He only killed the man as a response to â€Å"a red hot blade gnawing at [his] eyelashes† (Camus 60). Although Meursault speaks the truth he is judged by a system which does not recognise his moral code. This system views murder as immoral regardless of the intention, whilst Meursault sees no shame in his action as it wasn’t borne from malice. In effect he is convicted for not conforming. In the Afterword Camus says â€Å"the hero of the book is condemned because he doesn’t play the game† (Camus 118). Meursault pulled the trigger out of tension from the heat and was not out of revenge or hatred towards the Arab. If morality is an individual’s set code of conduct, independent of society, a society’s morals could then be called ‘ethics’. Camus creates a character that is moral as he is true to his own beliefs, whilst at the same time the character is unethical. It was the skill involved in playing a character’s private beliefs against those of a society that made me enjoy these texts. In each text, a character’s personality conflicts with a society’s personality and to me this was a most effective way of exploring the society’s flaws. Both writers utilize characterization to present moral issues concerning honesty, consistency and non-conformity in a manner that supports their respective viewpoints. As these characters show the ideal, society is painted as being imperfect. Through characterisation both writers present the flawed world and a consistent character to the reader. The reader then chooses which is right and which is wrong based on the biased information given by the writer. This then means the reader identifies the society as flawed and the writer has fulfilled his purpose and conveyed his message. Word Count: 1,497 words Bibliography Camus, Albert. The Outsider. English Translation: Joseph Laredo. Penguin Books Ltd, London; 1983. Endo, Shusaku. Wonderful Fool. English Translation: Francis Mathy. Peter Owen Publishers, London; 2002.