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Katie Messerla

Composition 105
Heather Fink
February 4, 2016
Acting Through Adversity
For whatever reason people have always loved a challenge whether it is a conflict,
chasing a woman, or overcoming great odds, adversity seems to be the push that some people
need. Adversity can push people over the edge, both literally and figuratively. It motivates
people by challenging them to do their best work regardless of a disability, favoritism, or late
planning.
Many people face any number of disabilities each day and overcome them! I can
distinctly remember hearing from motivational speakers about times when life was hard but
through motivation, grit, and the support of others they were able to make it in the world. One of
my favorites was a professional ballroom dance instructor who overcame a speech impediment,
obesity, and bullying to become one of the most successful instructors of this decade. This man
did not let his disability get in his way.
While often, people have a disability from birth, others face the disability of unfair
treatment. It can be unimaginably hard to be successful when mentors and teachers do not give
the attention to one that they give to another. Surprisingly, this favoritism can motivate those
being treated poorly to work harder and become better to gain the affection of their mentor.
Many push themselves to earn the respect and attention of their mentors. This can be an
unbelievably difficult task but for many their hard work through this form of adversity pays off
richly. For example, when Michael Jordan was not given a spot on his high school basketball

team in favor of a taller player, he trained to be the best player he could be. As well as, when Bill
Gates first business pitches was rejected, he worked harder to develop a working product that
would eventually make him the wealthiest man alive.

Some forms of adversity are purely man made. While disabilities and favoritism are out
of ones control, one of the more potent forms of adversity is solved easily Or so one would
think. Procrastination can cause many issues with the completion of tasks, but it also can
motivate others to finish and to do their best work. I personally have had many positive results of
adversity through procrastination. For example, when working on fair projects I work best right
down to the deadline. When the fair is coming up soon, my mental countdown is on and I dont
dawdle at all. I also finish writing papers right before they are due so that I can use the deadline
stress to get out of my head and write more freely. Procrastination is also a great mover when
one knows what needs to be done, and that it needs to be done now.

While facing adversity is never an enjoyable situation to be in sometimes there is no


other choice. Whether or not the problem one faces is chosen or thrust upon them one has the
ability to consider this situation an opportunity to rise above their circumstance. As Horace says,
adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous situations would have lain
dormant. This statement is true whether the adversity is man-made or not. Adversity helps
those with disabilities, unfair treatment, or problems with procrastination rise to their full
potential.
Katie Messerla
Composition 105
Heather Fink

January 25, 2016


Acting Through Adversity
For whatever reason people have always loved a challenge whether it is a conflict,
chasing a woman, or overcoming great odds, adversity seems to be the push that some people
need. Adversity can push people over the edge, both literally and figuratively. Adversity
motivates people by challenging them to do their best work regardless of a disability, favoritism,
or late planning.
Many people face any number of disabilities each day and overcome them! I can
distinctly remember hearing from motivational speakers about times when life was hard but
through motivation, grit, and the support of others they were able to make it in the world. One of
my favorites was a professional ballroom dance instructor who overcame a speech impediment,
obesity, and bullying to become one of the most successful instructors of this decade. This man
did not let his disability get in his way.
While often, people have a disability from birth, others face the disability of unfair
treatment. It can be unimaginably hard to be successful when mentors and teachers do not give
the attention to one that they give to another. Surprisingly, this favoritism can motivate those
being treated poorly to work harder and become better to gain the affection of their mentor.
Many push themselves to earn the respect and attention of their mentors. This can be an
unbelievably difficult task but for many their hard work through this form of adversity pays off
richly. For example, when Michael Jordan was not given a spot on his high school basketball
team in favor of a taller player, he trained to be the best player he could be. As well as, when Bill
Gates first business pitches was rejected, he worked harder to develop a working product that
would eventually make him the wealthiest man alive.

Some forms of adversity are purely man made. While disabilities and favoritism are out
of ones control, one of the more potent forms of adversity is solved easily Or so one would
think. Procrastination can cause many issues with the completion of tasks, but it also can
motivate others to finish and to do their best work. I personally have had many positive results of
adversity through procrastination. For example, when working on fair projects I work best right
down to the deadline. When the fair is coming up soon, my mental countdown is on and I dont
dawdle at all. I also finish writing papers right before they are due so that I can use the deadline
stress to get out of my head and write more freely. Procrastination is also a great mover when
one knows what needs to be done, and that it needs to be done now.
While facing adversity is never an enjoyable situation to be in sometimes there is no
other choice. Whether or not the problem one faces is chosen or thrust upon them one has the
ability to consider this situation an opportunity to rise above their circumstance. As Horace says,
adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous situations would have lain
dormant. This statement is true whether the adversity is man-made or not. Adversity helps
those with disabilities, unfair treatment, or problems with procrastination rise to their full
potential.

Exemplification Key:
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

Using this format of revision has been very beneficial to me. The formats make writing
more clear and much smoother. Using exemplification allowed me to be my own source and to
use as many examples as I needed. When revising this paragraph first I thought about what I
wanted to go over so that it would successfully reflect my thesis statement. I then deleted any
unneeded information.Once I completed that I introduced my point I was trying to bring across
in the clearest way I could. Next I added several examples that supported my claims. I made sure
to edit those claims while I worked so that they would fit successfully. Lastly I added transitions
that helped my paragraphs to flow together more smoothly.

Peer Editing Reflection

I felt that the peer editing helped a lot. The form was well organized and made editing
fairly clear. Whitley gave me some really great comments on my grammar and punctuation. She
also shared some suggestions on sentence fluency. Jake gave me some suggestions on the first
words to use in a sentence. His suggestions were influential and made my writing stronger. It
helped me to consider fluidity and structure. Overall this was a thoroughly productive exercise.

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