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Nathan Konen
Mrs. Purse
English - A
10 May 2016
Amelia Earhart
Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should
be a challenge to others. Amelia Earhart. Amelia Earhart was an innovative pilot that opened
many doors for women in America and around the world. She set many records and always tried
to do the impossible. She became well known for her flights and her courage to stand against the
norm. In many ways in the air and on the ground, Amelia Earhart was a conscientious objector
because of her courageous feats and impact she made on the world.
Amelia Earhart was always a daring person. She was born on July 24, 1897, and went to an
air show when she was ten years old. She was considered a tomboy and was always climbing
trees, hunting rats, and playing outside. When she graduated from high school, she attended
Ogontz, a finishing school, but dropped out to be a nurse in World War I. She then attended
college and became a social worker. On December 28, 1920, Earhart took a plane ride that
sparked her love of flying. She did whatever she could to learn about flying. She worked many
jobs, such as a photographer and a truck driver, and was always reading up on aviation. (Amelia
Earhart) Earhart took her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921 and, in six months, managed to
save enough money to buy her first plane. (Official Website of Amelia Earhart) She took lessons
for Anita Neta Snook and nicknamed her plane The Canary. (Amelia Earhart) However, she
was forced to sell the plane due to limited finances. In April of 1928, she received a call and was
asked if she wanted to cross the Atlantic. After meetings with coordinators and publisher George

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Putnam, she committed to the flight with pilot Wilmer Stultz and mechanic Louis Gordon. This
opened the door for other opportunities to make a career in flying. She broke records and became
a national celebrity. In 1937, she was prepared to make her monumental and final flight. She was
going to fly around the world. After a mishandled first try in March, she had her plane fixed and
made her attempt. Everything went well until the last leg. She was planning on landing on a
small island, but she missed the island and was not able to be found. (Amelia Earhart) Amelia
Earhart may have failed on her final flight, but she opened the door for women to receive more
opportunities in male dominant fields.
Amelia Earhart displayed courage during her solo flight across the Atlantic. After her first
flight across the Atlantic as the flight log manager, she soon married George Putnam, and
together they planned her solo flight across the Atlantic. The plans were kept secret and they
planned to travel from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, to Paris, France. She left on May 20, 1932,
five years to the day after Charles Lindberghs flight across the Atlantic. During the flight she
encountered many problems such as icy conditions, mechanical problems, and strong winds from
the north. All of these issues caused her to land in a farmers backyard near Londonderry. When
she returned home, she received a gold medal from the National Geographic Society and the
Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress. She displayed courage in two ways. First, planes
during her time were not very safe. Casualty rates were very high, and many routine maneuvers
can look like minor crashes, as well as mechanical errors occurring in mid-air. The danger was
realand inescapable. (Courage to Fly) Also, she was entering a male dominant field. After her
solo flight across the Atlantic, she said her flight proved men and women were equal in "jobs
requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness, and willpower. (Official Website of
Amelia Earhart) She displayed courage in her flying as well as the way she lived her life.

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Amelia Earhart is an important figure for womens rights as well as the field of aviation.
She broke down many social stereotypes to get into the sky, and she loved every minute of it.
Flying was her passion and she spent her entire life pursuing it. Her love of flying helped her
overcome these obstacles and she encouraged her students to do the same. She told her students
to take chances and do the impossible. She was not perfect, but she set a great example for
women of the future to follow.
Amelia Earharts courageous feats and impact on the world in the air and on the ground
shows how she was a conscientious objector. She loved to fly and would do almost anything to
pursue that goal. She broke gender boundaries and had the courage to overcome physical risks.
She told her message to other women and encouraged them to follow their dreams as she had.
Earhart was an influential person who not only broke flying records but also broke boundaries
for women behind her.

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Works Cited
"Amelia Earhart." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"The Courage to Fly: Amelia Earhart on Life and Flight." Modern Mrs Darcy. Modern Mrs
Darcy,

19 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"The Official Website of Amelia Earhart." The Official Website of Amelia Earhart. Family of
Amelia Earhart, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.