Adversity: A Short Story

It was late one day in June, and the sky was as blue and clear as sparkling wine. I sat back in my hammock reading the book Unbroken enjoying myself, and my uncle came up and asked me if I wanted to play poker with him, 5$ buy in. I jumped at the idea finished my page and went inside the house. Poker is a pretty big thing in my family and I’ve grown up playing and my uncle was one of the best, so spending time with him playing poker is always one of my favorite things to do. We proceed to set up the table, “Texas Holdem“ he says, Jacks to open”. Nothing weird, so we get the game going and the pots getting pretty big when all of the sudden he drops his cards. I stare the cards dead in the eye and see that i'm going to surpass him! He looks

I stand and stare in disbelief as the car’s bonnet is crumpled into the bulky metal pole on the side of the road. My limbs are numb and I am drenched from head to toe. The glistening droplets continuously drip off the tip of my nose as I realize how much trouble I’m going to get into. The wind wails around me as if it’s saying “you’re going to be in so much trouble”. I suddenly get back into the car and attempt to reverse the car so no one will see the car rammed into the power pole. Mum and Dad's pristine new car. Scratched. Dented. Ruined.

I was brought out of my painful daze while looking down at my dad pouring vinegar and rubbing a credit card repeatedly over the sting. Not knowing what to expect I looked down to see that my shin had puffed up multiple inches and turned a purple color. I was escorted upstairs to the condominium and had strict instructions to stay on the couch in front of the sliding glass doors. I peered out to see the dark, eerie water filled with many unknowns. No longer was it a sight of beauty, it had turned into an ominous view that was filled with gloomy and painful memories. My eyelids slid shut as I tried to escape my once paradise, and now nightmare.

B. The exile Okonkwo faces only adds more to his anger and bitterness. Okonkwo’s alienation causes him to have a pessimistic outlook, focusing more on what has been taken from him.

In the report called “Against the Odds” by Dylan Borchers, the readers are able to see a demonstration of characteristics used in ideal reports. According to The Norton Field Guide, key features of a good report include, “a tightly focused topic, well-researched information, a synthesis of ideas, various writing strategies, clear definitions, and an appropriate design” (Bullock et al. 145-46). In Borchers report, his topic focuses on the presidential race between Democrat Harry S. Truman and Republican Thomas E. Dewey. The report discusses the unexpected outcome of the 1948 presidential election and does not stray from that topic. In addition, the author of the report uses information obtained from research on the topic, as seen by his use

One time I had to overcome adversity is when I had an AP bio test. This was the third or fourth big test we had taken in the class and the last test before the second quarter began. The week before the test I procrastinated studying until the very last night. The night before the test I knew I had to buckle down and study for at least a couple of hours.

Set in a world governed by genetic engineering, Andrew Niccol’s 1997 film, ‘Gattaca’, portrayed the drastic consequences given to the populace in “ the not too distant future”. The protagonist of the story was a man who challenged the system with the help of a disadvantaged Valid. Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) was born the natural way, his genetic test at birth, stated that he had bad eye sight, heart problems and a “life expectancy of 30.2 years”. Given a pre-determined life as a perfect Valid, Jerome Eugene Morrow, had aspired to be the best, until a suicide attempt left him permanently paraplegic. Both these characters overcame adversity, helped each other along the way, and succeeded in their dreams one way or another.

From my birth, I assumed the role of the underdog. Born to a mother who was only fifteen years old, and later raised by my mother and grandmother along with six other siblings in an impoverished inner city neighborhood without the benefit of a father or any other familial male influence in my life, I have always been cognizant of what the statistics predicted would be the likely outcome of my life. Yet somehow, at an early age, I relished the role of the underdog and used it as a means for motivating myself, my siblings, and even my own mother, to pursue those things that appeared to be beyond our reach from a social and economic perspective. Chief among the motivating factors in my life was the idea of obtaining an education. For as

SJ and I were polar opposites. Two young girls forced into an unforgiving world and left to sink or swim. SJ's life lived on a tight rope balanced between the sweet devout Christian girl who loved her family and the sexually promiscuos girl who experimented with drugs and sneaking out to meet up with the boy toy of the week. Her two parent, two story home protected her for only so long as she stepped off her tight rope and went head first into a world that she never was supposed to belong to, the world that I belonged in. I met SJ in my third high school in as many years. That day she left her two story home to come to my one-half parent, two bedroom apartment.

Throughout our readings this semester, the theme the outsider has been present. The outsiders in these selections have all had similar roles. One of the main roles was subjection that developed from the feeling of unequal standings. This subjection silenced and forced many from the mainstream.

America is a beacon for immigrants like my Filipino parents who courageously desired to better themselves by seeking opportunity in the United States. Their older siblings toiled in rice farms in order to make a living and were supportive in ensuring better lifestyles for their younger siblings. Their siblings’ salaries successfully paved my parents’ path to becoming the first in their families to graduate with degrees in civil engineering and enter Canada; however, this step was just the beginning. A graveyard shift at the 7-Eleven gas station and a McDonald’s uniform were only a few of the hardships my parents were forced to come to terms with, but they became inured to adversity, and eventually, their determination was rewarded with a job opening in Brownsville, Texas.

For millions of years, humans have faced adversity and in doing so, they have understood that it is a key factor in shaping character. The life teaching novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a perfect example of this statement. The insidious, yet inspiring novel grasps its readers and takes then on a journey of self reflection. In fact, the New York Times book review says “it has changed many perspectives on life itself ” (Times). The book's greatest lesson is portrayed, when one of the main characters, Ralph, faces all types of adversity and how those adversities shape his

I managed to make very few promises in my lifetime. The majority of them were with my mother, her pleading eyes telling me to stray away from things that could "harm" me. Usually after the first week or so it was broken, and the guilt washed away in time, but when Ruby Ramirez made one with me I knew I would have to keep my word.

Mariano Azuela's The Underdogs tells the story of a dauntless Indian farmer who almost unintentionally rises to a generalship in Pancho Villa's rebel army during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Though the events that occur throughout the book are not actual events that took place during the revolution, Azuela is able to paint a very realistic picture of the revolution and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the reader as one witnesses the failure of the rebels. This novel is a great teaching tool that reveals truths of the revolution that would not have been given justice through the traditional historical scholarship. Through fictional characters, Azuela's The Underdogs

What would you do if you found $500? I walked out of my house on a warm, sunny day in May. It felt like it was going to be like any other summer day, my Mom and I driving around, running errands, and our first stop, Target. After coming out of Target, where we went to get the random miscellaneous things that we needed I saw it…What I saw was a wad of green, a green color I know so well. Tucked amongst the rocks in a median there lie a wad of the cleanest, crispest $50 bills. Shocked, my mom and I counted the bills, there were $500. “Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed, “there is $500 here!” Being luck enough to find $500, I knew exactly how to spend it.