Persuasive Essay

Maria Tallchief was a famous ballerina who faced many obstacles, but overcame the challenges and became very successful. She was an Osage native american. As a child, she was bullied because of her race. Later on, she earned titles for her hard work. Tallchief never gave up no matter how many troubles she went through.

Sojourner Truth once remarked, in reply to an allusion to the late Horace Greeley, "You call him a self-made man; well, I am a self-made woman” (Gilbert, v). This quote digs deeper into the leadership of what Sojourner Truth’s journey was all about. Truth’s greatest commitments for women’s suffrage stood alongside of her remark to Greely. No woman was just to be a housewife or slave to her own family, but to be able to enjoy the world as man did. Sojourner Truth was an important figure in American History because she helped create a pathway for the ideas of feminism and the justices of racial equality.

Nell Painter, author of Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol writes about Sojourner Truth’s life and how she was used as a symbol for various movements. Painter shows how religion was a major point in Truth’s ministry about how slaves and women should be treated fairly and equal to men. In Painter’s book, she writes about how Truth gained fame from the Akron women’s rights conference because of her giving her speech, “"Dat man over dar say dat woman needs to be helped into

Misty Copeland is a significant person in dance history because her confidence, independence, and perseverance have enabled her to break the color barrier in ballet, inspire young dancers by her troubled childhood, and make a comeback to save her

Betty Marie Tallcheif was born in 1925. As a child,she would always listen to her grandmother tales about being a Osage and her heritage.She suddenly found herself as a regular Indian girl shy, calm,introverted, and obiendent. Betty Marie started ballet lessons at the age of four years old. She suddenly found out that ballet was her thing.

Even with her love for modern, Johnson has a special place in her heart for ballet as well with Misty Copeland as one of her role models. The recent news of Copeland being selected as the first African American Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre motivated her even more.

Sojourner Truth once remarked, in reply to an allusion to the late Horace Greeley, "You call him a self-made man; well, I am a self-made woman” (Gilbert, v). This quote digs deeper into the leadership of what Sojourner Truth’s journey was all about. Truth’s greatest commitments for women’s suffrage stood alongside of her remark to Greely. No woman was just to be a housewife or a slave to her own family, but to be able to enjoy the world as men did. Sojourner Truth was an important figure in American History because she helped create a pathway for the ideas of feminism and the justices of racial equality.

From war orphan to star ballerina, Micaela Deprince has inspired millions of dancers across the world to follow their dreams. Becoming the first full African American female classical ballet dancer, she has changed the face of ballet. From her story to all of her big accomplishments, she is certainly looked upon by millions of young dancers, including me.

Betty Marie Tallcheif changed her life forever when she decided she wanted to be a ballerina. In her career as a ballet dancer she discovered how to mix her heritage with her talents of dancing. If you didn’t already know her she is most famously known for her piece she did called, The FireBird. She achieved the unbelievable for her tribe and represents them well. She even received awards but that’s another story.

I have danced every year of my life since. I am humbled to say, that through long days and nights in the studio, sacrificing time with my friends and family, all of the blood, sweat, and tears, I have accomplished what I have been working for since I was a little girl waddling around swallowed in a big pink tutu. I was chosen for the lead role of Cinderella in the Danscompany of Gainesville’s “Cinderella Ballet.” This accomplishment is a reflection of my consistent and sustained work ethic. This tenacity is reflected in other areas of my life and will be a defining characteristic that I carry to

Being the first African American Principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre is a big deal. Principal is the highest rank one can become at a major dance company, and rarely does anyone ever make it up there. A big supporter of changing the ballet world, Misty hopes that she is “creating access for dancers of varying racial and economic backgrounds”. Not only does she just want to change the dance world racially and economically, Misty wants to break away from the stereotypical ballet dancer- that of a Russian ballerina type, a skinny, tall woman. Standing at 5’2 and very muscular, Misty had and still has trouble finding leotards that would fit her type of body. She hopes to create dance clothing for “fuller figured dancers and athletes” (Woods). She has joined American Ballet Theatre’s Project Plie Program, a program that helps mentor dance teachers in “racially diverse communities” (“Misty Copeland”). Boys & Girls Club, Ballet Austin, Cincinnati Ballet, and Orlando Ballet partnered with American Ballet Theatre in this project (Collins). Dance studios who could never afford master classes which would give their dancers the opportunity to learn from other teachers were able to achieve that because of Misty Copeland. She would go to their studios and teach the dancers (Stahl). Dancing was not the only way she used her power to positively impact the world. Misty travels to public schools to inspire young children (“Misty Copeland”) and she talks to young African Americans that wanted to do classical ballet and encourages them to go for it (Woods). Other companies such as Charlotte Ballet and Washington Ballet have started focusing on bringing racially diverse children into the dance world (Collins). What she is doing is already causing an impact: people are realizing and doing things about it. Since she spoke up, there have been more changes in

Most ballet dancers start at the early age of 5, learning the mechanics and techniques and perfecting them as they get older. Another disadvantage she had was that she did not have the right body type. She was far too muscular and curvaceous to fit in. She was dedicated to prove the dance instructors wrong and that it doesn’t matter what body type you have. After four years, and after winning the Spotlight Award, she became well known around the world. She put in 17 years of work put into only 4 years, which shows extreme dedication because she already didn’t have the right body. This is why so many athletes look up to her and that’s what separates her from the rest of the contenders for the most influential person of the

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Health, United States, 2002. Flegal et. al. JAMA. 2002;288:1723-7. NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, 1998.

I have chosen Misty Copeland for my research paper. I am not what you would call a fan of ballet on any account. The only ballet I’ve attended was the Nutcracker during my sixth grade year. The tickets to the performance were donated to the Methodist Home and I was part of the lucky group of girls that were picked to attend. I enjoyed getting off campus for the field trip, but admit I did not feel inspired by the ballet. Although, I am not what you would call a fan of ballet, I have chosen Misty because her particular story does inspire me. I am mainly interested in finding out more about her journey and the trails she faced that led her to become the first African-American female principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater. I am fascinated

“Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay and present it to the class in a week. You will be graded based on how convincing it is. Today we will be choosing topics,” announced Mr. Bowerbank, my 7th grade English teacher and ruler of classroom 110. My class simultaneously groaned at the prospect of work. I simply lifted my head with intrigue as it was already May and about time we had our first essay. He then proceeded to give examples of topics we could choose and gave us some time to think before we had to tell him our topic. My classmates were already rushing to tell the teacher their idea lest someone else steal it. That meant the usual abortion, death penalty, or drug use topics were out. I really couldn't think of anything and the teacher was slowly making his way through the remaining students like an executioner beheading criminals in a line. I have always thought that he would make a marvelous supervillain if he had a curly mustache, a tophat, and a cape. Eventually my name was called. I slowly dragged myself over to his desk. Even sitting down, he still seemed to tower over me. “What is your topic Cindy?” As usual in such desperate times, my mind turned to food. “Waffles are better than pancakes.” I figured that a waffle was just a differently shaped pancake with a nicer texture. “Hmm. Excellent topic. I look forward to your essay!” I survived to live yet another day.