perserverance

Overcoming Fear

jaiden184 20-1D, Personal Response, Writing , , , , , , , , 3 Comments
Overcoming Fear

“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”

-Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling focuses on Harry’s journey competing in the Triwizard Tournament, a competition involving students from schools across the wizarding world. Throughout Harry’s journey, he learns self confidence is key to overcoming one’s fears, which restrains individuals from reaching their full potential.

This quotation, by Albus Dumbledore occurred during a conversation with Cornelius Fudge, when Fudge argued wizards were superior in comparison to humans. Dumbledore defended humans and responded with, “It matters not what someone is born, but who they grow to be”.  Individuals should apply this quote to their lives as it is important for one to focus on themselves and not let failures or comparisons cause setbacks. People are only able to reach life goals if their attention is focused on themselves, rather than what others are achieving or receiving. In addition, self-doubt and fear of not being able to improve shouldn’t stop you from trying to reach personal goals.

Who Put Harry Potter's Name in the Goblet of Fire?

This quote is meaningful to me because I frequently compared my successes to others, which limited myself before I could reach my full potential.  Learning that people aren’t born with everything is an important life lesson for individuals to learn. To this day, focusing on myself as well as my goals is a priority. When I first joined ball hockey, I compared myself to my teammates as they were able to control the ball much better than I could. However, I began to improve as I gained more confidence and I quickly learned comparing myself to others was doing more harm than good. 

“Now that I knew fear, I also knew it was not permanent. As powerful as it was, its grip on me would loosen. It would pass.“

-Louise Erdrich, The Round House

The plot of The Round House, by Louise Erdrich revolves around Joe Coutts, a young boy, who became frustrated with the lazy investigation of his mothers attack. He decided to locate his mother’s attacker with his friends help. The Round House is set on an Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota.

This is an important quote for individuals to live by as fear shouldn’t cause limitations in one’s life. Fear, just as other states of mind, is not permanent and will eventually pass. People should not make decisions based on something this temporary. When people allow fear to consume them, worst case scenarios fill their minds, increasing self-doubt. Confidence is gained through the acceptance of fear, as it encourages them to try new things.

The Round House,' by Louise Erdrich - The New York Times

This quote is relatable to my life as I believe people should never be scared to try something new. The more people allow fear to control themselves, the more they limit and restrict their talents from flourishing. Last summer, my family wanted to go ziplining in Whistler. However, I was afraid of the heights and was unsure of going. My sister reminded me that this was a rare opportunity, which I should take advantage of. I thought about what she said and I soon realized that I would appreciate my decision in going. In the end, it turned out to be a good experience and I’m glad I decided to go. I realized my fear was temporary and after the initial scare, I wanted to go again.

 

Overall, these quotations reflect my values and beliefs when it comes to perseverance and self-confidence. Reading novels that incorporate inspiring quotations such as these, allow myself to reflect on my life and find ways to better myself. Applying quotes to my personal life motivates me to reach my goals and stay on the right path.

Citations:

  • https://www.cbr.com/who-put-harry-potter-name-in-goblet-of-fire/
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/books/review/the-round-house-by-louise-erdrich.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Round_House_(novel)#:~:text=The%20Round%20House%20follows%20the,Cappy%2C%20Angus%2C%20and%20Zack.

The Hills We Climb and The Challenges We Face

Aleesha 20-1 B, Response to Literature, Writing , , , , , , 0 Comment
The Hills We Climb and The Challenges We Face

As I was not present for any other poetry Socratic seminars, I only responded to my group’s presentation.

Composed by Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States of America, for President Joe Biden’s inaugural speech in 2021, the poem “The Hill We Climb” describes the history of America and Amanda’s hopes for the future of the nation.

My group, consisting of Kainos, Ibti, Jamella, and myself, chose to present this poem for our Poetry Socratic Seminar. Although Amanda Gorman created the poem based on American events, we felt Gorman mentioned a few key points that could be applied to people from all walks of life, regardless of where they lived. 

As I compiled a biography on Amanda Gorman’s current life experiences, (which was my role in the group), I learned more about her journey to becoming a poet, the struggles and challenges she overcame, the successes she had, and the people that helped her accomplish her goals along the way. 

The most meaningful aspect of her journey to me was understanding the challenges she faced and how she eventually managed to overcome them. 

As a child, Amanda Gorman had a speech impediment and an auditory processing disorder, but she didn’t let these prevent her from achieving her dream of becoming a poet. Instead, she faced those challenges head-on by constantly practicing her pronunciation and enunciation of letters, and accepting the support of people that cared for her along the way. An example of this would be when she used the song “Aaron Burr, Sir” to practice her r’s, and used her family as her support pillar through weekly meetings.

I feel as though Gorman’s journey to becoming the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States of America can provide a valuable lesson on how important it is to perseverance and that relying on others for support isn’t a sign of weakness. 

“An arch consists of two weaknesses, which, leaning on each other, become a strength.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Sometimes I also feel frustrated for having to rely on someone to help me, thinking things like, “Ugh, you’re not a baby, why can’t you do this yourself?” or “Come on, you can’t even do this? You’re useless.” This usually happens whenever I have a test I need to study for and my sister helps me with some of my chores, or if I don’t understand a concept in class no matter how many times it is explained to me. However, researching Amanda Gorman’s biography has allowed me to understand better that having the courage to ask for help when you need it, even though it can be frustrating or difficult, is a sign of strength, rather than weakness. Learning about her journey also taught me the importance of accepting that sometimes I may face problems that I can’t solve on my own, which isn’t something to be ashamed of, since not every problem can be solved alone.

Regarding our presentation, I feel it went exceptionally well, and I am proud of my group’s teamwork and commitment to polishing the presentation and rehearsing ahead of time. It was fun working with everyone! All the students in our class that acted as our audience also cooperated with us and each other in a productive manner. They also actively listened to our presentation and supported us both during and after the presentation, by answering questions and providing feedback. Overall, the poetry seminar was a great experience.

Citations:

  • http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/curated/hill-climb-amanda-gorman-delivers-inspirational-inaugural-poem/
  • https://anovelidea.co.tz/shop/poetry-and-plays/the-hill-we-climb-an-inaugural-poem/
  • https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/jumbled-letters
  • https://www.shutterstock.com/search/depend-on-others
  • docs.google.com/presentation/u/0/