Overwhelming obstacles
How do people overcome in the face of overwhelming obstacles? In life, everyone faces adversity in many different ways, and in some way, they overcome the barriers that they face. People can overcome adversity in the face of overwhelming obstacles by persevering. For example, some people move houses and have to bring their belongings or get rid of some somehow safely. In the selections Against the Odds, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Circuit, the main characters encountered challenging situations.
First of all, in the selection Against the Odds, on page 446, Sully had to think fast to make a life or death situation. A flock of geese hits Sully’s plane, and he has to make a decision, should he land the plane in the water? He must persevere in the 90 seconds he has to decide if he should land the plane in the water and to do so. To do so, he needs to persevere in all the complications of landing a plane in a river. “He’d ditch the plane in the Hudson River … The plane managed to clear the George Washington Bridge and, against the odds, land safely…” (Para. 10) In this quote, Sully had to land the plane and somehow do it successfully. Sometimes in the world, people have to land planes, and rarely do they do it successfully.
Also, in the selection The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, people are required to move during the Dust Bowl, and get rid of some personal belongings. They can only bring so much and have no idea what their new life will be, but it will be nothing like before. They must persevere through this time to move onto a new life. “How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past? No. Leave it. Burn it.” (Para. 17) This quote shows they have to leave their old life and memories behind, hope for a new life, physically burn their belongings, and then persevere through the rest. This relates to the world because it’s essential for people to move and throw away some belongings important to them if there’s no room.
Lastly, in the selection The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez, Panchito had to move around with his family to find new work as migrant workers. This required him to move schools often for his family to be able to work, make money, and be able to live, regardless of the school and how much he loved it. Throughout these tough times, Panchito must persevere to get through them. “That day, I could hardly wait to tell Papa and Mama the great news … I saw everything we owned was neatly packed in cardboard boxes. (Para. 32) This quote means that when he had great news about the school to tell his parents, he came home only to find that they were moving again. This relates to the selection The Grapes of Wrath because, in both selections, they have to move and leave part of their old life behind.
We all face one type of adversity or another at one point in our life. In all three selections, the main characters face adversity differently, from landing a plane in the water, to losing their home. In the end, all of the characters had to overcome adversity in the face of overwhelming obstacles by persevering. As you face adversity throughout your life, remember to persevere.
Many thanks to free stock photos.
