Summer Assignment: 2009 Argument Essay The Roman poet Horace asserts that “adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” In other words, Horace believes that situations which present an individual with hardships or misfortunes allow the individual to achieve otherwise unlikely accomplishments. I agree that adverse conditions elicit skills in individuals which play an important role in developing one’s character because my experiences in swimming confirm it. This assertion is important because as adversity can elicit positive ‘talents,’ it can also prompt negative outcomes. The way in which adversity affects an individual thus influences the development of that person’s character.
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For example, I have experienced on multiple occasions the possibility of not making a relay team for swim when there is another girl who is close to or already slightly faster than my own times. Often these situations came about when it was time to assemble relay teams for Junior Olympics (JOs) or CIF. In one of these instances, I was a possible candidate for one of the four slots in our club’s relay team for Winter JOs but one of my teammates had a time extremely close behind mine. My motivation to improve my time increased because it was extremely likely that I would lose the spot to my teammate. As a result, at a meet a couple weeks before Junior Olympics, I ended up improving my time by a second or two while my teammate improved by a little under a second. That improvement, spurred on by the danger of losing my place in an important competition, allowed me to secure the slot on the relay team. Another personal example was when I had the chance to be part of a relay for CIF in my freshman year. The challenge in doing …show more content…
Financial and political hardships are much more critical issues that people face during their lives and are often not overcome easily, if at all. The people who cannot overcome their difficult situations, thus, would be more inclined to believe that it is other factors, such as the environment that one lives in and the attitude they adopt, that play a large role in the development of their character. Even if the theory holds true for some in adverse circumstances, the outcome still may not be the best-case scenario. For instance, families who experience financial hardships and struggle to obtain shelter and food. In some cases, the children learn to steal and become proficient at doing so, a skill they would have had no necessity to learn nor master in prosperous circumstances. Another possible example would be an individual who finds that in a dangerous situation, be it their physical being or integrity that is in danger, they have a knack for lying. The discovery of such a skill could lead the individual to abuse the ability for immoral purposes, thus having a negative effect. The choice to develop such skills and how they are utilized determines the effect the discovery has on the individual’s character and values. While some may believe that it is the choices you
For example, I have experienced on multiple occasions the possibility of not making a relay team for swim when there is another girl who is close to or already slightly faster than my own times. Often these situations came about when it was time to assemble relay teams for Junior Olympics (JOs) or CIF. In one of these instances, I was a possible candidate for one of the four slots in our club’s relay team for Winter JOs but one of my teammates had a time extremely close behind mine. My motivation to improve my time increased because it was extremely likely that I would lose the spot to my teammate. As a result, at a meet a couple weeks before Junior Olympics, I ended up improving my time by a second or two while my teammate improved by a little under a second. That improvement, spurred on by the danger of losing my place in an important competition, allowed me to secure the slot on the relay team. Another personal example was when I had the chance to be part of a relay for CIF in my freshman year. The challenge in doing …show more content…
Financial and political hardships are much more critical issues that people face during their lives and are often not overcome easily, if at all. The people who cannot overcome their difficult situations, thus, would be more inclined to believe that it is other factors, such as the environment that one lives in and the attitude they adopt, that play a large role in the development of their character. Even if the theory holds true for some in adverse circumstances, the outcome still may not be the best-case scenario. For instance, families who experience financial hardships and struggle to obtain shelter and food. In some cases, the children learn to steal and become proficient at doing so, a skill they would have had no necessity to learn nor master in prosperous circumstances. Another possible example would be an individual who finds that in a dangerous situation, be it their physical being or integrity that is in danger, they have a knack for lying. The discovery of such a skill could lead the individual to abuse the ability for immoral purposes, thus having a negative effect. The choice to develop such skills and how they are utilized determines the effect the discovery has on the individual’s character and values. While some may believe that it is the choices you