The Contender Analysis

“How Do Our Choices Today Determine the People We Become?” Determination. Perseverance. Strength. Patience. Those are all qualities that help people overcome obstacles. The articles “The Contender” by Derek Burnett, “Paralympic Star Makes History On NBA Stage” by E. Lancaster, and “Life in the Red” by Benedict Carey all show how people overcame obstacles to achieve their dreams. After reading and annotating articles about a determined Kyle Maynard, a motivational speaker Blake Leeper, and the patient LaKeisha community, one could make the choice to be strong, to have a positive attitude, and to ‘cut out’ what’s not important. In turn, these strategies can help one achieve one’s dreams, overcome life’s obstacles, and be resourceful in helping one achieve their goals so that one day they may become the person they want to be. In “The Contender” Kyle Maynard, a person born without limbs, showed how anyone can do everything that you want to do. Learning how to do everything normally …show more content…
He was able to run even though he didn’t have legs. For example “The 25 year-old was born without either of his legs and was told he would never walk.” His parents encouraged him not to look at himself as disabled. According to the text “The paralympian said he owes his fiery ambition to his parents, who told him at a young age his disability did not define him.” This proves that his parents help contribute to his possible attitude in life. Blake Leeper never gave up at running even after 2 years of failing but his choices of not giving up helped him want to succeed. According to the article “After two years of failed efforts, Leeper was finally contacted by the Challenged Athletes Foundation and given the legs needed to run the race. Soon, he would win his first medal in London as a paralympic