THE ROAD TO PERSERVERANCE
A Journey of Overcoming Obstacles By Jake Zeitner
Oscar Vazquez From Spare Parts: The fight for his freedom (Problem/Solution)
Oscar Vazquez is a tall, NOBLE cadet that was faced with many problems throughout his life. One of the biggest difficulties he was faced with as a child is that his parents made a big choice of bringing him into America illegally. Oscar came to the United States with his mother at age 12. He didn't really have the choice of this since he was so young. It is a possibility that his parents could have YIELDED along the way and got caught by the patrollers, but they just PERSEVERED and made it to the country safe. But even though Oscar made it to the country safe, he still lives knowing the fact he is illegal and could get deported.
Another problem that Oscar had to face was that he really wanted to join the U.S. military. Its not that he wasn't good enough or COMBATIVE enough, but since he was an illegal Mexican, it is forbidden to join the military if you are not a U.S. citizen. This problem was resolved when Oscar decided to deport himself back to Mexico. He found a lawyer that supported him and his U.S. family. He also got the rights to live in the U.S. and to join the military again.
Walt Disney: If at First you Don't Succeed, try, try Again (Cause/Effect)
Caine's Arcade: A nine year old's cardboard arcade that inspired the world (Description)
9-year-old Caine Monroy spent his summer vacation building an elaborate cardboard arcade inside his dad's used auto parts store, and dreaming of the day when he would have customers come and play his games. The entire summer went by and Caine never had a single customer. But he never sat IDLE and was always cheerful. Then, on the last day of summer, a film maker walked in by chance to buy a door handle for his car. He became Caine's first customer.
One reason Caine did not have lots of customers is because people didn't really need the old parts Caine's dad was selling so they never really passed by the shop. But when film maker, Nirvan Mullick, came and posted stuff on the internet about it, everyone started seeing it and hundreds of people came. The result was a surprise flash mob to TRIUMPH Caine's masterpiece.
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg: Solo Violinist With Strength (Sequencing)
Nadja soon realized she couldn't play as well as the other students in Julliard and she stopped playing the violin for 7 months! In 1981, she entered a violin competition thinking she had no chance of getting any AMBITION. But then they announced that she became the youngest-ever prize winner in the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition, finishing in first place!
In 1989, she wrote Nadja: On My Way, an autobiography written for children about her career and story, which is the book that we read in class.
In 1994, Salerno-Sonnenberg badly injured her left pinkie while chopping onions in the kitchen; she was making Christmas dinner for friends and family. Her fingertip was surgically reattached, after which it took six months to heal.
After her finger healed, she became depressed. In 1995, she attempted suicide but the gun failed to fire. A few years later, in 1999 she received an honorary Master of Musical Arts degree from New Mexico State University, the university's first honorary degree.
She is still alive today as an American classical violinist and teacher. She will forever be known as one of the most PERSISTENT violinist to ever live.
To mothers and daughters react to adversities in the Same Way? Miranda vs. Mom from Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life as we Knew It (Compare/Contrast)
Sources:
Davis, Joshua. Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Beatty, Jane N., and Arthur N. Applebee. "Nadja on My Way." Literature and Language. Evanston, IL: McDougal, Littell, 1992. N. pag. Print.
"12 Famous People Who Failed Before Succeeding." Wanderlust Worker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
Mullick, Nirvan. "Caine's Arcade." YouTube. YouTube, 09 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 May 2016.