The Roman poet, Horace once said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”. Horace argues that difficult circumstances critically impact the development of one’s character. Although some may argue that character will reveal itself regardless if adversity is present, I agree with Horace’s perspective, adversity determines one's potential capabilities, strengthens personal values, and provides a feeling of self-worth. Sure, there are cases in which prosperous circumstances lead to internal development. In places such as ancient Egypt, China, and Greece, technological advance, scientific knowledge, and the improvement in the quality of life would not be possible without investing heavily in research and development and in public works, none of which would be possible without their prosperous circumstances. However, development of …show more content…
In the musical Hairspray, main character Tracy Turnblad questions whether it is righteous that blacks and white be separated on television. After auditioning and being cast onto The Corny Collins Show, a local teen dance television show, Tracy befriends Maybelle, the host of the monthly "Negro Day". Through this friendship, Tracy realizes that all humans deserve to be treated equally, and initiates a campaign for racial integration on television. Had Tracy remained at home with her prejudiced white family, and never been exposed to the blatant racial inequality behind the scenes of the show and its effect on the careers of its African American dancers, Tracey never would have realized the fault in the principle of “separate but equal.”. She would have remained narrow-minded, with a different set of values. Thus, adversity sculpts moral character. In addition to shaping moral values, adversity also establishes self-worth through providing us with a sense of purpose. (survivals effect on
The novel “the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” written by Mordecai Richler tells the story of a boy whose goal is to acquire land, success and respect. His failed business endeavors did not lead him to the success he had hoped, and additionally alienated him from those who had once trusted and cared for him. Duddy is not only a self-made monster, but even more so a product of his society. A combination of how his family raised him, his schooling and environment, as well as his own personality and virtues ultimately led to his downfall. Quite possibly, Duddy’s family had the largest negative impact on his “apprenticeship”.
Horace, an ancient Roman poet from around 50 BC (Coolidge 90), is quoted on saying “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” Now while Horace was very intelligent, and this quote seems to be correct, there are also numerous occasions in which adversity has brought about the inverse reaction. Throughout history, adversity has repeated both of the effects many times, such as: in Horace’s life, the biblical story of Joseph, the War of 1812, during the Great Depression and throughout World War II.
Introduction Horace’s assertion regarding adversity and character directly correlates the two by saying if you have had hardship then it will build your character. Martin Luther King Jr lived his life constantly facing racial discrimination and used that hardship to do great things and fight for the segregation that he struggled with. Contrary to MLK a college student, Brock Turner, lived his life as an average wealthy white kid who later raped a girl. The dichotomies between the two prove that your past does shape you , it may not shape your for the better but it shapes you into the person you are and it influences your views and morals.
Horace is a famous Roman poet who states, “Adversity has the effects of elicting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dorment” – Horace. Horace is correct because adversity is something that challenges someone mentally or physically to their breaking point. When a person is at their breaking point their best instincts come out. In the book How Good do you Want to Be by Nick Saban he recalls the 2003 college football season where he led the LSU Tigers to a national championship.
In life, there are many possible roads that a person can take. Some may be smooth and lined with gold bricks and success, and some may be bumpy and paved with dirt and frustration. The things that a person does in their lifetime that leads to the end of the road comes along with many accomplishments and even more failure along the way. There are some things that can prevent these defeating things from happening such as a good supportive family and having role models in life. As exemplified by the memoir The Other Wes Moore, the author suggests that regardless of environment, lives can end up entirely divergent due to family support, choices and consequences.
Adversity. Struggles and misfortunes. Adversity teaches a person many lessons. It helps a person to grow and become a stronger individual. One learns to overcome obstacles and be resilient through the obstacles they come to find.
A myriad of common themes exist in literature, employed by authors for an infinite number of effects: among these are the basic human experiences such as life, death, joy, and adversity. As defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, adversity is “a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune.” A subject commonly explicated upon, adversity is present in literature’s earliest works, all the way through modern compositions. The role of adversity in literature can vary: if a character triumphs over or falls to adversity can paint the work in a positive or negative light, and be the difference between a tragedy and a triumph.
Character traits shapes how everyone expresses their feelings and simultaneously build up great values within people who makes effort. However, a crisis may crush their identity instantly. Countless tremendous changes might occur during the process. For example, the loss of control over oneself might hurt someone. During the stage of crisis, human beings tend to rely on trustworthy people or else they are clueless on what to do.
The roman poet Horace once wrote “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” I believe that Horace’s quote about adversity eliciting talents, is correct. While there may be some outliers to this assumption, I assume that there would not be many. I think Horace makes a fairly good point, in that talents only really shine when faced with a challeng. Horace’s quote is backed up by the fact that the poet Horace was famous in ancient rome.
“Is Survival Selfish” is an argumentative text written by Lane Wallace. The text focuses on the question of whether survival is an act of selfishness or intelligence. Author Wallace also draws your attention to whether saving someone in dire situations is altruism or idiocy. Throughout the story, the author provides evidence in means to support her claim and reasons. Wallace believes that “self-preservation” isn’t always instinctual and there are many factors involved, including the fact that every survival testing situation is different.
The roman poet Horace once wrote, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.”. In Purple Hibiscus, Adichie utilizes the character Kambili to prove this idea to be true, but only when she is faced with major turning
Adversity can take us by surprise, but everyone at some point in life experiences it. The way our personal identity can be shaped is through our phases of adversity. The experiences of dealing with difficulties can shape the way we view life and the actions that will show our persona. When we persevere adversity and obstacles it shows our reputation and our true type of identity. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare, illustrates the way Hamlet, as well as other characters, deal with adversity through the types of motives they are seeking.
In a quotation by Horace, a Roman poet, he says, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.” Horace’s assertion that adversity develops character and brings out talents is correct because the pressure of the situation forces out the development of character and hidden skills. In the book, Alive by Piers Paul Read, this is shown by characters Nando Parrado, Alvaro Mangino, and Roberto Canessa. In the beginning of the story Nando Parrado was known to be the shy and awkward kid who’d only speak to his best friend.
People truly do benefit from hardship and misfortune because it is an opportunity to learn. In the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter's parents died when he was very young. Therefore, he had to live with his uncle and aunt, the Dursleys. They were cruel to him because they knew that he was a wizard, but Harry didn't know.
With all these bits of knowledge from Confucius to Plato to Machiavelli, it becomes apparent why some civilizations were successful and others were