Marble Champ
Being determined is a character trait that is a lot to handle and a litttle can take you in a different direction. In the story “Marble Champ,” by Gary Soto. Lupe Merano is determined to be the best at her sport by working hard, gaining confidence, and she is really smart. She never gives up no matter what gets in her way. One reason why Lupe is so determined is because she is hardworking. She is hardworking because one day after school Lupe left her homework in her backpack and practiced for three hours straight, taking the time to eat a candy bar for energy. She is also hardworking because she decides to do strengthen her wrists by doing twenty push-ups on her fingertips five at a time. “One, two, three …” Even though she
“You take a record and use it to empower yourself” having growing-up in the Westside of Chicago in a neighborhood fill with violence, Lupe make a lot of records that show listeners that even with the odds against him that he use his struggle to better himself.
Even though Luis’s gang try to change his way of treating women, Luis is a strong character and does not change his beliefs. “Some gangs initiate females by having them have sex with all the ranking members of the gang” (Report Gang Crime Tips). Just like the gangs on the streets, Luis’s gang also believes women are only meant to have sex. His gang keeps reminding him, that women are weak and men have more power than them. However, Luis knows women should not be treated that way and simply ignores them.
An example of this is in the essay Confessions of a doper by Jonathan Vaughters. When playing sports you have to have the “resolve” to do it as said in the essay.(8) Physical strength is not only physical ability but also, self centeredness. For those who do not have much physical prowess in sports, the mind evens the playing field. The mind opens up opportunities where we once believed there were none. With critical thinking we can overwhelm even the most worthy opponents. There are some methods of self defense that do not matter if you are the smallest in your class or age group. Tickery, mind games and quick thinking let you outsmart most
Luma’s two primary personality traits are being fearless and self-reliant . However, Luma has many great personalities that foreshadow she will get what she wants in life at some point because of who she is at the moment. Luma being fearless and self-reliant are two of the big factors that show she will be successful in what she will do next with her
him to keep trying his hardest and to not let anything or anyone get in his way.
Kevin displays great determination in this novel. Near the beginning of this narrative, Kevin is playing with a mechanical bird and flies it up into a tree. He repeatedly tries to free it from the tree, even though he seems to be getting nowhere. He had his mind set on it, so he wouldn't stop until it was in his hands. This section of the story shows that if Kevin sets a goal for himself, he’ll do almost anything to achieve it. Another example is that when Kevin helps the cops look for Max when he’s reported missing Kevin never gives up looking for Max, even when the cops want to give up. This example is yet another form of great determination. All of these points help indicate that Kevin displays great determination through the novel by Rodman Philbrick.
Everyone should alway try. No person should ever stop trying. Even when something is hard that does not mean we should stop trying. It is not good to give in just because it does not work the first time or we can not find the right way. In “The Marble Champ,” by Gary Soto, Lupe Medrano the main character, has a very hard time with sports. She is not good at any of them. The theme in The Marble Champ seen by Lupes experience is to always stay determined, and never give up. We see Lupe demonstrate this all throughout the story.
“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game” is a quote by Grantland Rice which suggests that winning is not important as long as one tries their best. In the movies “Chariots of Fire” and “Next Goal Wins”, the notion and meaning of sport is explored in both similar and dissimilar ways. Although “Chariots of Fire” and “Next Goal Wins” both follow the journey of sport and competition, the characters in the respective films show contradicting views on the idea that winning or losing sport is unimportant in light of the best effort.
“Winning is great,sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time.”- Unknown. This quote is explored by Amy Tan’s short story The Rules of the Game, that teaches us about how pushing someone too hard can make them fail. In the short story it is about a girl name Waverly who finds many strategy to win in the game of chess. She has been in many tournament and win many games, but then something big happened. Waverly’s mom keep using her to show off and she told her mother she quit. After she said she will get back to playing chess, because of her mother’s one word it can ruin all of Waverly’s confidence in playing chess. Now Waverly isn’t able to play chess like
We were going to win the game. That was the end of it. I knew it. We were the winners of that game. I stood up and yelled in a voice that even frightened me. I didn’t scream about moving our feet, or calling the ball, I screamed about how big of winners we were. I was done with moping. For seven minutes of my life, I had forgotten that I could do anything I set my mind to, and I had given up. The worst seven minutes of my volleyball career were those seven minutes in the third game of the final match at Brighton Volleyball Tournament. I had put my determination down to wallow in my disappointment. Disappointment needs to build determination. I had decided a long time ago that there were certain things in life that I could do better than other people. Those were my gifts. I use my gifts to my full potential.
Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place
...cally fit man. He was known for his HUGE appetite and big belly hanging out of his uniform. But he was determined (like Muhammad and Jordan) to put in the hours of PRACTICE and hard work to make himself a better player. All three of these famous sport idols (there were more of course) showed that that they had the growth mindset. They understood that it takes time, effort and determination to achieve their goals! They had to practice to get better. They had to put in their time of hours of hours of practice to become who they are today. They had the character, the heart, the will and the Mind of a Champion. They were champions because they had the growth mindset. They saw setbacks as motivating, to try their best, by learning and improving. They took charge of their processes that bring success and learned how to maintain them. (Dweck, 2006, p. 98-100).
People know who she is by just mentioning her first name. She is arguably the greatest female athlete in the nation. She has won 4 gold medals, 34 total grand slams, 6 US Opens, 6 Australian Opens, 3 French Opens, and 6 Wimbledon’s. Serena Williams is on her way to making history by scoring a true grand slam if she wins a few more games at the US Open. Playing since the age of 4, Serena Williams has learned how to incorporate physical, mental and emotional toughness onto the court. She is a true example of an athlete high in both ego and task orientation, through her self-determination, confidence, and sportsmanship. These characteristics were evident on Day 7 of the 2015 US Open during her match against underdog Madison Keys.
I decided that I wanted to play a sport, I chose volleyball. Most of my friends played the sport so it wasn't hard for me to adjust and make new friends. Becoming a student athlete was a big adjustment for me, I could no longer float through my classes but I need to excel. And that's exactly what I did. For the first time in my high school career I made not only honor roll, but principal’s honor roll. For the first time my mom was proud of my report card, that made me even more proud. From then on I knew I wanted nothing less than what I earned, good grades and a proud family. From my decision to chose to become a student athlete not only make me work harder but, be great at everything I put my mind to. I had motivation to stay successful, to stay eligible. Three years ago if you were to ask me where I thought I would be my senior year, I probably would have told you low level classes barely making it by. Now here I am today excelling in my education preparing to take the next step in my future, college. Even if we don’t understand why we go through them, we have to be willing to let our obstacles become out
A determination is a driving force that helps people through rough times in their lives. Without determination, people would no longer strive for their goals. Throughout the short story, ‘Then Later, His Ghost,’ Sarah Hall shows how strength and determination can get you through these tough times. This theme is made clear through the severe setting the characters are faced with and her use of symbolism.