My Life By Earvin Johnson: Character Analysis

736 Words2 Pages

“Here I am, saying [HIV] can happen to everybody… Even me, Magic Johnson” (Johnson 292). Tragedies happen to everybody, even superstars. However, it is how people deal with these tragedies that develops true character. In My Life, by Earvin Johnson, his story demonstrates perseverance, hard-work, and leadership. With these values, Johnson overcame adversity and rose to the heroic status that he now holds. This rich NBA great was not always the wealthy man everyone knows; through hard-work, he achieved status. Earvin Johnson grew up in a large and poor family. “With so many kids to take care of, my parents didn’t have enough money left over for luxuries” (Johnson 6). Johnsons’ parents believed in the value of hard-work, and stapled this into …show more content…

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that eventually develops into AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which is a deadly disease that was ravaging and still is ravaging the world at this time. Johnson, taking this into consideration, decided to educate the youth about this problem, “’ I want to educate the public…We have to make people aware of [HIV]” (Johnson 297). Johnson knew that the heart of this problem lie in the uneducated youth, so he thought the first step in the right direction would be to inform them about the situation. After his individual efforts to promote awareness for this cause, he was invited by the president to join the National Commission on AIDS. This was the next big step in spreading education throughout the country. Due to disagreements with the handling of situation, Johnson decided to resign. He felt that not enough time and money were being spent dealing with this disease. With a new life at hand, Johnson was really missing the game of basketball, but on February 9th, 1991, he got to play one last time. (When Johnson retired in the 1991 season, his name had already been printed on the all-star ballot, and because the fans wanted to see him play one last time they voted them in). “As we left the locker room, I looked at myself in the mirror…This is for real…It’s finally going

More about My Life By Earvin Johnson: Character Analysis

Open Document