Shaquem Griffin Character Analysis

Shaquem Griffin is a professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks. However, he is not like the other players. He was born without a left hand due to amniotic band syndrome. Not having a left hand can be extremely difficult for anybody, especially an athlete. Knowing this, Shaquem could have easily given up and tried something different with his life, but his free will kept him going. Fate could have took control, but his power to make his own decisions changed his destiny into something incredible. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, love sprouts from the children of two opposing households in Verona. Romeo, son of the Montagues, falls in love with Juliet, daughter of the Capulets. These two families did not get along

well with each other, at all. Romeo and Juliet meet a party that the Capulets held. They fell in love and did whatever they could to keep their love going. Soon they get married, but their family’s feud is still an obstacle. The prince of Verona, banishes Romeo because he kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. When Juliet hears the news, she is devastated and comes up with a plan for her to meet Romeo and run away with him. All does not go well because they both die and their love never got to be how they wanted it to be. Free will plays the role of determining destiny because both Romeo and Juliet made choices that would bring them closer together. They wanted to stay in love and do anything that would contribute to their ultimate goal. It is often believed that fate is responsible for determining a person’s destiny, but that is wrong. Free will is completely responsible for determining one’s destiny.
Romeo chooses to let free will determine what his destiny is going to be because he made lots of choices that took his life in a opposite direction of what he pottentionaly thought it would be.

He meets a girl and things didn’t seem to workout and “[his] fortune [is] his misery” (I,i,58). Romeo believed that the rest of his life was going to be filled with misery and he would never love again. His friends begin to realize why he is so sad and persuade him to “be rough with love”(I,iii,27) and do something about his sadness. Free will begins to take place. Romeo is being very sympathetic with himself and his friend’s are telling him to make choices and get rid of his misery, which he soon does. The Capulets throw a party in which Romeo attends in disguise. He notices how beautiful Capulet’s daughter is and decides to change his fate. He wants to “let lips do what hands do”(I,iv,103) and kiss. Juliet isn’t sure but they kiss anyways and then she is just as in love with Romeo as he is with her. Before the Capulet’s party, he was bathing in misery and believed nothing good would happen with his life. He is now in love with a new girl and completely forgot about the last. Free will made Romeo approach Juliet and say the things he said and do the things he did, therefore free will altered his fate from the misery that Romeo was instore

for.
Along with Romeo, Juliet exercises her free will in many ways that determine her destiny. The love was so strong between them, they decided to get married “by the hour of nine” (II,ii,168). Romeo and Juliet are part of emeney house holds so marriage with each other would be atrocious. With all family put aside, Juliet makes the decision to marry Romeo which alters her destiny in a grand way. Juliet’s parents are completely unaware of her marriage with Romeo, and tell her she needs to marry Paris. She is opposed to the idea because of Romeo. “What must be shall be” (IV,i,210); Juliet chooses not to marry Paris and stay loyal to her love Romeo. Her free will allowed her to make the choice and put her on a different road for a different destiny. Not marrying him put a large picture of disgrace in her father’s eyes, and he wanted nothing to do with her. Being with Romeo is all she wanted, so she had gotten a potion that makes it seem as if the person is dead, but they are not. “[She] drink[s] to thee” (IV,iii,58), and the potion made her seem to be dead so they put her in the burial tomb. Her love for Romeo was so strong that she faked her death to be with him. All her choices had determined her destiny to be with Romeo. At first, her destiny was never to be with Romeo, but all her choices and acts of free will had gotten her to a different destination. Free will is very important in determining someone’s destiny.
Along with free will being able to determine a person’s destiny, some people believe that fate is what determines destiny. That is inaccurate because in every life, choices are made. Fate does not make decisions for a person, it is their power of free will that makes the decisions. When choices are made, their destiny changes. When Romeo dies, Juliet grabs his dagger, as it represents the sheath, “there rust, and let [her] die” (V,iii,170). Some may believe that her fate was to be with Romeo for all eternity, and death is the way to do so. What is often forgotten is that their destiny's where not to be like this at all. It was their choices that made them believe they belong together forever. When Juliet kills herself, it was her decision. She wanted to be with Romeo and ended her life. Fate does not make decisions, free will does. Therefore, free will is more important in determining someone’s destiny.
Being able to make choices that determine where life is going to go is much better than letting fate be ruler. Decisions are meant to be made and the person making them has every right to choose the wrong or correct one. It is all apart of life. Fate can not make a person choose certain things because their destiny is meant to be a certain way. Destiny is determined by the choices a person makes and when they make them. Without free will, very few people would enjoy their lives. Free will does not always lead to the best destiny, but the person gets to choose how they want their life to be, and that is important. Fate has nothing on free will, because free will is truly responsible for determining destiny.