<p>Prompt: Are people's lives the result of the choices they make?</p>
<p>Whatever choices we make have an effect not only on ourselves but also on others. This effect carries monumental consequences for our lives, and can either bring us to the right or wrong path. The notion that people's lives are the result of the decisions they make is exemplified in former-president Andrew Johnson, and the works of Ralph Ellison.</p>
<p>Former-president Andrew Johnson embodied the paradigm that one's choices bear significance on the result of one's life. For instance, when Johnson became president he made many choices that were against the beliefs of the country at the time. Johnson vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau (an attempt to help freed African Americans become assimilated into society), and almost managed to veto the Civil Rights Bill (another attempt for pro-black suffrage), which were acts that were despised at the time by the Northern citizens. Johnson made many poor decisions like those vetoes which resulted in his near impeachment and low popularity. Thus it is seen here that Johnson's decisions later had an effect on his life. Had Johnson been more willing to work with the North, and not veto most of its proposed bills, Johnson could have become one of our most successful presidents.</p>
<p>Ralph Ellison's, Invisible Man, novel also clearly illustrates the principle that our lives are the result of our choices. For example, when the protagonist decides to join the cult organization as a prominent spokesperson, his life is altered instantly. At first the protagonist is too naive and believes the organization is working toward the equal rights of African Americans. However, the protagonist later learns that the organization harbors seditious intentions, and it goals have corrupted. As a result, the organization arbitrarily sets out to kill the protagonist, as it brings an uprising within the town. The protagonist managed to escape but remained trapped in an underground sewer (where he spent the next few years contemplating about his mistakes). Hence it is also seen here that one's life is the result of one's choices. Since the protagonist made the choice of joining the cult organization, his life afterwards became trapped and isolated. Had he made the decision to work somewhere else, his future would have been much more promising.</p>
<p>From these examples it becomes blatant that our lives are the aftermath of our choices. President Johnson could have been a much more respected and prominent person had he made different decisions. The protagonist could have lived an affluent and jocular life if he would have taken a different job. Thus it is substantiated and proved that our lives are the result of our choices.</p>