<p>Hey guys, I'm taking the SAT next Saturday as probably many of you are too.
I would really love to here your criticism and comments regarding my essay.</p>
<p>Prompt: Do you think that ease does not challenge us and that we need adversity to help us discover who we are?</p>
<p>Ease does not challenge anyone, but adversity can challenge and motivate one to excel. Sport figures, historical figures, and literary characters demonstrate that adversity makes one stronger.</p>
<p>First, many athletes receive their motivation from childhood adversity. LeBron James is a superstar basketball player who did not have an easy childhood. In his autobiography "Beyond the Hoop" James explains that his father abandoned his mother and that others bullied James during his childhood. Even with these hardships, James adapted After discovering basketball, he was able to deal with the pain of adversity. The lack of a father figure and comments of others resulted in him training harder and longer. Now LeBron James is one of the best basketball players in the world. If he never faced adversity, he never would have discovered who he was: a basketball player. Hence, adversity served as a major motivator in James' life. If his life had been easier he may have never played.</p>
<p>Furthermore, President Abraham Lincoln also faced adversity. His path to the White House was not an easy one at all. Before being elected to the House of Representatives for the first time, Lincoln lost four elections. Despite these defeats, Lincoln continued to pursue politics Lincoln lost to Stephen A. Douglas in the 1858 Senate election, two years before the 1860 election. However, Lincoln's name became widely known. Even though Lincoln lost that that election, he became famous for his articulation and aplomb. Thus, after twenty years of adversity in which he lost numerous elections, Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election. Therefore, although Lincoln's political career was not an easy one, he eventually won the presidency. If Lincoln had won one of his previous political races and gone through the easy path, he may never had run for president.</p>
<p>Finally, in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," Hester faces much adversity. After committing adultery, the town magistrates demand that a scarlet A be embroidered to her dress. When the community members see the letter on Hester's chest, they verbally and even physically abuse her. Up until her trial, Hester is a vain, selfish person. After wearing the A and receiving the public's abuse, she becomes a selfless person focused on helping the indigent. She sows garments and donates food to the impoverished. If she had never faced the adversity of wearing the letter, she would have never discovered her munificent side.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is indeed true that ease does not challenge and adversity helps one discover one's true self. After analyzing LeBron James, Abraham Lincoln, and Hester, it is evident that adversity motivates a person.</p>