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Becoming And Overcoming Ordinary Essay

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Becoming and Overcoming Ordinary People who grow up in a bad situation sometimes struggle to become a middle-class citizen – but a few – go beyond that and become successful. We've heard stories, seen movies, and read books that talk about someone overcoming impossible odds to be the strong person they are today; however, it is not as impactful until you hear personal stories from someone you are very close to. Fredrick Douglass' story impacted the thoughts of many, but for me the emotional cut went deeper when I compared his stories to my mom’s. Growing up my mom never really knew her father, had three step dads and they were verbally and physically abusive to her, her brother, and her mom. My grandma got pregnant at sixteen and had my mom …show more content…

She had set backs like, moving every time she got a new stepdad, not having money to go to college full time, not living in the best environments, and so much more. None of these things stopped her though. She has worked none stop since she was in eighth grade, to help pay for her own clothes, car, and education. She had plenty of reasons to give up but she would always spring back from them. Douglass didn’t grow up in the best environment either, never fully knew who his dad was, getting separated from his mom – Harriet Bailey – being whipped and beaten, watching many other slaves die or get beaten, and that’s just the start. Douglass’ life when he was younger was a living hell. He wrote in “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, “It was a most terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it.” He cannot even explain in words how bad his life as a slave really was. These things would never stop his dream of being free, though. He grieved each set back, but never stayed down. They made him stronger. My mom and Douglass both were resilient and overcome problems that tried to keep them

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