Grit Research Paper

Kirstyn Schechter

Explanatory Essay

Grit

Wouldn’t you want to be very determined and follow your dream? If so, you need to have grit. In the TEDTalk, "The key to success? Grit”, by Angela Lee Duckworth she states “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years” (Duckworth). This quote explains what grit is. Grit is the determination you have to complete a goal that you have had for a long time. Grit is knowing what you want your future to be so you work hard to get there. Grit is simply living out your dreams. It can be really hard to obtain grit, but anybody can work hard to get it.

Palacio, Auggie Pullman has a lot of grit. Auggie has a facial birth defect which makes him look very different. The only thing Auggie wants to do is to fit in, but with his facial problems it is very hard. Auggie is so determined to make friends despite his looks. Auggie was home schooled up until the fifth grade when he finally decided he wanted to go to a school that had other kids. Auggie did not make friends easily there, the school was an emotional roller coaster for him. Sometimes people would pretend to be his friend just so they could get close to him and then they would make fun of him. Auggie started to hate everybody and hate life, but he did not give up. He wanted to prove all of the bullies wrong. Auggie wanted to show them that he was not worthless. Auggie Pullman began to ignore the bullies and focus on the important things in life. This takes a lot of determination and courage, a lot of people struggle to block out the haters. At one point Auggie’s only friend was his dog, sadly one day when Auggie came home from school his dog was dead. This pushed Auggie even further to achieve his goal. Nobody was going to make fun of him any longer. After a lot of hard work, Auggie began to make friends. Reading this book even changed my perspective on other people and their feelings. So, not only did Auggie achieve his goal, but he helped other people

For example, everybody knows that Thomas Edison created the lightbulb. Edison is believed to have “failed” created the light bulb the first 1,000 times. Edison could have easily given up, but he had grit. In his mind, he did not fail the first 1,000 times Edison said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times, the light bulb was invented with 1,000 steps” (Edison). Without grit, Edison would have probably given up on trying to invent the light bulb. In effect, the world may have no electricity to this day and that is just one example. My life, the arts, and the world around me can be connected to grit. My pursuit of becoming a great softball player is connected to grit. In addition to my personal life, grit is connected to the arts. In the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Auggie Pullman has a facial disorder. Auggie has a lot of grit and does not let anybody stand in his way. To conclude, people in the world around us have grit. One person, in particular, that was determined to succeed is David Pelzer. If you want to accomplish having grit, you should try thinking about a long-term goal. If you set a goal for yourself and work hard to achieve it you will also accomplish having grit. This goal can be something like playing in the major leagues, becoming a doctor, or even starting a family. Whatever it is, you should be determined to succeed. Work hard to reach your goals and you will be unstoppable. Whatever you do can wind up