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Amelia Earhart

by Sara Koeck from San Diego

Earhart sitting on her plane (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2011244260_nwwflight04.html ())
Earhart sitting on her plane (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2011244260_nwwflight04.html ())

 "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," (Angelou). This quote accurately describes the life of Amelia Earhart. Earhart was born in 1897 in Kansas. She had one sister and lived in many places during her teen years because her father's job as a lawyer required a lot of traveling. Even as a child she wanted to go on adventures and explore the world. She found her love for flying at an airshow she attended with her family. Her career in aviation ensured her fame and remembrance from generations to follow; she was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean which included being the second person in all human history to fly across the Atlantic Ocean more than once. She encouraged women to choose their own path and not do what society expected of them during a time in which women were not treated equally. Earhart's life included moments of glory as well as times of great difficulty. A true hero at heart must portray the characteristics of passion and courage. The famous Nelson Mandela made the definition of Passion quite clear for everyone to hear. "There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living," (Mandela). Mandela tried to teach us that we are required to follow our dreams no matter the consequences. In a fictional world full of magic and friendship, courage still has the same meaning. "It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends,"(Potter). Earhart for multiple generations Amelia Earhart has inspired the world by portraying the heroic character traits of passion and courage.              

Earhart was in love with planes (http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/Earhart.html (Purdue University))
Earhart was in love with planes (http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/Earhart.html (Purdue University))

 "From the moment she saw her first plane she knew she wanted to be a pilot, her passion helped her make her dream become reality. Once she started taking flying lesson she knew what she wanted to be and she could not waste another second: "After just two and a half hours of instruction, Earhart decided to buy herself a plane," (Benson). The first time she flew, she knew she wanted to continue with this. There was absolutely no question about it. Earhart was in love with the whole concept of flying and she could not wait to conquer the sky with her own plane. She had a dream of going places no one else had ever gone and she was going to make that dream come true one way or another. Earhart had loved every aspect of flying: "Was captivated by the 'breathtaking beauty' of the experience," (Brick). After just a few lessons she knew that she wanted to continue with this. She figured that it was the path had chosen for her and was heading right toward her passion and the fame she would win with it. She showed society her dream so that all the people saw and so that they could understand that this was what she wanted and that no one could have stopped her from continuing with what she loved. Earhart had a passion for flying and by continuing with her dream she had faced a lot of problems but her courage helped her overcome them.

Earhart and her husband (http://www.ryerecord.com/Rye%20Record%20Website%2011.20.09/html%20pages/featuresearhart.htm (http://www.ryerecord.com/Rye%20Record%20Website%2011.20.09/html%20pages/featuresearhart.htm))
Earhart and her husband (http://www.ryerecord.com/Rye%20Record%20Website%2011.20.09/html%20pages/featuresearhart.htm (http://www.ryerecord.com/Rye%20Record%20Website%2011.20.09/html%20pages/featuresearhart.htm))

 "In the beginning, society had not approved of Earhart and her dream but her courage helped her overcome their prejudices.  Society never believed Earhart would make it far with her dream: "Expectations for Amelia were not high." (Harmon) She knew that the people surrounding her did not believe in what she was doing but that did not stop her in any way. She did not give in to people's prejudices about her; she stood up for her dreams and showed the world that she would succeed. Earhart and society did not cooperate at first but persuading her family and having them accept her dream and her vision was even more difficult: "'Would you mind if I flew the Atlantic?' Amelia floated the question to her husband over breakfast at their Rye, New York, home one April morning in 1923," (Van Pelt 123). Earhart had to tell her family and persuade them that flying was her passion and that she was going to make that dream come true. It takes a great amount of courage to risk your life flying across the Atlantic but it is even more so difficult to tell the people you love about what you are planning. Her courage helped her jump the obstacles society and family had put in front of her and made her famous. Her determination mixed together with courage kept her walking in the right direction and toward her dream. Without her courage, Earhart would have never made it to what we remember her for today.

Earhart with her flying cap (http://gorvtexas.com/earhart.htm ())
Earhart with her flying cap (http://gorvtexas.com/earhart.htm ())

 ""I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles,"(Reeve). A true hero at heart possesses certain values of which include passion and courage and Earhart had them all. By believing in herself and never giving up on her dreams, no matter what society had told her she inspires the world to this day. With her success and determination she persuaded the world that following your dreams is important even when the people around you are against you. Earhart represents an inspiration to me because she made me realize that if I have a dream I have to follow it. If I do not follow it and give up on the dream I lose my reason to push my limits beyond the maximum. She also taught me that just because some people do not agree with what I believe with does not mean that what I believe in is not important. When people lose their inspiration they give up on the whole concept of dreams and without dreams there is no hope. Dreams are our essence of life and without them we cannot continue with our normal every day routine. "Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men," (Von Gothe). Over centuries many men and women with their genius have given their definition of dreams but they all connect in one way or another; dreams start out small and with a little effort they can change the world forever. Earhart with her endless urge to push herself harder has shown us how important it is to believe in yourself and continue with your dreams, because they truly can change the world.

 

Works Cited

Brick, Katherine A. "EARHART, Amelia Mary." Notable American Women, A Biographical

Dictionary: 1607-1950 (Vol.1-3) (1971): 538. Biography Reference Center. Web. 10 Dec. 2011.

"Dreams Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 08 Jan. 2012. .

"Earhart, Amelia." U*X*L Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr.,

and Rebecca Valentine. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker and Sarah Hermsen. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 475-478. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 Dec. 2011.

Harmon, Melissa Burdick. "The Lady Vanished." Biography 2.3 (1998): 100. Biography

            Reference Center. Web. 11 Dec. 2011

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Dir. Chris Columbus. Perf. Richard Harris. 2001. DVD.

"Inspiring Quotes by Christopher Reeve - Beliefnet.com." Inspiration, Spirituality, Faith,

            Religion. - Beliefnet.com. Web. 08 Jan. 2012.

"Passion Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 08 Jan. 2012.         .

"Quotes About Life (7580 Quotes)." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join

Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 08 Jan. 2012.

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/life

Van Pelt, Lori. Amelia Earhart The Sky's No Limit. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2005.

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Page created on 1/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 1/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

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