Michael Oher

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"I came so far-from nothing to a Super Bowl Championship" (Biography.com). This quote, from a professional football player, describes himself well; growing up with one drug addicted mother and one father who was in and out of jail constantly, to being taken in and cherished by another family, has impacted his life tremendously. Although Michael Oher is a professional football player, he didn't exactly grow up "livin' the life". Oher was born on May 28th, 1986 in Memphis Tennessee. He had two not-so-great parents that caused him to switch from multiple education institutions and bring homelessness, hunger, and deprivation with him. Around sophomore year of high school, he applied to Briarcrest Christian School and soon was adopted by the wealthy Tuohy family. They helped him get a tutor to improve his grades, feed him daily, and play football, a cherished game he loves. This point at his life was important. He earned multiple scholarships from multiple different top colleges and soon was picked by the Baltimore Ravens, a professional football team, to win a Super Bowl Championship. As an adult, he completed multiple, impressive accomplishments. However, his real accomplishments happened before he was awarded. Michael Oher is more than just a professional football player; he is an inspiration because of his resiliency during his tough childhood, his optimistic character throughout his life, and his passion for himself and others.

Michael is inspirational because he is resilient, in which he has shown during his childhood. During Oher's childhood, he wasn't treated as he was supposed to be. He grew up with two, not-so-parent, parents and as a result, homelessness, hunger, and neglect followed. "Born into a dysfunctional, drug-addicted household, Oher often spent much of his young life homeless and struggling in school" ("Michael Oher." Gale). Michael wasn't exactly, "livin' the life," as a child. He quotes, "It's true that we can't help the circumstances we're born into and some of us start out in a much tougher place than other people. But just because we started there doesn't mean we have to end there" (Biography.com). He explains that the quality of life as a child is all different for all of us and it can take effect on you, causing you to change the way you see life. Because of this life as a child for Oher, a homeless and hungry child, it continuously teaches him to keep trying and never give up. His resilience is rewarded through others impact on him. "Soon, Oher became a cherished member of the Tuohy family and was adopted by the pair. With a chance to thrive, Oher improved his grades, demonstrated his athletic prowess, obtained a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi." ("Michael Oher." Contemporary). Oher persevered through the first year of high school and when he was finally brought into the Tuohy household, he thrived. With just a little bit of help, he stuck through those hard times as a child and was able to be successful. "He also accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Mississippi after receiving offers from Tennessee, LSU, Alabama and NC State, among others" (Biography.com). The fact that he got so many offers from so many great colleges, it shows the great lengths he went to to bring up his grades and strive for better. It shows that from the homelessness as a child, he persevered to get to the place he wanted. These facts show that Michael Oher is an inspiration through his resiliency.

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Michael Oher is inspirational because of his optimistic character during his childhood to help him achieve and strive for better than what he had. "He constantly shifted from school to school, attending eleven different schools by the time he was sixteen. And, always, hunger and deprivation followed him and his siblings." ("Michael Oher." Contemporary). Oher had to be optimistic in these circumstances because as he shifted from the different schools, he always had hunger and homelessness following. This caused him to try extra hard in order to get a better future, all he needed was just a little help. So, Oher needed to start somewhere. "Eventually, he made decent money selling newspapers on street corners"  ("Oher, Michael: I BEAT THE ODDS."). By him selling the newspapers, it shows the better life he wanted for himself as an adult. This shows his optimistic view and personality that he had as a child when he was going through tough times. After starting his early childhood on the wrong side, he applied to Briarcrest Christian School around his sophomore year, hoping for the better. "Even though Michael Oher had no business applying to Briarcrest [Christian School], he showed courage just being here. 'It was really unusual to see a kid with those kinds of deficits that wanted an education. A lot of kids with his background wouldn't come within two hundred miles of this place'"  (Lewis pg. 47). Oher, applying to Briarcrest, again, showed his optimistic and persevering talents by trying new things to be better. It showed others that he wanted to be there to have a quality education and good life going forward after all of the bad things he has gone through before. These things show Michael optimistic character throughout his life.

Oher's passion influences his life by driving his strength to continue and never stop through his hard times as a child. As know as a professional football player, Oher used that skill, to drive his life so that he could do what he loved. "Oher's young life was shaped by an intense love for sports, especially basketball and football, but also profoundly affected by the netherworld of the ghettos in Memphis." ("Oher, Michael: I BEAT THE ODDS."). Because Oher loves sports so much, football, in particular, it helps him take off the pressure of his problems as a child, on his shoulders. It helps him keep going and persevere even when troubled, the sports helps him take out stress. Using his passion, he also uses it to steer his other aspects of life in the right direction. "With a chance to thrive, Oher improved his grades, demonstrated his athletic prowess, obtained a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi, and advanced to the rank of gridiron professional with the Baltimore Ravens" ("Michael Oher." Contemporary). Using his passion for sports, he drives himself to strive for better and achieve his dreams. This helped him earn his scholarships from multiple different top colleges and show others how just a small amount of hope and passion can influence your point of view. These facts prove that Michael Oher is inspirational because of his passion for football and his own life.

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Michael Oher, a resilient, optimistic, and passionate football player, is accomplishing multiple barriers and awards as an adult; however, he really inspires others through his actions and character as a child. Michael Oher, a great football player, grown up by two parents that weren't parents, still influence him a lot. It forced him to build a resilient, optimistic, and passionate character to help him achieve his dreams. They drove him through a college scholarship and an NFL Draft with the help of the Tuohy family. Oher is inspiring for just that. His resiliency has and still is helping himself to never give up on many occasions, his optimistic view has and still drives him through barriers that no one could imagine, and his passion for football has and still keeps him on track. And like Oher says, "I came so far-from nothing to a Super Bowl Championship" (Biography.com).

Works Cited

Biography.com, Editors. "Michael Oher." Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Feb. 2016, www. 

biography.com/people/michael-oher-547478. Accessed 28 Apr. 2017.

Lewis, Michael. Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. Place of Publication Not Identified, W W Norton, 2016.

"Michael Oher." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2012. Gale Biography In Context, go.galegroup.com/ps/ 

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0d3f4909535ebd37. Accessed 1 May 2017.

"Michael Oher." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2015. Gale Biography In Context, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?

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54d57cad6. Accessed 2 May 2017.

"Oher, Michael: I BEAT THE ODDS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2011. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/ 

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7968ea 53ab4d1c54. Accessed 3 May 2017.