Marie Curie

Marie Curie (http://news.163.com ())

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." Marie Curie. "We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves."

But what is self-confidence, just what makes a hero a hero? What defines a heroic person? Character, moral values, compassion, empathy, perseverance, or humbleness? To be a worthy heroine, one must have these characteristics; and who would be considered a worthy hero? A young woman born in Warsaw, Poland on November 7, 1867 under the Russian Empire would change the science and medical fields forever. After receiving her bachelor's degree of mathematics in 1894, she would later meet the love of her life, Pierre Curie in 1895.  Later he passed away because he was hit by a vehicle when he was walking through the crosswalk. Though their time together would not be wasted; they would have a child. In 1897 her daughter Irene was born, while during her pregnancy Mrs. Curie would be conducting her research with her husband on Radium; because of its mysterious properties at the Paris Institute of Radium. She would die on July 4, 1934, near Sallanches, France, due to her overexposure to the radioactive elements she worked with. The definition for a hero (noun) - a remarkably brave person: somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character.

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Although the revolutionized Polish scientist Marie Curie is not a well known person of interest in today's spotlight; she has altered the scientific and medical history of the human race with her dedication ,joined with the sacrifice of her health to provide for those in need of medical attention in bettering the health of others and the scientific field. Marie Curie was living in a time of turmoil and chaos between all of the nations of the world, otherwise known as World War I; sadly the educational part of her life had been forced by the war to become secretive and, similar to the famous Underground Railroad, her education till high school took place under the radar. "'When she completed her elementary schooling, she entered Warsaw's 'Floating University,' an underground, revolutionary Polish school that prepared young Polish students to become teachers.'" (Curie). This underground school took existence due to the invading Russians. They put even more emphasis of the acknowledged sexist fact of that era. Those women were incapable of the same intellectual level as their male counterparts. This only proved to further her desire to receive an education; she would suffer through hunger, fainting during her classes, and the sexist views her male classmates and teachers had of her while participating in her lessons. The sacrifice of her time, effort, and overall health has been such a huge leap for the health of the human race and both the medical and scientific fields that it was quite daunting to think that Mrs. Curie could do so much.
"During World War I, Curie volunteered at the National Aid Society, then brought her technology to the war front and instructed army medical personnel in the practical applications of radiology. With the installation of radiological equipment in ambulances, for instance, wounded soldiers would not have to be transported far to be x-rayed." (Curie). Mrs. Curie’s thoughtfulness and empathy for those serving in the armed forces had lead her to volunteer to aid the nation during a time of great struggle and conflict were those wounded in battle were able to receive medical treatment without having to endure the pain of travel to be x-rayed. It not being the final extent of her giving nature, she also helped her fellow scientists in the discovery of two new elements in the periodic table, plutonium and radium. This then lead to her discovery of the usefulness of the rays given off by these two elements to produce the x-ray machine. This inspirational woman has sacrificed her time and health to help her sister get an education. The armed forces during World War I benefited also. They began to have quicker, more efficient, and overall better way for the military to treat their wounded soldiers. Before there was a great lack in all of those departments seemed apparent.

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By following her desire to receive a quality education, Marie Curie had both proved the stereotypical view members of society had on the female population, and the view that woman were considered less rational than men and viewed as "hysterical," "particularly when menstruating" completely mistaken. These popular views at the time lead many people with some respective power to refuse entry for women in many prestigious colleges, academies, and universities that today would accept within a heart beat. "After graduating at the age of 15, Maria (Marie) hoped to get an advanced degree, but while Joseph (her friend) was able to enroll in the medical school at the University of Warsaw, women were not allowed to." (Gingo). This is an excellent point in the life of Marie Curie where the sexist view of women's' inferiority within society had momentarily crushed her dreams, only to quickly be inflated with the fiery determination to succeed and strive for her goals. By simply following her desire to receive an advanced degree she set the precedent for the right of the female to strive for and succeed in any career or work field that that female individual would set their mind to. Later on, after graduating from her desired university, Marie Curie was offered a position as a lecturer for physics. "Marie took a position as a lecturer in physics at the Ecole Normal Superieure; she was the first woman to teach there. In the years between 1900 and 1903, Curie published more than she had or would in any other three-year period, with much of this work being coauthored by Pierre Curie. In 1903 Curie became the first woman to complete her doctorate in France, summa cum laude." (Curie).

After receiving her first Nobel Peace Prize Marie Curie was accepted as "worthy" to give lectures at Ecole Normal Superieure, as you can understand Mrs. Curie would be insulted, but she strove even more. During her attendance at the university at France Curie was introduced to her future husband Pierre. When they did their experiments they always referred to themselves as "we" never calling themselves by their name in their notes. During Marie Curie's lifetime much sexism and doubt in the ability of women, especially in the scientific field. But, by getting an education and winning two Nobel Peace Prizes she set the example for others of her generation.

During Curie's life she encountered many hardships, from hunger and fainting during class, to sexist inequality and scorn as a female. But because of her perseverance, passion, and dedication in what she strove for, she was able to overcome these obstacles and reach even higher heights of greatness. Dedicating herself to her research with the help of her husband, they were able to discover the two elements radium and plutonium. Together they furthered both the medical and science fields with their ingenuity and ingenious use of her research. "She describes four years of work - so interesting she says, that her husband 'put aside the work on which he was engaged, and joined me' to extract new radioactive substances and study their properties." (Women in Science). Her dedication and passion in her research for four years, Curie able to endeavor through and dedicate so much for her gender. Her accomplishments only showed the beginning, her journey began with the decisive actions that dictated that she further her education. "Refusing to let go of her goals, she was determined to overcome these drawbacks through hard work. Marie finished first in her master's degree physics course in the summer of 1893 and second in math the following year. Having little money stood in the way of her math degree, but senior French scientists recognized her abilities and was able to help her by awarding her a scholarship." (Gingo). Hard work, numerous amounts of people would usually very discreetly refuse and slink away out of the room, but Curie was a let's get this done kind of person, proves her inner strength. Her drive compelled her to work hard; even though it meant staying up late or waking up early. Marie Curie's passion, determination, and moral strength have led her down this path. By pursuing her dreams she put cracks in the popular view that women were inferior because they "were considered less rational than man and view as hysterical."

Even though this inspirational woman in history has departed from this world, she was so sophisticated in her ideals of self sacrifice and equality in both genders. She tore apart a rift in the sexist beliefs of her life and gave to others of her gender the courage to go forth and pursue their dreams and desires for a better and equal opportunity. The only way she could have possibly accomplished this was with the effort she put forth combined with her passion and commitment in what she believed in; and in what she strove for. With those heroic qualities joined she sacrificed her wellbeing and comfort to provide for those who sacrifice themselves every day on the battlefront during the war. In the pursuit of bettering those brave citizens and herself she demonstrated that the stereotypical view on the female population wrong; while maintaining her morals and qualities that made her a perfect example of a true hero. An inspiration because she has proved the power of women, broken down the social barriers, while proving the intellectual power that everybody possess. Whereas persevering through the struggles she faced because of her "inferiority." While there may still be sexist views today Marie Curie has, to a great extent influenced the rights of the female in the various job fields. Women, the ones who sit at home to be housewives and do the laundry are no more. Women have gone beyond that, women have great expectations of themselves and want more. All people, anywhere in the world, just want to be treated as equal human beings.