Ronald Wilson Reagan

Ronald Reagan. (classbrain.com)

"My attitude is that is you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength" - Michael Jordan. When faced with dilemmas and challenges very few people tend to succeed. But one man was able to rise up when others didn't. This sole man is Ronald Reagan. From a humble beginning, born in Tampico on February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan was an ordinary man with extra ordinary talents. "[He] worked as a sports radio announcer and studied at Eureka College prior to moving to Hollywood, California in 1937" (About Ronald Reagan). And in that same year he moved to Hollywood where he signed a contract after being discovered at a screen test. In the next two decades to come he continued to star in movies, with his first being "Love is in the Air" and a grand total of 53 movies. In his popularity he gained positions of high rank: "Reagan was a successful actor, starring in dozens of films and even becoming President of the Screen Actors Guild..." (Ronald Reagan). Because of his interest in politics he ran for the Governor of California and won. And through his popularity as a movie star and a governor he was noticed. About twenty years later he became, as he is well known today as, the 41st President of the United States of America. During and even after his Presidency, Ronald Reagan showed outstanding characteristics. Of the many that describe Reagan the ones that most suite him best is strength and persistence. Ronald Reagan is a heroic character because not only did he portray mental and physical strength through hardships and challenges thrown at him but also his persistence to achieve what many have failed to do.

A laughing Ronald Reagan. (arkansasgopwing.blogspot.com)

Strength. When uttered some of the few thoughts that come to our minds are: a super buff man, working out at the gym, being able to beat your friends at arm-wrestling. We would never expect strength to come from the mind. That saying "Brains over Bronze" comes into thought when describing Ronald Reagan. Although Reagan was a very handsome fellow, it's not just about the outside that counted. Reagan displayed continuous strength through his actions when dealing with war tactics. "In foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve "peace through strength." During his two terms he increased defense spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles" (Ronald Reagan). During the Cold War Reagan continued to use his mental strength to expertly maneuver his way through the war. Having to deal with the aftershock of World War II with the USSR was a great thing to have to deal with took a lot of strength. Although mental strength is a great thing to have, the strength to endure a would-be assassination is also heroic in many ways. "What started as the best year of Ronald Reagan's long lifetime came to an abrupt halt when would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr. shot the President outside of the Washington Hilton Hotel. Reagan survived, winning the hearts of both supporters and opponents alike with his ever-positive and humorous personality, telling doctors who were about to operate on him, "I hope you're all Republicans"' (About Ronald Reagan). Not only did Reagan survive this horrific incident from a punctured lung but he also had a surprisingly positive attitude when going into the operating room. Thankfully, when after he survived, he continued his role as President only twelve days later. Reagan has clearly shown that he possesses the stereotypical trait of your basic hero: strength. His strength inspires others to continue their goals despite physical disabilities.

Reagan posing in front of an American Flag. (http://www.whenguide.com/when-did-ronald-reagan-become-president.html)

"The most essential fact is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come." - James Whitcomb Riley. Ronald Reagan is described as persistence for good reasons. One being which when he first decided to run for president. "In 1976 [Reagan] made his first serious run for the U.S. presidency. His long-fought campaign was a lost battle and the republican nomination went to Ford. Reagan was not deterred, and in 1980 he easily won his party's nomination and defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jimmy Carter, for the presidency" (Reagan, Ronald Wilson). The quote describes Reagan as "not deterred", meaning he was un-fazed, not knocked off balance, he wasn't discouraged. In fact his loss later brought him much gain. Not only did he persist again to become the republican nominee, but he also gained a victory against the democratic nominee for the presidency. If Reagan had not persisted and ran for president the next presidential election he wouldn't have been our 41st president and the world might not have been like it is today. Ronald Reagan's persistence not only earned him his presidency but also key economic changes. "Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit" (Ronald Reagan). Reagan obviously cared about the economy. Despite the fact that there was a shortage of money for the expenses of strengthening the defense of our nation, Ronald Reagan persisted to make sure that our country was safe and declined the idea of backing out now, fully aware of the financial problem. He persisted to become president despite past failure and make sure we, the people, were taken care of as a nation. He truly is a hero for making sure his goals were achieved, and never stopped pushing forward until they were.

Ronald Reagan was not only a hero of his time but of our time too. He is obviously a heroic character meant to be portrayed in comic books. Because of strength and persistence he was able to achieve great feats that many cannot achieve in their lifetime. Actor to governor to president. There was nothing this man could not conquer or tackle.

Ronald Reagan inspires those who have dreams that they can become a reality. They can come true. But you will only succeed if you try hard and work for it. No one can become great unless they overcome great things, the great difficulties that our lives will throw at us unexpectedly. Ronald Reagan wasn't just a man, he was a soldier. A soldier fighting for something that was bigger than any "Average Joe" off the street could do. For that we must honor his legacy. We must honor him by remembering him as an outstanding man. For: "Honor isn't about making the right choices. It's about dealing with the consequences" (Anonymous). Ronald Reagan did both. He made right choices and dealt with his problems. He was a hero through the hardships and challenges thrown at him but also his persistence to achieve what many have failed to do.