SAT Ii Writing ~16 (timed essay- 20 minutes)
William Cullen Bryant once wrote that "Difficulty is a nurse of greatness - a harsh nurse who rocks her foster children roughly but rocks them into strength and athletic proportions."
Discuss the meaning and the accuracy of the quote. Support your argument by exmaples from your observation, history, science, literature, your experience.
There is a saying that "anything that does not kill you in the process only makes you stronger." William Cullen Bryant's quote presents a similar idea that meeting with difficulties will make one stronger as the person tries to overcome them. Furthermore, he asserts that with hard training and discipline, one will end up doing a favor to the person, as it will result in greater success in the future.
Bryant seems to be right to some extent. However, he is missing one important point. This strategy of meeting difficulties and growing stronger in the process of overcoming only works when the person is willing to meet the difficulty and challenge. In order to help one to be constantly willing to challenge, not only requiring discipline, but providing constant encouragement and motive to do indeed challenge is also important.
When I went to the United States as an eighth grader, I was met with the greatest challenge of my life; English Literature class. The homeworks looked as if they were coded in an alien language, and there was not a single class discussion I could understand. I told my teacher Ms. Hoadley that I was facing an extreme difficulty. In contrast to my expectations, she did not lessen the homeworks, or exempt me from class discussions. However, she constantly motivated me to keep working, and was always there for me if I needed anything. In the end, I could graduate middle school with a higher grade point that anybody else in the class. As I look back, I realize how her harsh measures on me have greatly improved my English abilities in such a short period of time. But if there was one thing I couldn't have done such a great job in meeting the challenge, it was her warm care and support to keep me going.
William Cullen Bright's comment on harsh ways that bring more results in the end is definitely true. However, there is nothing a difficult situation can provide to a person if he is not willing to take chances on overcoming the difficulty. As my middle school experience shows, it is important to keep a balance between being harsh and being encouraging to truly help one meet a greater success in the end.