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Bella Lawson

Mrs. Morales

Horace Prompt: Argumentative

7 November 2019

Life is complicated. Everyone faces some kind of challenge while growing up, and

becoming an adult. Horace suggests that this adversity that people face, helps form character

development. This is true. In many ways, life is challenging. There are obstacles that all of us

have to face. As Horace asserts, hardships and challenges promote development, whether mental,

social, or cultural.

In life, every person has their own story, and those stories help shape the person that they

are. My story is difficult. Throughout my childhood, I was sexually abused and raped. Those

moments of fear, torture, and sadness have helped shape who I am. Those times where I was hurt

by him--elicited strength. This strengthened me to stand up to him and stop the abuse. As I go

through my healing process, I have learned more and more about myself and who I am. Even

healing, which may not seem so difficult, truly is, and these difficulties in life have helped me

grow, learn, and mature. From my perspective--Horace’s assertion is true, because I know that

those dark times have helped me grow. The question is, do other people grow like this too?

Carolyn Aldwin, the director of the center for healthy aging, and her colleagues have

looked into this from a science standpoint. They made a study on how “difficult life events”

affect “wisdom”--basically someone’s social, emotional, and intellectual maturity--to see if

hardships do make an impact on people’s lives (as Horace said). Some may say that hardships

are just hardships, and that some are not phased by these difficult times, but that is not true.
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According to the study done by Aldwin, these life changing events “prompted...acute

awareness...to ideas that had previously been perfunctory...”--Aldwin and her colleagues are

saying that these life events, did have an impact. As Aldwin said, “Difficult times are a way

people define themselves.” As Aldwin has shown, these life events create a pathway for

growth--and even success.

“Fall down seven times and stand up eight.”--a famous Japanese proverb, that teaches to

Always. Get. Back. Up. Jim Carrey and his life is a great example of this. Carrey had avery

round life before he had his big break. His mother got very ill when he was around 16, and he

had to drop out of school to take care of her. He suffers from depression, and at one point he was

homeless and lived in his car. Yet, Jim Carrey kept persevering, and going. His hard life had

given him skills and talents. Then, he made his big break and noe, is very successful. Carrey’s

situation shows how even a simple talent, such as comedy can be a gift that comes from

hardship.

Examples of this growth and character development can be found everywhere, even in

yourself. Horace claimed that challenges and obstacles create development, and he was right.

Based on personal experience, a scientific study, and a hard life, you can see how Horace’s

assertion can be justified. “The way we deal with challenges can determine our success.”