Illustration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Illustration - Essay Example This butterfly emerged more quickly, but seemed somehow unwell. After watching for some time, the boy realized that the newly emerged butterfly was in fact dead. Years later at university he learned that a butterfly’s struggle is a necessary part of its lifecycle. Without the opposition of the chrysalis, important biological changes can not take place and the butterfly will not be able to unfurl its wings once freed. I agree with Helen Keller’s quote. My personal experiences have taught me that true character and strength develop most deeply when an individual is encountering opposition. For me personally, I can’t say that all of my character has been developed in the crucible of affliction. I believe that the first lessons in character I learned were learned through watching the examples of adults that surrounded me and being taught explicitly how to become a person of integrity. In some ways, I would liken this to the butterfly before it struggles to even emerge. I can still remember witnessing significant adults in my life displaying good character by returning money to a cashier that had been given to them by mistake, making good on promised gifts or rewards and apologizing to others when they were found to be in the wrong. I was not an active participant in these displays of good character, but I was witness to them. In this way I feel they prepared me to stand up by displaying good character when it was my turn to be tempted to take the easy way out. Looking back a few years, I can see how difficult it is to have good character when in the throes of puberty and adolescence. I can recall such a drive to find the easiest way out of everything when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I found it so easy to lie about an assignment or to tell a half truth to my parents to avoid a punishment. It seemed to me that the whole world was a thousand shades of grey and that right and wrong didn’t really matter. What mattered was avoiding negative