Authors Note:

This article is about how to “Overcome”, each thing will show the people and things that have overcome their fears in different ways and how they have used them for good deeds. Some in songs, some in paintings, and some in their daily lives. 

 

Overcome

My adversity project is over Rocky 4 and how Rocky has to “overcome” his fears. When his friend dies to Drago, he prepares to rematch him in Russia. But Drago is huge and was man made to be a machine of boxing. So Rocky has to overcome his fear of not being there for his family, dying at the hands of Drago, or losing it all. So when he goes to train (which is the best pump up song in the world) he works very hard to overcome these fears. He trains and trains and gets stronger and stronger (this isn’t over a long period of time) it’s a montage that switches from Drago training on machines, to Rocky working with stuff in a barn. He remembers all the times when he had faced adversity, and had overcome them with the help of his family, wife, coaches, and friends, that always helped him win the fight. During the middle of the montage his wife shows up, saying that she will support him no matter what. So it starts up again being even more pumped up than before as he is being supported by his coach and wife. So this is where it starts off to be the actual fight. The Russians taunt him as he walks onto the ring, because of who he is, and because he is an American. But when Drago shows up everyone is cheering for him. This puts a ton of pressure on Rocky because he is not in his own country with his own fans, he only has his coach and wife. As the fight starts, Drago shows that he truly is a machine but Rocky is better. Rocky wears him down, and the crowd slowly starts to cheer for Rocky. Then he wins the fight and makes an amazing speech about overcoming his fears and how grateful he is. This really shows how much he has overcome over the years. I thought it was the best movie of all time. It really shows us how over his different movies how much he had overcome. From being scared and tiny and not being known at all, to a worldwide known person that is respected everywhere. This is why it is my adversity project, because of how much adversity is in this movie and the series. 

 

Paintings that show Adversity 

American Gothic House by Grant Wood

This specific painting was made during 1930 during the Great Depression. It was very hard for people back then. They had to overcome poverty and hunger. 

Guernica by Pablo Picasso

This painting shows the challenges of the Spanish civil war. It showed how innocent people were killed in the Nazi bombing, and how people had to overcome the deaths of their loved ones. 

 

Holocaust by Yad Vashem

This really shows how much adversity it took during those tough times during the Holocaust. How hard it was to live back then. Each one shows the adversity that people were overcoming at that time. The biggest one shows the deserted town that was blown up from the Nazis. The one on the top right is the camps that the Jews stayed in during this time. Finally the last one shows the beds that they had to sleep in, one on top of the other. 

The 2000 Yard Stare by Thomas Lea 

This shows the adversity of war in the trenches. His face has the look of fear because he fears his death. 

Gas Attack by Lievin 

This picture shows of the gas attacks during WWI. It would create huge burns and damage their lungs when exposed to the gas. It also created a fear in them which they had to overcome. 

 

Literature meeting circles journals

1st journal

Discussion Starter: 

 

  1. If you became blind during your life how would you react?

 

Word Watcher: fleeting- lasting for a very short time

 

Adversity: Him being blind and having to deal with it 

 

Journal entry: 

I think that him beginning to lose his sight would be very difficult. It would be like learning how to walk, talk and read all over again. I think he felt mad at himself and God, I also think he felt lost and afraid. He faced loss of not being able to play sports. 

 

2nd Journal

Adversities: He was going completely blind yet still he becomes a great wrestler then his mom dies and he has to go on after that which would be very hard in his situation.

 

Discussion starter: The book is very emotional and it’s sad he’s struggling with the cane.

 

Word watcher: Yearning – to beg deeply 

Journal entry:

He is getting better and better at being blind and getting used to it. He is being taught how to walk correctly with a guide dog. He is starting to get a little mad though at himself, because he can’t do many things right. He tries not to give up but it is a struggle for him. 

 

3rd Journal

Discussion Starter:

 

Adversary: 

  • For my adversity it is getting over his girlfriend leaving him and starting moving on talking to another girl.
  • He can pop his fake eye out. The adversity for this is that he can’t see what the person he likes looks like. It would be hard for both of them to get to know each other because they are both blind. 

 

Word Watcher:

  •  Dramatize- exaggerate the seriousness or importance of
  • ingenuity- the quality of being clever, original, and inventive

 

Journal entry:

This chapter really shows how much he has learned through hand signals and other things with his friends. It shows how much he has overcome his blindness and gotten used to it. He has tried wrestling and he has gotten really good at it. 

 

4th Journal

Journal entry:

The adversity in this part of the book is him being blind and still wanting to climb the mountain. His friend, Ryan, has heart problems while climbing up Mount Mckinley and has to go back down the mountain. He decides to keep going with his other friend Jeff and they reach the top. He feels really ecstatic about this and it influences many people around the world. 

 

Word Watcher: 

  • Crampon: Metal spikes attached to the bottom of shoes to help you from not slipping 

 

5th Journal

Adversity – I would say him climbing the mountain as good as he did was really showing adversity most people who aren’t blind could not climb it like him. It is also encouraging people who are blind and who aren’t to do the same thing. 

 

Word Watcher- 

Rooting- cheering with joy in celebration or for someone

Slog- work hard over a period of time 

 

Discussion questions- Do you think that you would have the patience to climb the mountain being blind?

 

Discussion question – Do you think you would have to have to have patience while being blind? Just in his everyday life, do you think that he needs patience?

 

Journal entry:

I think that him being blind really taught him a lesson of life. Him being blind taught him to be closer to God and with his family and life. Him reaching the top of Mount Everest really taught others that disabilities don’t have to stop you from your dreams. 

 

Songs 

Let it go by Idena Menzel 

This song talks about adversity because she is overcoming her powers and letting them go because she is scared of what they can do. 

 

Skyscraper by Demi Lovato 

This song talks about how she is being made fun of for who she is. So she is going to stand tall and strong like a skyscraper. 

 

Shake it off by Taylor Swift 

People are telling her the things she does wrong. But she is shaking it off not worrying about it. 

 

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor 

He is trying to keep his dreams alive. He is rising up to the challenge of his rivals. 

 

God only Knows by For King and Country 

God only knows what you are struggling through, but he will help you. He will help you overcome your fears. 

 

Survivor by Destiny’s child 

She’s tired of being mistreated by her boyfriend. She is now a survivor of being alone without him. 

 

Hall of Fame by The Script

This is pretty obvious but this is about overcoming different things to become great in your own hall of fame. 

 

Roar by Katy Perry

She was too afraid to mess up and tell others her opinion. In the song she gets back up even when they push her down. She becomes stronger and confident in herself. 

 

Go the Distance by Michael Boltan

This is about being able to make it, trying your hardest to reach your goal. 

 

Lose Yourself by Eminem 

This song talks about someone being very nervous. He has to overcome this and just be himself and do it. 

 

Memoir 

When I was in 7th grade at Lux middle school, I remember always dealing with great depression and anxiety. It was mostly because I was always getting bullied. I really hated this. Every night I would come home so depressed and I had a feeling of hopelessness. That’s when I decided to pray to God for him to help me decide what to do. The answer I got was kind of a painful situation that he really wanted me to turn to him about. I remember I was in the lunchroom and this mean kid was teasing me and threw ketchup all over my pants. It was really embarrassing. I went over to get napkins while everyone at the table was laughing, and I wiped my shorts off. At that moment it felt like I was on a stage with everyone laughing at me, which they were! I was so embarrassed for the rest of the day as people would walk behind me and laugh at the stain on my shorts. I knew that after this day I couldn’t stand it any more and it gave me the courage to do something hard. That was my call from God, to go to Lincoln Lutheran. I first shadowed at Lincoln Lutheran and I really liked it there. It was super fun and everyone was so nice. That’s when I decided to go there next year. But some of the kids at my school found out and tried to make it the worst rest of the year for me as humanly possible. I was super eager to get to Lincoln Lutheran. Throughout the summer it got better and better leading up to the day that I would go to Lincoln Lutheran. But I was also nervous because I only knew a couple people from church and confirmation. But that is when I decided to get the guts to try a soccer summer camp which really helped with my friends. But when the day came around it wasn’t that bad and it was easier than I thought. It hasn’t always been that easy though. There have been some bumps along the way, however I would still make the same decision because I feel like it was God’s plan for me.