Look
for a moment at the story about Laura in the introduction of Quiet.
She was a million miles out of her comfort zone when forced to handle a
case against a team of intimidating bankers and their cutthroat lawyer. For Laura, this situation was almost more
than she could handle. Finally, she
reached deep down inside herself and found her quiet strength. She got up the nerve to speak up and
succeeded in her efforts. She found the courage
inside to do what was required of her.
Ree,
in Winter’s Bone, is another example
of a quiet person who showed impressive courage. The very fact that she is so young, and
raising her younger siblings, takes more courage than most of us have. Beyond that, she puts herself in danger repeatedly,
trying desperately to find her father and keep her family safe. She attempts to join the army to provide for
her family. She even goes with the women
who beat her so violently knowing they may very well kill this time. She takes this risk because she has too if
she wants to find her father. You know
she is scared because she opens the door with a gun in her hand, but she sums
up every ounce of courage she can and goes to do what most of us never could.
In Harry
Potter and the Sorcerers’ Stone, Harry is another quiet person who shows
surprising courage many different times.
The most courageous time during his first year at Hogwarts is arguably the
time he defeated Voldemort in the secret chamber and recovered the sorcerers’
stone. This final act of courage he did
alone without the help of his friends who had been forced to turn back earlier. He saved the wizard world when other, more
boisterous wizards, could not.
The themes that you have picked out are spot on! The books that we have been reading have taken me on a journey into what it means to be a leader and the different places that they all come from. Again, Harry Potter is a character that I found myself identifying with more and more as the book went on. He had such a responsibility to shoulder and he didn't even know it. The books we have read are definitely changing my outlook on what each personality type is capable of.
ReplyDeleteI also have quite enjoyed reading about each of these unique characters and how they become heroes of sorts. Every character with their different personalities teaches us how anyone can step up and be a problem solver. Everybody has something to teach us, we just have to be willing to see what that something is.
ReplyDeleteI believe that some people have quiet courage because they are too afraid to achieve certain things because of what others may think of them. Everyone has something special about them that others don't, but not everyone can express it the same way. I believe that it may take the right pep talk to motivate them to step outside their comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you pointed out how we went from a book on introverts, to dealing with people who at first seem introverted but throughout the book begin to blossom. Ron was not someone who many would consider courageous, but when the time came to it he was able to always have Harry's back. These types of characters are very inspiring since many of those who never thought they could change the world eventually did due to some perseverance.
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