Argument of Judgment: Overcoming Obstacles

Macklemore Ben Haggerty (Macklemore) is an American rapper/musician. From a young age, Haggerty struggled with addictions. Up until 2008, he was so addicted to oxycontin, cough syrup, marijuana, and alcohol that he had to move back home with his parents at the age of 25. He states he was “hopeless, desperate, I thought I was finished.” He admits to hitting rock bottom numerous times, getting clean, and relapsing; however, since being clean for the past 5 years, he has sold more than 2.2 million copies of his self-released single “Thrift Shop.” His album The Heist reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard chart. Through his music, Macklemore addresses issues such as addiction and gay rights. His music and lyrics are said to be an inspiration to many.

Oprah Born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother, Oprah Winfrey experienced considerable hardship during her childhood. She was raped at age 9 and became pregnant at 14; her son died in infancy. At age 19, Winfrey landed a job co-anchoring the local evening news. After numerous promotions and successful Chicago shows, she launched her own production company and became internationally recognized. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was the highest-rated program of its kind from 1986-2011. Winfrey has been ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and the most influential woman in the world. She is often praised for overcoming adversity to become an inspiration to others.

Gabrielle Giffords Giffords is an American politician. She has held various positions: Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, member of the Arizona Senate, and member of the Arizona House of Representatives. On January 8, 2011, Giffords was a victim of an assassination attempt near Tucson where she was meeting publicly with Arizona citizens. She was critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head. Giffords was faced with the tremendous task of re-learning to walk, speak, read, and write. On January 22, 2012, Giffords announced that she would be resigning from her political position to concentrate on recovering, but she promised to return to public service in the future.

Demi Lovato Demi Lovato is an actress and singer-songwriter, with her first album going gold and her second topping the charts. In 2010, Lovato’s personal struggles forced her to take a break from her acting/singing career. After attending a rehabilitation center, Lovato acknowledged having suffered from bulimia, self-injury, and "self-medicating" with drugs and alcohol, which she stated was "like a lot of teens do to numb their pain.” Lovato added that she had "basically had a nervous breakdown” and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during treatment. Since rehab, Lovato has released a third album which addresses several of her difficulties. She has also served as a judge on The X Factor and is a contributing editor for Seventeen magazine, where she discusses her personal struggles in an attempt to help teenage girls.

Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius is a South African athlete that competed in the London Olympics. At birth, he was diagnosed with fibulas. At only 11 months old, Pistorius’s legs were amputated just below the knees. With prosthetics, he badly wanted to compete on the world’s largest stage for an athlete—the Olympics. However, many felt that Pistorius had an advantage because of his bionic legs; thus, he was banned from competing. Through legal advise, he proved that his prosthetics gave him no advantage over other runners. Just three weeks before the 2012 Olympics, Pistorius qualified for the team. Though he did not medal, many say that his ability to compete is more inspiration than any medal could provide. On February 14, 2013, Pistorius was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, whom he had fatally shot at his home. The case has been postponed to August 2013.

50 Cent An American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor, Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) was born in Queens, New York to a single 15-year-old mother. After his mother died when he was just 8-years-old, Jackson began drug dealing. He was arrested at school and sent to a boot camp. He then left drug dealing to pursue a rap career. In 2000, Jackson was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident. After recovering, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to a record deal. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre, 50 Cent became one of the world’s highest selling rappers and founded his own record label, G-Unit Records, in 2003. Throughout his career, 50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers such as Ja Rule, Rick Ross, The Game, and Young Buck. In addition to rapping, Jackson has appeared in several movies, including the semi-autobiographical Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Jackson has been ranked as Billboard’s #1 rap artist of the 2000s and continues to record albums today.

Steve Jobs Steve Jobs was an American entrepreneur and inventor; he is considered to be a pioneer of the personal computer revolution. While working for Apple in 1985, disappointing sales and his erratic behavior (such as meetings lasting until midnight and beginning again at 6:00 a.m.), caused him to be fired by the company. Angry, disappointed, and frustrated, Jobs founded a new computer program, NeXT. With this company’s newfound success, Jobs was asked to return to Apple in 1996. He became CEO in 1998, overseeing the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. In 2011, Apple was declared the world’s most valuable company. 20 years after being let go, Jobs stated that being fired from Apple was the best thing that could have happened to him. “It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life, and none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired.” In 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. He battled the disease, which caused him to resign from Apple in August 2011, until his death on October 5, 2011. Jobs has been described as “The Father of the Digital Revolution”, a “master of innovation”, and simply a “visionary”.

Bruce Irvin A native of Atlanta, Bruce Irvin dropped out of high school midway through his junior year once his academics prevented him from playing football. His mother kicked him out of her home, and Irvin began moving from one friend’s house to another. During this time, Irvin was arrested and incarcerated on charges relating to burglary and drugs. Just as his life was spiraling downward, Irvin met Chad Allen, a former football player, who helped him get his life back on track. After earning his GED and attending junior college, Irvin was selected in Round 1 of the 2012 NFL draft; the Seattle Seahawks drafted the 24-year-old to play outside linebacker. Since playing in the NFL, Irvin has suffered some setbacks, being charged with destruction of property and disorderly conduct. Despite this, he signed a 4-year $9.34 million contract. He will be suspended for the first 4 games of 2013 due to violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy.

Lauren Murphy Early April 19, 2013, 25-year-old Lauren was running in LA and was hit by a car while crossing the street. She was admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital in extremely critical condition. A portion of her skull and brain were removed to save her life and allow for swelling and Lauren’s body was unresponsive, essentially in a coma. Today, two months later, Lauren has been transferred to a rehab facility in Chicago. Through the support of her doctors, parents, 6 siblings, and thousands of supporters, over $100,000 has been raised for her family. Lauren herself has progressed to be able to walk, pull herself up out of bed, and give occasional audible responses. Though she has yet to be able to fully speak, she is making constant progress and her family hopes that it will continue.

Cinderella Cinderella is the much-loved only child of a widowed rich aristocrat. Deciding that his daughter needs a mother’s care, Cinderella’s father marries a woman with 2 daughters from a previous marriage. Unattractive and awkward, the stepsisters are bitterly jealous of the beautiful and charming Cinderella. After the death of Cinderella’s father, the step-mother and step-sisters begin to abuse and mistreat Cinderella, forcing her into servitude in her own home. Despite this, Cinderella grows to be a kind, gentle woman and befriends animals living in and around the home. When the entire town is invited to a ball for Prince Charming, Cinderella is forced to remain behind while her step-family attends. At the point of giving up, Cinderella is assisted by her Fairy Godmother, attends the ball, and falls in love with the Prince. Despite the numerous hurdles placed between Prince Charming and Cinderella, the two end up marrying and living happily ever after.

CRITERIA OF A PERSON WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY OVERCOME OBSTACLES

• Uses experience to help others • Doesn’t give up • Self-motivated • Hard work • Good person

DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY OVERCOME OBSTACLES