The Power Of One [Assignment #2]

Last year In english class I was having a hard time figuring out what book I should read for my independant study unit. My mom decided to step in eventually and brought me this book called the Power Of One. Starting the book off I thought that I would be falling asleep through all 500 pages. But as soon as I opened up the book I was hooked.

The book is about is young boy named Peekay that is living in South Africa in the 1930's. He is very poor and loses his mother at an early age. He is sent to a boarding school for most of the book, where he is treated very horribly. The story basically follows Peekay as he grows up in this school, eventually becoming an amateur boxer, and so on.

This book hit me very hard because I was going through a tough time when I read this book. It amazed me that despite all his struggle Peekay never gave up in himself. He showed so much compassion to everyone around him, but still didn't completely rely on anyone else. He strived for what he dreamed of, and eventually made it. In the book Peekay's boxing coach says this to him.

'Always in life an idea starts small, it is only a sapling idea, but the vines
will come and they will try to choke your idea so it cannot grow and it will die
and you will never know you had a big idea, an idea so big it could have grown
thirty meters through the dark canopy of leaves and touched the face of the
sky.' He looked at me and continued. 'The vines are people who are afraid of
originality, of new thinking. Most people you encounter will be vines; when you
are a young plant they are very dangerous.' His piercing blue eyes looked into
mine.' Always listen to yourself, Peekay. It is better to be wrong than simply
to follow convention. If you are wrong, no matter, you have learned something
and you grow stronger. If you are right, you have taken another step toward a
fulfilling life.'

To me, its amazing how Bryce captures the way someone can feel at the very lowest but have nowhere to go but up. Whenever I read the book it reminds me that the only way to lose at the end of it all, is to give up.


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Prompt:
Do you think that you can do anything if you put your mind to it? If so, is there anything you read or listen to that helps you get into this mindset?