Overcoming hardship / The 3 part paragraph

This post is about identifying the parts of a paragraph and composing one of our own, the subject is related to overcoming hardship, difficulties and obstacles in general.

First we have a paragraph given by the teacher to identify the 3 parts of a paragraph, the topic sentence, the supporting sentences and the closing sentence.

Hellen Keller said; “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.” This can be seen all around us. Many people have faced great obstacles in their lives but have found ways to overcome and actually benefit from these obstacles. For example, Greg Barton, the 1984, 1988, and 1992 U.S Olympic medalist in kayaking, was born with a serious disability. He had club feet, his toes pointed inward, and as a result, he could not walk easily. Even after a series of operations, he still had limited mobility. Even so, Greg was never defeated. First, he taught himself to walk, and even to run .Then, he competed on his high school running team. He knew, though, he would never become an Olympic runner, so he looked for other sports that he could play. Happily, he discovered kayaking, a perfect sport for him because it required minimal leg and foot muscles. Using his upper body strength, he was able to master the sport. Finally, after many years of training and perseverance, Greg made the 1984 Olympic team. He says of his accomplishments, “Each step of the road has been made easier by looking just as far as necessary – yet not beyond that.” In short, even though that road was paved with obstacles, he was able to overcome them and achieve the impossible

TOPIC SENTENCE

“Hellen Keller said; “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.” This can be seen all around us. Many people have faced great obstacles in their lives but have found ways to overcome and actually benefit from these obstacles.”

SUPPORTING SENTENCES

Developing details

What is (was) the person famous for?

He had limited mobility. But even so, he taught himself to walk, and even to run and finally, after many years of training and perseverance he made the Olympic team and became an Olympic medalist in kayaking.

What did this person achieve?

He was an Olympic athlete and medalist despite having a physical disability

What did this person have to overcome? How did he or she overcome them?

He had club feet, his toes pointed inward, and as a result, he could not walk easily. Even after a series of operations, he still had limited mobility. And as a result could never be an Olympic runner

To overcome it he discovered kayaking, a perfect sport for him because it required minimal leg and foot muscles. Using his upper body strength, he was able to master the sport. And after many years of training and perseverance he became an Olympic athlete.

What personal characteristics helped this person overcome his or her obstacles?

His perseverance and willpower

CONCLUDING SENTENCE

“In short, even though that road was paved with obstacles, he was able to overcome them and achieve the impossible”

Also here's a biographical paragraph I composed on my own

Matthew Stepanek , suffered from a hereditary disease called dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy. He was an American poet and advocate, who had six books of poetry and one book of essays all reach The New York Times bestsellers list. He became a well-respected peace advocate and motivational speaker. First of all, Stepanek started writing poems at the age of 3, and published 5 books in his short lifetime .In addition before he passed away in June 2004, he had written thousands of poems, dozens of essays and short stories, and presented a bound anthology of his writing to the Library of Congress. He received many awards for his writing, including the Melinda A. Lawrence International Book Award in 1999 for “Most Inspirational Work.” Furthermore, despite his muscular dystrophy he was a bestselling author before the age of 14. Last of all, he also became the Muscular Dystrophy Association National Goodwill Ambassador, due to his national high profile because of his poetry and related appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, and Good Morning America. He was a very optimistic, intelligent and outgoing person who wanted to share with the world his vision of life as a gift and how it should always be celebrated.

“. . .we must remember to play after every storm and to celebrate the gift of life as we have it, or else life becomes a task, rather than a gift. We must always listen to the song in our heart, and share that song with others.”- Matthew Stepanek