Also when a person we care for is confronted with a difficult circumstance our attitude can make a huge difference in the way they react to challenges. The difficult circumstances which we have or encounter can be lessened with the amount of effort we put in. The effort put into our attitude matters. In MacKinlay Kantor’s “A Man Who Had No Eyes,” two blind men: Parsons and Markwardt each had different efforts and attitudes towards life. Parsons carries a jaunty alpaca walking stick and is a “handsome figure with his immaculate gray suit. ” Even though Parsons lost his sight, he made a success of his life by selling insurance.
A few years ago “he had been little more than a skilled laborer; now he was successful, respected, admired. . . .” Parsons moved on with a positive attitude and made a success of his life. In contrast Markwardt’s dressed in a “shaggy” manor and wore a “greasy” coat. Markwardt gave up on his life, became a beggar, and (as his appearance, speech, and attitude show) pitied himself and made nothing of his life. He failed to put any effort into solving his problem and did not apply a positive attitude. Markwardt did not have a good attitude and did not put any effort to solve his situation, he became a failure and his life was miserable.
Milk is a sweet and nutritious drink which many people enjoy. But if we spill the milk, there is no reason to cry over it. No matter how much we cry, the lost milk can near be retrieved. In the illustration the little girl has a happy expression even though she has spilled her milk. Instead of crying or worrying she just added chocolate to her milk. She maintained a positive attitude and in the end she had something better than what she had before. Similarly in our lives mistakes and accidents do happen. The important thing is to always maintain a positive attitude and learn from our mistakes.
All the mistakes and accidents that happen to us are life lessons just like the spilt milk. We should remember that we only get one life time and we should make the best of it no matter what challenges come our way. Life would be very difficult not being able to do most daily functions. The memoir excerpt “My Left Foot” by Christy Brown, is an excellent example of a man who overcame his challenges. Christy was a man who would have been “mentally defective” all his life. When he was born, his mother was told that her child was “a very interesting but also hopeless case. ” She was told that there was no hope for her beloved child.
His mother never gave up hope. Over the years she strived to give Christy a normal childhood by treating him like any other child. One day Christy reached out with his left foot and took a piece of chalk and “made a wild sort of scribble with it on the slate. ” This is how his life changed as he continued to learn how to write with his foot. Through Christy’s mother’s actions plus his own positive attitude Christy ended up having an amazing and ideal life as an author, painter, and poet. Though most people pitied for being trapped in a crippled body, he was a great man in his own right.
Most people know people in their lives who seem to have a positive attitude no matter how difficult the circumstances. People can achieve great success by supporting and not pitying others who have challenging times. As individuals, we learn from our mistakes and can try to make the best of terrible situations. With a lot of effort, people can overcome small problems and prevent them from flourishing. Remez Sasson said, “With a positive attitude you see the bright side of life, become optimistic and expect the best to happen”. Keeping a positive attitude will bring more light into your life.