Luck Or Opportunity Essay Essay Example

Luck Or Opportunity Essay Paper Oprah Winfrey, Luck Or Opportunity Assignment: Carefully read the following quote from Oprah Winfrey: Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. What do you think the speaker was trying to say about the notions of luck and opportunity? Do you agree or disagree with the speaker? In a well-developed essay, discuss what you think this quote means and whether you agree with it or not. Use specific examples from your studies, personal experience, and/or observations to support your interpretation. Oprah Winfrey once said, â€Å"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity†. This can be interpreted as meaning that luck is more than just random chance, or being at the right place at the right time, but that it involves being ready and taking active steps to get to that right place at that right time. Many people make statements such as â€Å"I am lucky to be alive†, â€Å"I am so lucky I won†, and â€Å"I’m just not lucky† and truly believe that luck is something that is beyond their influence or control. They do not think that any amount of preparation would improve their luck since it is just a random event. Some believe that it is a supernatural force similar to a deity that does as it pleases with no method or reason behind its actions and that we are subject to its whim and desires. I disagree with those schools of thought and find my personal opinion in agreement with Ms. Winfrey’s statement. We will write a custom essay sample on Luck Or Opportunity Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Luck Or Opportunity Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Luck Or Opportunity Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Merriam-Webster defines luck in many different ways, but two definitions caught my attention were: â€Å"the things that happen to a person because of chance† and â€Å"success in doing or getting something†. When people hear the word luck, they often think of the former definition. Good examples of this definition in action would be a person playing poker and a person betting on a horse race. In both scenarios, though the players and gamblers do have the opportunity to achieve victory, it is completely determined by factors that are beyond their control. The poker player may have a very good hand of cards and the gambler may have bet on the favorite horse that has won numerous races in the past, but this is not enough to guarantee that they will win as another player might have a better hand or bluff them out of the game and the famed prize-winning horse may suffer an unexpected injury during the race. I do not believe that this common definition of luck is the one tha t Ms. Winfrey had in mind when she made her statement. If the word luck was replaced with that definition in her statement, it would not make much logical sense: the things that happen to a person because of chance [are] a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. Chance, by definition, means â€Å"the way that events happen when they are not planned or controlled by people†. If the chance is not planned or controlled, then it cannot be something influenced by preparation. In my opinion, Ms. Winfrey was referring to the second definition â€Å"success in doing or getting something†. When we substitute the word luck with this definition, the statement is logically valid: success in doing or getting something is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. I believe this is a true statement. Although there is a certain degree of chance still involved (hence the idea of â€Å"meeting opportunity†), taking a proactive role is key and has a positive effect on your chances of achieving success. A good example to illustrate this point is a person seeking a job. If they sit at home and do nothing, then their lack of success is almost guaranteed: since they are neither prepared nor seeking an opportunity, none will come. However, if they take the time to create a detailed resume and cover letter, post their resume online, apply to jobs that fit their level of experience and research the companies they are applying to, practice interview questions, dress appropriately for their interview, and speak confidently and clearly at the interview, they will make themselves a good candidate to a hiring manager. Although their success is not completely guaranteed, they will increase their opportunity, which Merriam-Webster defines as â€Å"a good chance for advancement or progress†. In conclusion, if we want to better understand the meaning of a statement, we need to analyze the person who made it. Oprah Winfrey is an African American woman who grew up in extreme poverty and hardship, experienced many cases of abuse and setbacks, yet still overcame those circumstances to become one of the wealthiest and influential people in the world. Many people say that she is lucky: lucky to be alive, lucky to have overcome, lucky to be rich and famous. Without knowing much else about her, they would assume that her â€Å"luck† was due to random chance, but she is very vocal in expressing her opinions on hard work and achieving success. I would like to close with another statement that she made which coincides with and demonstrates her position on personal responsibility and action: â€Å"What I learned at a very early age was that I was responsible for my life. And as I became more spiritually conscious, I learned that we all are responsible for ourselves, that you create your own reality by the way you think and therefore act. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because you are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything.† (O Magazine, January 2007).

Topics For A Research Paper By Gender

Topics For A Research Paper By GenderTopics for the research paper by gender should include specific information about the population and the aspects of the history, culture, and social history that are relevant to this particular group. These topics can include anything from the U.S. government to the history of mothers. In order to really understand these topics, it is important to gather the data, analyze the data, and come up with the best possible conclusions.It is also important to have a way to record the data, so that specific demographic facts about the group can be reported. A research paper should not only talk about issues and figures, but it should also include in-depth analysis of the information gathered. This makes the data more reliable and verifiable.It is important to have a way to record the data as well, so that there is no confusion or misinterpretation of the data in the future. A lot of time is spent researching facts and finding the most accurate data availab le. After the data has been collected, it needs to be arranged so that it can be properly interpreted and analyzed.Statistics are very important to a research paper, because it is the backbone of the argument. There is no doubt that statistics will help make a particular argument, but statistics cannot truly be used to prove or disprove a point. Statistics should provide examples of the subject matter as well as examine what other areas can be expanded upon and how they relate to the results.It is not important to have a specific number of citations or number of publications as long as there is the proof that these numbers were indeed based on research. Also, proper and thorough research is extremely important to a research paper. All of the research should have an objective and analyze the issues in a logical way.Each subject in a research paper has it's own level of importance. One can even include everything in a research paper, and then include other information to show the diff erence between the two. The goal is to prove or disprove a point.As long as the specific topic has been researched, examined, and proven with statistics, then the research should be presented in the research paper. It is important to remember that statistics can not prove or disprove a point. Instead, statistics can give a researcher an objective observation of a situation.The topic for a research paper should be researched thoroughly and carefully. The issues should be properly researched before they are presented in the research paper. Statistics will help ensure the validity of the research paper, but the research itself should be based on facts and evidence, and not on hearsay.

Historical Research Paper Topics

Historical Research Paper TopicsIt is always good to consider historical research paper topics. In this article, I will describe some of the things that you can include in your paper.These are the most common historical research paper topics, and of course, the ones that have been used by historians for decades. Let's start with one:History of Greece - Are you going to tell your audience about famous people and events from the period from antiquity to today? Perhaps, a famous king or a beloved president? How do you go about doing it?You can also mention events from the Roman Empire, China and other periods in classical history. What matters most is that you understand your audience very well. Take time to be familiar with what they want to know. You can usually do this by using the method of inter-textual citations.Inter-textual citations are when you make references to a work in another one of the same class. For example, you can quote a statement in a book and cite a certain passag e in a textbook. This technique is widely used by historians to refer to ancient authors that may not have had the same names as their real-life counterparts.Sources in a history paper is another useful technique. It means that you quote another source, and then you give a brief description of that source.One of the most important and most used methods of historical research paper topics is the historical method. That is, you use a combination of actual records (such as ancient texts and local newspaper articles) with data from computer technology (such as indexes and other internet resources). Some examples are:Now that you have a list of historical research paper topics, you can start thinking about how to incorporate them into your own paper. There are lots of different formats for historical research papers.

Writing the Name of a Newspaper in an Essay - Using Online Dictionaries

Writing the Name of a Newspaper in an Essay - Using Online DictionariesYou've been tasked with writing the name of a newspaper in an essay for a high school English class. The assignment was very simple, you just had to write the first letter of the alphabet and spell it as you would do for most normal everyday words. The only added challenge was to come up with the name of a newspaper by the time you get to the last letter.Most people would end up doing the entire assignment, but I can't help but feel it's unfair to those who haven't taken any writing courses. Perhaps they will feel the same way when they get home and read the essay and realize they've failed their assignment. But there is a solution and I'm about to reveal it to you.Instead of looking for the name of a newspaper in an essay, use one of the many internet sites that has a dictionary, one which they have conveniently compiled for us. Some of these sites even have a learning mode. Take advantage of that.What does it me an? It means that instead of using a dictionary or thesaurus to research your topic, you can now search through a dictionary or thesaurus. These websites often have flash versions of the dictionary or thesaurus, so when you're working on your essay, you can use it instead of spending the entire day doing the search from the keyboard.The point is that while you may not be able to use the words from a dictionary, you can still get the correct meaning of the words by using the online dictionary. If you have a lot of free time, you can even print out the definitions of the word you're using in your essay.Writing for the long term, this is a great way to give your essay a fresh feel. Instead of writing for students, the online dictionary would be just as effective for writers. However, it doesn't mean you'll be writing for anyone, even if you're trying to convince someone to buy the newspaper.If you're going to use this method, make sure you start early enough for the dictionary to have all the new words. A good name of a newspaper in an essay for high school should come before the date and they would be available for you by Friday. Use that as your deadline.