The Power of One Essay “The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability you may have previously demonstrated.” In the book The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay it begins with a young boy named Peekay. Peekay had a rough childhood. His parents sent him off to a boarding school where he was constantly bullied and tormented for two years. Peekay was the smallest kid there and didn’t know how to stand up for himself. But after he left the boarding school, he was introduced to boxing and his life turned for the better. Past events can shape someone's activities and attitude in life as the reader can see it in Peekay. Early childhood events shaped Peekay’s activities later on in his life. …show more content…
Constantly being picked on resulted in an attitude of hopelessness and insecurity. The bullying in his childhood caused him to have a negative attitude toward life. It would be hard to be positive when he had no family or friends in his life and a school where people treated him like garbage. But as soon as he became a boxer he became popular among his classmates: With some forty kids of my own age I was now undisputed leader, a situation I must confess I found to my liking. Being somebody after being nobody for so long was a heady experience but I also found it, on occasion, a bit onerous. Fights had to be settled, bullying stopped and the small kids set straight when they did things wrong. (Courtnay 175) After learning how to box, Peekay became popular. He beat the bullies at school and now everyone looked up to him. This gave him the confidence he needed and his whole attitude on life had changed to a more positive approach. This is a good thing as he learned what it felt like to be at the other end of this situation early on in life. Finally having success in life built the confidence Peekay needed to change his attitude. This just goes to show how past events can set a person's attitude and change it later on in