Jacob Kasten
AP Lang
Daniels
Processed Argumentative Paper
A product of our daily lives, adversity’s effects are immeasurable. It is the effects of this perpetual struggle with adversity on which Horace asserts his philosophical interpretation. Horace affirms, within his quotation detailing adversity, that “adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” Horace claims that adversity elicits talent, an accurate, yet incomplete assertion that adversity catalyzes the complex process of learning, resulting in developed skills and knowledge. Horace’s claim, however, is incomplete because he describes “talents” as the only effect of adversity, when in reality the effects of adversity are
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Because he was exposed to such a traumatic event at such a young age through Geraldine, Joe matures very quickly within the novel. Although maturity is often associated with many positive traits like responsibility and wisdom, Joe is not yet old enough to handle his rapid maturing, leading him to take on far more responsibility than he is capable of handling. Within the novel, Joe tries to bear the weight of Geraldine’s rape on his own in an attempt to help her. Joe feels that killing Linden Lark is his responsibility, saying “I would not have to lie about the ammunition or practice to do what someone had to do. And quickly, before my mother figured out her version of stopping him. There was no one else who could do it.” (Erdrich 261). Joe tries to relieve his mother of her burdens, which he believes can be done by killing Linden Lark. Joe feels that he is capable of handling this responsibility, when in reality he is far too young to handle the maturity that he attempts to take on. It is for this reason that Joe makes the irresponsible decision to kill Linden Lark, one that he should not have made. Due to his newfound ‘maturity,’ Joe also believes that he is capable of handling things that are normally only for adults. Within the novel, Joe and Cappy, both of whom are not of legal age to drink alcohol or to drive, decide to drive to Montana to visit Cappy’s