The Best 11 Books on Prussian History

About Richard Morris Hunt, Architect of the Biltmore

American architect Richard Morris Hunt (born October 31, 1827 in Brattleboro, Vermont) became famous for designing elaborate homes for the very wealthy. He worked on many different types of buildings, however, including libraries, civic buildings, apartment buildings, and art museums—providing the same elegant architecture for Americas growing middle class as he was designing for Americas nouveau riche. Within the architecture community, Hunt is credited with making architecture a profession by being a founding father of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Early Years Richard Morris Hunt was born into a wealthy and prominent New England family. His grandfather had been Lieutenant Governor and a founding father of Vermont, and his father, Jonathan Hunt, was a United States Congressman. A decade after his fathers 1832 death, the Hunts moved to Europe for an extended stay. The young Hunt traveled throughout Europe and studied for a time in Geneva, Switzerland. Hunts older brother, William Morris Hunt, also studied in Europe and became a well-known portrait painter after returning to New England. The trajectory of the younger Hunts life changed in 1846 when he became the first American to study at the esteemed École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Hunt graduated from the school of fine arts and stayed on to become an assistant at the École in 1854. Under the mentorship of French architect Hector Lefuel, Richard Morris Hunt remained in Paris to work on expanding the great Louvre museum. Professional Years When Hunt returned to the United States in 1855, he settled in New York, confident in introducing the country to what he had learned in France and had seen throughout his worldly travels. The 19th century mix of styles and ideas he brought to America is sometimes call  Renaissance Revival, an expression of excitement for reviving historic forms. Hunt incorporated Western European designs, including the French Beaux Arts, into his own works. One of his first commissions in 1858 wasthe Tenth Street Studio Building at 51 West 10th Street in the area of New York City known as Greenwich Village. The design for artists studios grouped around a skylighted communal gallery space was apropos to the buildings function but thought to be too specific to be repurposed in the 20th century; the historic structure was torn down in 1956. New York City was Hunts laboratory for new American architecture. In 1870 he built Stuyvesant Apartments, one of the first French-style, Mansard-roofed apartment houses for the American middle class. He experimented with cast-iron facades in the 1874 Roosevelt Building at 480 Broadway. The 1875 New York Tribune Building was not only one of the first NYC skyscrapers but also one of the first commercial buildings to use elevators. If all of these iconic buildings are not enough, Hunt also was called upon to design the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty, finished in 1886. Gilded Age Dwellings Hunts first Newport, Rhode Island residence was wooden and more sedate than the stone Newport mansions yet to be built. Taking chalet detailings from his time in Switzerland and the half-timbering he observed in his European travels, Hunt developed a modern Gothic or Gothic Revival home for John and Jane Griswold in 1864. Hunts design of the Griswold House became known as Stick Style. Today the Griswold House is the Newport Art Museum. The 19th century was a time in American history when many businessmen became rich, amassed huge fortunes, and built opulent mansions gilt with gold.   Several architects, including Richard Morris Hunt, became known as Gilded Age architects for designing palatial homes with lavish interiors. Working with artists and craftspeople, Hunt designed lavish interiors with paintings, sculptures, murals, and interior architectural details modeled after those found in European castles and palaces. His most famous grand mansions were for the Vanderbilts, sons of William Henry Vanderbilt and the grandsons of Cornelius Vanderbilt, known as the Commodore. Marble House (1892) In 1883 Hunt completed a New York City mansion called the Petite Chateau for William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849-1920) and his wife Alva. Hunt brought France to Fifth Avenue in New York City in an architectural expression that became known as Chà ¢teauesque. Their summer cottage in Newport, Rhode Island was a short hop from New York. Designed in a more Beaux Arts style, Marble House was designed as a temple and remains one of Americas grand mansions. The Breakers (1893-1895) Not to be outdone by his brother, Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843-1899) hired Richard Morris Hunt to replace a run-down wooden Newport structure with what became known as the Breakers. With its massive Corinthian columns, the solid-stone Breakers is supported with steel trusses and is as fire-resistant as possible for its day. Resembling a 16th-century Italian seaside palace, the mansion incorporates Beaux Arts and Victorian elements, including gilt cornices, rare marble, wedding cake painted ceilings, and prominent chimneys. Hunt modeled the Great Hall after the Renaissance-era Italian palazzos he encountered in Turin and Genoa, yet the Breakers is one of the first private residences to have electric lights and a private elevator. Architect Richard Morris Hunt gave Breakers Mansion grand spaces for entertaining. The mansion has a 45-foot high central Great Hall, arcades, many levels, and a covered, central courtyard. Many of the rooms and other architectural elements, decorations in French and Italian styles, were designed and constructed simultaneously and then shipped to the U.S.to be reassembled in the house. Hunt called this way of building a Critical Path Method, which allowed the complicated mansion to be completed in 27 months. Biltmore Estate (1889-1895) George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862-1914) hired Richard Morris Hunt to build the most elegant and largest private residence in America. In the hills of Asheville, North Carolina, Biltmore Estate is Americas 250-room French Renaissance chateau—a symbol of both the industrial wealth of the Vanderbilt family and the culmination of Richard Morris Hunts training as an architect. The estate is a dynamic example of   formal elegance surrounded by natural landscaping—Frederick Law Olmsted, known as the father of landscape architecture, designed the grounds. At the end of their careers, Hunt and Olmsted together designed not only Biltmore Estates but also nearby Biltmore Village, a community to house the many servants and caretakers employed by the Vanderbilts. Both the estate and the village are open to the public, and most people concur that the experience is not to be missed. The Dean of American Architecture Hunt was instrumental in establishing architecture as a profession in the U.S. He is often called the Dean of American architecture. Based on his own studies at École des Beaux-Arts, Hunt advocated the notion that American architects should be formally trained in history and the fine arts. He started the first American studio for architect training—right in his own studio as the Tenth Street Studio Building in New York City. Most importantly, Richard Morris Hunt helped found the American Institute of Architects in 1857 and served as the professional organizations president from 1888 until 1891. He was a mentor to two titans of American architecture, Philadelphia architect Frank Furness (1839-1912) and New York City-born George B. Post (1837-1913). Later in life, even after designing the Statue of Libertys pedestal, Hunt continued to design high-profile civic projects. Hunt was the architect of two buildings at the United States Military Academy at West Point, the 1893 Gymnasium and an 1895 academic building. Some say Hunts overall masterpiece, however, may have been the 1893 Columbian Exposition Administration Building, for a worlds fair whose buildings are long since gone from Jackson Park in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of his death on July 31, 1895 in Newport, Rhode Island, Hunt was working on the entrance to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Art and architecture were in Hunts blood. Sources Richard Morris Hunt by Paul R. Baker, Master Builders, Wiley, 1985, pp. 88-91The Tenth Street Studio Building and a Walk to the Hudson River by Teri Tynes, August 29, 2009 at walkingoffthebigapple.blogspot.com/2009/08/tenth-street-studio-building-and-walk.html [accessed August 20, 2017]The History of Griswold House, Newport Art Museum [accessed August 20, 2017]The Breakers, National Historic Landmark Nomination, The Preservation Society of Newport County, February 22, 1994 [accessed August 16, 2017]

Black Death Cause and Effect - 3189 Words

NAME COURSE PROFESSOR DATE The Causes and Effects of The Black Death The Bubonic Plague or the Black Death has been in the history books since the medieval times. This deadly disease has claimed nearly 1.5 million lives in Europe (Gottfried). The Black Death hit Europe in October of 1347 and quickly spread through most of Europe by the end of 1349 and continued on to Scandinavia and Russia in the 1350s. Not only did the plague effect the European population by killing one-third to two-thirds (Gottfried), it also hurt the social and economic structures of every European society. How it spread The Black Death actually first appeared in the Himalayan region around 1250 AD. There are several theories as to how the disease made its way to†¦show more content†¦Almost all who contracted either the pneumonic or septicemic plague died from the infection (Boeckl). Causes of the Black Death The causes of the Black Death – the flea, the rat, and the bacillus Yersinia pestis– have been labeled the â€Å"unholy trinity† (Boeckl). The flea is able to live in environmental conditions of about 74 ° Fahrenheit and 60% humidity (Ibid). Before the Black Death reached Europe, they were experiencing those same types of weather conditions. The rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis and the human flea, Pulex irritans, are both capable of transmitting plague (Boeckl). Sometimes, an infected flea cannot ingest blood because Yersinia pestis obstructs its digestive tract. The blockage causes a flea to regurgitate into a bitten host rather than ingest the host’s blood, thereby infecting the host with plague (Boeckl). Unable to eat, the famished flea will bite with more frequency, accelerating the spread of plague. A flea can be carrying Yersinia pestis without it blocking the flea’s digestive tract, in which case the flea does not transmit plague when it bites a host. Also, Yersinia pestis can only enter a victim through a bite, as the bacilli cannot pass through intact skin (Gottfried). Social Changes The disease took a major toll on the population of Europe but as it wiped out communities it also caused changes in the social structure of European society. Europe was run by a feudalShow MoreRelatedCauses And Effects Of The Black Death775 Words   |  4 PagesThe Black Death was the most dangerous and contagious widespread disease in history. The Black Death lasted from 1347 to 1351 spreading across Europe killing millions. This is classified as the longest disease that still hasnt had a proper cure for. The disease originated in China and spread across trade routes by interaction and communication. Rodents and Fleas caused the disease by a simple bite to a human even animals causing them to have numerous symptoms which led to death. The Black Death hadRead MoreCause And Effects Of The Black Death1165 Words   |  5 PagesThe Black Death was one of the most devastating worldwide diseases in human history. The plague originated in central Asia and was brought to China by traders a nd Mongols from 1334-1347. Mongol protection of the trade may have caused the disease to spread along the â€Å"Silk Road† to Crimea. During a Mongol siege against Caffa in 1347, the Mongolian army began to die. The Mongols catapulted the dead bodies into the city where the fleas on the corpses were released into Caffa. In the year 1347, OctoberRead MoreCauses And Effects Of The Black Death1010 Words   |  5 Pages The Black Death was a catastrophic plague that struck Europe in the mid 14th century. This plague killed between 30 and 50% of the population in the places it struck leading many to believe this had been a punishment from God. The drop in population caused by the black death left excess wealth which would lead to changes in the social hierarchy and European society in general. The black death caused a severe drop in population and devastated the land leaving excess wealth for thoseRead MoreThe Black Death Pandemic967 Words   |  4 Pages The Black Death: A Murderous Pandemic that Led Life to How it is Today The Black Death, a horrible pandemic plague that spread through all of Europe, taking 25,000,000 people along with it. In 1347, a mysterious pandemic appeared in the city-states of Italy just as Europe was recovering from famine. The Epidemic did not end until 1351 partly due to the belief of the people that this plague was spread through the air and was gods way of punishing them for their sins. Although this plague killedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Ministers Black Veil By Nathaniel Hawthorne1398 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship] to his sister, Elizabeth.† (85) His early literary vocation forced him to face numerous economic problems, as his works did not give him enough to live. He wrote plenty of novels and short stories like â€Å"The Minster’s Black Veil†. Focusing on â€Å"The Minister s Black Veil,† it is a horror story by Hawthorne, published in 1837. This short story has an interesting meaning, impacting the way people think about morals and religio n, which can be classified as negative for some individuals, especiallyRead MoreThe Deadly Black Death Plague Of Europe1054 Words   |  5 Pages Background Information  The deadly Black Death plague of Europe arrived in 1346 A.D. , during the middle ages from the Middle East as commonly thought and was also known by other names such as â€Å"the pestilence .â€Å" The infectious deadly bacteria moved rapidly within Europe accounting for approximately 50% of mortality while disseminating northward along major trade routes of ships, lasting until the early 1350’s (Ross, 2015). The plague presented before traditional existenceRead MoreBlack Death Dbq1206 Words   |  5 Pagestheir fair share of disagreements, one being their responses to the Black Death. The religion, demography, and interactions all contributed to the differentiation of Muslim and Christian reactions. Christians thought that the Black Death was sent from God as a punishment and blamed the Jews, while Muslims considered it a blessing and did not accuse any minority of initiating the outbreak. The entire reason that the Black Death even spread in the first place was because of interactions. Trade wasRead MoreThe Plague Of The Bubonic Plague825 Words   |  4 PagesThe Plague Discussion Questions The Black Death was an epizootic bubonic plague, a disease caused by the bacterium of rodents known as Yersinia pestis. The bubonic plague overwhelming effects of European history. The Black Death was considered one of the most â€Å"devastating pandemics† in human history. Whom Did the Black Death Affect The Black death affected mostly Europe. â€Å"The disastrous mortal disease known as the Black Death spread across Europe in the years 1346-53.† (Paragraph 1) â€Å"By the endRead MoreThe Unstoppable Virus of the Black Plague663 Words   |  3 PagesThe Black Plague started in 1347 CE and ended in 1351 CE. Europe declined dramatically by the spreading of an unstoppable virus sent from central Asia. As the virus spread through towns, villages, and across countries, dead bodies of the victims caught by the virus started to pile and gather. As more bodies began to pileup, they were dumped into pits. (Wilson 438) There were many effects of the Black Plague in Europe. The three most important effects of the Black Plague was 1/3 to 1/2 of theRead MoreNorman F. Cantor s The Black Plague978 Words   |  4 Pagesdeal with the medieval period. In the beginning of this book, Cantor begins to describe how the black plague began and the symptoms of the black plague. The black plague was also known as the Black Death. Many have their own thoughts about how the plague started, but Cantor explains his thoughts throughout the first section of this book. According to Cantor, the plague started from a tiny flea. The black plague is thought to have started in Asia and spread through trade. Shipyards were filthy during

Shakespeares Hamlet Essay Who is Gertrude - 1691 Words

Hamlet –Who is Gertrude? This essay intends to explore Gertrude’s situation in the play in an attempt to answer many questions about her, the queen, wife of Claudius and former wife of his deceased brother, King Hamlet. Back in 1883 Samuel Taylor Coleridge in Lectures and Notes on Shakspere and Other English Poets comments on what he interprets as a problem or inconsistency in the presentation of the character Gertrude in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet: Ham. A bloody deed;- almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king, and marry with his brother. Queen. As kill a king? I confess that Shakspere has left the character of the Queen in an unpleasant perplexity. Was she, or was†¦show more content†¦Gertrude would be hurt even more if she were to overhear Hamlet’s first soliloquy, which expresses anger at the quickness of his mother’s marriage and its incestuousness: â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman! . . . .† Mary Bradford-Whiting, in her article â€Å"Mothers in Shakespeare† compares the mother of Juliet to the mother of Hamlet: Juliet has a mother, to whose heart of stone she appeals in vain: . . . O, sweet my mother, cast me not away! [Romeo and Juliet, III.v.198] Hamlet has a mother, each remembrance of whom is a pang to his distressed mind, and of whose conduct he can only say: Let me not think on’t. Frailty, thy name is woman! [Hamlet, I.ii.146] (251) When the ghost talks privately to Hamlet, the prince learns not only about the murder of his father, but also about the unfaithfulness and adultery of his mother. Gertrude was seduced by â€Å"that incestuous, that adulterate beast, / With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts† – Claudius himself – prior to his brother’s passing. â€Å"So lust, though to a radiant angel linkd, / Will sate itself in a celestial bed,/And prey on garbage.† This revelation shows Gertrude’s complex temperament and motivation and renders her much more rounded in the dramatist’s development of her (Abrams 33). The ghost asks the protagonist toShow MoreRelatedComparison Of Ophelia And Hamlet By William Shakespeare1382 Words   |  6 Pagesportrayed and meant the two major female characters to be (Ophilia and Gertrude), and an example of the interactions between Ophelia and Hamlet, as they were very consistent throughout the story, and are an interestin g but very easy display of societal norms at that time. After the fallout of my previous essay I tried to stay as far away from using resources to avoid anything else from happening. So almost all the ideas in this essay are mine. Articles I ended up using were from spark notes, shmoopRead MoreHamlet and Play Essay1048 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet Essay The act of revenge never fails to accomplish Shakespeare’s goal of keeping the audience in their seats. Hamlet, William Shakespeare’s most well written play carries the theme of revenge or redemption throughout the play. Redemption is defined to be as the desire to undo an injury or a wrongdoing. Many characters felt that they needed to redeem themselves however in doing so, they ended up facing death. For some characters, revenge had sprouted from their urges to redeem themselvesRead MorePolonius Mistakes Essay1742 Words   |  7 PagesPolonius Mistakes Polonius Mistakes There are many parents who are too strict and do not let their children do things that might embarrass them. Other times a parent may use their child to do certain things in order to gain social prestige. Polonius demonstrates a similar type of behavior in Shakespeares Hamlet. Polonius is a domestic tyrant wreaking on his son and his daughter revenge for his own spoiled life (Bloom 111) and is an elderly and longwinded courtier and chief counselorRead MoreThe Media And Creation Of The Works Of Shakespeare s Hamlet1041 Words   |  5 Pages1599 and 1601, Shakespeare’s Hamlet is still globally studied and analyzed today. Along with personal reflections and countless interpretations of the piece, thousands of pieces of artwork have been created based on the play. To me, the three pieces that most accurately depict the ideas and events within the play are Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard’s Hamlet and His Mother Seeing His Father s Ghost, Paul Albert Steck’s Ophelia, an d Benjamin West’s Ophelia and Laertes. In the following essay, I will be describingRead More Women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesWomen in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. In this essay I will look at Hamlets perception of women in general but particularly Gertrude and Ophelia. I will also look at the historical presentation of women, comparing Hamlets time to today and seeing if the symbolic role that the females characters have is related to the period. Also I will look at Hamlets madness, whether it was real or not and also whether women could be the cause of it. Finally I willRead MoreSimilarities Between Hamlet And The Lion King1535 Words   |  7 Pages Hamlet and The Lion King The Shakespeare’s critical analysis William Shakespeare Hamlet is a play that is written about tragedy in the late middle ages. On the other hand, Lion king is a today’s compelling Disney movie that kids and adults both love to watch. In addition, both films partake a lot of similarities since Lion King was inspired by Hamlet. The lion king and the hamlet have the same plots but different outcomes. Hamlet can serve as a metaphor for lion king and the long-termRead MoreHamlets Loss of Faith1323 Words   |  6 PagesThere comes a time in one’s life when he loses faith in his beliefs or in his relationships. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, murders Hamlet’s father to inherit the crown of Denmark and the love of Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Throughout the play there are six soliloquies that reveal the character of Hamlet and others. In more than any other Shakespearean play, the audience is painted a better picture of Hamlet’s mind. Shakespeare questio ns the social and Christian institutionsRead MoreThe Complexity Of Vessity Insanity In William Shakespeares Hamlet1016 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare, who wrote different genres of play, such as comedy, tragedy, and histories. One of his famous tragedies play is Hamlet, which based on Prince Hamlet’s revengeful plan against his uncle, King Claudius. However, some critics question Hamlet’s insanity and they believe Hamlet is actually pretending to be insane. The purpose of this essay is to examine the extent to which the character, Hamlet, is insane. Despite different critics’ opinions regarding Hamlet’s insanity, it seems Hamlet is notRead MoreGender Construction And Patriarchal Power Structure Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1402 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are various issues regarding gender construction and how women are portrayed in the play. The women of the play have zero to no power and control over situa tions and are often viewed as weak and incapable. The idea of power and control over women is widely shown through Ophelia’s character, who does not get to choose how her future will play out and who she will spend it with. This thoroughly connects to the Oedipus complex in the play as Gertrude’s sexualityRead More The Role of Women in Hamlet in William Shakespeares Play Essay2041 Words   |  9 PagesThe Role of Women in Hamlet in William Shakespeares Play Gertrude and Ophelia, the only two women in Hamlet, reflect the general status of women in Elizabethan Times. Women were suppressed by the males in their lives (brothers, fathers, and partners) and were always inferior. Ophelia and Gertrude have little or no power due to restricted legal, social and economic rights that were found in Elizabethan society. The male characters in Hamlet reflect this sexist view point

Retention Strategy free essay sample

Wally should notice that if turnover rate still increasing, this is threat to Wally’s company and it will fail to expand his strategies even will facing bankrupt in the future. Some argue that sometimes the employee turnover is good for weed out the lower level talent, but generally employee turnover is associated with cost (Anonymous 2008). Studies have shown that turnover rates can carry a price tag across the United States of $25 billion annually, with the cost of hiring and training an hourly worker at 300 to 700 times the worker’s hourly wage (Mckeown 2010). According to recent study, in every industry, companies face the challenge of retaining the talent (Siegfried 2008). Retention strategy is a challenge to organization and is the critical to the long-term growth and success of the business (Siegfried 2008). Retaining key talent and keeping productivity high will surely help the organization to succeed and get back into growth mode. Retention strategy is critically important for Wally to retain his employee to stay and work for him. Furthermore, the major issues in Wally’s case will be analysed and identify the major issues in the Wally’s case. This essay will focus on how to reduce the turnover rate in Wally’s company and give recommendations to solve those weaknesses to retain the employee stay. Identification of major issues According to a Society for Human Resource Management survey, the top three reasons why employees leave their organization are because they want better compensation and more benefits, they are dissatisfied with their potential career development, and the last, which they are ready for new experiences. In contrast, most general studies show that working conditions, development opportunities and recognition are all large contributors to employee retention. (Anonymous 2008) In the Wally’s case, the salary for the attendant’s job is the major issue. Attendants, which is a car washes worker and also responsible for maintenance and repair work on the machinery. In addition, attendants also needs to provide customer services by asking customer if they have any requests and try to fulfills all their needs. However, attendants start at a base pay of $12 per hour with small automatic raises at a month and one year. In the case, most of complaints from attendants are salary is not competitive relative to other full-services car washes or many other entry-level jobs in the area. Remuneration is pay and benefit that received by the individuals for their contribution to the company (Stone 2008). In the Wally’s company, pay is not relative even that all attendants must share equally in a customer tip pool but not according to their performance on the job. Better compensation or remuneration from another competitor has make the Wally lost the talent in his company. Most of the attendants willing resign their current job and go for the higher paid and better compensation than Wally’s company. Others than salary, the Wally’s company also gives the lack of appreciation, recognition, and reward to their employees. Reward need to give according to the employee’s performance but not just according to their ranking. Since the salaries is low, and Wally still provide little welfare to his employees. This disappointed the employees and lost the trust to Wally for did not provide anything welfare and leave then go for another company. People leave the managers more often than they leave the organization (Shilling n. d). Most of employees will leave the irresponsible managers and go for another good conditional workplace. In the Wally’s company, attendants receive brief training from manager before start working and most of the training from manager is hit or miss. Furthermore, manager also provide no feedback or coaching from attendants complaints, this may be disappointed the attendants. Wally also did not give any feedback according to his evaluation of the manager’s performance. So, the manager also will not know their performance, and do not how to improve their performance in the working place. Feedback is especially important in developing and retaining new hires as the effective feedback can helps them understand what they are doing and builds the confidence and helps them to improve their performance (Branham 2005). Exit interview is very important to help organization to ascertain the reasons why people are choosing to move on (Lanigan 2008). Exit interviews with departing employees are to provide valuable information that can use to retain remaining staff (Holbeche 2003). Wally did not conduct any exit interview when the employees leave the company. The information was left by the employee always be forthcoming with information for fear of leaving on a bad note. Most of the complaints from the attendants are unreliable and Wally simply believes this without do any further investigation. Possible solution The greatest retention challenge is not how to reduce turnover. Rather, it is how to create such a deep, unified commitment to the organizational vision that employees will be reluctant to server that bond (McCampbell, Stinchcomb and Leip 2009). Patricia, Schuster and Dertien state that: â€Å" Fast-growth companies have chosen an integrated view of total compensation and total rewards. They focus on career growth, including career opportunities for all employees, career acceleration for key talent, and technical career-tracks and skill-pay programs.

Who and Why I Am free essay sample

This is going to be hard to write. I don’t mean I’ll have trouble with the grammar or spelling, or with the composition. I know what I’m going to write and how it’s going to look. The only problem is that this subject is painful to write about. The experiences that have made me who I am are painful ones. While I’ve become grateful for them, they still make me cringe. I’m writing about them because it’s the only way you’ll know who I am and why I am who I am. This will truly explain it all. It’s just not always going to be pleasant. I was diagnosed with cancer at the end of seventh grade, when I was twelve years old. â€Å"Stage IV Neuorblastoma,† the doctors told me. I had never heard of it, and I didn’t want to find out. We will write a custom essay sample on Who and Why I Am or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But I did, and that was just the beginning. I received five doses of chemotherapy, landed in the Intensive Care Unit many times, had a 13-hour surgery, made it through a stem-cell transplant that very nearly killed me, endured months of boredom in the hospital, went through countless scans, started two experimental medicines, and became radioactive for a week. There are no words for how horrible, how trying, how agonizing this all was. There were many times when I felt like I could not do this. Thankfully, those moments would all pass. I would come to see that there were only two choices: living, or not. I wanted that first one. I wanted it for my family, who was always by my side, and I wanted it for my friends, who stuck by me. They had set up fundraisers for me, sent me letters, and came to visit. These people were putting so much effort into making me comfortable and getting me well that I absolutely could not disappoint them. I was going to get well. Plus, I wanted it for me. More than anything else I have ever wanted, I wanted life. So I did what I had to do. I kept at it all, and when I would hit another rough spot, I would cry, certainly, but then I’d remind myself what I was fighting for. I would get through it all. I believe now that I have gained more than I have lost. I have been given the privilege of finding out who I can always count on. I know what is most important to me. I learned how precious life is, and that everything on this earth is a gift from God. I am truly thankful for everything that comes my way, whether it is a quiet day at home, a chance to see friends, or a good grade on a test. I feel confident in myself, and even though physically I am not strong, I feel stronger in spirit now than I ever have. I know what it is that makes me â€Å"me† and I know that I can rise to any occasion.