Joan of Arc's Life and Accomplishments

“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying (Brainy).” Joan of Arc was a woman of wisdom; such is seen by this quote. Joan knew that a life without inspiration and personal beliefs was not a life at all. Joan’s strong beliefs lead to her heroic role in French history.
In 1412, Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romée had a daughter named Jeanne d’Arc. This daughter is most commonly known as Joan of Arc (Paine, 2). Joan lived the very simple childhood of a peasant in France. Joan could not read nor write, but she was a good worker in the fields, and she could sew and spin well. She prayed more often than other children, but she did typical things as well, like playing with her friends. Joan would often play near a tree that was associated with witchcraft because it grew near a ‘magical’ spring (Hilliam, 14).
Joan was like every other girl until her teenage years. When she was sixteen, a young man in her town wanted to marry her, but, to everyone’s surprise, Joan refused his proposal. The reason Joan did not want to get married was a very important secret she had been keeping ever since she was thirteen- Joan had been hearing voices and having visions of saints (16).
The three saints Joan was visited by were St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret. These saints told Joan to follow God’s orders, and do everything they said (16-17). One of the important commands the saints gave Joan was to leave her home and begin her mission. The English had taken over most of France during the 100 Year War, and Joan was to free her country (18).
Her first step was to speak to Robert de Bauricort and ask for his help with her mi...

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... disowned her saints, but she did not change her beliefs no matter what. Joan of Arc was not only a hero, but an example of what regular people can do to become extraordinary. If you embrace your beliefs, you can do anything.

Works Cited

Paine, Albert. “The Girl in White Armor.” The Macmillan Company. New York. © 1927. Print. (Paine)
“The Many Faces of Joan of Arc.” USA Today. July 2007: 48+. Student Resources in context. Web. 22 Jan. 2014 (USA)
“Infoplease Article.” Joan of Arc Capture and Martyrdom. Fact Monster. 28 Jan. 2014
(Monster)
Hilliam, David. Joan of Arc: Heroine of France. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2005. Print. (Hilliam)
"Joan of Arc." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2014. 24 February 2014.