Greatness In Surviving The Applewhites

1046 Words3 Pages

"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." -Shakespeare Over the course of the book, Surviving the Applewhites, by Stephanie S. Tolan, Jake, a bad boy, achieved greatness with the help of the family he was living with, the Applewhites. Jake had burnt down his old school in Rhode Island and no other schools were willing to take him in, except the Applewhites. The Applewhites school is called the Creative Academy, which is run by the Applewhite adults. The children can learn or work on any project they want, and they are very unorganized. Jake is the outcast there, though, because he smokes, cusses, and hates not having a TV or video games. It is extremely hard for him to adjust. Jake was inspired to be great because of threats, opinions of his actions, and discovering his passion. First, Jake wanted to become great because …show more content…

Threats made him great because they made him think about what he was going to do with his life if he did not behave, and his future didn't look so bright. Also, others not reacting when he misbehaved made Jake a greater person because he just wanted attention and when he didn't get it he stopped. Finally, discovering his passion made Jake great because it gave him joy and he started to relate to others and want to also give them happiness. To summarize, Jake went through a lot, his parents were in jail, he moved in with a new family, and was threatened to be locked up. Jake's life was an emotional roller coaster, and he could have sat around feeling sorry for himself. But instead, he helped the Applewhites, worked hard and tried to please others. He realized that he could change his future. He stepped up to the challenge and made a difference in his life. Jake became

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