You Can Do It!

      Everyone has their moments; you try so hard to achieve your goal, but soon all you want to do is give up. Thomas Paine understood this struggle when he experienced the Continental Army about to accept their defeat and succumb again to British rule. Paine's essay was the army's savior.  It was the dead of winter (Christmas Eve) and they had retreated to the banks of the Delaware River. General George Washington knew that they had to cross the river or ultimately lose the war. Paine had written an essay the day before titled "The Crisis", persuading and lifting the spirits of the soldiers. Every soldier was to read it aloud and take the message to heart. He reminded them of what they were fighting for, "-- our homes turned into barracks and bawdy-houses for Hessians and a future race to provide for whose fathers we shall doubt of.  Look at this picture and weep on it!--"(Paine 251).  The British were tyrannical rulers who didn't have the colonies best interest in mind.

     I can relate to the soldiers and their hardships. Just today in my soccer game we were two goals down and everyone was about to give up.  I decided to be like Thomas Paine and motivate my "soldiers".  I made a quick run down the field and flicked a shot in past the goalie's head. My teammates went wild, regaining some belief that we still had a chance to defeat our opponent. 

    It is natural to feel defeated, but Thomas Paine teaches us all to disregard the voice in our heads and keep pushing through.  We have to remember what we are fighting for because once we realize our purpose, our strength to conquer has no limits.