Adversity puts people in difficult or unpleasant situations that can create very strong emotions that can help or harm. When people face adversity, it is considered a challenge and whether or not they overcome that challenge is personal. However, regardless of whether adversity helps or harms, it is beneficial because it provides a challenge to overcome that builds character. I believe it is true for the entire human race that when something pushes you down, you look to find a way out. We always do our best to overcome adversity and this can make us stronger. In many cases, the workers many of us pay to clean and cook face adversity from the start. As young children growing up with very little, it's hard to break out of the mentality that you will continue the life you live even after many years of hard work that deserves so much more than you think. Our housekeepers, security personnel and drivers all face adversity and it pushes them to go out every day and strive to achieve a better position in life. The lack of good wages and living standards is a great adversity that makes the working class some of the most hardworking and driven people I know. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Maya faces adversity because she is a black woman living in a segregated America. Where white men rule the world and control power, the constant losses indicated that "it was [his] people who were falling." It was another lynching, yet another black man hung from a tree. Another woman ambushed and raped. . . . It could be the end of the world” (135) for them. White people put down black people because of their history. Maya is supposed to take low paying jobs and take the difficult path of life...... middle of paper ...... y to overcome it but to understand your adversity. All these people took advantage of their adversity and it helped them grow and seek something better and a solution to their problem. Works Cited "Clint Dempsey's Nacogdoches education led to the American dream - SI.com." 2010. February 3, 2014 "The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger - Reviews, discussion..." 2007. February 3, 2014 "Holden Caulfield: Giving voice to the generations: NPR." 2008. February 3, 2014 "SoccerAmerica - The diverse soccer of Clint Dempsey's childhood..." 2013. February 3. 2014