Eleanor Roosevelt.

Essay by HomeworksucksJunior High, 8th grade September 2005

download word file, 4 pages 5.0

When a person is named after somebody who has contributed a lot to the world and has many positive character traits, I believe that their family and the person around them will surely have high expectations for them. They will expect this person to have the same qualities and persona that their namesake possessed. But sometimes a person cannot live up to these standards. Maybe other people will understand, but maybe others will not. Some will judge and criticize this person for not achieving as high a level of greatness as their namesake. Having a namesake is definitely very important. You can be named after someone that did do a lot of wonderful things and you are proud to carry their name. But it can also very hard to bear such an admired and respected name. Trying to be successful and live up to expectations is a part of life.

But accomplishing this goal only depends on the person and their surroundings, not just on their name.

I myself do not have a namesake, but my name does mean heroine, so I will talk about one of my personal heroines, Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt made many contributions to her family, her community, her country, and the entire world, in general. Her parents, Elliott and Anna Hall Roosevelt, were members of socially prominent families, and she was a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. Unfortunately, she had a horrible childhood. Her mother treated Eleanor unfairly and harshly. She had a close and adoring relationship with her father, but he was banished from the family because of his alcoholism. Her parents died when she was young, and she was raised strictly by her Grandmother Hall. Her childhood and adolescent experiences left her with a deep sense of insecurity and inadequacy and a craving...