04.08 Closing It Down argumentative essay.
Introduction, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion about Hard work vs natural talent. Write about how Hard work is the key to success and would be more successful rather than to be born with talent.


Writing Prompt
There are people who are born with talent. They can make a goal, paint a masterpiece, or play an instrument with little to no practice. Others work hard their entire lives to become really good at something. Some believe that natural talent will take you a long way. Opponents believe that hard work is the key to success, no matter how much talent someone has.

Write an essay in which you take a position on whether hard work or talent results in greater success. Use the information presented in the texts provided to support your points. Make sure to include information from each passage in your essay.

Passage 1: Putting in the Work
by Mario Washburn
Surely you've heard of the underdog. They're the opponent that the world assumes has little to no chance of winning. At times, you may find yourself rooting for them more than the superstar. Why? Their success is unexpected and may remind you that to some extent, we are capable of anything (with some practice).

When you think of basketball greats, who comes to mind? Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Nikola Jokic, or Giannis Antetokounmpo? These MVPs have most likely never been considered an underdog. Their innate talent for the sport is obvious. Yes, they practice and put in the time, but they have a knack for the game. In a sport where the average player stands 6'6" tall, the chances of a 5'6" player making it to the NBA seems pretty slim unless you're Spud Webb. Webb saw basketball as his motivation to work his family out of poverty in Texas. He put in years of practice and hard work, but at 5'3" he was still considered too short to play on his middle school basketball team. It was only after two players failed to turn in the proper paperwork that he earned a spot. He scored 23 points in his first game had the ability to dunk, which kept him as a successful starter on the team through high school.

After an impressive high school basketball career, Spud Webb had no college offers. The reason? His size. He went on to play his first year at a junior college near his home in Texas, where he led his team to win the national championship. He was set to transfer to a larger school the next year, but the coach was fired and Webb's dreams were crushed. Fortunately, the fired coach arranged for a friend to watch Webb in a workout and a summer league game. The coach was so impressed with Spud's focus and determination that he offered him a spot on the NC State basketball team that year on a full scholarship. Spud didn't let the team down. With his 42" vertical jump (which only 1% of the population is capable of), the dunks kept coming. Many doubted that Webb would be drafted due to his size, but again, his hard work proved that size is no barrier. In 1985, he was drafted in the 4th round. He went on to beat out several talented veteran players to earn starting spots for the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic. He had an impressive twelve season career. What was his secret to success? Practice. Spud said he missed thousands of dunk attempts before successfully conquering the rim .

Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, said, "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." This is a fitting statement from a man who patented almost 1,100 inventions in his lifetime. Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, failed 10,000 times before actually inventing a lightbulb that worked. It was his grit and perseverance that pushed him to never give up.

Edison went partially deaf as a child due to repeated illnesses. Because schooling was based on listening and reciting information at that time, a teacher told Thomas and his mother that he wasn't cut out for school. His mother decided to homeschool him, and Edison turned to reading to foster his imagination. He once said that he read the entire Detroit Public Library from top to bottom. He eventually began working on the railroads, and then as an apprentice telegrapher. His experience led him to work on a machine that would decode signals to letters, and he eventually moved to New York City to pursue his invention ambition. Most of his inventions revolved around his deafness, including the phonograph. He went on to invent the first motion picture camera, among other notable creations. He also started 14 companies, including General Electric and the first movie studio. Failure never veered him off course; instead, it pushed him to work harder to achieve his dreams. Thomas Edison was still inventing late into his 80s.