Macklemore struggled with drug and alcohol addiction from a young age but has now been sober for 5 years. His music addressing issues like addiction and gay rights has been an inspiration to many. Oprah overcame poverty, teenage pregnancy, and the death of her infant son to become the highest rated talk show host and one of the most influential women in the world. Gabrielle Giffords had to relearn basic skills like walking and talking after being shot in the head, but is determined to return to public service.

1. Argument of Judgment:
Overcoming Obstacles

2. Macklemore
Ben Haggerty (Macklemore) is an American
rapper/musician. From a young age, Haggerty
struggled with addictions. Up until 2008, he
was so addicted to oxycontin, cough syrup,
marijuana, and alcohol that he had to move
back home with his parents at the age of 25.
He states he was “hopeless, desperate, I
thought I was finished.” He admits to hitting
rock bottom numerous times, getting clean,
and relapsing; however, since being clean for
the past 5 years, he has sold more than 2.2
million copies of his self-released single “Thrift
Shop.” His album The Heist reached #2 on the
U.S. Billboard chart. Through his music,
Macklemore addresses issues such as
addiction and gay rights. His music and lyrics
are said to be an inspiration to many.

3. Oprah
Born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a
teenage single mother, Oprah Winfrey
experienced considerable hardship during her
childhood. She was raped at age 9 and became
pregnant at 14; her son died in infancy. At age
19, Winfrey landed a job co-anchoring the
local evening news. After numerous
promotions and successful Chicago shows, she
launched her own production company and
became internationally recognized. “The
Oprah Winfrey Show” was the highest-rated
program of its kind from 1986-2011. Winfrey
has been ranked the richest African-American
of the 20th century, the greatest black
philanthropist in American history, and the
most influential woman in the world. She is
often praised for overcoming adversity to
become an inspiration to others.

4. Gabrielle Giffords
Giffords is an American politician. She has held
various positions: Democratic member of the
U.S. House of Representatives, member of the
Arizona Senate, and member of the Arizona
House of Representatives. On January 8, 2011,
Giffords was a victim of an assassination
attempt near Tucson where she was meeting
publicly with Arizona citizens. She was
critically injured by a gunshot wound to the
head. Giffords was faced with the tremendous
task of re-learning to walk, speak, read, and
write. On January 22, 2012, Giffords
announced that she would be resigning from
her political position to concentrate on
recovering, but she promised to return to
public service in the future.

5. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato is an actress and singer-
songwriter, with her first album going gold
and her second topping the charts. In 2010,
Lovato’s personal struggles forced her to take
a break from her acting/singing career. After
attending a rehabilitation center, Lovato
acknowledged having suffered from bulimia,
self-injury, and "self-medicating" with drugs
and alcohol, which she stated was "like a lot
of teens do to numb their pain.” Lovato added
that she had "basically had a nervous
breakdown” and was diagnosed with bipolar
disorder during treatment. Since rehab,
Lovato has released a third album which
addresses several of her difficulties. She has
also served as a judge on The X Factor and is a
contributing editor for Seventeen magazine,
where she discusses her personal struggles in
an attempt to help teenage girls.

6. Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius is a South African athlete that
competed in the London Olympics. At birth, he
was diagnosed with fibulas. At only 11 months
old, Pistorius’s legs were amputated just below
the knees. With prosthetics, he badly wanted
to compete on the world’s largest stage for an
athlete—the Olympics. However, many felt
that Pistorius had an advantage because of his
bionic legs; thus, he was banned from
competing. Through legal advise, he proved
that his prosthetics gave him no advantage
over other runners. Just three weeks before
the 2012 Olympics, Pistorius qualified for the
team. Though he did not medal, many say that
his ability to compete is more inspiration than
any medal could provide. On February 14,
2013, Pistorius was charged with the murder
of his girlfriend, whom he had fatally shot at
his home. The case has been postponed to
August 2013.

7. 50 Cent
An American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor, Curtis
Jackson (50 Cent) was born in Queens, New York to a
single 15-year-old mother. After his mother died
when he was just 8-years-old, Jackson began drug
dealing. He was arrested at school and sent to a
boot camp. He then left drug dealing to pursue a rap
career. In 2000, Jackson was shot at and struck by
nine bullets during an incident. After recovering, he
was discovered by Eminem and signed to a record
deal. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre, 50 Cent
became one of the world’s highest selling rappers
and founded his own record label, G-Unit Records, in
2003. Throughout his career, 50 Cent has engaged in
feuds with other rappers such as Ja Rule, Rick Ross,
The Game, and Young Buck. In addition to rapping,
Jackson has appeared in several movies, including
the semi-autobiographical Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Jackson has been ranked as Billboard’s #1 rap artist
of the 2000s and continues to record albums today.

8. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was an American entrepreneur and
inventor; he is considered to be a pioneer of the
personal computer revolution. While working for
Apple in 1985, disappointing sales and his erratic
behavior (such as meetings lasting until midnight
and beginning again at 6:00 a.m.), caused him to be
fired by the company. Angry, disappointed, and
frustrated, Jobs founded a new computer program,
NeXT. With this company’s newfound success, Jobs
was asked to return to Apple in 1996. He became
CEO in 1998, overseeing the development of the
iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. In 2011, Apple
was declared the world’s most valuable company.
20 years after being let go, Jobs stated that being
fired from Apple was the best thing that could have
happened to him. “It freed me to enter one of the
most creative periods of my life, and none of this
would have happened if I hadn’t been fired.” In
2003, Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. He battled
the disease, which caused him to resign from Apple
in August 2011, until his death on October 5, 2011.
Jobs has been described as “The Father of the
Digital Revolution”, a “master of innovation”, and
simply a “visionary”.

9. Bruce Irvin
A native of Atlanta, Bruce Irvin dropped out of high
school midway through his junior year once his
academics prevented him from playing football. His
mother kicked him out of her home, and Irvin
began moving from one friend’s house to another.
During this time, Irvin was arrested and
incarcerated on charges relating to burglary and
drugs. Just as his life was spiraling downward, Irvin
met Chad Allen, a former football player, who
helped him get his life back on track. After earning
his GED and attending junior college, Irvin was
selected in Round 1 of the 2012 NFL draft; the
Seattle Seahawks drafted the 24-year-old to play
outside linebacker. Since playing in the NFL, Irvin
has suffered some setbacks, being charged with
destruction of property and disorderly conduct.
Despite this, he signed a 4-year $9.34 million
contract. He will be suspended for the first 4 games
of 2013 due to violating the NFL’s performance-
enhancing substances policy.

10. Lauren Murphy
Early April 19, 2013, 25-year-old Lauren was
running in LA and was hit by a car while
crossing the street. She was admitted to
Cedars-Sinai hospital in extremely critical
condition. A portion of her skull and brain
were removed to save her life and allow for
swelling and Lauren’s body was unresponsive,
essentially in a coma. Today, two months later,
Lauren has been transferred to a rehab facility
in Chicago. Through the support of her
doctors, parents, 6 siblings, and thousands of
supporters, over $100,000 has been raised for
her family. Lauren herself has progressed to be
able to walk, pull herself up out of bed, and
give occasional audible responses. Though she
has yet to be able to fully speak, she is making
constant progress and her family hopes that it
will continue.

11. Cinderella
Cinderella is the much-loved only child of a widowed
rich aristocrat. Deciding that his daughter needs a
mother’s care, Cinderella’s father marries a woman
with 2 daughters from a previous marriage.
Unattractive and awkward, the stepsisters are bitterly
jealous of the beautiful and charming Cinderella.
After the death of Cinderella’s father, the step-
mother and step-sisters begin to abuse and mistreat
Cinderella, forcing her into servitude in her own
home. Despite this, Cinderella grows to be a kind,
gentle woman and befriends animals living in and
around the home. When the entire town is invited to
a ball for Prince Charming, Cinderella is forced to
remain behind while her step-family attends. At the
point of giving up, Cinderella is assisted by her Fairy
Godmother, attends the ball, and falls in love with
the Prince. Despite the numerous hurdles placed
between Prince Charming and Cinderella, the two
end up marrying and living happily ever after.

12. CRITERIA OF A PERSON WHO HAS
SUCCESSFULLY OVERCOME OBSTACLES
• Uses experience to help others
• Doesn’t give up
• Self-motivated
• Hard work
• Good person

13. DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON WHO HAS
SUCCESSFULLY OVERCOME OBSTACLES