13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

1.) The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
The thing that surprised me the most about the Wright Brothers was their lack of resources. Neither brother went to college, meaning their highest level of education was public high school. Also, they were reasonably poor, meaning it was more difficult for them to acquire the tools needed to experiment with flying. I most admired their dedication and work ethic. There were many trials involved in building the perfect aerial machine, including plenty of failures. This did not discourage Wilbur or Orville from trying over and over again. One thing that disappointed me was their lack of appreciation for their sister. Most people who have heard of the Wright brothers think that it was just them who accomplished flying for the first time when in reality their sister was a huge asset in their journey to discover flight as well. Both entrepreneurs encountered adversity and failure throughout their trials. Each time they left the ground they were risking their own lives. Even though this was the case, the Wright brothers insisted on continuously trying every day to fly.

2.) The perseverance displayed by the Wright brothers was their biggest competency. They were able to keep going even though everybody was telling them that they weren't going to achieve their goals. Being the first people to fly was obviously a huge accomplishment and one that was never expected to be done by poor high school graduates.

3.) One thing that confused me was how the author portrayed the Wright brother's emotions. As stated in many readings, the Wright brothers had very limited reactions and emotions throughout the process of them building an aircraft. They were calm individuals who were goal-oriented. However, McCullough brought them to life in a way to suggested that they may have had more emotions than I previously thought.

4.) The two questions I would ask would be "How did you guys avoid giving up after all the trials and adversity you experienced?" and "If you guys were to do it over again, would you have gone about it differently?"

5.) I think both entrepreneurs believe that hard work is necessary is most everything that one does. It is vital for completing difficult tasks and to make sure the easy ones are still done efficiently and effectively. I absolutely share their opinion and believe it is an important part of society.