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Blind Courage 1
Unit 3 Project: Crossing the Threshold
Dawn Poirier
Kaplan University
CM107
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Blind Courage 2
Blind Courage
An act of valor, displaying bravery, finding strength,
navigating the storms of ones life,
taking a risk - these are all common examples of courage. They,
along with many other notable
feats, helped to shape and define courage as we understand it
today. However, Justin Poirier
demonstrated courage in a manner that truly dares to re-define
courage. A decision made in such
a way that it begins to change the nature or basic qualities of
courage, in positive way, no less, is
a rarity. Justin is that rarity and his courage holds
inspirational power that will stimulate the core
of even the greatest of muses.
If you were to turn on the Virginia local news on the evening of
February 4th
, 2001,
chances are you would hear the tragic story of a high speed car
crash involving two young men,
both active duty Navy. Aired statewide, the news reporter stated
that the driver sustained minor
injuries and that the passenger, Justin Poirier, was touch and
go after resuscitation, requiring life
support and was not expected to survive beyond the short life
flight to the hospital. Justin was
thrown through the windshield at 120mph and his lifeless body
(minus his right tibia, which was
found 20 foot feet away on the highway) was found mangled and
wrapped around the guardrail.
Fast forward 4 months and Justin has just awoken from his coma.
His family is by his side and
they try to inform him of what has happened and where he is,
although to him, the words sound
like babble, the faces are unfamiliar and his mind isempty. He
has no memories except for a
few faint ones from when he was a child. After a few days of
working with a language specialist,
his vocabulary and comprehension has improved to the level of
second grader at most. He is then
Comment [b1]: Excellent introductio
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Blind Courage 3
able to understand what happened, somewhat. He has suffered a
severe traumatic brain injury
(TBI) as a result of the impact from the wreck and the brief
time he was without oxygen to his
brain. He also underwent 40 hours of reconstructive orthopedic
surgery to try and to repair as
much as possible. He vaguely starts to remember his mother and
father, although he is not able
to recognize their faces just yet. It is at this point that the
Doctors doctors inform both Justin and
his family that he may never recover his memories, nor the
cognitive function and abilities
needed for independent living. His lower extremities were so
severely injured that this, along
with the effects of his TBI, may also prevent him from being
able to regain full functionality of
his legs. He will remain in the hospital for approximately a
year, during which he will be
undergoing complete rehabilitation, mentally and physically, as
well as emotionally. This was
Justins threshold. His critical decision to acknowledge it,
accept the challenge and to cross the
threshold with diligence and determination to do his best is a
courageous act. However, what
happened next is the stuff that heroic tales are made of.
During his year of recovery, Justin defeated and conquered one
obstacle after another.
For every doubt the doctors had, he gave them proof. For every
No he was told, he responded
with Yes, I can.. The man that doctors assumed would not walk
again, would be limited to the
cognitive level of a teen at most, would be incapable of
independent living, would not be able to
continue his college course and would surely never marry and
reproduce, that man, persevered.
He eventually recovered most of his memories, regained FULL use
of his legs, eventually earned
his Bachelors degree in Industrial Safety Management from one of
the most respected
universities in Texas and he married. He is currently raising
two beautiful children with his wife,
Dawn. He is teaching her each and every day the value of life,
patience and hope and testifying
to the strength one person can have when they rely on God to
guide them. Justin fought. He
Comment [b2]: I see what youre tryi
staying in the present tense, but it gets a
around here. It might be easier to tell the
story in past tense.
Comment [b3]: Great transition.
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Blind Courage 4
battled in the face of impossible odds and put forth every ounce
of strength he could muster. He
somehow managed to find a grain of hope buried within the
hopelessness of his circumstances
and he drew courage from it. The courage to walk, blind folded,
into the unknown darkness lying
ahead of him. Unwavering, he stood at the pit of probable
failure and chose still to leap from the
precipice and across the gap to a place of safety, where you
will find him thriving today.
Through all of this, Justin has begun to mold, form and breathe
life into a new kind of courage.
Excellent work, Dawn! This is a riveting essay. Good sentence
structure variation and word
choice. My only critique is to pay attention to verb tense. It
gets a little awkward when you try to
stay in the present tense throughout but at times must use a
different tense to really describe what
youre talking about. 70/70
A (63-70 points) Project has a clear appropriate main point
orthesis.
Definition of courage is specific and theexample demonstrating
courage is well-
chosen.
Analysis of how the threshold is crossed isclear and
thoughtful.
Paragraphs are well-developed and useappropriate details that
are relevant to thethesis.
The Project is clearly organized, with abeginning, middle and
end, along witheffective transition devices.
Grammar and mechanics are correct overall,with minor errors.
Sentence structure is effective, includingsentence variety and
complexity.
Project demonstrates original thought.
Formatted: Highlight
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Project meets length requirements.
Project is in correct APA format.
B (56-62.99 points) Project has a clear main point or
thesis.
Definition of courage is clear and the exampledemonstrating
courage is effective.
Analysis of how the threshold is crossed isclear and
effective.
Paragraphs are general well developed anddetails are
appropriate.
Project is organized with a clear beginning,middle and end,
along with appropriate
transitions.
Includes some errors in grammar andmechanics that do not
interfere with meaning.
Sentence structure is clear and includes somesentence
variety.
Project demonstrates original thought.
Project meets length requirements.
Project is appropriately formatted, althoughsome minor errors in
APA format may bepresent.
C (49-55.99 points) Project includes a main point or thesis
thatmay need clarification.
Courage is defined, but it may be general orthe analysis of how
the threshold is crossed isnot effectively addressed.
Paragraphs have some development, butmore specific details may
be needed or manydetails not relevant to the thesis may
beincluded.
May be missing some transitions.
Includes an accumulation of errors, includingsome that may
affect meaning.
Sentence structure is adequate but may notdemonstrate sentence
variety or complexity.
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Project demonstrates some original thought.
Project may only be two paragraphs be shortof the length
requirement.
An attempt at APA formatting is made, butseveral formatting
errors are present.
D (42-48.99 points)
F (0-41.99)
Project main point or thesis is unclear ormissing.
Courage may not be defined or analysis ofhow threshold is
crossed is missing or unclear.
Project is inadequately developed or includesmostly irrelevant
biographical information.
Organization is weak, with no clear beginningor end, and few if
any transitions.
Sentence structure is ineffective or unclear.
Multiple grammar and mechanical errors arepresent and affect
clarity and meaning.
Project may be only one paragraph or may beless than 200
words.
Project lacks originality and may instead relyon sources.
Very little attempt at APA formatting isdemonstrated.
Project may have no clear main point or thesisor may be a
general biography with irrelevantdetails.
Project may lack development or not definecourage or analyze how
the threshold iscrossed at all.
Project is lacking in organization or is
illogicallyorganized.
Sentence structure is consistently confusing orthe project
includes numerous major grammarerrors that affect meaning or
createincoherence.
Project may be plagiarized (an automatic zerograde will be
assigned)
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No attempt at APA formatting is demonstrated.
