Faith and Man: A Literature Essay

In our history and our society we heard of stories of great men and women who pass through difficult times of their lives and were able to overcome and came up victorious. This made us to draw inspiration from them. People admired their courage and the strength they possess to surpass the tests in their lives. What could have driven this people to continue and press on with their lives? Is it because they are just extraordinary people that can do even impossible things or is it because of having a character full of faith? It is interesting to discover the role or relation of faith to man. Can man live without faith? What is faith and how do we explain it? Faith means believing that you have tremendous power to do exceptional things and to overcome hardships. Man plus his faith will guarantee that he will survive. Where is this faith really coming from? Inspiring Literature Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life illustrates an example of how a person with physical defects can raise above all her problems and became one of the respected lecturer and social activists of America. Helen Keller quoted that â€Å"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.† This word signifies that Helen Keller believed in the power of faith which is also related to optimism, hope and confidence. If people look at Helen Keller’s life it may seem impossible for her to make significant contributions in society as her deafness and blindness was a real challenge. But because of her insurmountable faith she was able to succeed in life. Emily Dickinson in her poem entitled My Faith Is Larger than the Hill had this first line which says â€Å"M y Faith is larger than the Hills, so when the Hills decay, My Faith must take the Purple Wheel, to show the Sun the way†. This would mean that her faith is much higher than the hills around her and no matter how negative things are, there is a ray of hope waiting for her and could change the situation because she holds on to her faith. Grace Under Fire: Letters Of Faith In Times Of War by Andrew Carroll was a collection of war letters about the faith of the   US troops and their families in the midst of danger it said: â€Å"We are now encamped right in the midst of tall mountains which would look very strange to you they look like they reach clear up into the sky These days the mountains are now covered with ripe whortleberries which are very nice the people bring them to our camp & we buy them & our Irishman that cooks for us makes pies for us† Faith Can Move Mountains by Helen Downey is all about how a family increased their faith when Sara survived a major accident in her life. One line goes said that:† A tragic event happened before Sara’s parents opened their eyes to that word called ‘Faith’. Conclusion Faith is something that people must develop in their selves. Faith comes from your belief that some invisible force may take control to help you survive the difficult situation. It is always thinking that everything will turn out right. It also pertains in having faith in God and his divine intervention in our lives. Having faith means having hope. A number of literatures were written on how people have used their faith in times of troubles and difficulties. They are written to encourage everyone undergoing hard times in their lives. It really showed the power of faith for us to do things which seem impossible. Maybe if we don’t have faith everything around us will turn negative, there will be no literature ever written to inspire us and no literature to encourage us. Therefore faith is a gift from above that can empower and save us from all life’s challenges and difficulties. Work Cited Downey, Helen.† Faith Can Move Mountains† 21 July, 2009