People dream of a perfect world, a place where sickness, war, and poverty is not evident. This fanatical dream is not one that can be accomplished. However, I believe that every human being has been given the opportunity to be able to succeed. Although people who are born into wealthy families will face less obstacles in trying to reach this goal as oppose to people born poor, everyone has the opportunity to succeed. The recipe for
success is simple: hard work. Jay-Z was born and raised with virtually nothing in the toughest area in Brooklyn, a place where drugs and gun violence was the norm. He did not let all of this influence him, and he worked extremely hard in school and focused on his rapping career, which served as a distraction. Nowadays, Jay-Z is a world renowned rapper and has had immense success with his career. Jay-Z is definitely not the only one who worked hard to get to the top, as many of the other celebrities we hear about on a day-to-day basis also faced many adversities in their lifetime. If they can do it anyone can, but success comes from hard work.

In The Necklace, Mathilde was displayed as a shallow and greedy character. Mathilde could never be satisfied, as she was always wanting more and never once could appreciate what she already had. When Mme. Forester had generously offered some jewelry to Mathilde to wear to the ball, Mathilde replied, “You haven’t anything else?”
This action clearly displays Mathilde’s greedy and rude personality. I was so disgusted with Mathilde’s character that even during the moments in the story where I understood her reasoning for doing something, I still could not manage to feel sympathetic. If I was to feel sympathetic towards anyone in the story, it would be Mathilde’s loving husband. Mathilde’s husband was so cooperative with his unruly wife and is portrayed as always bending over backwards to ensure her happiness. When Mathilde wanted a new dress for the ball, he sacrificed the sum of money he had been saving up to buy himself a gun so she could buy another dress. Mathilde is very undeserving of such a great husband.
At least Mathilde learns her lesson at the end of the story, although unfortunately for her, she learns it the hard way. 

Without a doubt, my favorite place to be is at the beach. The beach is so
special to me because it is so peaceful and serene. The sensational feeling I
experience at the beach allows me to forget about all of my worries. The heat
radiating from the Sun blankets me and the soft golden grains of sand cushion my
feet. Just the soothing sound of the waves licking the shore brings pleasure to
me. Not only is the beach a place of comfort, but it is also a place where I can
play and have fun. At the beach, I love playing soccer and volleyball with my
friends. I also enjoy the water activities available, such as tubing and
sea-dooing. The beach is like my second home, as it is a place where I can
unwind and enjoy myself.