Wile E. Coyote Research Paper

Jarrett Hale
July 2, 2009
Topic A
Wile E. Coyote: My Mentor The sun hits my window sill, breaching the gap in my curtains. Instantly, I awakened with a smile of gratification. At the drop of a dime, I remove my dinosaur pajamas, darting through the corridors of my house, racing to get into the TV room so I can catch my hero in action. I hastily grab the remote as I change the TV to Channel 5. It is exactly 7:00 AM. My heart pounds against my young chest as I watch Bugs Bunny present the title sequence to my favorite show Looney Toons. I sit on the cold hardwood floor, legs bouncing up and down, barely able to tame my excitement. As the show starts, I nervously watch and listen, awaiting the wild chase of the most intense pursuit
ever shown. “BEEP BEEP”-- the call of the Roadrunner resonates through my mind as I watch this suspiciously fast bird throw up debris as he speeds along the terrain. He zips and zaps, dodges and weaves, running through the beautifully drawn canyons. Without a care in the world, this magnificent bird goes where he pleases completely unaware of the ACME anvil that is perched high above on the plateau and aimed to crush him. The anvil falls, gaining speed exponentially as I watch in suspense. Will it hit him? Will it kill him? Why would an anvil hit a road runner? Who would drop an anvil? Only such a man as Wile E. Coyote would go on such a quest, for he has made it his life goal to catch the Roadrunner no matter what challenges await. In this adventure (or misadventure) and in many other episodes, Wile has become such an appealing character to me. He has taught so much about the art of living well: the importance of being resourceful and persevering. Wile Coyote continuously creates gadgets, makes plans, and sets traps to no avail.
The only end product of his mastermind tricks is an enormous welt on the head and the embarrassment of failing to reach his goal. In most cases, after failing so many times, one would believe that Wile or any other person in his situation would surrender, go home, and accept feats he could master. Wile is not the typical person, though. With a firmness of purpose, Wile E. Coyote hunts again for his foe. This character instills my admiration in his ability to think outside of the box. When one of his contraptions fails, Wile looks at options to create wondrous plans: He builds catapults, rockets, and even dynamite booby traps. His innovative thinking style has motivated me to adopt the same approach with school projects. When I was in kindergarten, I won second place at the state science fair for my project to determine the aerodynamics of a balloon rocket and the type of balloon best suitable for Wile Coyote to catch the Roadrunner. For weeks I studied the shapes of the balloons, researched wind effects on different shapes, and built a homemade balloon rocket. I could have done the standard “baking soda volcano” or “which bread molds the fastest,” but thanks to the inspiration of Wile Coyote I learned the value of
ingenuity. Of all the endearing traits of Wile Coyote, the one inspiring me the most is his tenacity. Mr. Coyote is not the best hunter and never catches the Roadrunner. He probably never will, but the fact that he is always in that desert hunting his foe every day puts him one step ahead of everyone else who would rather give up when he or she is faced with a difficulty. He fought for his dreams regardless of what event or person tried to keep him from achievement. The impact of this quality in Wile Coyote manifested itself during my tryouts for the high school wrestling team. Coming in as an undersized freshman, I was subject to habitual beatings. The older teammates manhandled me, told me I wasn’t worth the mat they wrestled on, and sometimes I believed them. Several times throughout my season, I wanted to quit, but because of the persistence that Wile Coyote showed in every program, I was able to make varsity, not only my senior year, but my junior, sophomore and freshmen years in high school. Wile E. Coyote demonstrated that one cannot fail until the person quits. People discover many life lessons through their own experiences and in the lives of others. Many individuals learn the essence of living through the most unusual events and insignificant persons, imaginary or real. Wile Coyote never wavers in his resolve to achieve his mission. Is he a winner? Is he a loser? These questions are not the important ones. This cartoon character has taught much more: the art of mastering self-doubt and fear, an ability I will need to achieve my dreams and become much more than I ever dared to be.