Eleanor Roosevelt: a Biography Essay Example
Eleanor Roosevelt:
A Biography Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was a true role model and leader; not only for women, but for all of America. It is not difficult to research the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Her story reads like a page-turning novel, after all. From the days of her early childhood through her death, Mrs. Roosevelt’s life was a series of powerful experiences that shaped her into the fascinating woman that she became. At her core, Eleanor was a realist who held an unwavering belief in a better future. She was steadfast in her commitment to help make that future a reality. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, the first child of Elliott Roosevelt--an attractive young businessman and brother to America’s twenty-sixth President, Theodore Roosevelt--and Anna Rebecca Hall--a lovely New York debutante. Although Eleanor was born into a wealthy and prominent New York family, her childhood was dismal.
Eleanor’s father, whom she later referred to as “the one great love of my life as a child” (Toor 22), turned to alcohol for solace from his constant ill health. During Eleanor’s youth, he was absent from home for long periods of time on trips for business, pleasure, and medical treatment for his mood swings and alcoholism. Meanwhile, Eleanor’s mother struggled with her responsibilities toward Eleanor, and later Eleanor’s two younger brothers, Elliott, Jr. and Hall. Anna Hall Roosevelt became more and more melancholy, and her health began to deteriorate. She endured headaches and backaches that left her bedridden for days at a time. Little Eleanor was determined to take care of her sickly mother and has been quoted as saying “I would often sit at the head of her bed and stroke her head…for hours on end” (Black).
Young Eleanor Roosevelt also had self-esteem issues, which her mother made worse by dubbing her with the unflattering nickname “Granny.” Eleanor has said of herself “I was a solemn child, without beauty and painfully shy and I
A Biography Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was a true role model and leader; not only for women, but for all of America. It is not difficult to research the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Her story reads like a page-turning novel, after all. From the days of her early childhood through her death, Mrs. Roosevelt’s life was a series of powerful experiences that shaped her into the fascinating woman that she became. At her core, Eleanor was a realist who held an unwavering belief in a better future. She was steadfast in her commitment to help make that future a reality. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, the first child of Elliott Roosevelt--an attractive young businessman and brother to America’s twenty-sixth President, Theodore Roosevelt--and Anna Rebecca Hall--a lovely New York debutante. Although Eleanor was born into a wealthy and prominent New York family, her childhood was dismal.
Eleanor’s father, whom she later referred to as “the one great love of my life as a child” (Toor 22), turned to alcohol for solace from his constant ill health. During Eleanor’s youth, he was absent from home for long periods of time on trips for business, pleasure, and medical treatment for his mood swings and alcoholism. Meanwhile, Eleanor’s mother struggled with her responsibilities toward Eleanor, and later Eleanor’s two younger brothers, Elliott, Jr. and Hall. Anna Hall Roosevelt became more and more melancholy, and her health began to deteriorate. She endured headaches and backaches that left her bedridden for days at a time. Little Eleanor was determined to take care of her sickly mother and has been quoted as saying “I would often sit at the head of her bed and stroke her head…for hours on end” (Black).
Young Eleanor Roosevelt also had self-esteem issues, which her mother made worse by dubbing her with the unflattering nickname “Granny.” Eleanor has said of herself “I was a solemn child, without beauty and painfully shy and I