Topic > Personal Growth Through Risk Taking: Character Analysis of What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Black Balloon

English Persuasive Essay: Individuality and Relationships. Taking risks is essential for growth The risks we take throughout our lives are essential for growth. Les Brown once said, “Too many of us don't live our dreams because we live our fears.” From the difficult decisions we make to the difficulties we face, these problems push us to take risks in our lives, thus allowing us to learn from our successes or mistakes, thus growing maturely and physically. The films "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Black Balloon" both illustrate character growth based on the risks the characters accept. Ultimately, all the risks one takes throughout life help them grow. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Learning and discovering new things requires risk. There's always an element of risk when trying something new, otherwise why wouldn't we do it? While taking risks can lead to failure, living risk-free will not lead to lifelong growth and will result in a life consistently falling short of one's potential. For example, family therapist Michael Ungar states that "to grow up, we must face challenges, regardless of whether we are 4, 14, or 40." In "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", Gilbert's mother Bonnie, who has not been in public for several years due to her weight, leaves the house to pick up Arnie at the police station after he is held in custody by the police. This scene from the film shows the risk Bonnie took to save her son, even though she received great attention and embarrassment from the public, amazed by her size. Therefore, taking the cliché “you learn from your mistakes”, risk taking allows people to learn and discover by stepping out of their comfort zone, thus growing. Taking risks helps you develop relationships and expand your worldview. Anxiety about starting new relationships or expressing your views on different things is a sentimental feeling that many possess. However, overcoming these doubts can take relationships from starting a conversation with a person you just met to proposing marriage to your girlfriend; all of these are risks that could bring negative or positive responses. Furthermore, everyone has their own views or opinions. People who are able to express their own unique opinions and insights, and also learn from the points of view of others, are the ones who are able to make the most of their lives, thus growing to develop new visions that they were not able to achieve without taking risks. . In "Black Balloon", Jackie risks her reputation by befriending Charlie, who is mentally disturbed, but as a result she was able to establish a relationship with him and also broadened her worldview by showing her the side of mentally disturbed people in this world. Ultimately, taking risks helps us grow through the new relationships we form and the expansion of our worldview. To reach our dreams, follow our passions and find what we want, we need to take risks. Many successful or influential people have faced hardships that required risk-taking to achieve the status they have now. For example, Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, dropped out of a prestigious college to follow his dream of developing a computer software company, subsequently becoming the largest software company in the world..