Reading Reflection No. 1

I read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.  I was truly amazed by how much work the Wright brothers invested in their research and their work on the airplanes.  The brothers owned their own bicycle shop where they made and sold bikes.  The two men worked on the airplane in all the spare time they had.  I admired their work ethic most.  In all of the years they spent working on the plane, they never once got discouraged.  Whenever they encountered a problem, they would just think of potential solutions and keep working.  I don't think there was a quality about them that I didn't admire.  They worked hard and alone for the most part.  The Wright brothers also paid for all the equipment they needed on their own.  Orville and Wilbur Wright are hard not to admire.  Orville and Wilbur encountered failure over and over again and they simply went over the issues and worked together to come up with a solution.  Not once were they knocked down by failure, they simply kept working until the problems were solved.

The two entrepreneurs were hard workers and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.  There were very few obstacles that prevented the men from working.  At one point prior to their work with airplanes, Orville had gotten very sick.  In that time, Wilbur began his research on flight and by the time Orville was well and healthy they had established their new interest.  Orville began reading all the material Wilbur had read and more.  When they ran into problems finding an appropriate motor for their airplane, they began research and had a close friend and employer build a motor for them.  The two guys are relentless and work to know end.

I was slightly confused when McCullough discussed the interactions between the Wright brothers and Octave Chanute toward the beginning of the book.  I didn't totally understand the relationship they were trying to establish and the role Chanute was playing in their work.

I'd like to ask them if they ever felt like giving up or if they ever felt like they were approaching a dead end in their research.  I'd also like to know what drove them to keep working as hard as they did for as long as they did.  I'd ask these questions because I'm most impressed with how hard they worked without ever seeming like they wanted to give up.  Every time I think about their journey to success, I'm amazed over the consistent amount of time that was put into their work.

I think Orville and Wilbur Wright's idea of hard work is putting in the time and effort necessary to get the job done.  Hard work requires dedication and perseverance through even the toughest times.  No problem should prevent a person from working.  I absolutely agree with their idea of hard work.