Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam In Greek mythology, w…
Reading Passage for Final Writing Exam In Greek mythology, when baby Achilles was born, a soothsayer (someone who could see the future) predicted that Achilles would die an early death. This worried his mother, so she took him to the magical River Styx. It was said that the river’s water could create a coating of invulnerability. However, when she dipped him into the magical waters, her thumb and forefinger were covering the heel of baby Achilles’ foot so this part of his body was not coated by the magical waters. Later in life, Achilles became a famous warrior who inspired fear in the hearts of many because of his invulnerability. No one could defeat him. Until, in one battle, a poisonous arrow was shot into his unprotected heel. Achilles died shortly thereafter. The term Achilles’ heel has since been used to describe the part of the person or thing that is their weak point, either physically or emotionally. For example, someone on a diet might refer to ice cream as his or her Achilles’ heel. Netflix might be the Achilles heel in a student’s plans to complete homework on time, or the food supply could prove to be our nation’s Achilles’ heel in our fight against the coronavirus. Final Essay Prompts (Select One) What is your Achilles’ heel? Describe something in your life that is your weak point, something that could prevent you from being successful or achieving your goals. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples. Describe the Achilles’ heel in the life of someone you know well, something that prevents that person from being successful or achieving his or her goals. Support your main points with specific details, reasons, and examples.