Before you start your introduction, you need to define what characteristics you want to talk about in the body of your paper. In other words, think of some qualities that people possess who have overcome great difficulties. Some ideas may be determination, a positive mindset, courage, intelligence, or creativity.

When you have figured this out, you will want to start working on your introduction. One way you can start an introduction is with a quotation related to the topic of adversity. Be sure when you use a quotation to include the person who actually said the quote.

Another way to start an introduction is to start with a short example of someone who successfully overcame adversity. For example, people like Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein, and Eminem all faced hardships on their way to success. You could choose one of these people to discuss. Keep in mind that you do not want to make this example very long. Try to keep it short, perhaps around two to three sentences.

If you chose to open your paper this way, the first sentence could be a sentence explaining who the person is today and for what he or she is famous. The second sentence could be the hardships they faced. The third sentence could be the qualities or actions they took to triumph over their adversity. This type of opener can really hook the reader, especially if the person is someone well known who many people respect or admire. Try and make the person you choose an example of the kind of traits you choose to discuss in the rest of the paper.

These two openers are not your entire introduction. You can open with one of these two ideas, but you also always need to put a thesis statement at the end of your introduction. This thesis statement should tell the reader the main character traits you have chosen to discuss in your essay.

For your conclusion, you should always start with a short summary of your key points. In this case, you would remind the reader of the traits that you discussed in the body of the paper and why they are important to overcoming hard times.

This is only the first part of your conclusion. After this short summary, you may want to add what is known as a "call to action" or a universal lesson for the reader. This is a sentence in which you tell readers how they can use the information in your paper and apply it in their own lives. For example, you might remind them that all people struggle, so when the reader finds themself at difficult points in their life, they should consider using some of the characteristics you mentioned to help them successfully overcome their difficulties.