Life of 'Woman Lindy': What Challenges Did Amelia Earhart Face

Amelia Earhart, affectionately known as 'Woman Lindy,' was an American pilot who affectingly vanished in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe from the equator. Earhart was the sixteenth lady to be given a pilot's permit. She had a few prominent flights, including turning into the main lady to fly over the Atlantic Ocean in 1928 just as the principal individual to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. On October 22, 1922, Earhart flew her plane to 14,000 feet — the world elevation record for female.

Independence, bravery, and risk are what Candace Fleming’s Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart is all about. This book offers insight into a female pilot’s life and her impressive accomplishments in a man’s world. For many years, flight had been a job for only men, and women were shunned for trying. It was Amelia Earhart’s courage and determination that helped her overcome prejudice, accomplish dreams, and advance women’s rights.

In the early 1900s, women were supposed to stay home and let the men work. They were expected to wear long skirts and cheer on men in sports. Earhart, however, didn’t agree with society’s views on women. Even when she was young, Earhart defied society by displaying tomboy traits. For example, she played sports and wore bloomers. Earhart changed society’s views on women by not caring what others thought, as this enabled her to be different and impact many lives. If she instead worried about conforming to society’s views she may not have been able to make as much of a difference.

To overcome obstacles, Earhart's faith in herself was essential. Her confidence in flight helped others look up to and believe in her. Earhart’s pride rarely faltered when in public and she stood tall. In fact, when Earhart was young, she was already confident in herself. When her toy roller coaster failed, she tried again, confident that she would get it right the second time. When Earhart was first learning to fly, her teacher started to give up on her as she thought Earhart may never become a good pilot. But Earhart didn’t give up because of her confidence. She truly believed that she would continue to learn and become a better pilot someday. And she did. Without her confidence, Earhart would have stumbled on obstacles instead of overcoming them. Earhart’s confidence helped herself and others trust her, which most likely resulted in her success. As she instructed her students, you have to “dare to live”.

In order for Earhart to be a role model she needed to be determined. Earhart faced many obstacles on her journey to accomplish her dreams, but she persevered, inspiring girls everywhere, and showing them that determination is the key to success. When Earhart was ready, she worked hard to earn her license as a pilot and didn’t stop, even when she had a bad takeoff. Then, even when Earhart was really busy she still made time to give speeches to young women because she wanted to encourage them to be themselves, no matter what. If Earhart had given up, she may never have accomplished her dreams and flown across oceans. Without her will to become the best and make a difference, others may not have seen her as a role model, and because she was such an influence the number of female students raised by 50 percent.

Amelia Earhart needed confidence, determination, and an open mind to accomplish her goals. Although sometimes she became scared about failing and getting hurt, that did not stop her from achieving her dreams and flying an airplane. As Earhart wrote, “...I am quite aware of the hazards, I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”  Although Earhart did not live long enough to accomplish all of her dreams in life, her actions were enough to inspire many generations of aspiring young women and teenagers to come.