13A

1)  What surprised me the most about Coco Chanel is her background. Her presence both as a person and a luxury brand bring false expectations about her past. That being said, I most admire her ability to turn that around, and not let anything hold her back. Her determination speaks for itself, as she created an empire that represents the opposite of what she came from. I least admire her state of remaining self conscious. She clearly broke expectations and proved herself, yet continues to stay self conscious of her background, even though I believe it was her past that motivated her to push limits with her brand. Overall, though Coco Chanel definitely encountered adversity and failure, she did not let her past define her future, and broke boundaries. 

2) Her determination and motivation are unmatched.  She recognized the many hardships in her life and let them make her into the independent woman she became. She never gave up nor let adversity stand in her way. 

3) The passages on the backgrounds of her lovers were confusing because I felt they were unnecessary, and didn’t see how their pasts effect Chanel’s. 

4) I would ask: 

Did anything in particular keep you motivated in your times of adversity? 

If you could give one piece of advice on facing adversity, what would it be? 

Though the adversity in my life doesn’t compare to that of her’s, I would still like to know how to overcome obstacles of such, and apply that to lesser/different challenges. 

5)  I think Chanel places a great emphasis on hard work. She came from nothing and still made a name for herself, which wouldn’t have happened without hard work. I think talent helps, but it doesn’t compare to hard work, so I would have to share this opinion with Chanel.