Connotaion of Adventurous and Reckless

If one was called reckless, how would that make you feel as apposed to being called adventurous? Why is it that both words have the same denotation yet don't give the same effect to people? The connotation of a word can make a big difference in what we see the word as. Adventurous is a word that when used  to describe someone can be seen as something positive while when being described as reckless one gets a negative feeling from it. The use of either word on the same person or thing can completely change the way one thinks about them.

When one thinks of an adventurous one would imagine a brave person who is not afraid to try new things. An example of an adventurous person would be Amelia Earhart. Her courageous actions led her to become the first person to ever fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. She was not afraid of the journey ahead of her and was brave enough to face whatever challenge that passed her. Earhart was prepared to take on any adventure that passed her way. She was a fearless person who enjoyed the adventures in life because of her tremendous character. Another amazing feat of hers was the first woman to fly the Atlantic twice. She was a remarkable person who was looked up to by many, especially women, for conquering goals that many thought of as impossible.

Earhart, however can also be seen as reckless to some people. Her final and most reckless journey was one to fly around the globe. She was also the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Her actions are very daring and even seen as thoughtless acts that put her life in danger. However, even with knowing full well that her life was in danger during all her flights yet went through with them anyway. She also holds the speed record for east-to-west flight from Oakland to Honolulu. Earhart took this flight as only a simple task that she could easily accomplish. The thought of her doing this frightened most people who heard of it and described her as reckless instead of the more positive adventurous. The use of the word reckless has completely changed the way one looks at her actions.

If one were to juxtapose the words reckless and adventurous, one would easily see that adventurous has a positive connotation while reckless connotation. When these words are used in the same situation they can quickly change the way one looks at that situation. Earhart was honored for her tremendous and adventurous flight accomplishments while she was also scolded for her seemingly reckless behavior. The adventurous Earhart seemed to be a fearless person that was looked up to by many people. The reckless Earhart, however, was seen as someone who made immature choices that caused to be in near death situations. There is a new opinion given to the way one thinks about Amelia Earhart because of the use of two words that have different connotations.