Marilyn Bernice Mutsune Ndubi

RICHARD NIXON: CITADEL OR CINDER “You’ve got to learn to survive defeat. That’s when you develop character,” Richard Milhous Nixon. A quote, well penned, by a man who only affected the United States of America on a legendary scale, Nixon left a distinctive mark. It is a general assumption that most successful people, especially in the political arena, attract lifelong enemies as well as loyal supporters, it comes with the territory. Richard M. Nixon is no exception. Many have tried to analyze his personality, and almost as many found/find him a type hard to decipher. Renowned historian Theodore maintained, “I have spent the greatest portion of my adult life writing about Richard Nixon, and I still do not understand him.” Again, his former Chief of Staff, H. R. “Bob” Haldeman summarized his experiences with Nixon as “the strangest man I ever met.” Another historian, Garry Willis stated that it was impossible to figure out Nixon because he was superficial.1 However, there is undeniable evidence that Nixon was an enigma leading to the high esteemed afforded him even posthumously by a significant number of people. In many instances, it is descriptive of him as a hard worker who led America through a tumultuous period. Right from his inauguration into politics, his surrounding circumstances resulted in Nixon position as a lifelong enemy to the liberals who found his ways “dubious.” The liberals maintain that Nixon was a chronic liar and that he outwitted and defeated his opponents using “unscrupulous” means to taint their reputations.2 Besides, some believe the same to be true as one of the primary reasons for his resignation after the “Watergate” scandal. In contrast, others announce Nixon as a man of prowess in the political arena who managed to influence the United States of America, his country, positively and the entire world. Childhood Richard M. Nixon, born on January 19, 1913, came from humble beginnings, he hailed from the nondescript small town of Yoruba, Linda located in the California desert. He was the second of the three children born to Hannah and Frank: Harold, Richard, and Arthur. Nixon’s parents, Hannah and Frank, were strict, Hannah, spoke English that took the form of “thee, thou.” She 1 Billy, Avonson. Presidents and Their Times: Richard M. Nixon.(Marshall Cavendish Benchmark: New York, 2007), 7 2 Billy, Avonson. Ibid, 7. RICHARD NIXON: CITADEL OR CINDER was a Quaker and Frank was a Methodist, who later joined her as a Quaker. The couple brought up their children on a religious circuit of attending church on every Wednesday and numerous times on Sunday. Hannah had Nixon reading the newspapers and playing the piano at the tender age of five. He was the “quiet, smart” child in the family. Nixon’s parents were not inclined to public display of affection, not once did they extend the same to any of their sons, nor did they so much as share a hug in the presence of their children. Frank, a staunch disciplinarian, welted his sons using a belt as standard punishment for wrongdoing.3 Frank was a lemon farmer, but in 1922 had to relocate with his family from Yoruba to Whittier because his business in the lemon grove took a nosedive never to recover. At Whittier, Frank opened a grocery and later a gas station.4 The Nixons pooled their physical resources and worked together as a family at the store. While the family worked in the store as a unit, young Nixon took on odd jobs to supplement the household income, he was not fussy. He plucked chicken and worked as a janitor at a swimming pool. The Nixons successfully fought off poverty, but next came a “monster” that has neither fill nor satisfaction, death. Arthur, Nixon’s youngest brother, succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of seven; the same disease claimed Harold’s life, though he struggled with it for some years. At the time in medical history, the condition (tuberculosis) had no cure. Hannah explanation was that Nixon’s success was due to the death of his siblings; he felt the need to work hard and make his parents proud. Richard Nixon spread his wings, got out of Yoruba and later Whittier as his career led him, but the values ingrained in him stayed with him. Hannah had him well grounded in values that she derived from her faith. His father also played a significant role in chiseling Nixon to a successful orator with the logical result of his ability to win many a debate. High school Nixon was smart, his prowess as an orator was noticeable, and he excelled in his schoolwork (academics). During his high school days, one of Nixon's most notable assignments was a 3 Billy, Avonson. Ibid , 7. 4 Lewis, Parker. How to Draw the Life and Times of Richard M. Nixon.(New York: Rosen Publishing, 2006),9-10 RICHARD NIXON: CITADEL OR CINDER debatable motion to prove that insects were valuable and not harmful. He felt defeated, his father took him to a butterfly professional, who in turn explained to young Nixon how important the bees were when they carried pollen grains from plant to plant. His father urged him to stick to this one point during the debate: he used it and won. Fortunately, this useful insight stayed with Nixon through his adult life. He mastered this strategy, indemnified it as his one focal point, and capitalized on it. In later years, he used this same approach in any lawsuit, elections, or debate and got impressive results. Public speaking is a skill Nixon nurtured and perfected from an early age his confidence was apparent when speaking in front of an audience. His eloquence at giving speeches derived its roots from his Quaker background. The Quaker church relies on a structure encouraging and affording every congregant a chance to speak in front of an audience. For these reasons, Nixon was on the debate team and left a remarkable print. Additionally, his mother’s piano lessons were not in vain, Nixon took up violin lessons and participated in his high school’s orchestra. He worked hard and outcome was remarkable nothing he did was in vain. He won many awards, graduated top of his class, Nixon received honor as one of the best students in California, 1930. RICHARD NIXON: CITADEL OR CINDER Bibliography Avonson, Billy. Presidents and Their Times: Richard M. Nixon. Marshall Cavendish Benchmark: New York, 2007. Parker, Lewis. How to Draw the Life and Times of Richard M. Nixon. Rosen Publishing Group: New York, 2006.