The Importance Of Perseverance

How many times in life have you struggled but got through a difficult time? That is called perseverance. The definition of perseverance is “Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” Synonyms are persistence and determination. It originated from the latin word perseverare. Right now the world has been filled with natural disasters, from hurricanes to wildfires. Everyone that this affected has been forced to persevere through it because there is not much that they have the ability to do besides staying strong. In all of the nonfiction literature we have read there were many different examples of perseverance from many different people. I decided to choose three. For my first example Melba Pattillo Beals from “Warriors Don’t Cry”. There is numerous examples of the Little Rock 9 and her doing something despite difficulty. For the second example of perseverance I chose Maya Angelou. Through her life there were countless times that she was faced adversity and still achieved success. My third example is Earl Simmons (DMX) from the book “E.A.R.L”. He went through a tough time at almost all time growing up and he never gave up and achieved success. Perseverance creates success; therefore, when you stick through something you can accomplish what you want.

I believe that when you persevere you can accomplish countless things. When someone says perseverance, I believe that people automatically think about working hard and getting rewards after. While working hard is a big part in it, there is more to it. I am going to share a couple of stories that will hopefully change your mind about perseverance.

This week, families across our state are unboxing their Thanksgiving décor, choosing table cloths, and deciding who is going to be responsible for what dish next Thursday. It’s that time of the year when we come together, forget our family drama for at least a week and get in the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, this holiday season comes with a different taste to many. Hundreds of Iowan families and I will share our Thanksgiving meal with uncertainty, anxiety and fear.

For my first Thanksgiving as host, I bought the biggest turkey they had in the store, it was just over 100 dollars. I had to get help to just carry it to my car because it was so heavy, once we got it to my car, I asked the man that helped me, where that strangely huge turkey came from and how old it was. The man responded and told me that it came from Kuck’s Turkey Farm in Ohio and told me that it was just over 10. I asked him if that was old for a turkey and he told me that it was a very old age to send a turkey to the butcher. I then asked him why and he told me that the turkey will become tough and have a gamy taste the older it gets. I then left thinking if I should’ve even bought the turkey to begin with.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Around the table my family greets me with kind smiles. The warm steam envelops me into a sickling appetizing craving for every plate. Golden brown baked macaroni, pumpkin pie oozing out butter and a limitless supply of sweet rolls complemented with diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. What’s not to love?

Remember when we fed Bob and Patricia berries because they can eat them? So, we can use a fishing rod with a bunch of berries, which would attract some turkeys. Then, we pick one and eat it for Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad will never find out.”

For this food to be touched by the food Gods, we must prep for the feast the day before Thanksgiving. Before any cooking can begin, my mom starts shouting out commands. “Nina go clean the kitchen, Nae go clean up the bathroom, and Egypt you oversee the living room. Within two minutes “Before I Let Go” is blaring through the house, filling every crevice with the sweet hums of Frankie Beverley and Maze. The aromas of bleach and incense begin to rave around the house as we finish our tasks at hand. Now that we are finally finished, we can begin to prepare for the feast.

Simply clad in a casual deep v dress and a pair of 6- inch heels, my host mother, Alicia, is a plump woman in her late sixties with long brown hairs and large brown eyes. She is a typical independent woman who just got divorced a few years ago. She has a very strong and booming voice, which sounds very confident. She has been doing the homestay for almost twenty years. Therefore, she has gained a lot of experiences on hosting people and has plenty of “sons” and “daughters” from all over the world. She is always full of energy and enthusiasm. She really enjoys cooking as well. That’s why she had been telling me what we were going to have for Thanksgiving from day one.

I was once a fat gobbling turkey, but then that dreaded day came; Thanksgiving. The day of mass genocide of thousands of turkeys like me.

Thanksgiving is celebrated annually as a national holiday with feast to feed a nation, but will this family go on with this year 's festivities over a debate against classic foods becoming too boring? Every year on the first of November, a tan tattered box with a poorly drawn turkey on the sides labeled “Thanksgiving” is removed from the attic and dusted off to retrieve festive decor for the eleventh month of the year. Delicately placed in the center of the kitchen displayed for everyone are a pair pilgrim salt and pepper shakers, George and Alice. This classic pair are the usual conductors to the Thanksgiving preparations due to their semi-permanent location where they are able to travel to the fridge and back to the kitchen to discuss

One of the best parts about Thanksgiving is the food. I think we can both agree with this. My grandmas make the best food. They make noodles, turkey, and mashed potatoes;

Have you ever considered how many turkeys are in the world if it wasn’t for thanksgiving and farmers killing us ? Well some people think it ok to eat us turkeys because we're good. My opinion is that you shouldn’t eat us for two reasons because we have diseases, there also bad for human health.

Persevere - continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success. This definition is hardly the truth, as it shows no emotion or struggle. It pains me to think that such smart people can write such anti-climactic, non-emotional, monotone, stereotypical definitions for something that means so much more. In many movies and writings you see people persevere for a very important reason, the same is true for real life. To persevere is to keep going, no matter what is thrown at you. When u keep falling and falling and falling, you keep getting up and up and up because you have some motivation, some will to achieve the thing you are persevering towards. But, a better definition would be, Persevere

On November 24th 1725 we all gathered around the town square. This year for thanksgiving was different than the previous 3 years, this year we had to kill, defeather, and clean our own turkey from the barn, we couldn’t go to the store and buy one. The twist with this deal was whoever could do it the best would be the professional chef for the town and get their own shop making over half a million a year in profits.

I am a loving turkey. Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday. I have to run around the yard and try not to get killed. Let me properly introduce myself. I am Jingle the turkey. I am named Jingle because my owners got me last Christmas. I am only two years old now. I have three, well now two other brothers. Our owners choose one of us each Thanksgiving to make for the family. The family isn’t very nice either. I would be fine being eaten if it were my favorite people. Well, actually no. Turkey’s have feelings too. We are living things with families. I mean we don’t eat people. That actually brings me on to me next topic.