Poetry Response

On Perseverance for Success

by Dr. John Celes

Who says that things cannot be done? 

Nothing’s impossible on earth;
Most things are possible under the sun;
But perseverance should be thine friend! 
The one who gives up with ease is a fool!
The wise person labors with determination;
Yet, one must choose the things that one can do,
And go full steam ahead, till comes success.
Perseverance is the secret of success;
By continual toil, failures can be avoided;
Great things were done by burning mid-night’s oil!
“The toiler harvests best of fruits in life.” 

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-perseverance-for-success/

              

My narrative piece, Standing Firm, reveals that perseverance through toil is hard, but gives immense self-satisfaction in the end. When the narrator's coach says, "When the going gets tough, push through the pain" (Lee), the narrator takes this to heart and applies it to her race. She pushes through the last part of her swim, and realizes that pain is only a physical barrier, and that the hardest place to instill toughness is in the mind. In the end, the narrator says that she will “never give up. Never. Not now, or as long as I live” (Lee). She has truly persevered through the pain, suffering, and travail she experienced, breaking her own limits and standards. She decides that, no matter how hopeless a situation seems, as long as you don’t give up, anything is possible. Also, the narrator realizes that standing firm creates a sense of self satisfaction that very few things can give. When the narrator acknowledges “that [Kenzie and Mariah are] faster than [her]. So what?” (Lee), she has found a sense of self confidence, not caring if others are better than her, only striving to be better than herself.

The poem that I chose, On Perseverance for Success, the author says that perseverance will always pay off in the end, and that nothing is possible if you keep on trying. In the poem, the author says that “perseverance is the secret of success” (Celes). This means that persevering is the best way to achieve your goals. Trying hard and standing firm in what you do will get you where you want to be. The author also states that “nothing’s impossible on earth” (Celes). If you try to conquer what you believe to be impossible, you find that it is, in reality, possible. However, you must put in the time and the effort to achieve such means. Finally, Dr. Celes says that one must “go full steam ahead, till comes success” (Celes). The author urges us to toil onwards, and never give up on our dreams, pushing forward at “full steam”.