Perseverance in Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou Essay Sample
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, expresses the idea of perseverance by saying, “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” You can always conquer your greatest challenges by facing your fears head-on, and always moving forward toward your goals. In Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou each character displays perseverance through overcoming fears and obstacles they face.
In Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz, Micheal shows perseverance by overcoming his fears, and despite his real obstacles, he continues to carry out his mission. When Micheal was experiencing an extreme avalanche he explains, “The snow pummeled me, beat me like waves, trying to strip me free, but I held on” (Gratz 293). During Micheal’s pursuit of an adversary, he was threatened by an avalanche as he traveled on top of the cattle car. Micheal put aside his fear of heights and climbed on top of the cattle car in order to fight off Fritz and the bomb. He successfully defeated Fritz and detonated the bomb only to be faced with the rushing snow of an avalanche. In each challenge, he persisted and overcame his fears. When Micheal was about to get on top of the cattle car he said, “For the glory of old Ireland, I said and I hauled myself up and out the window” (Gratz 280). Micheal’s deep love for his country allowed him to put aside his fears, and persevere to accomplish his ultimate mission. His patriotism enabled him to focus more on his country, and not so much on his fears.
In “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, Maya shows perseverance by illustrating that you should never give up no matter who or what brings you down. In the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, Maya says, “I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling I bear in the tide” (Angelou 33-34). Maya is explaining that even through the darkness when you cannot see, she finds a way to see through. Even though the waves are crashing down on top of her, Maya endures through those waves and allows them to crush her fear and terror. Maya explains how she uses the bad situations for the good and prevails through those situations to become stronger. In the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, Angelou states, “Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise” (Angelou 35-36). Maya explains that to truly be successful you need to let go of your fears and take a leap of faith. Even through times of terror and adversity, Maya was determined and rose to the occasion.
In Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, each character illustrates perseverance by not being afraid to fail and take risks. Throughout the entire book, Micheal shows that overcoming hardships and fears takes a lot of endurance, but once you can overcome you are capable of anything if you put your mind to it. Angelou shows that even through discrimination, you can rise above, and use that fear to prevail and create drams beyond compare. Perseverance creates endurance, which gives you the strength of character and confidence in yourself.
