Representation of Persuasion, Ability to Judge and Perseverance in Literature

One of the most significant traits of being human is convincing ourselves or others of what we want to believe. This trait generally occurs when a person has experienced death. You may also see this trait develop with fear, control, manipulation, and regret. With fear this trait usually develops in humans in their early stages of life. Some fears are acquired based on specific life experiences; others are more universal and innate. As a child, most children grow terrified of the dark. This usually happens because of a scary story the child heard or a creepy movie they watched. As children are introduced to these things they have not encountered, they tend to convince themselves that it’s real. Scientists have proved it’s not darkness itself that’s frightening, It’s the fear of what the darkness masks. The dark leaves us vulnerable and exposed, unable to spot any threats that may be lurking nearby. For much of human history, dark meant danger, and fearing it meant taking precautions to stay safe. The story Erl-King is a great example of this trait as a father tries to convince himself and his son in what he wants to believe. In this ballad, a father and son are journeying home on horseback at night. The son is growing ill with an invigorate fever and believes he can hear and see the Erl-King. The father tells him that the figure he sees is only the fog and the supposed voice he hears is the rustling of the leaves. The boy is convinced by his dad’s words until the Erl-King appears again, threatening to forcibly take the child. When the child speaks his fears again, the father feeling his fears speeds up the ride only to return home with a deceased son. The importance of this ballad was to show the father pushing the child’s fears away by replacing them with realistic examples. Knowing his child’s affliction was fatal, the father repeatedly reassured himself and the boy that he was safe and would be okay. In the Book of Job, God and Satan disagree on Job’s faithfulness towards God. To let Satan try and prove Job is not faithful for good reasons, God permits Satan allowing him to take anything Job contains away. With this power, Satan murders Job’s servants, animals, and children. Next, God allows Satan to physically harm Job by casting boils all over the body. After enduring great suffering, Job speaks out for his friends’ presence where he seeks comfort. After Job tells of the catastrophes occurring, he then explains he did nothing to deserve this. None of the three friends had confidence in Job’s words and insisted he was lying. Eliphaz’s reasoning for Job’s suffering was that Job was receiving punishment for being unjust. Next, Bildad goes on to say Job is suffering because of his children’s sins. Lastly, Zophar’s reasoning for Job’s suffering was he thinks Job sins for speaking to God as he did. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar chose not to believe Job based on their personal beliefs of how they perceive God.

Along with the trait persuasion, comes questioning. As humans, we are the one unique species that does not seem to know how to be human, even though that’s the only species we are. As human beings, it is natural for us to question everything. It’s odd to think that humans go to therapy to figure out what it means to be human. We often think to ourselves how can we successfully be human? We spend our lives trying to figure out how to do humans. We never put that classification on any other species, because we humans have this unique capacity to imagine ourselves different than we are, better than we are. As humans we have this unique gift known as imagination, we materialize the invisible. As humans we imagine a world that does not yet exist; we imagine a future not created yet; we imagine ourselves of what we have not become. We sometimes imagine ourselves better than we are or life better than it is. The ability we humans have to get lost in our imagination and thought can potentially take over our lives. No other creature on earth contemplates their actions, who they are, and what they are meant to do like humans. As humans, we will always wonder if we lived the life we were supposed to, or if we act to our full potential. In the story, Mark Twain’s Diaries: of Adam and Eve and Satan, Eve questions her importance on earth and concludes she might be an experiment. While the thought of being an experiment is in question, Eve becomes indecisive about whether she is all of the experiment or part of it. In the early part of the story, Eve claims she has fallen in love with the moon as she believes it is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. Fascinated, Eve stays up all night, analyzing and chatting to the moon. After the first night and the sun rises the moon starts to disappear, causing Eve to question her surroundings. Every day Eve would wait for the moon to appear and disappear where she resulted in her reasoning of where the moon vanishes too. According to Eve, the moon gets loose and falls out of the scheme. Eve tends to believe there are kind people somewhere on the opposite side of the moon throwing the moon back in place. At the beginning of the story, Adam had only known solitude and enjoyed it until Eve came. Adam found Eve to be unusual and annoying. Adam did not like how much Eve talked and could not stand her consistent, random naming of things she discovered. Adam often became frustrated and wondered how and why Eve chose the names she did. Adam continuously questions Eve’s efforts. Adam notices Eve often stares at her reflection in the water, and names the fish she finds. Adam also claims that sometimes he watches Eve free the fish from the water and compares his sorrowful life to the appearance of the fish. Adam does not understand why Eve is constantly amused by her appearance, and feels the need to displace the fish. Throughout the story, Adam would often leave Eve to find solitude returning to her later. This would leave Eve questioning Adam’s lack of intelligence and personality. This is shown when Eve states “Perhaps it is because he is not bright and is sensitive about it and wishes to conceal it.”

Another important trait that makes a person human is the ability to judge. Think about your everyday life. Some people devote substantial amounts of time and energy to exercising, choosing outfits, and getting their makeup just right. Why is this? You may be thinking the answer is to make themselves feel good, or it’s a personality trait, but the real answer is judgment. To critique does not necessarily have to be someone giving their opinion on another, but it could be one evaluating oneself. The people who have a precise schedule to exercise for a specific amount of time every day, have a goal. That goal is to reach that person’s standard of how they want their body to appear. Then you have that one girl who spends hours getting ready, whether it is making sure every piece of hair is curled, or every spec of makeup applied has reached her definition of perfection. Maybe you have a special event planned and you spend thirty minutes contemplating not only what to wear but then checking with friends and family to make sure you reach that level of approval. At the end of the day these people who devote their life and time to be or look a certain way it’s because of judgment. People feel most comfortable when they are accepted, approved, and reassured by others. When you apply for a job there are basic steps to watch out for when going into your interview. Whoever is interviewing you will be inspecting you. Not only are they analyzing your resume, but they pay close attention to every detail in the way you present yourself. This ranges from how long you maintain eye contact, to the firmness of your handshake. Golfing is a good way for businesses to select the right employee who best fits their company. Not only can golfing show strengths and weaknesses, but it helps shine a light on a person’s true self. Businesses can see how you act under pressure, and how well you maintain self-control. Corporations test your self-control by offering you alcoholic beverages. By doing this, they expect the person to accept the drinks waiting to see when they will decline their next offer. In the story Gilgamesh: The Coming of Enkidu, Gilgamesh is a powerful being who is two-thirds god and one-third man. Gilgamesh used his power to cause chaos within the walls which angered the citizens of Uruk. Gilgamesh forced young boys into the army and pried through the nights stealing young girls’ purity. The people of Uruk complain to the Gods that Gilgamesh is exploiting the young men and women of Uruk, destroying families’ social status. The Gods then create Enkidu to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance. The people of Uruk judge Gilgamesh for his actions in a negative light which caused the creation of Enkidu. Uruk and the Gods believed that Gilgamesh was out of hand, and needed to be stopped. Along with Gilgamesh: The Coming of Enkidu, the Rime of The Ancient Mariner can also relate to judgment. In the story Rime of The Ancient Mariner, the crew members grow angry with the Mariner because he shot and killed the Albatross. Shortly after, the wind stops which causes the ship to become completely still, therefore traps the members in the middle of the ocean with no way to return home. Because of this, the members took the dead albatross and hung it around the Mariner’s neck like an anchor. Their reason for this is because he deserved to be punished, knowing he ruined their only chance to go back home. Eventually the fog and the mist lift which allows the members to see their surroundings. In the story, the albatross symbolizes guilt the sailors’ place on the Mariner. Later in the story, the Mariner plays a dice game with the lady Life-in-Death. Life-in-Death wins the competition and in return wins the Mariner’s life, killing the rest of the living sailors. After being alone the Mariner begins to hear a roaring wind and see strange sights, realizing they are the dead men rising. The Mariner realizes even though the men are dead, they still blame him and stare out of anger and distaste. In Both climaxes of the story, the crew members blame the Mariner for their deaths. In the end, the men constantly judge holding resentment towards the Mariner because they feel he is responsible for this catastrophe. The men proceed to blame the Mariner for causing the wind to stop leaving them stranded and losing the dice game which costed their lives.

Another important trait that makes a person human is perseverance. Perseverance is an influential quality that makes us human. To have perseverance means to be determined, and not give up regardless of the obstacles and risks that might exist. As humans, we have to be willing to fail, to be wrong, to start over with lessons learned. Without failure, determination, and practice life would not be as meaningful. As humans, we have the ability and intelligence to satisfy ourselves if we persevere. We must use our greatest strength and take advantage of our uniquely human traits. In the film Cool Hand Luke, Luke was captured and thrown in prison for illegally cutting the heads off of parking meters while intoxicated. When Luke first entered prison he was disliked by everyone. This was difficult for Luke considering he would be spending a long period of his life surrounded by these people. At one point Luke claimed he could eat fifty eggs in one hour. Lukes fellow inmate Dragline took this opportunity to challenge Luke and see if he would follow his word. Luke accepted and the dare began. Towards the end of the bet, Luke was slowly running out of time as he struggled to finish the rest of the eggs. In this scene, Luke looked miserable as the men fed him eggs one after another. Luke began feeling ill but pushed through the tough times to prove himself. Later in the film, Dragline arranges for him and Luke to have a boxing match. Being much smaller, Luke is easily destroyed by Dragline. Out of breath and beaten to the core, Luke still will not give up. Every knock to the ground he continues to get up. After watching Luke continuously lose consciousness, the prisoners begin to plead for Luke to back down. After Luke’s inability to stop, everyone begins to walk away. At one point Dragline throws Luke across his shoulder trying to convince Luke to forfeit, only to have Luke get one last punch on Dragline. Even though this was a gruesome scene, it holds great significance in the kind of man Luke is. Luke can be seen as stubborn, determined, and committed. Luke persevered through the beating he received from Dragline.

Perseverance Vs Talent Essay

I remember the words of the great APJ Abdul Kalam a pioneer of astro as well as nuclear physics, ‘If four things are followed – having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance – then anything can be achieved.’One of the most important things that I have learnt in my life is that there is no end to learning, learning comes from observations and experiences, and these approaches are endless. Then, I started my journey of self-discovery whether it be from books, the internet, or from my mistakes and failures.

But the thing that fascinated me most was ‘Science’. Those who think science is in books examinations or laboratories are mistaken. Science is what you live. Science is how we think, reason, wonder, or question. Science is not a private limited of some scientists or science teachers. Science is for everyone to see and a way of understanding. All these phenomena or events taking place in front of our eyes are all science. How we see is also better understood by science. This is what keeps on increasing my demand to know more about the world and explore it with a scientific and innovative approach. This is how science became my passion.

Then I pursued Sciences in high school, I came across many new terminologies, phenomena, and theses but some of them made me very curious especially the ‘Mechanics’ part which comprises topics such as Thermal emissions and engines, Aerospace, Solid State, Mechanical properties of Solid and liquids, laws of Motion and relativity and Motion in a plane. I started reading reference books on them and learned these topics thoroughly; engaged myself in meaningful activities such as I was appointed as the secretary of the ‘Aero-modelling’ society and contributed to it; I along with my Physics teacher conducted and organized several qualified workshops on ‘Aerospace Engineering’ and successfully made a ‘Quadcopter’ and a ‘Hovercraft’ in the same. I also participated in the WGS Science Fest and stood second in the Science exhibition displaying a ‘Low-cost efficient Air condition using Bernoulli’s Principle’.

I have has been always more interested in Aerospace and its mechanisms, maybe, it’s because of my past experiences, as I come from a distant place where there’s no good education system. Thus, I was sent far away from my home to a residential school. Every time I used to travel to my home and back to school by airplane, so I had feelings and experiences attached to it- both bad and good.

I clearly remember it was back in 2007 that I first traveled in an airplane, flying to Dubai with my parent for a vacation. My dad told me that during the entire journey of 6 hours, I kept looking out of the tiny window and asked various intriguing questions, which were left unanswered at that point. I also imitated the pilot, imagining that I was the one flying the airplane. The first thing that I did after getting off the plane was, I bought a model of an airplane and played day and night with it. I also dismantled it several times and tried to fix it on my own.

Our generation saw an immense development in the arena of Aerospace. The way ‘Boeing’ and ‘Airbus’ are dominating and uplifting the field to greater heights is amazing. This field has contributed mainly to easy transportation and global integration, and now the initiative of electrically powered airplanes by NASA will make traveling to distant places cheaper and fuel-efficient. Space traveling is becoming a new venture that could help boost the need for aerospace engineers and technology. Surveys have recorded that a need for more than 3500 planes would be generated within a decade for various functions.

The next thing that comes after passion and talent is diligence and perseverance. Talent cannot solely help you achieve your future endeavors. I have participated in a river rafting course in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand; a trekking course in Pachmarhi; Spiti Residential Service Project, Uttarakhand; qualified for the State Swimming Team; the school appointed me as the ‘School Prefect’ for the year 2019-20 and a member of ‘Social Service League’ and showed keen participation in same. I was appointed as Secretary and Join-Secretary of various recreational societies and clubs; for all these endeavors, I received the prestigious IAYP(Duke of Edinburgh’s Award) Gold and Silver awards.

I firmly believe that I will be a worthy candidate for being a part of your university and would use the given opportunity to maximize optimization. Your university would surely help me in pursuing my future endeavors in the most accomplished way.

Essay on Perseverance Leads to Success

The importance of grit and passion for success is a question remaining in debate within the field of psychology, and the concept of grit is an invention of recent date. The importance of grit as it refers to passion and perseverance as a determinant factor of success is controversial and debated across the academic world. Grit and passion are important for success because perseverance and passion are strong indicators of performance, they create long-term goals and a willingness to achieve them, and grittier individuals are more likely to perform better long-term.

Perseverance and passion are strong indicators of performance. According to Jachimowicz et al. (2018), “The combination of high perseverance and high passion attainment increases performance by promoting the intensity of focus individuals’ experience”. Grit is defined as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals” (Duckworth, 2007), in this definition, it is notable that passion and perseverance are equal parts of “grit”. In the study of Jachimowicz (2018), research uncovered statistical evidence that when an individual has high levels of both perseverance and passion attainment they are likely to perform well in work and education environments. To measure this, researchers gave tests to employees in different fields of different ages and education levels, measured using both their scale to measure passion attainment, as well as the Grit-S test developed by Duckworth (2007) that they believed only reliably measured an individual’s perseverance. The results showed that only using Duckworth’s Grit-S test, the individual who scored higher on the test was not consistently higher performing than those who scored lower (Jachimowicz, 2018), but an individual who scored highly on both their own developed passion test as well as Duckworth’s Grit-S test performed consistently better than those who scored low on both, or high on only one of the two tests, regardless of age or education level (Jachimowicz, 2018). Passion is what creates immersion when combined with perseverance, which is a key factor in the success rate of high-grit individuals (Jachimowicz, 2018). The correlation between individuals who admit to immersion in their work, and high scores on grit and passion tests is incredibly high, which Jachimowicz (2018) believes is the main contributor to success, rather than a single factor of grit. This conclusively proved that when both factors of grit are considered, an individual will perform higher than an individual who lacks in either factor or all factors, showing that perseverance and passion are strong indicators of performance.

Grittier individuals create long-term goals and have a willingness to achieve them. Individuals with a higher level of grit, as defined by Duckworth (2007), are more likely to see out their long-term goals, despite shortcomings or setbacks, because they believe that the investment in their long-term goal will have a beneficial outcome (Disabato et al. 2018). Duckworth (2007) theorizes that “The gritty individual not only finishes tasks at hand but pursues a given aim over years.”, Duckworth (2007) theorizes that what sets apart gritty and non-gritty individuals is the ability to overcome short-term obstacles in the pursuit of long-term goals. In this theory, grittier people are more likely to remain focused on long-term goals than others. Grit can be an effective indicator of success for an individual of any age, as grit gives the individual stamina to achieve their goal (Duckworth, 2007), stamina in this sense meaning the endurance to overcome setbacks and temporary disadvantages, with Duckworth (2014) theorizing that a gritty individual will use this effectively to remain focused on their singular superordinate goal that dominates their decision-making process. The main difference between an individual high in grit with a superordinate goal, and another individual lacking in grit with a superordinate goal is the ability to maneuver obstacles that present themselves after the individual has established a plan to achieve the goal (Duckworth, 2014) and in this scenario, the grittier individual will do what they deem necessary to continue pursuing their superordinate goal, while the other, less gritty individual will likely adapt their plan, and possibly their goals, to continue (Duckworth, 2014). An individual who is high-scoring in grit is more likely to achieve long-term goals.

Belief Perseverance in ‘Zootopia’: Critical Essay

Introduction

‘Zootopia,’ a widely acclaimed animated film, delves into the complex issue of prejudice and stereotyping in society. This critical essay explores the concept of belief perseverance as portrayed in ‘Zootopia,’ analyzing how the film tackles the themes of bias, discrimination, and the importance of challenging deeply ingrained beliefs.

Introduction to Belief Perseverance

Belief perseverance refers to the tendency of individuals to cling to their initial beliefs, even when faced with contradictory evidence. This cognitive bias often plays a significant role in shaping perceptions and reinforcing stereotypes. In ‘Zootopia,’ the filmmakers cleverly employ the concept of belief perseverance to shed light on the societal implications of prejudice.

Stereotyping in ‘Zootopia’

The city of Zootopia serves as a microcosm of society, inhabited by various anthropomorphic animals. The film explores how stereotypes and preconceived notions contribute to discrimination and social divisions. Characters like Nick Wilde, a fox, are unfairly judged based on their species, leading to deep-rooted prejudices and mistrust.

Judy Hopps and Challenging Beliefs

Judy Hopps, the film’s protagonist, challenges the status quo by becoming the first rabbit police officer in Zootopia. She confronts her own biases and overcomes belief perseverance when she forms an unlikely alliance with Nick. Through her character arc, the film emphasizes the importance of questioning ingrained prejudices and fostering understanding.

Breaking Down Stereotypes

‘Zootopia’ utilizes humor and irony to break down stereotypes and challenge audience expectations. The character of Flash, a sloth working at the Department of Mammal Vehicles, defies the stereotype of sloths being slow and lazy. This subversion of expectations encourages viewers to question their own preconceived notions and challenge the validity of stereotypes.

Systemic Discrimination and Belief Perseverance

The film goes beyond individual prejudices to explore systemic discrimination. The concept of belief perseverance is exemplified through the character of Assistant Mayor Bellwether, a seemingly innocent sheep who perpetuates division and prejudice for her own gain. This depiction highlights the danger of belief perseverance on a larger scale and exposes how deeply rooted biases can influence societal structures.

Overcoming Belief Perseverance

‘Zootopia’ offers a message of hope and the potential for change. Through collaboration and understanding, Judy and Nick dismantle deeply ingrained biases and expose the systemic injustices plaguing their society. The film emphasizes the power of empathy, open-mindedness, and a willingness to challenge one’s own beliefs.

Conclusion

‘Zootopia’ provides a critical examination of belief perseverance and its impact on prejudice and discrimination. By showcasing the journey of its characters, the film encourages viewers to reflect on their own biases and the harmful effects of clinging to deeply ingrained beliefs. ‘Zootopia’ serves as a powerful reminder that overcoming belief perseverance requires conscious effort, empathy, and a willingness to challenge societal norms. Ultimately, the film underscores the importance of embracing diversity, questioning stereotypes, and fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society.

Essay: Perseverance Is the Key to Success

According to Albert Einstein, ‘’Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid. In other words, this quote emphasizes that everyone is born with great minds but in their own ways. Everyone is unique and hence over stimulation of making education mandatory for all students of all walks of life drains students’ abilities and potential. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (n.d.), education is defined as a process of teaching, training, and learning, especially in schools, colleges, or universities, to improve knowledge and develop skills. Cambridge (n.d.) defines success as ‘the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for’. From the definitions, it is seen that education and success work hand in hand together as seen from how education ‘develops skills’ for the future. However, is that always the case? Is education the only way to develop skills? Hence, I disagree with the statement that education is the route to success. There are various keys to success such as talent, perseverance, and innovation. In the following essay, let us delve deeper into the world of success and how it has been attained without the requirement of formal education.

Through sheer innovation, success can be attained even without an education certificate. We all have heard success stories of school dropouts, haven’t we? A great example of an entrepreneur who has built a kingdom of his own through hard work would be Steve Jobs. According to Ryan ( 2021), Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College just after one semester as he did not want to put his parents through the expensive college fees. With the constantly evolving economy and technology, he managed to always come up with different ideas and prototypes in order to make more shares and profits. According to Curry (2022), statistics have shown how his innovation and creative thinking have led to the increased usage of the iPhone over the years as seen from how the active iPhone units in the United States increased from 8 million in 2008 to 211 million in 2021. Therefore, through innovation and creative thinking, one can start anything from scratch and overcome any obstacles that may be overcome. Hence, education is not always mandatory to attain success as innovation can also bring about success as seen from the story of the Apple company’s owner.

Additionally, talent can help achieve success too. According to the Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.), talent is defined as a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught. Talent is often used as a tool to express one’s ideologies. For example, some people are naturally born with the ability to dance. According to Wonderful News, (2017), dancing can be genetic, hence explaining how some people are naturally blessed with the ability to dance well. When one is good at something, they tend to receive compliments about it, which further boosts them to excel in it. Likewise, when someone is naturally talented, they tend to pursue it as their career. Since they are already good at it, the chances of them doing well in their career is very high. Therefore, possessing talent means that they are skillful at something that can shape a pathway toward success for themselves. Hence explaining that education is not necessary when talent can aid in achieving the goals one has set for oneself.

Lastly, perseverance is another route to success. Perseverance is defined as the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition according to Merriam-Webster (n.d.). An example of a man who displayed perseverance in his career which carved his identity would be Thomas Alva Edison. According to Business 2 Community (2015), Edison only found a working light bulb after a thousand tries. His first 1000 tries were unsuccessful, but those tries taught him how to always think out of the box when one try failed, in order to make the next try a success. His mind was set on inventing a working incandescent light bulb and since he never let his pessimistic mind dominate him and placed continuous effort into discovering the light bulb and never gave up. This proves how never giving up and coming up with new ideas every time a plan fails can lead to success. If Edison had given up on his tenth try, we all would have not been not able to see things in the dark. Therefore, constant effort and perseverance can shape the road to success eventually emphasizing how education is not always important in making victories.

On the other hand, education does have its fair share of reasons as to how it is the route to success. Education allows one to overcome obstacles in life with ease. Through education, one gets to expand their knowledge and learn about the various things happening in the world with an education certificate in their hand. For example, one can learn about different topics such as sports, lifestyle, fashion, science, and mathematics. Therefore, in the future, if there are problems that one needs to solve, one can put their knowledge to good use and solve the problems using the knowledge education has loaded them with. For example, if one were to suddenly face a retrenchment in the family, the source of income of the family would be hit greatly. Hence, at that point in time, one can use their knowledge and their certificate to get a temporary job position for that period of time and support the family financially. Slowly after that, they can pick themselves up again and work towards their goals in life. Therefore, education does lend a helping hand when in need and it clears the pathway to success when it is blocked. However, though education does contribute to success, it is not the key factor to success. Talent, perseverance, and innovation are dominating factors that contribute more to success as it has an immediate effect on reaching goals.

In a nutshell, education is not the route to success when pointers like talent, perseverance, and innovation exist. People who are not doing well academically need to note that there is no barrier to success. If plan A fails, there is always plan B. Hence we do know for a fact that education is made mandatory for everyone, since one is a toddler. However, we also do need to understand importance should be given to developing qualities and talents since one learns how to walk. If education is made mandatory, so should developing skills and talents. Schools can arrange workshops for students for skill development which would come in handy in the future.