And Still We Rise Assignment 3

Miesha: "My Talent is Perseverance"
*What is your talent/gift?
*What are you going to do with it?
*Compare your talent with Miesha's

Literary Connection: Jesus' Parable of the Talents NOTE: In ancient times, a measure of gold was called a talent: There once was a master and he had three servants. He goes on a trip and gives gold to each of them. The first one spends it having a good time; the second one purchases a rug in the market place. The third one goes out into the fields and buries it. When the master returns, he asks them what they did with the gold. The first one says, "I spent it and had a great time with my friends." The master says, "Very Good." The second one says, "I purchased a rug in the marketplace." The master says, "Very Good." The third one says, "Master, you will be most proud of me! I buried it in the fields and here it is!" The master beats him and sends him out of his house.

What do you think is Jesus' point? What lesson does he teach and how does it connect to you and Miesha? How does this story work on more than one level?

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I want to be challenged as much as possible. I want to learn as much as I can to be well prepared to go to a reputable college. I like to be in challenging academic environments with motivated students who value their education as much as I do. I like to have excellent teachers who care about their students’ education and will serve as an inspiration and role model for their students. I want to grow academically in every way possible.

As an academic student, my talent is my study habits and strong work ethic. If there is a topic in class that I do not grasp right away, I will study repeatedly until I fully understand the topic. I don’t care how much of my week is taken up by homework, because the longer and more often you study, the better grades you will earn. I am a hard worker and will do what ever it takes to get the job done. I always try to the best of my ability to invest quality time in doing my homework, because I know in the long run it will pay big dividends. My peers can always be assured that if they ask me to do something, they can count on me.

As a person, my major strength is my heart for others. I am very compassionate toward all people. I also have a big heart for animals. I always try to put others before myself. My compassion for others is something that my parents have always stressed to me. They constantly remind me how blessed I am to live in a great, free country with a high standard of living. Because we are so blessed, we should be ever mindful of those less fortunate than ourselves. I have tried hard in my life to internalize this lesson, and now I believe it is a major strength in my character.

As a person, my major weakness is that I can be introverted when I am in a new social place where I don’t feel comfortable. I should be used to situations in which I am in new places because I move around a lot (every two years) as an Army officer’s daughter. Unfortunately, it is evident that I am not used to it. Once I get to know the place and the people, I am not shy at all and am very outgoing. I really would like to be extroverted when I am in new social places where I don’t feel comfortable. I think being able to start making new friends instantly in a new place is an extraordinary quality to have. I hope in my near future to gain that quality because I feel it is a wonderful gift to have.

I plan to use my work ethic and compassion to help protect the Wild Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins. It would be nice to borrow some of Miesha’s perseverance to get legal authority to force laws regarding the total number of tour vessels permitted to enter dolphin resting areas. With the combination of my compassion and Miesha’s perseverance, I am sure enforcement of laws would take place to quell tour disturbance and prevent the change of the dolphins’ natural behavior. I could also use my compassion and work ethic to be a teacher. I would like to teach 8th grade English or Biology. I would teach my best and provide the children with a good learning environment.

I respect Miesha’s talent of perseverance much more than I respect my own talent. Miesha has gone through so many more hard times than I have, which makes her perseverance so much more noteworthy. I think Miesha’s rough life is what forced Miesha to gain her talent of perseverance.

I think the parable is trying to stress that not taking advantage of your talent is selfish and wasteful. The parable is saying that it is foolish to not use the talents we are given. Our talent is our gift. Not using our gift is indirectly throwing away so many opportunities. This connects to my talent because letting my compassion for the dolphins shine raises awareness for other people to be concerned about. If Miesha would have buried her perseverance, she would have never been the woman she is today.