Through your texts, composers have explored the significance of persistence to seizing the day.

To
what extent has your set text and at least one related text informed your understanding of
persistence as a vital part of seizing the day.
Persistence is an invaluable trait to possess in order to seize the day. In Shakespeares Henry V and
Frank Darabonts 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, we see that persistence brings the power
to continue even during the worst of times in order to seize the day. Also, planning is an important
aspect to persistence as by persisting through tough times, we come across more opportunities to
seize the day.
Persistence is a vital component of seize the day because it allows us to face the odds and fight even
when we feel outnumbered. This is evident in Henry V, where Shakespeare gives Henry a soliloquy
that shows his only weakness throughout the play. Through an accumulation of rhetorical questions,
responders are shown the overwhelming nature of being king. This is given in what have kings that
privates have not too, save ceremony, save general ceremony?... what kind of god [king] art thou,
that sufferst more of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers? Shakespeare utilises this to symbolise
the insecurity of King Henry and show the uncertainty of being a King. Nonetheless, King Henry is
ultimately able to defeat the odds and come out victorious. Therefore, responders realise that to
seize the day, we must persist even when the times may seem overwhelming.
Similarly, The Shawshank Redemption demonstrates the idea of persistence being able to aid us in
the worst of times. For Andy Dufresne, that was finding out that his hope of getting out of prison
had been shot. Furthermore, he had been stuck inside solitary confinement for two months and
according to other inmates, one month was already the longest damn-stretch Id ever heard of. In
a scene following Andys release out of solitary confinement, audiences see a long shot of Andy
curled up next to a wall by himself, followed with a medium shot that showed his crossed arms and
pouting face. Through the context of Andys situation and the expressions are emphasized,
audiences can only empathise with Andy, seeing that the bleak position he was in was made even
worse. Although Andy was pushed to his limits, he later manages to escape prison and live a
peaceful life, therefore seizing the day. As a result of this, Darabont confirms the fact that
persistence through the toughest times is essential to seizing the day.
Persistence also has components of planning and patience to find the right opportunities to seize the
day. In Henry V, King Henry holds a siege outside the walls of Harfleur, a major French town.
Through the act of a siege, audiences are influenced to believe that Henry is a strategic man and is
utilising this tactic to make the most out of his men as a siege usually involves low-intensity conflict.
This is beneficial to Henry as he has a limited number of men who would be travelling across France
and thus, to fight by cutting of a towns supplies rather than direct conflict lowers the chance of
casualties of Henrys men and thus, improves Henrys chance to seize the day. Thus, sieges are long-
term tactics which require the leader to persist with a clear plan to seize the day. This is exemplified
in the Governor of Harfleurs surrender, are yet not ready to raise so great a siege. Therefore, great
king, we yield our town and lives to thy soft mercy. Consequently, it is evident that Henry had
carefully planned his approach to achieve his goals and persisted with it to seize the day.
Through The Shawshank Redemption, we see that the planning was a huge factor that influenced
Andy Dufresne to seize the day and escape the high-security Shawshank Prison. After Andy escapes
the Prison, Darabont reveals to the audience the big plan that Andy had been planning which
involved digging through the prison wall using a rock hammer, which the other inmates believed
would take [him] 600 years to tunnel through the walls with it. Old Andy did it in less than 20
Through the hyperbole of 600 years, audiences are led to believe that it is an impossible task,
however, the persistence of Andy allowed him to successfully tunnel through the wall despite the
fact that others wouldve given up. Darabont also employs a voiceover to narrate how Andy had
escaped, stating thats all it takes really, pressure and time which emphasises the importance of
persistence and planning. In a twist at the end of the film, Darabont reveals an intricate plan where
Andy assumes the identity of an imaginary person which the warden had used to launder his money.
Darabont uses a recurring motif of a man who didnt exist, except on paper to refer to the
imaginary man that Andy had made up. By doing this, Andy had not only escaped prison but blew
town with better than $370, 000 of Warden Nortons money as well as reporting the Wardens
illegal activities to the police, and thus, truly seizing the day. As a result of using a twist, Darabont
surprises both the characters in the film and the audience, suggesting the intricacy of Andys plan.
Consequently, it is obvious that Andy had spent a lot of time planning and persisting to finally seize
the day.
It is clear that persistence is an essential trait for those who seize the day. It what drives one to
continue in the worst of situations and pushes us to fight in the face of adversity. Furthermore,
persistence requires a clear idea of where we want to go and a plan to get there. Consequently,
persistence drives us towards our goal and gives us a way to achieve it, making it a vital part of
seizing the day.