Thesis: Despite unavoidable challenges one may face in their life, any person can make a better life

for themselves through perseverance. Annotated Bibliography: Weir, Andy. "The Egg." The Egg. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. The Egg is a short story about god, death, and the meaning of life. In this short story, a young man dies and goes to some sort of heaven. He has a conversation with who he believes to be god, and finds out that he is to be reincarnated. His next revelation is when he realizes that he will be reincarnated as a young girl in 500 AD. God then explains to him that he is the only living person, and that every person who ever was or will be, has been a reincarnation of himself. God explains that once he lives every life there ever has and will be, he will achieve a state of perfection, and become a god himself. This story is one of my favorites, and has a lot of meaning in it. When dealing with perseverance, one must take this story in a more abstract light. For the main character, his perseverance is him living out every single life there ever was and will be. The payoff however, is very good. I think that moral is a good one that ties into my thesis very well. Hughes, Langston. Harlem.Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 November 2013. Harlem is a poem about dreams, and more importantly what would happen when we give up on our dreams. This piece has been highly regarded (as it should be) because it inspires people to work towards their goals. I believe that Harlem fits perfectly in the middle of my paper because it serves as a good lesson to those who do not persevere. In addition, the themes presented are very identical to those of Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream speech, and fit nicely with the civil rights movement paragraphs. Esther. God's Word (Holy Bible) - NIV [New International Version] . N.p.: Biblica, 2010. Print. The book of Esther is my favorite book in the bible. This book tells the story of a Jewish girl named Esther. She marries king Xerxes and is friends with a man Malacai. When Malacai makes an enemy with Haman and learns of Hamans plot to murder the Jews, Esther acts out and not only defeats Haman, but also saves all of the Jews. Esther is a strong female character, and an excellent symbol of perseverance. Esthers perseverance in the Bible is rewarded greatly, and she in turn saves all of the Jews. "The Civil Rights Movement." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History: Government and Politics. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Student Resources in Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

This source is an article that explains the civil rights movement. This article explains the struggles of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., the Birmingham Church Bombing, and many other facets of the war on discrimination. This source provides many important quotes on the civil rights movement, and really goes in depth to explain it. The civil rights movement is an incredibly important part of American history, and also the real life story of a generation of people whos perseverance resulted in success. Huso, Deborah. "Sitting down to take a stand: Rosa Parks' actions advanced the fight for civil rights." Success Sept. 2011: 82+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. This is an article all about Rosa Parks. This article talks about how Rosa stood up for African Americans all over, and became part of the forefront in the Civil Rights movement. The article is riddled with quotes from Rosa that are not only fascinating, but also serve as an important first hand account of perseverance. Rosas attitude towards the discrimination of her time is a prime example of the kind of action it takes in order to change the world and make an impact. King, Martin. I Have a Dream. Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC. 28 August 1963. This is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s most famous speech of all, is I Had a Dream speech. This speech talks about Kings desire for a world that is untainted by racial discrimination, and his belief on how much better that world would be. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps the best example, and real life symbol, of perseverance and how it pays off. He payed the ultimate price for his perseverance with his life, but in the end his dreams came true.