“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.”
–Walter Elliot

For me, this quote means that you need to persevere, persist, or maintain a purpose through all of the seemingly small things in life, and if you can do that, the larger goals will fall into place. For example, a student needs to persevere through their tough work load, one assignment at a time. If they maintain their purpose throughout each “short race” then their larger goals which may be to get an A in the class or to graduate will follow. One thing that I really like about this metaphor is that it allows for each individual to apply it to their own situation and their own goals. Even though two people may have the same long term goal, everyone will have different “short races” or seemingly small things to persevere through on their way toward reaching that goal.

The ‘logos’ or logic and reason of a piece of writing includes structure, form, and order. These three elements contribute to the meaning that is conveyed in this metaphor. For example, if you just look at the surface structure of this metaphor, it can seem to contradict itself. After all, isn’t many short races one after the other really just a long race? The audience is forced to take a deeper look in order to understand the meaning that is trying to be conveyed. They must figure out how the two can be separated and consequently differ in order to make sense of what perseverance is and is not.

This metaphor is also a compound sentence; it combines two independent clauses by the use of the semicolon. This is important in order to get the correct meaning across to the audience. By using a semicolon instead of a comma and conjunction, the two statements seem more declarative and are more direct. By simply stating what perseverance is and what it is not without any unnecessary words, the metaphor becomes more effective. There is balance that is created on both sides of the semicolon. This balance makes the metaphor take on more of an artful form. The choice of words also contributes to the balance that is created. The word ‘race’ is repeated on both sides of the metaphor. There is also a sense of simplicity that is created on both sides. Elliot simply states what perseverance is and what it is not, by repeating the words ‘is’.

The order of the words in the metaphor is also very significant. This metaphor starts out by saying what perseverance is not. I think this draws the reader in and makes them want to find out what perseverance is. Also, by first saying what perseverance is not helps to narrow down the meaning of what it actually is. If the metaphor was reversed to be, “Perseverance is many short races one after the other; it is not a long race”, there wouldn’t be the same effect. There seems to be no point, as a reader, to continue reading if you already know what perseverance is. Also, the balance is slightly disturbed. In terms of length, the first part of the metaphor before the semicolon is much longer than the part that follows. The artful form is lost in the reversal.

Finally, I don’t believe that this metaphor is clichéd. I have only heard one person use this metaphor. Because it is not clichéd, many people may have not encountered this quote before and it may be a new idea to them. For instance, one may have never thought of perseverance as many short races one after the other. It may even go against what they have originally thought about perseverance or it may provide them with a new way of looking at the term. If one accepts this metaphor, then he or she may apply it to their own life and circumstances. I believe that this metaphor can really help someone maintain their purpose in order to reach their goal. First however, they must persist through the small, individual tasks on the way.