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Is This Really Worth It?
He wakes up early in the morning
Stares at the giant mountain in front of him
He knows he chose to do this
But as a sense of foreboding fills him he asks himself
Is this really worth it?
He checks that he has his supplies
Backpack, water, food
He walks over to the trailhead
As he looks at the path laid out in front of him he asks himself
Is this really worth it?
He shakes the thoughts away
And starts hiking
He hikes for a couple of miles
His legs start to hurt
He looks back to the place he just left behind
And then he looks back in front of him
His eyebrows creased with doubt
He asks himself
Is this really worth it?
It seems so tempting to go back
But no, he says to himself
I need to do this
He walks up the last leg of the trail
His legs aching, threatening to give out under him
Thick fog envelops him
As he shivers in his jacket he thinks to himself,
Is this really worth it?
He’s at the summit
A flat ground leading off to a cliff
As he walks to the edge
The fog starts clearing
A beautiful clear blue lake
Surrounded by a lush forest
Suddenly his tiredness is only a memory
A smile starts spreading on his face
As he stands on that edge
He thinks to himself,
Was it really worth it?
Yes, it was.
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I tried to structure this set piece as a poem. I used symbolism for this piece (the whole poem is a symbol) for how perseverance can really pay off. In this case the hiker reaching the summit represents perseverance helping you reach a goal. I also used the repetition of the phrase “Is this really worth it” to show the character’s frustration in the process of reaching the summit, which can happen in the process of reaching a goal. I also tried to add lots of description and imagery throughout the piece.