THe Benefits of failure
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Ted Talk: J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement
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J. K. Rowling speach Reflection
Throughout the talk Rowling expresses her argument of finding a deeper meaning in life then rather living with caution. She emphasizes this argument through personal experiences when she explains a part of her life, “A exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless.” She explains how her parents always had high hopes for her, but when her life went suddenly downhill she felt her financial struggles were a burden on her family and friends. Through her hard times, Rowling’s failures led to her to discover what mattered most to her in life and what made her happy. Failures are all about learning as she explains, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not lived at all- in which case, you fail by default.” Through failure you learn the secrets on how to succeed. Though many people see failure as a bad thing, failure can be good life learning experiences that help shape you as a person. Difficulties push people to face their fear; it helps them to face the world around. I thought the talk was inspiring and I very much enjoyed it. It allows you to step back and analyze your life. As a comparison in the play “The Death of a Salesman” Willy’s drive in life is to be successful and to provide for his family. However, through the course of the play the reader begins to gather that the Lomans are more in the lower class of society and don’t much. Willy believes unconditionally in the American dreams and is constantly preaching to his sons that if they are good men things will come easy to them, but as Willy begins to learn that’s not always the case. Towards the end of the play Willy comes to terms with his failures and even though he doesn’t prosper like Rowling he still in the ends learns that his family still loves him even though he failed at the American dream.
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