Deresiewicz references Harry R. Lewis, a former Harvard dean, who wrote how all the college students refuse to take a chance on a new class that they might not do well in because they are afraid of failure. They are unable to venture into the unknown because if they fail, other students will judge them and deem them as inferior because of the competition in the environment. In David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day, the narrator recounts his experience at a language school in France. He had a harsh teacher, who would shame and insult her students as they tried to speak and understand French. This lead to feelings of confidence and fear in the students because they constantly felt like they were failing. However, at the end of the passage, the narrator realises that through all the failures in class, he is finally able to understand everything the teacher said and became hungry for more knowledge about the French language. Sedaris’ story demonstrates the benefits of failing because if there is failure, there is effort to improve, to explore uncharted territory, and to discover more knowledge
Deresiewicz references Harry R. Lewis, a former Harvard dean, who wrote how all the college students refuse to take a chance on a new class that they might not do well in because they are afraid of failure. They are unable to venture into the unknown because if they fail, other students will judge them and deem them as inferior because of the competition in the environment. In David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day, the narrator recounts his experience at a language school in France. He had a harsh teacher, who would shame and insult her students as they tried to speak and understand French. This lead to feelings of confidence and fear in the students because they constantly felt like they were failing. However, at the end of the passage, the narrator realises that through all the failures in class, he is finally able to understand everything the teacher said and became hungry for more knowledge about the French language. Sedaris’ story demonstrates the benefits of failing because if there is failure, there is effort to improve, to explore uncharted territory, and to discover more knowledge