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Jacob Burton
Per.1
Rising to Success
Success: the objective shared by mankind. While we all want it, we all have
different ideas on how to achieve it. Some believe that success lies in wealth and
fame while others think it comes from never failing (Success). However, I believe
that Success is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall (Thomas).
This idea is shown in the poem called The Race (Groberg), where a young
boy was participating in a race. After falling three times, he realized that he was too
far behind to win. He wanted to quit since he felt that only winning would bring
success, but realized that he couldnt face his dad if he did. Rather than accept
defeat, he ran as hard as he could. He finished the race in last, yet he received the
loudest applause from the crowd. Those observing, including his father, believed
that he was the most successful, despite the outcome.
Another racer had a similar experience, but the outcome was much different.
He was very talented and would always take first in his age group when he ran in
marathons. During one race, however, he fell behind. As he watched other runners
pass him, he became discouraged. Because he based his successfulness off of how
well he did in comparison to others, he believed that he was a failure and quit
before he finished. Rather than try to rise from his failure as the young boy had, the
runner gave up and accepted failure.
I have had a similar experience in my own life, but instead of accepting
failure, I rose to success. As a student in Junior High, I received As in almost every
class. Never had I received anything lower than an A-. One year, however, I
incorrectly completed two large projects in my English class. As I surveyed the

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damage, I realized that I had an F in that class. I was crushed. As came so
naturally that I never even imagined having an F. Rather than wallow in self-pity, I
studied more for the vocab tests, read thirty minutes more than required, and
checked my assignments for accuracy. As the quarter came to a close, I managed to
raise my grade to an A-. While this was the lowest grade I received that year, I felt
that it was my best because I had worked hard and rose from my failure.
Historical figures have also achieved success by rising from failures. One of
the most famous examples is Thomas Edison in perfecting the lightbulb. One of the
problems that Edison faced while perfecting the lightbulb was finding the material
for the filament. He tested thousands of different materials, including cotton, linin,
and wood, but none of them lasted long enough (Palermo). Despite failing
repetitively without results, Edison continued searching for the right filament. After
testing 6,000 different plants, he found a material that worked: carbonized bamboo,
which could burn for 1,200 hours (Palermo). Because Edison remained undeterred
from his failures, he found success.
J.K. Rowling also had to push through failures to become successful. As
Rowling started to write Harry Potter, she fell into hard times and stopped working
on her book.
Not only did she fail to make progress on her first book, but after falling in,
and then out of, love, she ended up with a failed marriage and a baby
daughter she now had to raise alone. She came back to nothing. She had no
job, no finished product and two mouths to feed. She had hit rock bottom. As
she struggled with depression, raising a child on her own and living off

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meager unemployment benefits, she resumed work on her book in cafes
while her daughter was asleep. (Ostrowsky)
After being rejected by twelve different publishers, (Ostrowsky) Rowling found
someone who would publish Harry Potter. By pushing through the brink of failure,
J.K. Rowling became one of the richest women in the world.
Similar to J.K. Rowling, the rebels of the American Revolution found success
on the brink of failure. At the start of the war, the patriots lost multiple battles. One
reason why was they couldnt match the power of the British army in direct
confrontations since the British army was more disciplined and trained than the
common folk that made up the patriots army (Roundy). The rebel army also lacked
supplies necessary to wage war and sustain themselves due to the British blockade
(Cayton). As winter approached, the patriots were on the verge of defeat. With
morals low and desertion increasing, they had little hope of making it through the
winter; but instead of giving into defeat, they endured the cold and continued to
fight. Success slowly came to them, starting with the Battle of Trenton where
needed supplies and increased moral were gained (Revolutionary Battles). Later,
France allied with the patriots, providing the support needed to deliver the decisive
blow at the Battle of Saratoga (Revolutionary Battles). Even after suffering
multiple defeats and having the odds stacked against them, the patriots were able
to find success by persevering through their failures.
Contrarily, the British were unsuccessful because they were not willing to
continue after suffering defeats. Previously to the Revolutionary War, the British
conquered many areas all over the world. Their empire was so widespread that it
was said that the sun never set on their empire. With all of their power, the British

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believed that the rebellion in America would be easily quelled. As time passed,
however, they began to lose. The British didnt know how to respond since success
had come easily to them before. With defeats piling up with little success, they
decided to accept failure, believing that the cost of the war was not worth the effort
(Roundy). Because success had come easily in the past, they were unwilling to rise
from defeat.
Having success come easily doesnt make it impossible to rise from defeat,
however. In the Disney movie Big Hero 6, Hiro was very successful at the start of his
life. At the age of thirteen he graduated from high school and later participated in
and won multiple bot fights. Defeat eventually threatened him as he tried to
become accepted into San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. In order to be
accepted, Hiro had to create innovative technology that would impress, Professor
Robert Callaghan, the head of the school. As Hiro started designing, he hit a road
block, and was unable to come up with any ideas. He almost gave up, not knowing
how to deal with this challenge; but after receiving encouragement from his brother,
Tadashi, Hiro was able to overcome the threat of defeat and create the micro-bot.
With his invention, Hiro was accepted into the collage and became more successful
than he was in the past.
Along with overcoming challenges, success also requires you to let go of your
past failures before you can obtain success. This idea is well illustrated in Nathanial
Hawthorns book, The Scarlet Letter. In it, Dimmesdale, a priest, and Hester
committed one of the most grievous sins, according to their religion: adultery.
Hester was condemned a failure doomed to damnation for this act, yet Hester
believed that she could still be successful. Hester did all she could to find success in
her religion, including service and religious works. By doing so, Hester was able to

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find success by overcoming her condemnation. Dimmesdale, however, remained
ensnared by his failure. Despite his successes in giving powerful sermons, he
continued to let his past failure weigh him down to the point where he was about to
die from grief. Only when he confessed of his sin and let go of his past did he
believe he was successful. As he confessed, he gave his most powerful sermon that
was sealed with his death. From this, he became one of the most hallowed
preachers in Salem.
According to Winston Churchill, Success is stumbling from failure to failure
with no loss of enthusiasm, but I disagree. Success is rather continuing through
failure until you achieve your goal, despite repeated discouragement. When the boy
in The Race fell, he lost his enthusiasm to finish, but he pushed through his
discouragement to finish the race. Even after he finished, he came to his father
with head bowed low, unproud (Groberg). Similarly, J.K. Rowling lost her
enthusiasm in writing her book after her mother died (Ostrowsky), but she found
success because she continued to write through her repeated discouragement.
So when failures come, remember that even the most successful have fallen.
Rise from your failure and you may find success greeting you around the corner.

Works Cited
Cayton, Andrew R. L. "Chapter 4." Prentice Hall America: Pathways to the
Present. Needham, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. N. pag. Print.
Groberg, Dee The Race HollyJoe. 10 Nov. 2015
In a World of Losers
Ostrowsky, Morgan. "Failure. Rejection. Success: The J. K. Rowling Story."
Failure. Rejection. Success: The J. K. Rowling Story. UnCollege, 15 Jan. 2015. Web.
14 Nov. 2015. <http://blog.uncollege.org/failure-rejection-success-j-k-rowling>.
Palermo, By Elizabeth. "Who Invented the Light Bulb?" LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 15 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.livescience.com/43424-who-invented-the-light-bulb.html>.
"Revolutionary Battles." ***. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Roundy, Andrea. Personal interview, 11 Nov. 2015
"Success." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.