Success in The Best American Essays by David Foster Wallace

2020 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Balancing career, motherhood, and family

There was once a man, for the sake of the story we’ll name him James. James had been lucky enough to be born into a great family. His parents had decent jobs their whole lives, so his family had money. With that money and a little bit of hard work it was not too hard for James to make it into one of the top universities, and graduate straight into a decent paying job. After a few years working at that job James had earned a nice house and a beautiful car. At this time he realized that he felt like he needed something more. James decided that with where he was financially now would be a good time to start a family. He began the long journey looking for a wife; and a few years later he found the perfect women, fell in love, and had a child. The one thing James didn’t know about having a family and having a job is how to juggle the two together. He didn’t want to have less money now than he did before he got married, so he started working more hours in order to make up for the income he was losing. In doing this he missed his only child growing up. Before he knew it he was missing his son’s baseball games. His wife was begging him to come home. James was making empty promises, and he was losing control of his life. One day he came home from work and saw a bunch of boxes. His wife came out of their bedroom kissed him on his cheek and walked out the front door; followed by their son. That night James reflected back on a lot of the choices he had made. He realized that he had been doing everything wrong. He thought back to a time when his father took days off of work to do things for him and his mom. At that moment he realized that he needed to change his ways. He realized that there are many things that had a play in his su... ... middle of paper ... ...rson needs an eye opener to see where they are and how they got there. Works Cited "10 Things You Must Give Up to Be Successful." Marc and Angel Hack Life RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and, 2008. Print. Hauhart, Robert C., and Jeff Birkenstein. "Globals" And The American Dream: A Survey Of Student Aspirations In An American Studies Course." Perspectives On Global Development & Technology 12.1/2 (2013): 355-374. Business Source Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Schawbel, Dan. "14 Things Every Successful Person Has In Common." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. "Stories About Role Models." Dreamofthingscom Stories About Role Models Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014. Wallace, David Foster. The Best American Essays 2007. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Commencement Speech By David Foster Wallace

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society, one of the most natural human traits is selfishness. David Foster Wallace incorporated this idea in his commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005. Wallace aims to persuade his audience that, “the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about.” Although the intended audience of his speech is the graduates and staff, along with their friends and family, the piece has become quite popular since its delivery. Wallace offers, “nothing less than the truth” and captivates the listeners with his complete honestly. His personal tone lets the audience feel like they are a part of the conversation, rather than just receiving it. Wallace successfully conveys his message that society is blind to the world around them through the use of logic, humility and emotional appeals.

    Read More

  • A Few Keys To All Success By Jim Muncy

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Few Keys to All Success by Jim Muncy, published in 2002 explains that there are 7 universal keys to success that we can relate to everyday life. Discernment, Optimism, Responsibility, Initiative, Perseverance, Purpose, Sacrifice. Each one represents how we grow and teaches us how to have a high quality of life. From reading this book I am confident because I know being normal means being average and what we do can change how we act significantly. Also we can’t let the world hold us back from greatness. There will be negativity, there will be those who lack enthusiasm but you can’t let them interfere in what you have in store. And these keys will help you get to that point in your life. Discernment; Judge the seed by the harvest. The first

    Read More

  • Summary Of David Foster Wallace's Commencement Speech

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    The commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace in the autumn of 2005, is a very deep speech that examines the whole idea of a Liberal Arts education at an extremely deep and intellectual level. In the 22 minute long speech Wallace talks about how higher education not only teaches you to think but “how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” (Wallace). Wallace later in his speech stresses the importance of this level of thinking by saying “if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed” (Wallace) What he means by saying this is that if you cannot think at a higher level and make sense of real world problems your life will become meaningless and you will become dead inside your head.

    Read More

  • The American Dream and the Post War Era

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The American Dream." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Student Resources in Context. Web. 14 May 2014.

    Read More

  • If I Do Not Possess Integrity, I Am No One

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anderson, Amy Rees. "Success Will Come and Go, But Integrity Is Forever." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • David Foster Wallace: The Writing Style Of David Foster Wallace

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stemming from World War II, a period full of death and uncertainty, post-modernist literature sought to deviate from the past and create something new. David Foster Wallace exemplified these ideas through his unique style. His writing contained jumbled ideas with copious footnotes and acronyms that he invented. The use of dark irony in his work parallels his psychological troubles, which are also echoed in this image. A dark eerie background surrounds Wallace with his only company being the singular light source to his left. Looking away from the viewer, he appears in a solitary state and disconnected from the rest of the world. By creating this mysterious façade, Wallace personifies his writing style, being unusual and different. His audience

    Read More

  • Lost In America Rhetorical Analysis

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Is the American educational system preparing students to deal with the problems in an increasingly interconnected world? Douglass McGray, editor and contributing author for Foreign Policy Magazine, dove head first into this topic. His article “Lost in America”, published in 2009 in Foreign Policy Magazine, dwells on the idea that American students are not being taught the proper lessons to be able to lead future global markets. This piece was aimed at the creators of each state’s curriculum (the educational legislators) to try to persuade them to fill the gaps in America’s educational system. McGray uses statistics and export opinions to appeal to the logical minds of every board of education in America. The nature of McGray’s job, his impressive

    Read More

  • Major League Baseball Business

    1553 Words  | 4 Pages

    Paige, Sean. "Professional Athletes as Role Models." Professional Sports. Ed. James D. Torr Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2003. 171-80. Print.

    Read More

  • The Decline of American Education and the Decline of America

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    “We are going to do in the future what Americans are doing today. Your job is to invent the future” says Jaithirth Rao of the Indian company MphasiS to Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat (389). America has always been abreast of the latest and greatest ideas and designs. However, America’s position in the world is becoming increasingly difficult to guarantee due the decreasing number of college graduates. Tamar Lewin reports in a New York Times article how a recent study by Complete College America discovered that “despite decades of steadily climbing enrollment rates, the percentage of students making it to the finish line is barely budging” (College Graduation Rates). Why? A simple answer is that a large number of American high schools aren’t adequately preparing their students for college. To reset this trend, good work ethic, innovative courses, and early vocational and technical training should be introduced and encouraged in high schools. Thomas Friedman and his book The World is Flat describe the effects of globalization on the world. Foreign schools are quickly rising to and even surpassing the levels of education in America, putting our place in the world in jeopardy.

    Read More

  • Essay On American Exceptionalism

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    American exceptionalism is a term suggesting that America was the best or superior; it was a term saying that it was different than any other place. Winthrop talks about the city upon the hill, which suggests America being a model or setting an example for other countries. We were supposed to be a beacon of liberty and freedom. During the founding of America, America was different than any other place. At its founding America was exceptional because it was different in the way people interacted with each other, different in the way the government worked, and different in its aspirations. The ideology of America has changed making it where America is no longer exceptional.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Global Education

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    While many Americans, and even more unfortunate is American teachers, claim that global education would harm American values and go against what America stands for (Webb), a global education presents the ability to either properly expand upon one’s knowledge of the world with accurate information about their true culture and their language, or a global education could either undeservingly demote or promote a country to a ranking it may or may not deserve. Without global education, our future generations will face unnecessary challenges and face the possibility of destroying everything that we, the world, built upon to maintain

    Read More

  • Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    (2013, November 6). Retrieved from 9 essential traits of successful entrepreneurs: 9 ESSENTIAL TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS

    Read More

  • Definition Essay

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    The complexity of the term success in unbounded, with little to no restraints on how the term can be construed to the liking of the one doing the defining, however, true success will always be classified by the basic principles of morality, happiness and altruism. Unfortunately, many people aspiring to success in modern society are driven by the most luxurious objects that are present in society, but these are unfulfilling and short-lived. To be truly successful, one must not only benefit themselves in the present, but benefit the entirety of the human race for generations to proceed.

    Read More

  • Essay On Being An Entrepreneur

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being a student of success you will find there are varying traits but consistent ones, that lean toward success. It is your personality, your inner drive that will make you successful. Once you identify those traits, your journey as an entrepreneur will lead to success. Here now is THE list. See what you have and what you will need to acquire to achieve:

    Read More

  • My Theory Of Success: The Definition Of Success

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though the definition of “success” has a very nuanced meaning depending on its culture and context, highly successful people typically exhibit the same universal characteristics. For despite common belief, successful people are not affiliated with some exclusive club and it has to do more with attitude than superior I.Q intelligence. Therefore, many people have the ability to learn about how they can be successful and do better than they are now. Due to having the privilege of interacting with successful people on a daily basis, I gradually coined my own theory of success. In addition, interviewing successful college students for the basis of the EPE course project has managed to further support and strengthen my theory. Yet rather than just being applied to an academic setting like a college or school, theses theories can be slightly modified to be applied in other aspects of life as well. It should be worth emphasizing that exhibiting some of these traits are likely good indicators of being a successful person, however there are a lot more not mentioned. For due to their vast variety, it would be extremely difficult to talk about each of them individually. As a result, I have taken the liberty of grouping them into broader categories and have listed them in no particular order.

    Read More

More about Success in The Best American Essays by David Foster Wallace

Open Document