The Art Of Failure Analysis

In the essay, “The Art of Failure”, the author discusses why people “choke”, “panic”, and “fail” under pressure. The writer draws references to people such as, Jana Novotna, Ephimia Morphew, and John F. Kennedy Jr., where he then evaluates their reactions during crucial timings of their lives. By receiving insight about these stories, he then draws a conclusion that he later divulges back to the audience in his work. Throughout this essay, I will also shed light on the matter by offering my own perspective.
The article first mentions a girl named Jana Novotna. Jana Novotna was a noble tennis player who broke down under pressure, and received the runner-up trophy. Novotna had “choked”, played bad, and wasn’t capable of owning up to her true potential. The author adds his input stating “Isn’t pressure supposed to bring out the best in you?” (264). This quote expresses the irony of how bizarre it was for Novotna to have a physical turmoil during the most crucial point of her performance. Novotna although an experienced player, had surrendered to the weight of the world.

Unlike Novotna, Ephimia Morphew experienced a moment where she “panicked” while diving in Monterey, California.

At 19, her first major panic occurred when she dove forty-feet below the water with no instructor present, and just another rookie diver. She forgot about her reliable air source when she grabbed the wrong regulator, and water rushed out. Panic flooded her when in reality she had no reason to worry; because she still had her own air regulator, and her partner’s regulator could’ve easily been shared. The author compares “choking” and “panicking” by stating, “Choking is about loss of instinct, whereas panic is reversion to instinct” (169). What this means is that when we “choke”, we tend to overthink things. Contrarily, when we panic we cannot focus our energy, and thus this is how Morphew got thrown off her game, and ultimately

failed.
“Choking” and “Panicking” helps us to better comprehend why we fail in life. Another instance of “panicking” is John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crash, which led to his death in July of 1999. “Kennedy’s mistake in technical terms, was that he failed to keep his wings level” (270). In simpler terms, that means he couldn’t see the angle he was flying, and wasn’t aware of the problem due to his inexperience. To get a better understanding of Kennedy Jr.’s crash, the author of the essay talks about his flight with William Langewiesche. Langewiesche explains the plane crash by demonstrating just how easily it is to crash within a matter of seconds. The author adds, “Panicking is conventional failure, of the sort we tacitly understand. Kennedy panicked because he didn’t know enough about instrument flying” (274). This means that if you’re not educated enough it may be the very culprit behind your own failure.
In conclusion, it seems that many of us have to bare some humility for the flaws that trigger our very own fate. The author makes us mindful that human error does in fact occur. We are only human we all make mistakes, but “choking” and “panicking” only intensify the probability of failure. In my own life, I’ve encountered many scenarios where I have “choked”, “panicked”, and consequently “failed”. Lastly, we cannot dwell on our actions of the past, but rather look forward to our future.