Learning the lessons taught by failure is a sure route to success. The United States of America can be seen as a success that emerged from failure: by learning from the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers were able to create the Constitution, the document on which America is built. Google Inc., the popular Internet search engine, is another example of a success that arose from learning from failure, though in this case Google learned from the failures of its competitors. Another example that shows how success can arise from failure is the story of Rod Johnson, who started a recruiting firm that arose from Johnson’s personal experience of being laid off.

     The United States, the first great democracy of the modern world, is also one of the best examples of a success achieved by studying and learning from earlier failures. After just five years of living under the Articles of Confederation, which established the United States of America as a single country for the first time, the states realized that they needed a new document and a new more powerful government. In 1786, the Annapolis convention was convened. The result, three years later, was the Constitution, which created a more powerful central government while also maintaining the integrity of the states. By learning from the failure of the Articles, the founding fathers created the founding document of a country that has become both the most powerful country in the world and a beacon of democracy.

     Unlike the United States, which had its fair share of ups and downs over the years, the Internet search engine company, Google Inc., has suffered few setbacks since it went into business in the late 1990s. Google has succeeded by studying the failures of other companies in order to help it innovate its technology and business model. Google identified and solved the problem of assessing the quality of search results by using the number of links pointing to a page as an indicator of the number of people who find the page valuable. Suddenly, Google’s search results became far more accurate and reliable than those from other companies, and now Google’s dominance in the field of Internet search is almost absolute.

     The example of Rod Johnson’s success as an entrepreneur in the recruiting field also shows how effective learning from mistakes and failure can be. Rather than accept his failure after being laid off, Johnson decided to study it. After a month of research, Johnson realized that his failure to find a new job resulted primarily from the inefficiency of the local job placement agencies, not from his own deficiencies. A month later, Johnson created Johnson Staffing to correct this weakness in the job placement sector. Today Johnson Staffing is the largest job placement agency in South Carolina, and is in the process of expanding into a national corporation.

     Failure is often seen as embarrassing, something to be denied and hidden. But as the examples of the U.S. Constitution , Google, and Rod Johnson prove, if an individual, organization, or even a nation is strong enough to face and study its failure, then that failure can become a powerful teacher. The examples of history and business demonstrate that failure can be the best catalyst of success, but only if people have the courage to face it head on.

CRITERIA FOR "6" ESSAYS

YES OR NO?

Consistently excellent, with at most a few minor errors.

YES

Takes a clear position on the topic and uses insightful relevant examples to back it up.

YES

Shows strong overall organization and paragraph development.

YES

Demonstrates a superior command of language, as shown by varied sentence structure and word choice.

YES

Thesis statement in first sentence of paragraph 1.

YES

Three examples listed in paragraph 1 in order from best to worst.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 2.

YES

3–4 development sentences to support paragraph 2’s example.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 3.

YES

3–4 development sentences to support paragraph 3’s example.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 4.

YES

3–4 development sentences to support paragraph 4’s example.

YES

Conclusion paragraph contains rephrased thesis statement.

YES

     Failure can sometimes lead to success. Many Internet commerce businesses have learned from the terrible failures of the dot-com boom and bust, and today are in much stronger more successful positions than they were just a few years ago. Another example proving that failure sometimes leads to success is that of Arnold “Arnie” Wagner, a heavy metal drummer who learned to play the drums in a better different style after a crippling car accident almost killed him and his band.

     Not all Internet businesses vanished when the dot-com boom went bust—some picked up the pieces, learned from their mistakes, and moved on. The Internet boom was good to online shoppers but not so great to online businesses. Shoppers reaped the benefits of all kinds of great deals and online promotions, while e-commerce businesses did themselves in. Some Internet companies realized the mistakes others were making, such as offering too deep discounts and not charging for shipping, and they now have benefited by not suffering the same pitfalls. Only the failure of other business made this happen.

     Arnold “Arnie” Wagner is one of the best drummers alive today. He’s sure lucky to be alive! Arnie lost his right arm in a car crash just as his band Darkness Falls was beginning to establish success. Rather than give up and fail with his one arm, Wagner took the problem on courageously and decides to view it as an opportunity to change his drumming style. He has a special drum kit designed for him, complete with electronic pedals controlled by foot, which leads him to a new style and his band to even greater heights of success.

     Failure doesn’t have to end there. Often people and businesses use other’s failures or even their own to learn from mistakes and try not to repeat them. Proof? Today Arnie Wagner is still on top of the drumming world, and many online businesses continue to thriveThe examples of history and business demonstrate that failure can be the best catalyst of success, but only if people have the courage to face it head on.

CRITERIA FOR "4" ESSAYS

YES OR NO?

Consistently solid, with at least several minor errors and a few more serious weaknesses or mistakes.

YES

Addresses the topic presented adequately.

YES

Uses examples to support a position on the topic.

YES

Shows acceptable organization and development throughout.

YES

Competent but not consistent command of language, with several errors in grammar and usage and only slight sentence variation.

YES

Thesis statement in first sentence of paragraph 1.

YES

Three examples listed in paragraph 1 in order from best to worst.

NO

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 2.

YES

3–4 development sentences to support paragraph 2’s example.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 3.

NO

3–4 development sentences to support paragraph 3’s example.

NO

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 4.

NO

3–4 development sentences to support paragraph 4’s example.

NO

Conclusion paragraph contains rephrased thesis statement.

YES

Fiction

Non-Fiction

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My Losing Season- Conroy

Ethan Frome - Wharton

The Perfect Storm- Junger

Persepolis I (Must Read Both)

Persepolis II- Satrapi

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Non-Fiction

Caramelo- Cisneros

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Non-Fiction

Hiroshima- Hersey

A Child Called It- Pelzer

Understanding September 11^th-Frank

Fiction

Non-Fiction

In the Time of Butterflies- Alvarez

A Short History of Nearly Everything

The Red Tent- Diamant

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Eggers

Fiction

Non-Fiction

A Lesson Before Dying- Gaines

Into the Wild- Krakauer

Friday Nights Lights- Bissinger

Speak- Anderson

Between a Rock and a Hard Place- Ralston

Fade - Cormier

Witch Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials- Aronson

The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime- Haddon

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Nickel and Dimed- Ehrenreich

Lovely Bones- Sebold

Seabiscuit- Hillendbrand

Fiction

Non-Fiction

The Color Purple- Walker

The Greatest Generation- Brokaw

Picture Bride- Uchida

Let’s Roll!- Beamer

Beet Queen- Erdrich

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Band of Brothers- Ambrose

Women of Spirit:  Stories of Courage from the Women Who Lived Them - Martin,editor

Girl With a Pearl Earring - Chevalier

Touching the Void: The True Story Of One man’s Miraculous Survival- Simpson

The Shipping News- Proulx

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Reservation Blues- Alexie

A Tribe Apart- Hersch

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons- Cohen

Kaffir Boy: The True Story of Black Youths Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa - Methabane

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society- Mah

Faithful- O'Nan, King