Jon Carroll started at the San Francisco Chronicle editing the crossword puzzle and writing TV listings. He has been a columnist for the paper since 1982. Carroll has also held editorial positions at Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and Failure Is a Good Thing by Jon Carroll other magazines. Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten, and, as is conventional, I wished her success. I was lying. What I actually wish for her is failure. I believe in the power of failure. Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can often be a problematical victory. First-time success is usually a fluke. First-time failure, by contrast, is expected; it is the natural order of things. Failure is how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase describing a good cook as "she who has broken many pots." If you've spent enough time in the kitchen to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a fair amount about cooking. I once had a late dinner with a group of chefs, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much credibility their failures gave them. I earn my living by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am aware that one column is going to be the worst column of the week. I don't set out to write it; I try my best every day. Still, every week, one column is inferior to the others, sometimes spectacularly so. I have learned to cherish that column. A successful column usually means that I am treading on familiar ground, going with the tricks that work, preaching to the choir or dressing up popular sentiments in fancy words. Often in my inferior columns, I am trying to pull off something I've never done before, something I'm not even sure can be done. My younger daughter is a trapeze artist. She spent three years putting together an act. She did it successfully for years with the Cirque du Soleil. There was no reason for her to change the act -- but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored; and if she was bored, there was no point in subjecting her body to all that stress. So she changed the act. She risked failure and profound public embarrassment in order to feed her soul. And if she can do that 15 feet in the air, we all should be able to do it. My granddaughter is a perfectionist, probably too much of one. She will feel her failures, and I will want to comfort her. But I will also, I hope, remind her of what she learned, and how she can do whatever it is better next time. I probably won't tell her that failure is a good thing, because that's not a lesson you can learn when you're five. I hope I can tell her, though, that it's not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning. 1. First, highlight or underline Carroll’s central argument in his essay. Next, paraphrase (in your own words) Carroll’s central argument of “Failure Is a Good Thing” (in one or two sentences only). Be certain to attribute the author in your paraphrase. 2. Is it significant that Carroll juxtaposes the youthful enthusiasm of his granddaughter with his own perspective? Is it possible for a young person to embrace Carroll’s point of view? 3. Does your position regarding failure differ from that of Carroll’s? If so, in what ways? If not, in what ways is your position similar? 4. What have your failures taught you? 5. What have your successes taught you? 6. Have you ever stood by and watched someone fail, knowing that failure was, in fact, important for their success? Explain. 1. What are the positive aspects of Carroll’s position? In what way(s) might you agree with his assertions? How do you know? What SPECIFIC examples can you cite? 2. What are the negative aspects of Carroll’s position? In what way(s) might you disagree agree with his assertions? How do you know? What SPECIFIC examples can you cite? 3. Take notes from our whole-class discussion here. How might you be able to use Carroll’s claims along with specific support from outside Carroll’s essay in an argument essay? This assignment is meant to help you get a better sense of yourself as a reader and writer as well as to consider the goals you have for your reading and writing skills. The assignment is also meant to give me insight into your ways of thinking about yourself and your English language skills. Part I Directions: Begin by reading Carroll’s essay “Failure Is a Good Thing.” Then, write a paragraph that summarizes Carroll’s article. This paragraph should be no more than 200 words. (But please do not spend time word counting.) (Turn over your paper at this point and use the back side for Part II.) Part II Directions: Next, answer the following questions about your writing abilities in a cohesive format. (Your answers should not be numbered or bulleted, and your answers should not be a simple "yes," or "no.") Create sentences and paragraphs (when necessary) that are connected by a "thematic thread." You MAY use first person voice. When you are finished writing, look back through your writing to see that you’ve addressed all topics. • What are your greatest strengths as a writer? What do other people normally praise about your writing style? • What is your favorite kind of writing to do? (Do you participate in social networking sites like Facebook, for example? Do you like to write creatively? Academically?) Explain. • What are your biggest challenges as a writer? Explain. What kinds of critiques have you received from instructors, friends, and other readers? How might you have changed from these critiques? • In what contexts and for what audiences and purposes do you produce your best writing? Are there some types of writing you’re more comfortable doing than others? Explain • If you could change one thing about your writing or your writing process, what would it be? Explain. • How have you changed as a writer over the past two years? If so, how? And for what reasons? • What are your goals as a writer? (This answer might include the kinds of writing you would like to do, the kinds of audiences you would like to reach, the writing skills you would like to master, and so on.) • What kinds of things do you think a writing class will help you do better? • How do you think you might help others in our class with writing?
