What Role Does Failure Play In Learning Essay

According to Roger Von Oech, the author of “ToErr IsWrong”,shows us at least two reasons about failure. The most common aftermath that a human being must face in life is their failure. There are two types of failures, errors and mistakes. The most important thing is how we learn and are able to benefit from our previous failures. I agree with Von Oech that having mistakes, errors and failures are necessary. If people who can handle failures in a positive way. This will lead people successful in their future life. On the other hand, if who handle, errors, mistake and failures in a negative way.

This will be painful and not attended with future success. First of all, I talk about how people hanging in a positive way. Most people have had past experiences with their failures. Failure is the key to be successful if he or she thinks in positive ways in his/her life. Based on Von Oech’s on the article “Hits and Misses” section; the author was telling us about Yastrzemski who was a first baseman in Boston. He achieved the three thousand hit plateau and was able to become the fifteenth person to perform this in all of baseball history.

He revealed to the reporter that he had missed several times before. However, he learned from the errors that he made and it changed his career in baseball history, allowing him to reach the three thousand hit plateaus. Another example from my experiences is that I would make errors in the writing essay such as use of language, punctuation and word choice. It does not mean that I lack in knowledge English rules, but because I am not strong in my English writing skills as it is not my native language or because I am lazy. However, I can improve my writing skills as well as rewrite it.

I use to hate writing assignment, and now I enjoy my writing. In the next section is “Playing It Safe” the author’s friend who had not been having much experience with her failure. She was a good student from college with a Master’s degree in Journalism; however, she was surprised when she tried to find a job, but not to her avail. In this case,she is unwilling to accept her failures or even make failures. As I mentioned earlier everyone can have different points of view about mistakes, errors, or failures to lead to a success.

In the viewpoint “to err is wrong” again the author gave the reader example errors or mistakes from the engineers who built the bridge that collapsed. Having a big mistake or errors is harming people. However, if he thinks positive way, he can fix his mistake and make the strongest bridge in the future. With this in mind everyone has mistaken and errors as their failures. Some errors are valuable and it leads he or she to think and use this error as next steps to new ideas and to prevent this failure to repeat itself.

For instance “Errors as Stepping Stones” the author is pointing out Thomas Edison, who had failed to build a light bulb. He tried again and again about 10,000 times. He was able to master the bulb and create one and has passed on knowledge that leads even to the present time. But eventually he is the most famous American inventor and businessman who creates light bulbs. Everyone around the world has known his creations as Thomas Edison’s phonograph, light bulb, motion pictures and electrographic vote recorder.

This is the most compelling evidence and this is the one of many different cases, people who have learned from failure to become a famous and success of their life. Additionally, my own view is I agree with the author in some aspects, but not entirely on people’s life. For instance, some people famous from their errors such as Thomas Edison and Yastrzemski because they were hard work and learning from their failure and take their own responsibility of failure. On the other hand, I disagree with Oech, because not all people can achieve success from their failure.

Unlike “To Err Is Wrong” ‘In Praise of the F Word” by Mary Sherry wrote few students did not hold their responsible for their failure, but they blame to another instead, as the author discovered earlier in high school some of the students said:” I wish someone would have had made me stop doing drugs and made me study”, “I liked to party and no one seemed to care” because of the negative thinking these errors would affect students deeply painful rather than step up and trying new things.

The most important is do they accept the challenge themselves mistakes and step up to be successful or to make it worse. This depends on what the situation is and what people are thinking about their future in positive or negative. As Mary Sherry the author mention earlier Tens of thousand students graduated with diploma in their hands. However, do they really earn it with their hard work or cheating in different ways to get a diploma. I agree with Mary Sherry that diploma is important if students study seriously, they will earn their knowledge.

If students who cheat, they cheat themselves of knowledge because diploma they hold in their hand is not valuable. Different from “Zero” the article by Paul Logan revealed his experience of failure. He was an excellent student in elementary and middle school. However when he entered in high school, he got bullied by a group of older guys. They threatened him at lunch time during school. However, that wasn’t the end of it. It affected his attitude, itchanged just as his grades drop down from A to C.

For three years it changed him. First week in college, he was so scared, no plan, skill or future goal. His social skills began to sink. He did not focus in class or follow the syllabus for his work assignments. They were turned in late,he did not take notes or spend time to study. The following week he came late to class, he missed the lecture. This was hard for Paul to catch up. He decided to drop out of school and began to work as Sam’s Club with minimum wage.

After he met Ken from one of English class in 10th grade he changed his lifestyle. Paul recognizes that he missed his opportunity and he came back where he left and he fixed it. He built his strength and followed direction in class. He got perfect 4. 0 in he graduated from his college. In conclusion, I agree with the point of view that the author believes everyone will learn from their mistakes or errors with positive thoughts and decisions rather than negative thoughts and decisions. This will help them to be a future success.

Similar to Yastrzemski, who was the fifteenth person to be awarded the three thousand hit plateau, and serves as a first baseman in Boston. And Thomas Edison’s famous creations that positively affected technology. No one is perfect in this world. Even Paul, the author of the article “Zero” he learned through his mistakes and failures that it could be fixed and was able to do so. After truly seeing the negatives that he had done, he changed his style of life and worked hard to achieve the grades he once had.