Personal narrative: Failure in Life
WPI: Failure Prompt
You will write a personal failure narrative. Consider a personal past failure. Sit in the memory and recall some of the details listed below:
What was it and why does this particular failure stand out for you?
What was the emotion in the moment of the failure? Does the emotion linger? Or has it been resolved?
Was it positive or negative? Why?
What did you say to yourself when you realized you failed?
Does this failure resemble past failures or is it isolated? Is the failure isolated or connected?
Were you the only one affected or did it affect others?
Be honest! How do you approach challenge/s to date?
This essay should be thoughtful, descriptive and analytical. It should be NO LESS THAN 3 PAGES. Make sure to use an Interesting Title (no clichés please!)
Consider and organize your essay following the format below.
Introduction: clearly written hook + transition sentences+ thesis (name the failure +what about it+ why. For example, "Failing my science exam was devastating, but it taught to me to be more responsible" or "The end a 5 year relationship was heartbreaking, but I learned to be more resilient.")
B1-B2: Establishing a setting (who, where, when) by unleashing the day or series of events that lead up to the failure (rising action: what. "For example, It a sunny day in November 2015" or "It was 2015 and we had been bickering for months".)
B3-B4: Moment of failure (climax, For example, " I stared blankly at the huge red letter, F, scrawled across my paper" or "Suddenly, he snapped, "That's it. It's over!"
B5: After the failure has set in, describe how you processed it in the moment at the time (For example, "The tears welled up and beginning to slide down my face; I knew I would have to attend summer school."
B6: Wrapping up and ending the story. Identifying your stance on the failure to date (For example, "It was easy to see the way my actions contributed to my low test score and my ultimate failure of my biology exam."
B7: Your approach to tackling the possibility of failure in the future.
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
June 29, 2021
Personal Narrative Writing Prompt
Benjamin Franklin once said that “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” This age-old adage has helped me motivate myself to always prepare and work hard to reach my dreams. However, one of the most frustrating things in life is failing after preparing well. I experienced this with one of my examinations wherein I gave it my all by spending countless hours and energy, only to experience an unexpected ‘mental block’ thereby causing me to fail in my final examinations.
Preparing to Fail
The unfortunate event happened when I was still in high school. Although I strongly believed in the power and importance of hard work, there was a time when I failed to exercise my due diligence of studying for the examinations due to my own fault. It was November 9, and my childhood friend just had his 18th birthday. Since we grew up together, I made a promise that I would be there for her no matter what. However, knowing that it was the time for one of our examinations, I also tried to study even before the event since I was already failing with one of my own subjects.
However, little did I know that I am not good at cramming and that I am not resilient enough for any severe and unexpected incidents in my life. Before the party, I had to work part-time to help finance one of my large projects in an organization that I belong to. Since joining that organization was one of my passions, and my parents did not know about me being a part of it, I had to work for about 2 to 3 hours per day to help finance the cost. Additionally, I also procrastinated since I was given a new PlayStation gift for my good grades the semester before. All of these contributed to my difficulty in studying up to the date before my examination was due.
Two days before my final examinations, I started studying a lot. Since the coverage was very long, I made sure to give it my all and limit my sleeping time to around 2 hours per day. The exam coverage was supposed to be studied for a week or t...