FCA's

Transitions
Diction
Sentences
TEEW
Punctuation

20%
20%
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The Life Drive

Final Draft
Annie Moretta
Advanced Composition D2
12/12/2014

Definition Essay

Failure is something that as humans, we experience and often times gives anxiety,
depression, and affects other emotions and thought processes. Failure may mean many different
things to many people. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes failure as "omission of
occurrence or performance; specifically: a failing to perform a duty or expected action", "a
fracturing or giving way under stress", and "a state of inability to perform a normal function".
People associate failures with school, expectations, or lifework.
Failure in school is the most oppressive in students at school. A fear exists among
thousands of high school and college students today. The idea of a good life and a successful life
lies in whether or not college has been completed and the pressure mounts to stay away from the
"cliff" which is understood as failure. I recently read a post on a social networking site that
displayed a meme in which the person was associating failing finals with working at McDonalds.
Sometimes students do not sleep, skip meals, and ignore their physical and mental health in order
to achieve success. The school environment requires balance and the unnecessary stress could
be detrimental. Fear actually holds students to a higher standard but at the same time adds
unrelenting stress on the individual.
The second type would be in expectations of life. This is something that can many times
not be controlled by the individual. Circumstances such as illness may push back some of the
great plans we may have. I began to realize this as a friend was talking about her life and what
had happened to her when she was younger. She felt like a failure because she was not at the
point where she imagined herself to be. There could be a young woman who dreams of having a
beautiful family of four or five who is distraught when she finds that she and her husband cannot
have children. All these things give a sense of failure.

The third type is felt by millions of Americans today who do not have job security. The
ideal job is suddenly marred with the numerous layoffs happening in a company due bankruptcy
or other complications. Others simply do not get the job that they desire due to timing, lack of
experience or, even circumstances outside of work. People who have prospects and ideas are
suddenly burdened with the death or illness of another family and they accommodate their
desires to support either themselves or another. They feel as if they have failed in life and failed
their family and friends. What we determine as failure, though, is not always true failure
In conclusion, failure is just a part of life mixed with circumstances and decisions that we
make today. It is not a definitive problem which one can pinpoint, but instead consists of what
we understand as our experience in school, expectations, and lifework. Failure leads us to places
we could never imagine, whether high or low. It is not the failure that determines our lives.
Instead, it is what we do with that failure that moves us places.