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Katy Shin

Mr. Jared Pangier

American Literature A1

26 April 2017

The Three Lessons to Success

A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had once been full

of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he

found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far

enough down to get at it.

He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair.

Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the

Pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.

At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after casting in a few

more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his life

(Aesop 1867).

That was the story of The Crow and the Pitcher, one of Aesops fables. The crow

wanted water, and when he found the water, he was met with a challenge. Instead of flying

off when his beak didnt fit, he tried to be smart about it, he kept persisting until he was

successful. He didnt complain that his beak was too big or too short, he focused on what was
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in his control and didnt waste time blaming his beak or the pitcher. I believe this story

teaches us a lot about success, it shows three important things to keep in mind when striving

for a goal: Dont play the blame game, always keep the goal in mind, and understand the

importance of hardwork and sacrifice.

The blame game is when you refuse to take responsibility for something, and instead

blame someone or something else (Whitbourne 2015). We all do it, some of us more than

others, but nonetheless we do it all the same. A professor of Psychological and Brain

Sciences said this in a post for Psychology Today:Blame helps you preserve your sense of

self-esteem by avoiding awareness of your own flaws or failings (Whitbourne 2015). Blame

acts as a defence mechanism, and its easier to blame someone than to take responsibility for

one's actions (Whitbourne 2015). I play the blame game all the time, in fact, I play it

everyday. Because Im always late, Ive become a master of excuses. Its reached the point

where even I dont believe any of the lies I tell myself for why I can never be on time. By

making excuses Im hurting others and myself, more than if I had recognized my

shortcomings and took responsibility for my actions. From personal experience, Ive learned

in order to be successful we must take responsibility and stop making excuses. When we

blame others or certain circumstances for our failures, were putting the real problem behind

a curtain, and if we cant see whats really stopping us, then well never reach success.

The crow always had his goal in mind, his dry throat being a constant reminder. But

unlike the crow, some dont always have a reminder to motivate them in pursuing their goals.

At the begin of the year I participated in a three kilometer cross-country run, I set a goal to

beat my previous record. After I broke the two kilometer mark, I had no more physical

strength left to keep me going. It was then that I realized the importance of my mental

strength in achieving my goal. My body was burning, it felt like I was inhaling fire and I
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didnt see the point in running anymore. I kept glancing to the grass along the side of the

track and told myself I could just stop now and lie down on the grass, how good it would feel,

the thought entered my mind every 10 seconds. In that moment I hated myself for setting that

goal, for creating high expectations and putting myself in a position to possibly let others, and

myself, down.

What saved me from giving up was the second lesson taught in The Crow and the

Pitcher, I kept my goal in mind. It reminded me why its so important for me that I beat my

previous record. Last year I felt discouraged when I heard people dismissed the work and

effort I put into that years run, and instead attribute my success to good genes and long legs.

I thought if I beat my previous time, then I would prove to myself that its my willpower and

hard work that made me fast, not my body-type. This brings us to the third lesson taught in

The Crow and the Pitcher: understanding the importance of hardwork and sacrifice. For

every practice, I always ran faster and harder than before, even on mornings when I didnt

feel like it. Just like I had to make sacrifices to achieve my goal, the rich and famous Jay

Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgeralds fictional novel, The Great Gatsby, had too as well:

Gatsby worked as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought

him food and bed (Fitzgerald 98). We all have to make sacrifices if we want to achieve

something, even if that accomplishment is as simple as a 3k run, or Gatsbys obsessive

pursuit for the American Dream.

I believe that we determine our own successes. Even if there are things out of your

control that limit your ability to succeed, you should still always aim to better yourself and

persist despite those limitations. Everyday you are given the choice to either play the blame

game, or to focus on what you can control instead of what you cant. If you are struggling to

reach your goals, you are doing it right. A satisfying victory is only the result of hard work
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and sacrifice. Aspire to be the crow in The Crow and the Pitcher through not playing the

blame game, keeping your goal in mind, and understanding the importance of hardwork and

sacrifice. If you achieve this, you will find your pitcher of water.
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Bibliography

Aesop, . (1867). The Crow and the Pitcher. Aesop's Fables (Lit2Go Edition). Retrieved

April 26, 2017, from

http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/35/aesops-fables/379/the-crow-and-the-pitcher/

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.

Whitbourne, Susan Krauss. "5 Reasons We Play the Blame Game." Psychology Today.

Sussex Publishers, 19 Sept. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.