Summary Of The Right To Fail By William Zinsser

In William Zinsser’s “The Right to Fail,” he discusses that failure is seen “as a dirty word.” This means that it’s poor to flunk something, such as dropout of school. We are brainwashed by the media to think that if we drop out, we will end up like “them.” “Failure” and “dropping out” IS unacceptable, but it’s still ok. We will fail sometimes, and we assimilate from it. It’s acceptable if we fail, but it’s not competent to not attempt. By “media,” I imply advertisements. Zinsser says that they “. . .are a hymn to material success, our magazine articles a toast to people who made it to the top.” Also, he states that if we undertake the things from advertisements, then “. . .girls will be swooning into your deodorized arms or caressing your expensive lapels.” (Paragraph 3) So what he’s implying is that commercials control what we reckon. They tell us how to live in order to live a “successful” life, but this isn’t always the case. …show more content…
Our society is stressing about being perfect, a utopia, yet we dread about being an individual and having our flaws. Parents are “. . .nursing their ‘middle-class values’ and cultivating their ‘goal oriented society.’” (Paragraph 4) In response to people interrogating, “what if we fail?” they whisper: “Don’t!” (Paragraph 5) They should reply with “don’t be afraid to fail” because “[f]ailure isn’t fatal.” (Paragraph 6) Zinsser explains that we pass down negative thoughts about failing in life, but it’s OK. It’s just how it is. However, this doesn’t mean “go out and fail just for the sheer therapy for it. . .[it means] that failure isn’t bad itself, or success automatically good.” (Paragraph 8) Never fail “just