[REMINDER: PLEASE DO NOT PLAGIARISE THIS ESSAY. PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS ACADEMIC OFFENSE]
“The most important
factor which contributes towards a person’s success is himself”. Do you agree
with statement? Justify your stand, giving relevant examples where appropriate.
Success is one of the things that every person dreams of
in his or her life. However, different people would have different
interpretations of what success means. Some might define success as achieving
good grades in examinations or being rich and famous, whereas others might
consider a life full of joy and happiness with their beloveds as the true
meaning of success. There are many factors that contribute towards a person’s
success but the most important factor is the person himself. I partially agree
with the statement - a person can be successful due to his determination and
perseverance but I also think that parents, too, contributes towards a person’s
success.
First and foremost, determination is one of the qualities
which contributes towards a person’s success. As we are now living in a
fast-paced life, a person will definitely face a lot of problems and obstacles in
his or her quest for success. If a person is not steadfast in his or her goals,
then failure could be inevitable and success might not be in the horizon. The
saying “Failure is the first step in life” is very apt - even Taylor Swift has
faced rejections and negative criticisms before being famous like today. So, we
must be determined in what we want, strongly believing that failures, obstacles
and losses are only temporary setbacks and should be more regarded as motivations
in achieving success. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi was such a determined fighter
against British colonialism and for India’s independence. In fighting for a
newly-imposed Salt Tax in the 1930s, he determinedly led a 240-mile Salt March although
he was threatened with a jail sentence by the then Viceroy. He did not give up
at any point in the journey and finally completed the march in 28 days. This
event later became the precursor for India to achieve its independence. Thus, a
person’s determination is a quality which leads to his or her success, as
portrayed clearly in Gandhi’s case.
In addition, another factor which contributes towards a
person’s success is perseverance. A person with high perseverance stands firmly
to the decisions that he has made. Moreover, he also has a higher tendency to
step out of his comfort zone to obtain success. Perseverance is a quality
needed by an individual so that he will not be easily manipulated by others due
to a high self-esteem. Perseverance also will drive a person to continually
soldier on despite challenges and obstacles in achieving success. To take an
example, Nelson Mandela was a highly recognized person in the world who achieved
success in freeing his country from apartheid through his act of perseverance. He
was jailed for 27 years for going against the apartheid regime but he continued
fighting behind the bars. He wrote letters to several people about apartheid and
even completed his law degree in jail. His perseverance to fight against
apartheid despite the challenges he faced led finally led to his release in
1990 and the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa in 1994. To sum
up, success is achievable if a person perseveres despite the hardships he or
she faces.
Yet, on the other hand, I also feel that there is also another
factor for a person’s success, that is parents. Parents definitely contribute
towards a person’s success as well. In many cases, when some children are going
to sit for examinations, their parents would always sacrifice their sleep or
rest times to take on the duties of waking the children up in the morning and
making hot coffee for them so that they would not be sleepy for the
examinations; or staying up with them when they are studying so as to provide
support and motivation. Thus the children would have the mental and emotional
strength to perform well in the examinations, their high spirits for success
boosted by the support and sacrifices given by their parents. Pandalela Rinong,
the first female Malaysian swimmer to win a medal in the Olympics, is one
example of a person who succeeded due to her parents’ sacrifices. Pandalela has
revealed that her mother’s support and encouragement has led to her success in
sports. Her mother, Hartini Lamim was willing to learn driving so that she
could send her daughter to the training centre which was rather far from their
house. Gabby Douglas, the first African American gymnast to win multiple gold
medals in the 2012 Olympics, also succeeded due to her parents’ sacrifice when
they allowed her to stay about 2,000 kilometres away in Iowa from their house
in Virginia just to train for the Olympics. They endured the heartaches of not
having her at home in order for her to achieve her dreams. In short, parents’
sacrifices is also another factor that could lead to a person’s success.
In a nutshell, a person’s success could not only depend
on his or her good qualities such as determination or perseverance but could
have also been contributed by other factors such as parents. And so the saying
by the famous Indian film star Ajith Kumar, that “Success is being at the right
place at the right time with the right people” might have been true after all.
Written
by: Students of H1T15/H1T16
KMPP 2015/2016
Edited by i.me.my
[NOTE TO H1T15 & H1T16: Dear all, I have made rather extensive modifications for your original essay as upon a second look at it, it lacks the link (or coherence, of ideas of course). If you still have the original essay, please do compare it with this essay to see how the ideas have been changed or improved, as a way to learn how to write good essays. Thank you]
