<p>Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to reckon with the past and integrate past and present.
Adapted from Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, I've Known Rivers: Lives of Loss and Liberation
Assignment: Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>Success or failure from recollecting the past depends on what person believes. Some people can learn a lesson from the past recollection, while others can only develop by wiping it out and I substantiate my claim with evidence from literature and personal life. </p>
<p>Some are good at learning their mistakes like Emma in the novel Emma by Jane Austen. Emma takes credit for the marriage of Mr. Weston and her governess and best friend, Miss Taylor, and decides to be matchmaker since then. However, later she fails to match her new friend, Harriet, with Mr. Elton , who is socially superior than Harriet. After the dismal failure she resolves not to interfere in people’s lives anymore. Despite strong temptation to bring up couples, she manages to suppress by reminding herself the detrimental aftermath of her previous matchmaking. This resistance serves not only for the benefit of others, but also for her marriage with beloved Mr. Knightley, with whom she has been long in love. Clearly, this case shows that one can derive a huge lesson for the future success from the past recollection.</p>
<p>On the other hand, others turn a new leaf by effacing the old memories, mistakes and weaknesses as demonstrated by the movie Leader. A lawyer, Steven Ross, was notorious for stealing money from company and betraying his clients. However, after the deep emotional suffrage, which is cancer death of his wife, Steven admits that his actions were unforgivable and inhumane. And he pleads for forgiveness and a second chance. Despite the difficulty of forgiving, his clients and employees give him opportunity to start over, which leads the company to be even more prosperous. This instance makes clear that one sometimes should forget the things done in the past in order to move forward.</p>
<p>In conclusion, both examples of Emma and Steven clarify that the influence of the past depends on a person himself; whether one sees past as hindrance or help to succeed it is up to him/her.</p>