To Strive and Fail
The essay explores the concept of failure as a necessary step towards success and personal growth. It argues that individuals must be willing to take risks and face rejection in order to achieve their goals. The text also touches on the idea that societal expectations can stifle creativity and innovation, leading to a culture of conformity.
By Voltairine De Cleyre · First published 1912 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Philosophical Fiction, Psychological Fiction · 1,826 words
First lines
There was a lonely wind crying around the house, and wailing away through the twilight, like a child that has been refused and gone off crying. Every now and then the trees shivered with it, and dropped a few leaves that splashed against the windows like big, soft tears, and then fell down on the dark, dying grass, and lay there till the next wind rose and whirled them away. Rain was gathering. Close by the gray patch of light within the room a white face bent over a small table, and dust-dim fingers swept across the strings of a zither. The low, pathetic opening chords of Albert's "Herbst-Klage" wailed for a moment like the wind; then a false note sounded, and the player threw her arms across the table and rested her face upon them. What was the use? She knew how it ought to be, but she could never do it -- never make the strings strike true to the song that was sounding within, sounding as the wind and the rain and the falling leaves sounded it, as long ago the wizard Albert had heard and conjured it out of the sound-sea, before the little black notes that carried the message over the world were written. The weary brain wandered away over the mystery of the notes, and she whispered dully, "A sign to the eye, and a sound to the ear -- and that is his gift to the world -- his will -- and he is dead, dead, dead; -- he was so great, and they are so silly, those little black foolish dots -- and yet they are there -- and by them his soul sings -- "
What this Textopian page supports
To Strive and Fail is listed on Textopian as an essay by Voltairine De Cleyre, dated 1912 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: Voltairine De Cleyre
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Fiction, Philosophical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Drama, Historical Fiction
- Length: 1,826 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for To Strive and Fail by Voltairine De Cleyre
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering To Strive and Fail?
- How does this essay by Voltairine De Cleyre fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Literary Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- The Olive Grove by Guy De Maupassant
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- The Memoirs Of A Mother by Leo Tolstoy
- Useless Beauty by Guy De Maupassant
- A Stoic by John Galsworthy
Genres
- Literary Fiction — The work explores deep emotional and existential themes, focusing on the struggles of the protagonist and the concept of striving and failing in life.
- Philosophical Fiction — It delves into philosophical questions about purpose, existence, and the nature of failure, reflecting on the human condition.
- Psychological Fiction — The narrative provides insight into the protagonist's inner thoughts and feelings, highlighting her emotional turmoil and reflections on her life.
- Drama — The intense emotional conflicts and character struggles create a dramatic atmosphere, emphasizing the weight of personal and familial expectations.
Tags
Anarchism · Autobiography · Biographical · Class Struggle · Critique of Capitalism · Economic Inequality · Existential Crisis · Failure as a Catalyst for Growth · Individual Freedom · Industrialization and Alienation · Labor Movement · Loss and Grief