Name: ___________________________________________ Period:______

The Fallacy of Success

G.K Chesterton (1874-1936) was an English writer, philosopher, and wit. In this essay, he takes on the
authors of the predecessors of today’s “self-help” books.

There has appeared in our time a particular class of books and articles which I sincerely and solemnly
think may be called the silliest ever known among men. They are much more wild than the wildest
romances of chivalry and much more dull than the dullest religious tract. Moreover, the romances of
chivalry were at least about chivalry; the religious tracts are about religion. But these things are about
nothing; they are about what is called Success. On every bookstall, in every magazine, you may find
works telling people how to succeed. They are books showing men how to succeed in everything; they
are written by men who cannot even succeed in writing books. To begin with, of course, there is no such
thing as Success. Or, if you like to put it so, there is nothing that is not successful. That a thing is
successful merely means that it is; a millionaire is successful in being a millionaire and a donkey in being
a donkey. Any live man has succeeded in living; any dead man may have succeeded in committing
suicide. But, passing over the bad logic and bad philosophy in the phrase, we may take it, as these
writers do, in the ordinary sense of success in obtaining money or worldly position. These writers profess
to tell the ordinary man how he may succeed in his trade or speculation —how, if he is a builder, he may
succeed as a builder; how, if he is a stockbroker, he may succeed as a stockbroker. They profess to show
him how, if he is a grocer, he may become a sporting yachtsman; how, if he is a tenth-rate journalist, he
may become a peer; and how, if he is a German Jew, he may become an Anglo-Saxon. This is a definite
and business-like proposal, and I really think that the people who buy these books (if any people do buy
them) have a moral, if not a legal, right to ask for their money back. Nobody would dare to publish a book
about electricity which literally told one nothing about electricity; no one would dare publish an article on
botany which showed that the writer did not know which end of a plant grew in the earth. Yet our modern
world is full of books about Success and successful people which literally contain no kind of idea, and
scarcely no kind of verbal sense.

It is perfectly obvious that in any decent occupation (such as bricklaying or writing books) there are only
two ways (in any special sense) of succeeding. One is by doing very good work, the other is by cheating.
Both are much too simple to require any literary explanation. If you are in for the high jump, either jump
higher than anyone else, or manage somehow to pretend that you have done so. If you want to succeed
at whist, either be a good whist-player, or play with marked cards. You may want a book about jumping;
you may want a book about whist; you may want a book about cheating at whist. But you cannot want a
book about Success. Especially you cannot want a book about Success such as those which you can
now find scattered by the hundred about the book-market. You may want to jump or to play cards; but you
do not want to read wandering statements to the effect that jumping is jumping, or that games are won by
winners. If these writers, for instance, said anything about success in jumping it would be something like
this: ‘The jumper must have a clear aim before him. He must desire definitely to jump higher than the
other men who are in for the same competition. He must let no feeble feelings of mercy (sneaked from the
sickening Little Englanders and Pro-Boers) prevent him from trying to do his best. He must remember that
a competition in jumping is distinctly competitive, and that, as Darwin has gloriously demonstrated, THE
WEAKEST GO TO THE WALL.’ That is the kind of thing the book would say, and very useful it would be,
no doubt, if read out in a low and tense voice to a young man just about to take the high jump. Or
suppose that in the course of his intellectual rambles the philosopher of Success dropped upon our other
case, that of playing cards, his bracing advice would run—’In playing cards it is very necessary to avoid
the mistake (commonly made by maudlin humanitarians and Free Traders) of permitting your opponent to
win the game. You must have grit and snap and go in to win. The days of idealism and superstition are
over. We live in a time of science and hard common sense, and it has now been definitely proved that in
Name: ___________________________________________ Period:______

any game where two are playing IF ONE DOES NOT WIN THE OTHER WILL.’ It is all very stirring, of
course; but I confess that if I were playing cards I would rather have some decent little book which told me
the rules of the game. Beyond the rules of the game it is all a question either of talent or dishonesty; and I
will undertake to provide either one or the other—which, it is not for me to say.

Writing Prompt:
In his essay “The Fallacy of Success”, Chesterton claims that success is an illusion. By Chapter 5 of The
Great Gatsby, we realize that Gatsby has been driven to succeed in part to earn Daisy’s love. In a
constructed response, use examples from both the essay and Fitzgerald’s novel, explore how much of
Gatsby’s success -- and maybe even his love for Daisy -- is an illusion.

Link to graphic organizer (optional support)

Writing Prompt - Type Response in Box Below

Use MLA format. Do not forget to self assess using the rubric on the following page.

Throughout “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, He builds up the mystery and

grandeur of the Great Gatsby, whether he's the relative of the kaiser or a self made man.

However Fitzgerald unravels Gatsby's prestige through his shortcomings as a man and what

has motivated him in life. Gatsby’s mansion is “rented for 12 or 15 thousand a season” with a

grand hotel-like mansion and “more than forty acres of lawn and garden”(Fitzgerald 5).

Throughout the first chapters many theories are made about Gatsby, building his sense of

mystery. However as Nick becomes closer and closer with Gatsby more and more the truth

comes out. Its began to be revealed that Gatsby’s whole reason for becoming the man of

wealth he is pining after a woman he was involved with long ago. As the circumstances of

Gatsby being poor and going off to war are revealed and how the woman he loves is a gold

digger. However over time his feelings for her make him fall in love with the idea of her.
Name: ___________________________________________ Period:______

Gatsby’s blinding lust for her makes him overlook her marriage to another man and child she

has with him. She is his dream, his fantasy that he reaches for and longs for but can never fully

obtain. This is all foreshadowed by the light across the bay that Gatsby longs for. Gatsby also

has a past driven by luck more so than work. Gatsby after leaving for war and returning found

work under a very rich man. Eventually Gatsby found favor with him and when he died

Gatsby inherited much of his wealth. He is an outsider when it comes to the elite world, for

example when Tom repeatedly questions the way he acts. This further shows his figure of a

mysterious wealthy man is just a kid trying to fit in. He isnt really born into money and know

the know hows of the rich, showing how his wealth and status is and illusion to attract a girl

who no longer wants him.

ELA11 Short Constructed Response Scoring Rubric (Self Assessment)

Directions: Read through your constructed response and the rubric below. Score yourself
(highlight which score you believe you deserve) and justify why in the last column.
4 3 2 1 Justification
Gives strong Gives sufficient Gives limited Gives no I believe I
evidence of the evidence of the evidence of the evidence of the deserve a ____
ability to make a ability to make a ability to make an ability to make because
logical clear inference/draw a an
inference/draw a inference/draw a conclusion inference/draw
conclusion conclusion a conclusion
Includes
Includes Includes specific vague/limited OR
well-chosen and examples/details examples/details Gives an
relevant that make clear that make inference/conclu
examples/details reference to the reference to the sion, but
Focus & that make strong text text includes no
Developmen reference to the examples or no
t text Adequately Provides a limited examples/details
W11&12.2a explains explanation of the that make
&2b Insightfully inference/conclusi inference/conclusi reference to the
explains on with clearly on with text
inference/conclusi relevant vague/limited
on with logical information based information based OR
and relevant on the text on the text Gives  an
information based inference/draws
on the text a conclusion,
but includes no
. explanation or
no relevant
information
from the text.
Contains serious I believe I
Shows command Demonstrates Notable errors
and pervasive deserve a ____
of standard English control of standard that may hinder
errors that because
grammar, usage English grammar, the reader’s
hinder the
and mechanics, and usage and understanding of
reader’s
skillfully formats mechanics, and the text, and it
Language understanding
and punctuates adequately formats unevenly or
L11&12.3 of the text. Fails
quotation marks. and punctuates incorrectly
to include
quotation marks. formats and
formatted and
punctuates
punctuated
quotation marks.
quotation
marks.
Student follows Student follows a Student Student shows I believe I
a standard standard format for somewhat follows significant deserve a ____
format for in-text citations a standard format difficulty because
in-text with few errors, and for in-text following a
citations with page formatting citations with standard format
MLA no errors, and shows a good several errors, for in-text
Parenthetical page understanding of and page citation with
Citations & formatting MLA pagination formatting shows numerous
Formatting shows an with only a few a developing errors, and/or
W.11-12.8 excellent errors. understanding of shows
understanding MLA pagination little-to-no
of MLA with several understanding
pagination errors. of MLA
with no errors. pagination.
Name: ___________________________________________ Period:______