"Success is not final, failaure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." (Winston Churchill) Discuss by referring to examples either from literature or history.

[IFerrier]

[Cole Cabibbo]

This statement by Churchill can be considered correct because of the fact that in many cases failure does not cause ultimate death, unless in extreme cases. One of the most important examples is the Great Depression which occurred in 1929; it was a catastrophic failure in the economy, but with good politics the world was able to get passed it.

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 7:43:38 AM UTC+1, IFerrier wrote:

[Chianyul]

Even if a person successful, there are always people who are more successful than him/her. No one has ever died from a single failure, and it is the courage to keep on fighting that is the most important.

The statement was made at a time when the Axis Powers were initially winning the World War II. Churchill wanted the people on the side of the Allies to understand that they must continue to fight rather than give up due to initial failures on the battle ground. He did not want his people to become so consumed by their failures that they lacked the courage to continue the fight.

[Matej Vucak]

 In I Know How to Kill a Mockingbird, Marguerite has the courage to continue living after she is raped by Mr. Freeman. Though you could just as easily say that she didn't have to courage to continue because she separated herself from everyone by not talking to them and it took someone else (Ms. Flowers) to get her to talk again. In either case, being raped, a failure, does not seal Marguerite's life: she is able to live on, excel at school and give birth to a son.

  The opposite is seen in Making History where O'Neill gives up following his defeat at Kinsale and the death of Mabel. He becomes a drunk in Rome and the play ends with him crying. He is a broken man who can no longer continue: he let one (albeit big) failure destroy him.

[Abdourahman John]

This is a statement that I agree with not only because of its validity but also because I view Winston Churchill as one of histories heroes. Success and failure are two subjective and fickle states of being, to be succesfull by your definition does not mean you are successful from someone elses point of view, as is failure. What really makes them fleeting is that they do not last, as Churchill says. As chian-yu said Churchill gave this speech at a time where the Allies in WW2 had an upper hand, this was a reminder to all people that there success did not mean they had to fight any less. Courage then would be the ability to continue fighting or moving through even when you believe you are at one of these points. To have the courage to chase a dream even when you are succesful already and might lose everything, or to overcame your failure, for example einstein who spent decades working on a wrong theorem continued his work even with no results. This statement is a valid and true one and should be a lesson to all.

[Amir.F]

What was said previously by Churchill is understood today by many of us and I personally agree with his opinion because this is the basis of a social living life, meaning that in living our life we fail and succeed and this is the basis of our experience and our development. The same applies in literature, fiction, or non fiction there is always failure and success. For example in the work of The lost Honour of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Bolle when Katharina Blum is accused of being a whore, communist and an atheist her life still continues and still she fights for her innocence and struggles through the process. Therefore it is true to say that "Failure is not fatal" and "success is not final". 

However, in Making History by Brian Friel Hugh O'Neill gives up his position and leaves his country and pride because he had lost the battle of Kinsale. Therefore, in this case the statement by Churchill does not seem to be truly true.