The Cult Of Success By Diana Senechal

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The article “The Cult of Success,” by Diana Senechal addresses how the definition of success in our society has changed over the years. Typically, success to individuals means wealth, virtue, excellence, wisdom, personal contentment, or any other combination as stated in the article Senechal (2012). A Russian math genius known as the “World’s Cleverest Man Turns Down $1 Million Prize after Solving One of Mathematics’ Greatest Puzzles.” As a result of this shocking news, most seemed perplexed as to why someone would refuse such a claim arguing whether or not he was a sage or a fool. The community outraged due to his refusal fluctuated between labeling him as noble or selfish. Some individuals in society wanted to label him as selfish because people believed that he should have accepted the money for the sake of his mother; whereas, others who considered him as great thought he should have received the money due to individuals believing that success correlates to wealth. Unfortunately, society focused mainly on the money side of the pendulum instead of the intellectual side. In society, we expect certain norms; however, Perelman doesn’t fit the mold of following those standards. According to the article, he broke what is known as “social codes of success” Senechal (2012). The article discusses how the changing effects of society have transpired over the years. A person’s intellect shocks …show more content…

Educators teach students on how to identify “clue words” Senechal (2012) and apply skills to become successful in the achievement tests. For example, the article discusses The Wright Brothers and how students were to remember character traits about their accomplishments versus the actual work that they produced because the standardized testing would likely ask questions on

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