The Art of Self-Making

Ashley Lo

 I found Joe’s presentation very inspiring, especially when he talked about how we should all acknowledge both
the help we received and our own honest effort. While our society continues to praise the self-made man who
succeeds alone despite all the odds, we also shouldn’t be ashamed to show appreciation towards those who
have helped us.


In The Great Gatsby, I find it sad that James Gatz felt he had to renounce his heritage and past in order to be a
successful man. It seems that in today’s society, people would be even more eager to claim their humble origin
in order to highlight how much “self-making” they’ve achieved. Likewise, there seems to be a trend where
people are quick to dismiss the accomplishments of the wealthy, as if they’re merely meeting the expectations
bestowed by the advantageous circumstances they received. While life really is a lot easier for many, such as
myself who has been born into a good family in a safe country, I also believe that becoming the best version of
ourselves is alone enough, maybe more than enough, because it might take us really far.

I personally wonder if Gates, Franklin or the Beatles truly perceive themselves as being self-made. Being at
Notre Dame, we’re all prone to think other students are succeeding-- in class, extracurriculars, social life or
job-hunting-- without going through the same struggles we have. When I really talked to my friends who
seemed to be sailing along so smoothly, I found out they’ve also failed numerous times. Maybe only the self-
made man knows what help he has received, while the rest of the world thinks he has done everything by
himself. Even when we’re watching the Oscars, award winners have such a long list of people to thank-- and
they always miss a name or two because there are simply too many people who have helped us along the way.

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