To begin, De Botton's talks explains about the current system of Success and Failure in today's society. That those with talent and skills, should be on the top and those without it. Should be of course in his words at the bottom. That this system encourages envy and humans do of course have issues with envy. So he insist on asking people to not judge someone in the first few moments and assume that is what they are. For we are a society that jumps on the trains and instantly connects people to success or a failure. For Success and failure can be interpreted in many ways in today's society. Like someone driving a Ferrari, we associate that person as a successful person. Yet when we see someone in a ten year old car with music playing aloud that consist of terrible rap. We connect that person as a failure to society. Which speaks truth in today's society!
So to add onto De Bottom's ideas, he talks about how tragedy keeps evolving each and everyday. In Social life, we judge them through successful individuals or failures. While in the Literary world, we judge characters through humanitarian actions and that is wrapped in Tragedy. Take for instance The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. We the readers judged him as a tragic figure because he spent his life for revenge on three individuals who tore the things that was precious to him. For that is how De Botton's ties in Tragedy with Success and Failures. That it can viewed through different perspectives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpMfZPAc1kg (Nearly Forgot my Broken Heart by Chris Cornell)
So to add onto De Bottom's ideas, he talks about how tragedy keeps evolving each and everyday. In Social life, we judge them through successful individuals or failures. While in the Literary world, we judge characters through humanitarian actions and that is wrapped in Tragedy. Take for instance The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. We the readers judged him as a tragic figure because he spent his life for revenge on three individuals who tore the things that was precious to him. For that is how De Botton's ties in Tragedy with Success and Failures. That it can viewed through different perspectives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpMfZPAc1kg (Nearly Forgot my Broken Heart by Chris Cornell)