Churchill’s Relevance to College Students

Here’s another timed essay for my Writing Seminar with Dr. Paul Deveney.  As a reminder, I’m publishing these strictly timed, 30-min pieces as they were originally submitted (including typos).

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Prompt: Why is Churchill relevant to college students in the 21st century?

History can be boring.  In today’s world of iPods and cell phones, learning about older generations can seem irrelevant.  And while that view may hold true for some of history’s epochs, there remain several intriguing one.  Winston Churchill is one such chapter in history.  At first glance, Churchill might not seem relevant to everyone, college students in particular.  But Winston Churchill is relevant to today’s college students because of the character traits which his actions reveal.

Those who feel that Churchill is not relevant to today’s college students admit that Churchill achieved a great many things, but that is, in their opinion, precisely why he is not relevant.  Most college students will never accomplish even a tenth of what Churchill did.  Churchill fought in the British military; most of today’s college students won’t.  Churchill was a highly lucrative journalist; few journalism students have that possibility.  Churchill held three of the four most important positions in British government, less than one percent of college students will be lucky enough to hold one.  Churchill orchestrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and ended World War II; how likely is it that today’s college students will wage a war?

What these critics fail to realize is that Churchill is relevant not for what he did, but why he did it.  Churchill joined the military because it would help his future in politics; college students need to seize every opportunity in today’s competitive job market.  Churchill’s journalism directly funded his own political campaigns; college students too must be self-reliant.  Churchill’s three top government posts were all drastically varied; college students must put their best foot forward in all environments.  Churchill ushered in an era of peace; college students today hold the responsibility of maintaining that hard earned tranquility.

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