Dissecting Responsibilities on The Late Paper - Essay Example

In the scenario presented, Kim is the most responsible person for her own failure. It may seem unfair, considering she has done her part in completing her requirements for the course but did give in to the temptation of delaying its submission due to her desire for pleasure with her friends. She became complacent in her duty to submit her paper before its due date because it was already done ahead of time.Arnold, Kim’s husband, further puts Kim in trouble by refusing to drive his wife to her professor’s office to make it faster and more convenient for her to submit the paper.

He is so immersed in his own insecurity of Kim’s rise to success that he tries to sabotage it by being unsupportive. His pride as the man of the house keeps him from allowing his wife to develop a person, as she is most likely to overtake him in terms of stature.Cindy, Kim’s classmate was a carefree influence on Kim’s decision to delay the submission of her paper. Cindy was out for a good time with Kim and her friends that she did not consider the importance of Kim’s priority.

Philip, Arnold’s co-worker is responsible for planting insecurities in Arnold’s psyche by feeding him malicious information regarding Kim’s desire to better herself as a person through her studies. In teasing Arnold that Kim will be able to find a college guy to replace him, Philip has undeniable triggered Arnold’s jealousy, which prompted him to be unsupportive of Kim.Professor Freud has not been remiss in laying out her ground rules form the beginning. However, in Kim’s case, being an “A” student, the good professor should have just exempted her from her tardiness of a mere 15 minutes in the submission of the paper.

She knows how hard Kim has worked, and should have considered her performance for the whole term instead of a minor fault as a deciding factor in giving Kim an “F” for the course. Mary, Professor Freud’s secretary, tactlessly gave Kim assurance that a few minutes of tardiness would not matter too much. She should have spoken to her superior regarding Kim’s case and fought for a little consideration on her behalf since she even gave Kim another deadline.Many things can be learned from this situation involving a lot of people in bringing a bad consequence to a simple action.

It shows how our actions, conscious or not have an effect on others, so we need to be careful in our motivations and attitudes that govern our behaviors. The bottom line is that it is up to the individual to weigh his alternatives and discern for himself what is best for him because, in the end, he is the person who will have to either savor the success of his wise decision or suffer the consequences of a bad one.