The Persistence of the Individual

The above title was the name of an article written about a man who hired an architect to design a home for his family – a Swedish man of modest means – who took four years to build the house that the architect, also Swedish, designed.

But, the words “persistent” echoed in my mind last night; persistence is fundamental to preparing for the bar examination, particularly in California.

Persist – to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity or warning. . .

Both the persistent man (above) and the architect were born of poor families who immigrated to the U.S. to achieve the American Dream, a dream that they did achieve through pure purpose, passion and drive.

The man died a top salesperson for his U.S. corporation, the architect died leaving his works for preservationists who recognized that although schooled in a particular tradition, he set out on his own path, influenced by the "master," but achieving works that were uniquely his own.

And, then I thought about the bar exam and how much persistence, passion and drive it takes to prepare and sit for this exam –

Does it take creativity? No.

Having now analyzed many essay exams through formal outlining, and written less than I desire, I now realize that what the bar examiners want is a “cookie cutter” answer.

The examiners want to see familiar essay organization, familiar headlines, standard buzz words, familar territory – there’s a FORMULA to each essay examination. And, while the model examination answers are sometimes eloquently written and well analyzed (and sometimes not), they all follow a template, a template that is repeated throughout the years, with minor tweaking.

Ah, I must live to support myself, and I will be moving from my one-bedroom rental in a house that I share with a polar-opposite to a new room at end of month. . .my time is limited, my capacities are stretched to the breaking. And, yet, I, too, am persisting in life and in my studies to achieve the American Dream – set up a solo practice, buy land on the coast, build a home designed by a Swedish architect – to write pleadings and motions while watching the sea crash against the rocks below . . . and perhaps complete the novella, dedicated to the man I loved and who died while running on the streets of Johannesburg . . .and to find love again.