My first Magazine Zealousness Issue 5 | Page 56

Success After Death Success After Death S uccess comes in various forms and may oc- cur at different times in one’s life. Through- out history, we’ve witnessed a fair share of suc- cessful authors, painters, poets, and scientists, who attained posthumous success and immor- tality through their life’s work. Success After Death by Shweta Roy While not everyone becomes a cultural — or even historical icon through their work, here are a few people whose contributions to the world became historically recognized after their death. Vincent van Gogh Known for his paintings, Vincent van Gogh’s paintings have been in museums across the globe. Some of his works can be seen at Art Institute of Chicago. Van Gogh did not achieve fame during his lifetime. He sold only one of his paintings for a modest $109 (adjusted for pres- ent day prices), and suffered from depression and epilepsy. Unfortunately, he committed sui- cide at the age of thirty-seven. Today, around two thousand of his paintings are worth in the millions each. Franz Kafka The prolific writer Kafka died in 1924, having only published a handful of short stories. He requested his friend, Max Brod to burn all his unpublished works, but his friend defied his death wish and published “The Trial” in 1925. His works were steadily published in the follow- ing years and became classics. Now he is known as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Known as the ‘Father of Physics’ and the ‘Father of Observational Astronomy’, Galileo famously hypothesized that the earth revolved around the sun. He also played an important role in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, experimenting with essential scientific ideas like kinematics and strength of materials. His hypothesis of heliocentrism, however, was firmly against the doctrine of the Roman Catho- lic Church, which believed the universe revolved around the earth. His theories were rejected and church authorities held him under house arrest. In 1642, he died after a long fever. What Can We Learn? Even if people around you aren’t appreciating your work, keep on going. After all, practice makes perfect. To keep your self-esteem at high levels, try to limit your self-doubt.. Many people have and leave their mark on, so try to focus on doing great work. Never give up and throw away your life’s work, as you’ll never know when success awaits you. Whenever your time comes, you’re will be around to be appreciated Less audience shouldn’t make you demoralized. You’ll be appreciated when your time comes. John Keats 54 SPRING 2017 Although he is now one of the most famous En- glish romantic poets, Keats’ work started to re- ceive widespread recognition and appreciation after his death at the age of twenty-five. Fellow poet, Percy Bysshe She lley, recognized Keats’ unique talents early on and remained one of his biggest supporters. Reference: Galileo Galilei http://www.vggallery.com/map/main.htm http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-people-who-became-fa- mous-after-death.php https://mic.com/articles/62651/9-incredible-writers-who-on- ly-became-famous-after-death#.OLkPFF9yz https://medium.com/@ashwanikumar110/galileo-has-been- called-the-father-of-observational-astronomy-the-father-of- modern-physics-e0a1c72ef1a9 SPRING 2017 55