Emperor's Club

Success is the motivation that inspires all human beings to reach great achievements and leave an indelible mark on society. Success is not merely a destination but a journey that one must travel in order to obtain it. Since success in one's own life is not explicitly defined, we must find objective ways of measuring it, and ultimately come to a conclusion on who has been more 'successful,' Sedgewick Bell, or Mr. William Hundert. As is often the case, the answer lies in the past, as Deepak Mehta is quick to point out, "To know not what happened before you were born is to be forever a child." As was the case with Shutruk Nahunte, undoubtedly a great emperor and sovereign over an entire region of Ilam, not one history book has documented his life or significance to the world. Mr. Hundert subsequently provides his scholars with this gem, "Ambition and conquest without contribution is insignificant. What will your contribution be? How will history remember you?" Ultimately, success is not merely wealth, fame, or political status rather it is living virtuously, conducting one's self honorably, and making significant contributions to the future generations, who will determine the future prosperity of our nation. In every way, Mr. Hundert, through a consistent display of morality, consciousness, honor, and respect, as with the revered Roman Emperors before him, has achieved success that far surpasses the boorish Sedgewick Bell, and his posh, immature, arrogant lifestyle, which, besides short-term financial comfort and reward, does nothing to foster morality and ideals that will benefit the world once he has departed.

The teaching profession is one of the most under-appreciated yet spiritually rewarding jobs that exist. Every great scholar and tremendous achiever in the world gets his or her start from the great, inspiring teachers before them. Teachers inspire their subjects to learn about the specified material, but also about themselves and the world around them. From the ages of five to twenty-two and sometimes beyond, young adults spend 7 hours daily, 180 days a year expanding their minds, and ultimately using their education to be productive members of the work force. Never in someone's accomplishments is there a footnote giving proper credit to the teachers that preceded him or her. Therefore, Mr. Hundert's success cannot only be measured through his personal achievements and accolades, but through the success of his students. Louis Masoudi, Martin Blythe, and Deepak Mehta have gone on to live productive lives in academia, and their appreciation to their teacher is an invaluable reward.

Sedgewick Bell, on the other hand, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and fell backwards into wealth and prosperity, through no effort of his own. His father's influence wrote his ticket through life, and allowed him to receive a great education, if he so desired, at St. Benedict's Academy. Under most circumstances, his flagrant academic dishonesty during the Julius Caesar contest, along with his consistent outlandish behavior which corrupted the rest of the student body, Sedgwick would have most definitely been expelled or subject to severe disciplinary probation, especially since it is an independent school with an illustrious reputation. However, when Mr. Hundert alerted the headmaster that Sedgwick was cheating, the headmaster, who is supposed to stand for the ideals that St. Benedict's represents, ignored it. Therefore, Sedgwick received his diploma despite his academic failures, much to the chagrin of Mr. Hundert, who felt it was against his teaching philosophy to allow terrible students to receive an honor, similar to that of the tremendous, self-initiated students who deserved them. However more consequential than that was the complete violation of the trust and faith that Hundert mistakenly entrusted him with.

After Sedgwick left St. Benedict's and was no longer the concern of Hundert, out of nowhere Hundert received an invitation to officiate a rematch of the Julius