Walker Percy as a young college student...
Illustration
Walker Percy as a young college student emulated the spirit of John when he said, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals" (Mark 1:7).
Percy applied for admission to the English department at the University of North Carolina. When he arrived on campus he was asked to provide a "diagnostic" writing sample. He responded by writing a description of the Mississippi River in a single long paragraph without punctuation -- an imitation of The Sound and Fury by William Faulkner, which he had read that summer. The result of his effort was to be diagnosed as "language deficient" and placed in a remedial writing class.
Although he had read Faulkner and Dostoevsky and despite the fact that he was a renowned poet's adopted son, he didn't protest the university's decision. He could wait. He wasn't proud. He took the class and learned from it. Later, he would become a best-selling novelist with keen Christian insights into daily living.
Percy applied for admission to the English department at the University of North Carolina. When he arrived on campus he was asked to provide a "diagnostic" writing sample. He responded by writing a description of the Mississippi River in a single long paragraph without punctuation -- an imitation of The Sound and Fury by William Faulkner, which he had read that summer. The result of his effort was to be diagnosed as "language deficient" and placed in a remedial writing class.
Although he had read Faulkner and Dostoevsky and despite the fact that he was a renowned poet's adopted son, he didn't protest the university's decision. He could wait. He wasn't proud. He took the class and learned from it. Later, he would become a best-selling novelist with keen Christian insights into daily living.
