Now Reading: Emmy-winning filmmaker Paul Devlin rejected Harvard’s rejection in 1981
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Emmy-winning filmmaker Paul Devlin rejected Harvard’s rejection in 1981
Emmy-winning filmmaker Paul Devlin rejected Harvard’s rejection in 1981
In 1981, Paul Devlin, then a high school student, received a rejection letter from Harvard University. Spotting a grammatical error in it, he wrote back a humorous letter rejecting Harvard's rejection. He…
The Story in Brief
In 1981, Paul Devlin, then a high school student, received a rejection letter from Harvard University. Spotting a grammatical error in it, he wrote back a humorous letter rejecting Harvard's rejection. He copied the formal tone, treating the rejection as an application he had to decline. His mother sent the letter to The New York Times, which published it. More than four decades later, the letter has resurfaced online and even been performed at a public reading. Devlin is now an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and sports editor.
The Indian Opinion
The internet loves a good story of the little guy talking back to an elite institution, but this one is more a charming prank than a serious takedown. Harvard's original rejection letter had a typo; Devlin spotted it and wrote a witty reply. That is wit, not revolution. The real test: will this inspire students to challenge institutional errors, or just become another feel-good clip? A single grammatical mistake does not change the power imbalance in admissions.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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