Question

Why couldn't the boy gather confidence

Answer 1

Because the boy lacks of confidence.

Answer 2

The boy couldn't gather confidence because he was nervous. He had never asked a question in his class and suffered from an inferiority complex.

EXPLANATION:

In the speech ‘I Will Fly’, Dr. A.P.J. Kalam cites an anecdote. He was delivering a speech at the inaugural programme called ‘Sasthrayan’. The target audience were students who were aspiring to become engineers, doctors, scientists and their likes.    

After his speech there was the question-answer session. Dr. Kalam picked twelve students among the numerous raised hands for their questions. A boy started. He could not ask a question as he was very nervous. He had never asked a question in his life. He always compared himself, his poverty and lack of confidence, with his rich and confident friends. He always felt he was lacking in everything as he wasn’t as good as the others. So asking a question was very difficult for him.