Portman framed this insight through the story of watching her four-year-old son play arcade games at an amusement park. He was intensely focused, throwing his ball at the target with impressive aim and concentration. But when he won, she realized he was only playing to trade in his tickets for 'the crappy plastic toys' — sticky stretchy blue plastic men that adhered to walls. The prize was more exciting than the game. She saw herself in him, and perhaps the Harvard graduates too. 'Prizes serve as false idols everywhere — prestige, wealth, fame, power.' She acknowledged the irony: 'Part of why I was invited to speak today, beyond my being a proud alum, is that I've received some very coveted toys in my life, including a not-so-plastic, not-so-crappy one — an Oscar.' But the Oscar only felt meaningful because she knew why she'd pursued the work that led to it. Achievement without purpose was just collecting plastic toys.