Can anyone please grade my essay. The topic is ‘Can Success be disastrous?’
Success is a word commonly attributed to victory - complete satisfaction. But, success may not be all good. Sometimes, success may be disastrous and lead to such dire consequences that one almost wishes that one was unsuccessful.
Clearly demonstrating this idea is the novel ‘Frankerstein’ by Mary Shelley. The protagonist, Victor Frankerstein, tries and succeeds in creating an undead creature, distancing himself away from his family in the process. He only realizes the consequences of his actions when the evil monster begins to kill people ruthlessly. Victor’s own brother and wife fall prey to the monster. He sets out to destroy the monster but is killed during his attempt. It is quite obvious from the story that he would have been better off if he had been unsuccessful in creating the monster.
In support of the assertion made by the novel, there is the example of the World War II scientists, Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer and the rest of their team who successfully invented the atom bomb. The atom bomb after being tested was dropped on Hiroshima (Japan) and a few days later on Nagasaki (Japan). Though it helped America defeat Japan and bring the second world war to an end, it caused enormous destruction and loss of human life. Many people in Japan lost their life due to radioactive rays and others suffered permanent deformities over generations. The world war II was hence brought to an end at an enormous cost.
Success may not just be harmful for people around you. Sometimes, it may be self harming. Amy Winehouse was an exceptional musician. The manner of her death was something that shocked the whole world. Unable to handle the success and fame if her professional life , Amy Winehouse took to drugs, ultimately meeting her end due to a drug.
The examples of Frankerstein, the bombings of Hiroshima And Nagasaki and Amy Winehouse clearly portray that success, desired by one and all, may not always be beneficial. This doesn’t mean that we should not strive for success, but merely weigh all the odds.