I’m practicing essays, here’s the one in response to the prompt in Practice Test #3 blue book.
Topic:
“Knowledge is power. In agriculture, medicine and industry, for example, knowledge has liberated us from hunger, disease, ad tedious labour. Today, however, our knowledge has become so powerful that it is beyond our control. We know how to do many things, but we do not know where, when, or even whether this know-how should be used.”
Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
Essay:
Knowledge above a certain level indeed becomes a burden. As the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Similarly, with great knowledge, intelligent individuals are burdened and stressed.
Take the case of Nikola Tesla. Tesla is popularly known for his work on alternating current (AC) systems used in every home today, but most people don’t know about Tesla’s personal life. For one, Tesla never married. He remained celibate with his only focus on work. Near his death, Tesla expresses regret about never marrying and wishes he could change things. Secondly, Tesla worked long hours in an erratic schedule. He never slept more than 2 hours in a stretch, and started work from 9 am till 5pm, having dinner at exactly 8:10pm at a nearby diner. He then went back to work, often working till 3:00am. The saddest thing about Tesla, however, was that he fell in love - with a dove. Tesla claimed to see a white dove, different from all others, and said that he had developed a “bond” with it. The dove was injured, and Tesla spent thousands of dollars for it’s surgery. Tesla said that he loved the bird more than anything in the world, loved it as a maan loved a woman. Tesla was clearly driven to the limits of his mind due to his extraordinary mental prowess and work. For Tesla, knowledge became a burden that he had to endure alone.
Similarly, we have the example of Robert Oppenheimer, one of the scientists involved in the nuclear bomb program. Oppenheimer was burdened with the knowledge of the immense destructive power of the atom bomb and how it will lead to destruction like never before. He is famously known for quoting the Bhagavad Gita, “And I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”, when the atom bomb test program, Trinity, succeeded. Oppenheimer’s burden and guilt was his involvement with the atom bomb program and how he was responsible for millions of lives claimed in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Another case where an entity is burdened due to immense knowledge is the Marvin the ‘paranoid android’ from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Marvin has a ‘brain the size of a planet’, and due to a quirk with time travel has aged 21 times the universe has. He, however, finds that nothing interests him, is constantly depressed, and is the epitome of pessimism, only due to the burden of knowing everything there is to know.
Thus, examples from literature and history make it clear that extreme knowledge can become a tremendous source of stress, guilt, and sadness to certain individuals. While they appreciate and respect their knowledge, for them, the adage of “ignorance is bliss” is extremely apt.
Wrote it in 20 minutes from following the 12 essay in 12 day guide. I think I messed up in the conclusion (any advice for a solid conclusion?) and used a few words poorly, but I hope the level of detail I delve into compensate for the faults. I am aiming for at least a 10/12 in the actual SAT.
Your essay has great roots to it! To credit myself (in modest integrity) let me say that I’ve written two perfect 12 SAT essays in a row, and I also do a lot of public speaking and competitive debate which helps immensely.