<p>I know people are anxious for June 5 SAT but I desperately need my essay graded. HELP! (btdubs, I filled both pages :D)
TOPIC (New BB test 3): Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
Knowledge is an ideal that almost everyone wants to achieve. After all, knowledge defined the world around us and is the main instigator of life. However, often times in life, knowledge can be more of a burden than a benefit due to the fact that humans use it for the wrong reason as exemplified through Flowers for Algernon, Les Miserables, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Knowledge is a destructive force as it contributes to the pinnacle of the narrator's life as well as the nadir. The protagonist of the novel is born with mental defects but with the advancements of life (knowledge) he is able to not only become a distinguished man but also a genius. Eventually though, the protagonist dies as a result of this operation and is also mentally retarded, which means tat the change in intelligence was temporary. In this instance, knowledge is a burden to the protagonist as he was initially isolated due to his limited knowledge and even when he becomes knowledgeable, he feels even more isolated. Further, this "knowledge" of this operation that can make people intelligent is ironic as it results in his eventual death.
Knowledge is also a burden for Marius in Les Miserables. The protagonist Jean Valjean is an ex-convict in post-revolution France who is searching for redemption in an unforgiving world. As he "loses" the only precious thing to him (his daughter Cosette) to her husband Marius, he tells Marius that he is an ex-convict, a tidbit that Cosette does not know. Marius is troubled by this fact, and does whatever he can to limit Cosette's relationship with her father. For example, he limits Valjean to a single visit per week in a dingy room. He also does subtle things like not lighting the fireplace when it is cold outside or separating Cosette's and Valjean's chairs. All of these actions make Valjean realize about how much he is losing Cosette and he stops visiting, his heart in a continued state of melancholy. He eventually dies at the end, all due to a single fact.
The bombing of Hiroshime and Nagasaki also exemplify this. When man learned how to make the atomic bomb (during the Manhattan Project) he had unleashed a weapon that would revolutionize foreign relations for deades. During WWII (NOTE: I DID NOT ABBREVIATE THIS IN THE ESSAY BUT JUST FOR MY CONVENIENCE), around 1945, President Truman was faced with a dilemma: the Japanese did not want to end the war. As man had already ascertained the knowledge of the atomic bomb, he unleashed it, killing millions of people. If we hadn't discovered this, countless lives could have been saved and we wouldn't feel it's detrimental consequences today.
Thus, knowledge can be a burden as exemplified through Flowers for Algernon, Les Miserables, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Knowledge can lead to formidable deeds, yet it can also unleash its fury upon us. </p>
<p>And ladies and gentlemen, that's the end to my **** essay. HAVE FUN GRADING IT :D</p>