<p>Hey everyone,
I would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to quickly grade my essay and leave me any comments for improvement.
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!</p>
<p>Prompt: Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?</p>
<pre><code> Although knowledge and intelligence are recognized as symbols of power, they do not always lead to positive situations. This notion is clearly represented in Mary Shelleys novel Frankenstein, when the novels main protagonist Victor Frankenstein suffers from the consequences of his ambitious search of knowledge. Hence, knowledge, when it is overly-desired and misused, is a burden and a source of suffering that weighs its owner down with shackles of responsibility and fear of future consequences.
New discoveries and knowledge tend to burden their finders with weights of responsibility and guilt. For example, Victor Frankenstein manages to discover a way to bring the dead back to life. Driven by his zealous desire to figure out the unknown and gain power, Frankenstein manages to create a grotesque monster that was before non-existent in the history of humankind. With his irreversible creation, Frankenstein is burdened with the responsibility to take care of the gruesome creature. He also feels extreme regret and guilt about the changes he has made to the laws of nature. Knowledge does not give Frankenstein any happiness or satisfaction. Instead, he is left to suffer from the shackles of responsibility and panic over the choice he had made. Through the example of Victor Frankensteins thirst for knowledge, Shelley mirrors the situation that exists in modern society. She demonstrates that with great knowledge also comes great responsibility that will burden its owner.
Following the burdens of responsibility and guilt, knowledge also weighs down its owners with fears of its unforeseeable consequences. When Frankenstein decides to abandon his creation and leaves him to be abhorred by all of humanity, the monster vows to take revenge on Frankenstein and make him suffer even more. The monster slowly kills all of Frankensteins friends and family, driving the already-mad scientist into insanity. Frankenstein develops an intense fear of the monster, and dreads its future actions and potential harm to others. Through the example of Victor Frankenstein, Shelley portrays the dangers of the unpredictability of the search of knowledge. Frankenstein was not able to predict the actions of his creation, the monster. Likewise, society isnt able to predict the vast possibilities of the consequences of modern technology. For instance, the world now lives in fear of self-destruction through the acquired power and knowledge of the nuclear bomb. When it was first created, the world was not able to see it as an extreme threat to mankind. It is an inevitable truth that with the gaining of knowledge, follows a fear of its unknown consequences.
As exemplified with Mary Shelleys novel Frankenstein, it is clear that knowledge is not always beneficiary, but burdens its owners with responsibility and fear of the future. The innate nature of the unknown keeps the realm of knowledge as a constant threat. Thus, when in search for new knowledge and power, it must be done so with good will and intent, only for the benefit of the human race.
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