I’m taking the SAT this Saturday and want to get an idea of how strong my essay is. Comments and/or critiques are well appreciated.
Prompt:
Knowledge is power. In agriculture, medicine, and industry, for example, knowledge has liberated us from hunger, disease, and tedious labor. 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 his know-how be used. Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
ESSAY
One might believe that the age-old adage, “Ignorance is bliss” rings true for every situation. However, developing knowledge on topics not only increases “bliss” in the long run, but it also brings deeper meaning and purpose to life. Knowledge can never be a burden because it yields greater truth and allows potential calamities to be avoided. This is proven through the happenings of the Cuban missile crisis, the growing knowledge of the worsening environment, and the Joads’ lack of knowledge in the novel The Grapes of Wrath.
Kennedy’s knowledge of the USSR bombs hidden on a Cuban island during the Cold War prevented an even bigger disaster from occurring. While some may say that Kennedy’s knowledge of the bomb was burdensome, any possible “burden” this knowledge imparted on him was nullified by the extent to which this knowledge prevented a much graver burden. Because of his knowledge of the bomb, Kennedy was able to successfully deter the Soviets from utilizing it. Without knowledge of the bomb, a practical and peaceful agreement between the U.S. and Soviets would not have been reached. The Cuban Missile Crisis exemplifies how knowledge, rather than being a burden, leads to a clearer decision making process which in turn may prevent disaster.
Furthermore, our growing knowledge of the worsening environment will prevent a much larger burden in the future. Before anyone considered the type of damaging effects that are being done on the environment, it continued to deteriorate with no end in sight. However, now that common people and scientists have grown knowledgable of the state of the environment, steps are being taken to reverse pollution and melting ice that potentially could have led to great and devastating changes for the earth. In simple terms, being ignorant to the situation would have surely resulted in a great burden, but now that actions are being taken and knowledge being acquired, humans are empowered to take control of their envirmoent.
Lastly, the Joads’ ignorance to the true situation in California in the novel The Grapes of Wrath led to their demise. The Joads, while still living in the dry and desolated Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, viewed California as an idealized location, one where they would no longer need to fret over money or employment. However, he grim reality that they faced upon arrival was just the opposite. They were met with blatant discrimination, near starvation, and a utter lack of work. The Joads’ story portrays the power of knowledge and how ignorance leads to devastation.
As evidenced by the Cuban Missile Crisis, knowlegde of the envirmonet, and the Joads’ story, knowledge never acts as a burden. Rather, knowlegde allows individuals to make the best decisions possible, and therefor “knowledge is power.”
Note: this fills exactly the 2 pages given but I went slightly over time so advice on time management is appreciated as well
So how would you score my essay?