<p>I just did a practice essay and I found that I didn’t have enough space for my conclusion. I also kinda struggle with the conclusion. If anybody would be kind enough to read the essay and give me feedback… Also, how important is the excerpt, can it be ignored? Cuz I realized after reading the excerpt again that it is unrelated to what I answered.
The question was, Can knowledge be a burden than a benefit.</p>
<p>-Knowledge is a trait desired by people all over the world. Every year, new undergraduates pay thousands of dollars for knowledge. Knowledge brings comfort, happiness, and pride in the world today. However, sometimes knowledge can be a burden. Knowledge sometimes forces humans to do things that they would rather not. This is apparent in the fate of Winston in 1984 and John in the Brave New World and the use of the media of humanitarian organizations.
In 1984, Winston is depicted as an average man going through life miserably as others in his world were. However, as he gains more and more knowledge about the astrocities and lies that the regime was commiting, even though Winston continues to state that he will die, he resists the regime with his affair with Julia and joining the “resistance” offered by O’Brien. This ultimately leads to painful torture and death for Winston. The knowledge that the regime was wrong became a burden for Winston. Knowledge had led him to the destruction of his life and death.
John the Savage of the Brave New World was caught up in a similar situation as Winston. As he observed the morals and acts of his “Brave New World” he realizes that it is all disgusting and wrong. The knowledge he had gained of live and faith through Shakespeare and other savages prevented him from being able to accept the society he had so longed for. As a result, John suffers a similar fate to Winston and takes his own life. The knowledge that what he saw was wrong, but that he had no power to change it burdened him all the more.
While modern day people do not have to suffer through such realizations that Winston and John suffer, they are still burdened by knowledge. Whenever a commercial showing a poor African boy who suffers from malnutrition is shown on TV, the knowledge of the boy becomes a burden. Even though the person wants to spend the money on a new sound system, the knowledge that a boy is dying becomes a burden to that person and forces that person to change his/her mind.
The sufferings of Winston and John, along with the burden of guilt that people experience, show that knowledge is not always something to be desired. While knowledge gives us amenities such as TV and cars, it can also be a burden and force people into doing undesirable actions.</p>