Prompt:
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Today many young people spend their time developing one special talent. But such devotion to a single special ability or skill, whether in the arts, in sports, or in any other area, may not be a good idea. While the challenge of becoming an expert is exciting and can lead to extraordinary rewards, narrowly focusing one’s efforts limits new experiences and meaningful interactions with people who have other interests.
Assignment:
Should young people focus their efforts on developing just one talent? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations
Response:
In a competitive world such as ours, honing just one talent is ill-advised. Throughout life, one encounters hugely varied situations that require a diverse skill set in order to meet requirements. Just as a butcher does not use just one type of knife, nor a hairdresser just one kind of brush, it is essential to develop a range of talents. Countless examples throughout history and in multiple literary works have demonstrated this.
In G. R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, Bran Stark, the prince of Winterfell, is given lessons on all kinds of skills: swordsmanship, archery, horse riding and even cooking. Bran is best at horse riding and prefers to devote all his education to developing this skill. However his father, Ned, knows how integral it is for a young boy to have a diverse skill set and pushes him to be his best at other activities. A few months later, when Bran is on a quest in the wild and is attacked by wildlings, his prowess in archery and sword fighting saves his skin. This illustrates how important it is to focus on developing multiple skills if one is to survive.
In the popular TV Series ‘Silicon Valley’, Brad, a college student is studying engineering but chooses to study only the branch that he is best at-audio engineering. However, the industries that audio engineering is good for are very few and steadily declining. However, Brad chooses to ignore this and does not work to develop his skills in other aspects on engineering such as mechanical and electrical engineering. When Brad graduates, he is unable to find a job in the audio engineering sector and in unable to support himself. This goes to show that if Brad had focused on more things other than what he was best at, perhaps he would not have had such a tough time finding a job and would not be in such dire straits.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, towards the end of the war between Macduff and Macbeth, the two have a duel with each other. After Macduff loses his word, he uses his skills at archery to would Macbeth. He then gets onto his horse and deals Macbeth a second blow. Macbeth is no match at horse riding and is easily defeated.
Bran’s ability to survive in the wild because of his varied talents, Brad’s inability to find a job as a consequence of focusing on only one area of learning and Macduff’s victory because of superior development of skill in horseriding show that it is better to focus one’s efforts on developing multiple talents.