<p>Prompt:</p>
<p>The old saying “be careful what you wish for” may be an appropriate warning. The drive to achieve a particular goal can dangerously narrow one’s perspective and encourage the fantasy that success in one endeavor will solve all of life’s difficulties. In fact, success can sometimes have unexpected consequences. Those who propel themselves toward the achievement of one goal often find that their lives are worse once “success” is achieved than they were before.</p>
<p>Can success be disastrous? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your pov on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experiences, or observations.</p>
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<p>Response:</p>
<pre><code> Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly known as the Buddha, once said that, “success is not defined by material possession, but rather by self-fulfillment”. This idealistic proposition is one not commonly acknowledged by human nature, as we strive to fulfill ourselves via the accumulation of high-valued possessions. This crazed hunt for “success” is a dangerous one, as one’s endeavor to achieve success can end in profuse failure. Although success itself is not entirely disastrous, the process of it can very much be so.
An example seen in history of the dangers of endeavoring to achieve success is seen in the Roman Empire and its collapse. Established around 500 years before its collapse, the empire enjoyed success, even experiencing a period of flourishment and peace that is known today as the “Pax Romana”. Although the Empire overall was successful, certain emperors, such as Caligula, as well as Nero, were bent on gaining even more wealth and territory. Ultimately, one of these efforts to attain further success resulted in the over-expansion of the empire, which led to its invasion by the bloodthirsty visigoths. The over-expansion, and resulting collapse of the empire, directly occurred as a result of the Emperors’s needs to achieve what they perceived as success- the further accumulation of land. Such an example directly illustrates the dangers of success, and more specifically, the dangers and risks undertaken to achieve it.
An additional example of the dangers of success is seen in the novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. Near the conclusion of the work, Huck and his friend Tom are trying to help the slave Jim escape from his prison. Although this feat could easily be accomplished by unlocking the gate of the cell, Tom decides that such an approach does not warrant true success. Instead, he devises an overly-complicated plan to free Jim. Spanning the length of a week, Tom and Huck’s plan involves the faking of Jim’s death and his escape through an underground tunnel. During the last stages of their plan, when they lead Jim away from the cell, Tom and Huck are caught red-handed by nearby farmhands, and run away under a barrage of bullets, one of which strikes Tom. Although they did succeed, the road to success placed the boys in direct danger.
Ultimately, success has the potential to be disastrous, as the process in which it is attained is full of danger.
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<p>I know that some facts are wrong but the 2 minutes the graders have probably won’t allow them to check my references right? Anyway, please give me a grade, preferably from 2-12, if not from 1-6. THANK YOU!</p>