A Beautiful Little Fool Essay
Prompt: “In The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan says that she hopes her daughter will be ‘a beautiful little fool.’ Daisy believes that, in some cases at least, ignorance is bliss. The contradictory attitude is the commonly-stated belief that ‘Knowledge is power.’ Write a carefully reasoned, persuasive essay that demonstrates which of these two ideas is the more valid. Use specific references from your observation, reading, or experience to develop your position.
In today’s world, intelligence is the key that unlocks the door to power and wealth. In today’s world, ignorance is the dead bolt that keeps the door to sorrow and disappointment locked. Two different doors: both existing in our culture.
The statement “knowledge is power” is made of very strong words. A knowledgeable person is said to be in control. He knows the right way to become prosperous, how to crush his competitors, and even sometimes how to work around the system. An un-honest, intelligent student may have the perfect plan to cheat on a test. No one will ever catch him. This person may not be using his intelligence for the right reason, however it is him suffering the true lose. Even if he is smart enough to get around the system once, he will have to eventually learn the tested material-or make an even more brilliant plan to cheat on his midterm. A smart person also knows his boundaries in relationships and how far he can push other people involved. Sometimes, however, people are to smart for their own good. An intelligent woman is likely to find out if her husband is cheating on her, just because she can interpret the clues better than an idiotic woman. Unfortunately for the smart woman, this knowledge will only lead to heartache and a sense of being betrayed. Her intelligence, however, could be put to good use in contemplating how to handle the situation. Knowledge is truly power, but is it desirable power?
Another outlook on life is that “ignorance is bliss.” When ignorant, a person is worry free. He doesn’t comprehend everything going on in the world, so in most cases he leads a happy life without complications. On the negative effect, a person is more likely to take advantage of an ignorant person. A husband could easily cheat on his ignorant wife without her ever knowing. This is a sad, but sometimes true, occurrence. When the wife finally finds out, from a friend or maybe a co-worker, she’ll be torn to pieces; not understanding why someone would cheat. Quite possibly she might not even believe the truthful-teller. An ignorant person is also more likely to fall into a trap-maybe a get rich quick scam. Without the common knowledge of a more intellectual person, he doesn’t have the sense that some people in the world aren’t so nice. He will give all his money to a so called “investor,” trusting him just like that-no catch! It is not until weeks later when the ignorant person finally realizes that the man isn’t coming back. The investor is gone with his money and won’t return any phone calls. The ignorant man didn’t even see this coming, nor does he get it. Maybe in fact “ignorance is bliss,” if this means a person will never understand the cruelness of the world and its creatures.
While ignorance and knowledge are complete opposites, neither knows the perfect combination to the lock that seals the door to happiness. One must just take what he is given and hope to find a way inside.
