Essay Sample 21

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. You should write at least 250 words Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

"Use of Machinery has increased and physical labour dropped at large."

What are the positive and negative effects of the above phenomenon?

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With the advent of the 21st century, technology has leaped to a level that was unimaginable only even 50 years ago. It was not too long ago that computers took up the size of an entire room; now, however, we have PDA�s (Personal Digital Assistant) that we can fit comfortably in our pockets! This dramatic progress of technology has meant that many aspects of our lives are becoming automated and the necessity of physical labor is rapidly dwindling. This phenomenon has diverse effects, including both positive and negative ones.

The increased use of machinery has many beneficial effects. Firstly, if a job is performed by any random person, the possibility of human error is quite high; whereas, all jobs performed by machines are going to be flawless assuming that they are programmed properly. Next, comes the differences of time- our most valuable asset. Naturally the same job performed by a particular person will not always take the same amount of time.

Depending on his stamina, a person can complete a job quickly or move at a snails pace. On the other hand, the same job performed by a machine will always take the same amount of time and no inconsistencies will be seen.

The decrease of usage of physical labor has some downsides as well. As machines take over tasks previously carried out by humans, unemployment rate will increase giving rise to poverty and even starvation for many families. Also, usage of machines for complicated jobs will mean that large sums of money will be required to setup these machines in the first place. This will undoubtedly create a strain on the overall economy of a particular country and this may lead to a decrease in the standard of living in the short run.

Clearly, the increased use of machinery has some positive effects. However, we must remember where to draw the line so as to ensure that we do not have to suffer from its detrimental effects.