생글 영어 에세이 경시대회 문제

The modern world has been shaped by technology.

And it tumbles from crisis to crisis; on all sides there are prophecies of disaster and, indeed, visible signs of breakdown.

If that which has been shaped by technology, and continues to be so shaped, looks sick, it might be wise to have a look at technology itself.

If technology is felt to be becoming more and more inhuman, we might do well to consider whether it is possible to have something better – a technology with a human face.

Strange to say, technology, although of course the product of man, tends to develop by its own laws and principles and these are very different from those of human nature of living nature in general.

Nature always knows where and when to stop.

Greater even than the mystery of natural growth is the mystery of the natural cessation of growth.

There is moderation in all natural things.

As a result, the system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing.

Not so with technology, or not so with man dominated by technology and specialization.

Technology recognizes no self-limiting principle.

It therefore does not possess the virtues of being self-balancing, self-adjusting and self-cleansing.

In the subtle system of nature, technology, and in particular the super technology of the modern world, acts like a foreign body, and there are now numerous sings of rejection.

Suddenly, if not altogether surprisingly, the modern world, shaped by modern technology, finds itself involved in three crises simultaneously.

First, human nature revolts against inhuman technological, organizational, and political patterns, which it experiences as suffocating and debilitating; second, the living environment which supports human life aches and groans and gives signs of partial breakdown; and, third, it is clear to anyone fully knowledgeable in the subject matter that the inroads being made into the world’s non-renewable resources, particularly those of fossil fuels, are such that serious bottlenecks and virtual exhaustion loom ahead in the quite foreseeable future.

Any one of these three crises or illnesses can turn out to be deadly.

It is quite clear that a way of life that bases itself on materialism, i.e. on limitless expansionism in a finite environment, cannot last long, and that its life expectation is the shorter the more successfully it pursues its expansionist objectives.

If we ask where the tempestuous developments of world industry have taken us, the answer is somewhat discouraging.

Everywhere the problems seem to be growing faster than the solutions.

This seems to apply to the rich countries just as much as to the poor.

There is nothing in the experience of the last years to suggest that modern technology, as we know it, can really help us to alleviate world poverty, not to mention the problem of unemployment which already reached levels like thirty percent in many developing countries, and now threatens to become endemic also in many of the rich countries.

In any case, the illusory successes of the last years cannot be repeated: the threefold crisis mention above will see that.

So we had better face the question of technology what does it do and what should it do?

Can we develop a technology which really helps us to solve our problems – a technology with a human face?

[Question]

What is your answer to the underlined question in the given passage? Give specific examples to support your argument.

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해외체류경험자 고1,2부문 대상 답안 (진선여고 김보현)

"The world is sufficient enough to fit human needs, but not greed."

Without doubt, this quote accurately depicts the modern world we live in a world with the monster of inhuman technology that seems to grow and grow each day, feeded by the mad, knowledge-thirsty vampire-scientists.

Sure, technology improved our lives a great deal.

The countless numbers of iPods and personal TVs in the rooms of teenagers, cutting-edge high gadgets-connecting the world into one global community-that at least one in three people seems to own, and the daily news reporting the latest technology developed are profits of this.

However, as the demands of the people rise up to the point where the world can hold no more, crises and disasters begin to sprout.

If this is true, then is it possible indeed, to develop a technology that will really help us solve our problems?

Before answering this question, first take a look at cases where technology has imprisoned people in its evil clutches.

One of the most controversial areas technology is involved in is the biological sciences; especially stem cell research.

Stem cell research is the point in the war between knowledge hungry scientists and guardians of human rights.

Although stem cell research was originally started in hopes of curing a myriad of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s, humans have gone too far.

This is supposed "seed of hope" has actually grown more into the tree of destruction.

Stem cell research uses fetuses to attain its purpose.

But life begins at conception.

Then his clearly is an act of homicide, underming human dignity-which is universally attributed to each individual.

Moreover, this gives people the erroneous idea that the guileful means of acquiring knowledge does not matter, as long as we get the results.

Yes, as many remember, this was the cause of doom in the case of Woo Seok, Hwang, the once acclaimed scientist.

His case elucidates the evils technology can lead to.

Another case where people have been victimized is the area of medical sciences.

Scientists and doctors working in this field were supposed to come up with new solutions to solve the everyday problems of people, perhaps working on a new drug or developing a new method to perform surgery safely on people.

However, the rise of modern technology has lead to the opposite, much to our dismay.

If one goes out in the streets, among the jungle of skyscrapers and apartments, they will doubtlessly spot a sign reading "Plastic Surgery" with the rising avidity to become the best and the handsomest, these plastic surgeons are welcoming the influx of money.

Plastic surgery was initially intended to help cure burned patients from accidents or fire.

Whereas technology was first developed to create a better life for us, now it is largely being used by those who invented it to their benefits.

However, it is not too early to give up.

Hopes of improvement are slowly arising.

For those that have lost body limbs or certain body parts from accidents, scientists are putting all their time and effort to improve the quality of life for these people.

Bionic arms are being widely used, and have instilled in patients a sense of hope and a new start.

This is not all. Recently, a TV program introduced a ground breaking gadget that will aid the people living in war regions, poverty-stricken areas, and areas of disasters.

This gadget called ‘Life Straw’ was invented by the Swiss scientists.

This straw filters any type of water-be it muddy of full of dust and soil, turning it into fresh water which people can drink from.

This gadget has already been introduced to the people of Haiti.

Seeing the smiles on their faces was enough to realize how such a simple thing could make a person happy.

Clearly, plastic surgery and stem cell research exposes us to the inhuman mask that technology has put on.

However, there still is a small flicker of hope somewhere out in the vast expanse of our society and revolutionize the world.

The hope that the poor live by each day, the hope that the unemployed and those from the bottoms of society will one day live up to see. However, merely having that hope is not enough.

We must grasp it.

People must stand up to face the world head-on, and have the willingness to make that small change.

The journey begins now. But the beginning is already halfway towards the end.

No one knows who will lead us to that path, or when. But I am confident that Koreans will be the first in taking that big leap of mankind.

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채점평

논제는 슈마허(Schumacher)의 글에서 발췌해 경시대회를 위해 적절히 수정되었다.

주어진 글은 균형,조정,멈춤 등 '자제'의 미덕을 지닌 자연의 속성과 무절제한 기계문명의 성격을 대조하면서 현대 문명이 나아가야 할 방향에 대한 고민을 드러낸다.

그리고 인간의 얼굴을 한 기술,즉 진정한 인간화를 지향하는 과학기술의 등장이 가능할지 묻는다.

제2회 생글 영어 에세이 경시대회에서 대상을 수상한 진선여고 김보현 학생은 이 질문에 관한 진지하고 깊이 있는 글을 작성하여 우수한 에세이가 갖추어야 할 장점들을 잘 보여주고 있다.

우선 "The world is sufficient enough to fit human needs,but not greed"라는 세련된 서두로 글을 시작하면서,효과적인 첫출발을 했습니다.

이 문장은 쟁점에 관해서 글쓴이가 뛰어난 주제이해력을 갖추고 있음을 잘 보여준다.

그리고 첫 문단 전체를 관통하는 자연스러운 흐름 속에서 논점을 정확하게 정리했다.

이후 세련되게 글을 전개하며 쟁점에 관한 자신의 입장과 논거를 밝히고,이를 논증하기 위하여 풍부한 예시 사례를 동원해 설득력을 제고했다.

또한 다채로운 비유적 표현은 논지를 선명하게 부각하는 도구로서 적절히 활용되었다.

그러나 글의 뒷부분으로 가면서 정작 기본적 질문에 관한 답이 명시적으로 드러나지 않았다는 점이 아쉽다.

무제한적인 팽창주의를 경계하면서,적정한도를 모르는 과학문명의 고삐를 쥘 수 있는 인간적 기술의 등장 가능성에 관해 정확히 논했어야 하는데,기술의 긍정적 활용 측면만 부각시키고 '적정 과학기술'에 관한 논의가 총체적으로 마무리되지 않아서 이 점은 보완해야 한다.

하지만 논점에 관한 이해력이 높고,일관된 논지를 효과적이고 자연스러운 표현과 풍부한 근거를 통해 주장한 이 글은 에세이 수상작으로서 충분한 미덕을 보여준다.

홍보람 S · 논술 선임연구원 nikehbr@nonsul.com