Gre analytical Writing issue essay Topic 101

GRE Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Topic - 149 
"Truly profound thinkers and highly creative artists are always out of step with their time and 
their society." 
GRE AWA Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Sample 
Solution - 149 
It has been seen that in the past, great thinkers and artists have generally been out of step with 
their time and their society, but it cannot be taken as rule. In other words, it is not necessary that 
great thinkers and artists have always been out of step with the people who have lived in their 
times. This is because there are examples of artists who were recognized and admired in their 
times by their societies and the number of such thinkers and artists is now on the increase. 
There are many thinkers and artists who remained obscure for as long as they lived. Their works 
and achievements were given due credit long after they died. This is because the coming 
generations were able to understand the real meaning and impact of the contributions made by 
these thinkers in their time. History is replete with examples of scientists and thinkers who had 
challenged the notion that the earth is at the center of the universe. They were misinterpreted by 
the societies of those times and some of them were rebuked for voicing their opinions. However, 
the coming generations recognized their contributions as it was later proved that the earth 
revolves around the sun. 
The reason behind the rejection of the ideologies of thinkers and artists in their times could be 
that art and philosophy need time to be understood by people. If in the past, an individual came 
up with a new idea, the society did not immediately agree to whatever he envisaged or foresaw. 
He had to stand the test of time before the people began to understand the truth behind his 
philosophy or his pieces of art. The erstwhile societies were rigid and they found it difficult to 
accept the views of someone else who chose to defy the norms that were being followed or the 
ideology that was being believed. It may be true to a small extent even today. For instance, today 
there are a number of people who claim to have seen aliens and unidentified flying objects or 
who have formulated theories of camouflaged aliens living amongst humans. There are 
numerous movies that have been based on the same concept. Contemporary society may scoff at 
them or probably treat their theories with complete disbelief. However, if in the future, it is 
proved that aliens actually exist or they are indeed living amongst humans in a different form, 
then these very people will be elevated to the status of great thinkers who had predicted the 
existence of aliens and had created movies based on them. 
Thinkers like scientists who were able to support their ideologies with scientific evidence have 
been appreciated in their lifetimes by their societies as the people believed what they had brought 
forth. For instance, theories of scientists like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein were accepted by 
the society in their times and they received due recognition for their work in their lifetimes. 
Gautam Buddha was revered in his lifetime by thousands of people and long after he has gone, 

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the religion of Buddhism is followed all across the world by millions of people. The principles of 
Gautam Buddha were accepted both in his lifetime and in the era after his death. 
Contemporary society is more open to new ideas as compared to the societies in the past. People 
are given a platform to project their opinions and the society is quite receptive when it comes to 
giving recognition to some piece of art. There are numerous thinkers in modern society who have 
a large number of supporters who believe in the ideology being propagated by the thinker. There 
are many cults that have come up which follow an ideology of their own and they have been able 
to garner enough support from the society as well. 
Therefore, in the modern world, there is a greater chance of thinkers and artists getting 
recognition as compared to the erstwhile societies which were more orthodox. Therefore, it can 
be said that some great thinkers and artists may have been out of step with their times, but when 
seen in the larger perspective, most of these artists and thinkers have got their due during their 
lifetimes and will continue to do so in the future. 

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