Page 94, shared writing B3
Is life always rewarding? Does hard work always pay back? I asked myself reading both the fable and Maugham's story. In the fable 'The Ant and the Grasshopper', the ant works hard to prepare for the winter while the grasshopper was goofing around. As a result, as winter set in, the grasshopper begs the ant for food. This fable gives us a lesson; save for the future and you won't be without. However, Maugham's story tells us otherwise. Hard work does not always lead to success; the idle and scapegrace Tom ends up to be the rich while on the other hand, the diligent George was at a standstill.
In real life, I found Maugham's story more convincing. Don't get me wrong, but I believe that life is not all about hard work. Making effort does count in life, but only up to some extent. There are more factors to success other than hard work itself; good relationship with people, luck, timing, and many more. While Tom seemed to be idle, he was also spending his time and effort meeting new people and forming relationships with them. What made George so wrathful was because his efforts did not pay back, while his lazy brother was later left with millions of dollars. If George were more easygoing and enjoying, he would not have felt so undeserved.
It is true that laziness does not give you anything. However, endeavor does not give you everything as well. I believe that people must find a good compromise between the ant and Tom.
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