Essay on All that Glitters is Not Gold
“All that glitters is not gold”, is a popular adage, which implies that not everything looks valuable or true, turns out to be like that. This applies to people, places, or things that claim to be more worthy than they actually are. William Shakespeare used this expression in his famous play, “The merchant of Venice”. Thus one must not form opinions about things or people based on their superficial appearance only. There is a need to ascertain their real nature and intrinsic value rather than being swayed by the glittering facade.
Appearances are often deceptive. Many things may superficially appear very attractive but when they are examined very closely, they prove to be disappointing. One cannot judge the quality of a thing by seeing its exterior side only. Every shinning metal is not gold. We often form our opinion about objects on the basis of impersonation. One should always find out the true nature of things. We should try to find out the reality hidden behind their glory.
Good and beautiful objects have always swayed human nature. Nevertheless, people fall prey to the temptation of external beauty, for only wise people learn from the experience of others. A person may put up a false show of kindness, charity, love, respect, and other kinds of virtues. That artful pretense of such people showing their true colors even sways them.
A person may pretend to be virtuous, hiding his flaws. One cannot judge a person from his smiling face or cheerful appearance. Most of the time, false masks, faces and appearances cover them. In fact, it has been proved many times that people have hidden their true selves in order to reach the highest ladder of success. People often make use of tricks, cunningness, hypocrisy, and flattery in order to achieve their dreams. They hide their inner reality of vanity and hollowness by amazing and blinding shows of grave morality.
It is in fact very easy to fool and misguide people by putting on a garb of goodness by means of fine dresses and speeches. The human mind is so gullible and naive that good manners and good appearances of such people often sway them. Celebrities from the entertainment industry and leaders from the world of politics are notable examples. From the outside, the show business looks attractive and enticing to figure in. The glamorous world of entertainment depends on the outer beauty of the actors. People are often influenced by glamour, following these actors without knowing what they really are from inside and how they struggle to achieve a position.
Similarly, the politicians place on a mask of goodness and kindness to induce votes from the public during the elections. They provide influential speeches on how they might work for the development of the community and win the confidence of the public to urge votes, which they have an inclination to forget after winning the elections.
This is further accentuated by the spread of consumerism, which has caught the burgeoning middle and socio-economic class of the society, in a very vice-like grip. They fall easy prey to the consumer goods advertised in print and the electronic media. Being unable to procure the good brands, they are tricked into buying fake and imitated products of inferior quality, which pose serious peril. Thus cheap cosmetics and health care products attractively packaged are sold in the market, to extend the business of unscrupulous manufacturers.
The above adage is a vital lesson that one must imbibe early in life. One should be smart enough to be logical and reasonable before jumping to any kind of conclusion. Simple living with high thinking is the mantra for a good living.
10 Lines on All That Glitters is Not Gold Essay in English
The proverb “All that glitters is not gold” means that the appearance of a person or an object can be deceiving in more than one way, hence you should not create opinions on just the outer glitter of it, but first try to find the inner darkness lying behind.
In the present world, the reality of a thing may be quite a lot different, from what appears on the outside.
It is not necessary for everything that glitters to be Gold, but they might just hold the same characteristics as the element gold.
A man in a fancy, well-dressed suit might get the praises but may not be as good as it appears.
The proverb tries its best to teach the people not to judge anything by their outer appearance, as the person that is really good, might not have the best appearance.
A poorly dressed person might be a very kind-hearted character.
While shopping, pick only those products, which you really need and add value to your life, not the ones that got an apple sticker on them.
A person is considered smart when he/she leaves behind the glamour and glitter-filled world and chases the inner purity of a person’s heart.
In this world, people often have to disguise themselves under those shiny and glittery appearances to survive.
A smart person should first use logical thinking and rationality to judge someone’s inner self.
FAQs on All That Glitters Is Not Gold Essay: The Value Beyond Appearances
1. What does the Proverb, “All that glitters is not gold” Mean?
The proverb, “All that glitters is not gold” means that not everything that looks superficially attractive is valuable. The element of gold emits spectacular glitter, but it is not the only metal that does so. Many other elements/metals, show the characteristics of glitter but they are not gold and in most cases are of inferior value. And from here the saying comes, all that glitters is not gold.
2. Which Famous Writer Quoted this Statement “All that Glitters is not Gold”?
William Shakespeare used this quote in one of his works “The Merchant of Venice” as “All that glitters is not gold”. The word “glisters” (a 17th-century synonym for "glitters”) becomes “glitters” over a period of time. The lines come in Act II - Scene VII - Prince of Morocco of the screenplay “The Merchant of Venice”. After William Shakespeare many poets and lyricists started using this proverb, many used this phrase as the opening line of their play or poem.
3. How do Advertising Companies try to Take Advantage of the Socio-Economic Class?
They try to trick the consumers with their attractive packages and false information about the product. Using film stars and actors, they make their products look appealing to the masses, but everything on their ads is false. They advertise that the person consuming the product will be able to get slim or children will be able to grow their height, but the nutritional information signs the other way around.
4. How do the Actors in the Entertainment World Sway People?
The actors in the entertainment world sway people by their outer beauty and glamour. They don’t reveal their true self and the struggles that they have gone through in order to reach that position. The Entertainment World is in reality considered darker than most of the other industries. It is Especially worse for the newcomers entering the industry as of nepotism and they are also made to do disgusting things in order to succeed.
5. What are the real-life examples of the proverb “All that Glitters is not Gold”?
The proverb “All that Glitters is not Gold” has a great significance in our daily life. If a person starts to Identify the application of this proverb in real life, they will be able to find a number of scenarios that take place in our regular life cycle. Some of the examples for these scenarios are as follows:-
Most people (who are not very rich) often get fascinated by the lifestyle of wealthy people and develop a strong desire to also become rich and wealthy like them by any means. However, what they don’t realize is that the rich people have their own set of problems like many rich people suffer from depression and many rich families have family issues. Other examples for this proverb in real life will be the entertainment industry, the glitter of fame appears appealing to many people and people nowadays are becoming obsessed with this industry. But it has really dark aspects too, most noteworthy is the treatment with the newcomers in the industries. Several struggling actors are made to do disgraceful things in order to succeed and there is the issue of nepotism too. People in fancy clothes might win the admiration of many, but such people can be very unethical and in some cases, harbour evil.