Essay

Necessity is the Mother of Invention Essay

“Necessity is the mother of invention”, a well known proverb, implies that when you are left with no other option but to complete a certain task or live through a certain situation you manage to do so by any means.

The proverb, “necessity is the mother of invention” is used commonly as what it states holds true in real life. It implies that when it is really necessary to accomplish a task you actually end up doing it by hook or crook.

Long and Short Essay on Necessity is the Mother of Invention in English

Here are some Necessity is the Mother of Invention essays of varying lengths to give you further insight into the proverb and help you with the topic in your classroom, exam, etc. You can choose any essay on Necessity is the Mother of Invention according to your need:

Necessity is the Mother of Invention Essay – 1 (200 words)

“Necessity is the mother of invention” means that, each of our necessities, whether big or small, push us to make an effort and work hard to fulfil them. All the discoveries and inventions by the humans were made as he felt the necessity to use them. Man’s necessity and desire to make earth a better place is the driving force behind all the inventions.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention – Detailed Explanation

Here is a look at how it works:

  • Necessity forces people to get into action.
  • People try to achieve something wholeheartedly only when it is truly necessary for them.
  • Necessity instils passion for achieving one’s goals. Any work that is done passionately is bound to have positive outcome.

The proverb holds true in the real world. Right from the age of the early man until today we can see several examples that prove this proverb right.

Conclusion

It is true that necessity compels the man to use his power and accomplish the tasks he might have felt impossible at some point in time. This also shows how the human beings are capable of achieving just about anything if they work hard and are determined to attain it. All they require is a push.


Necessity is the Mother of Invention Essay – 2 (300 words)

“Necessity is the mother of invention” implies that when something is essential for the survival, the human mind finds some way or the other to attain it. This means that necessity is the main force behind every new invention and discovery.

Origin of the Proverb – Necessity is the Mother of Invention

This proverb has been in use from centuries. It is said that the original author of this old proverb could not be ascertained and thus it is attributed to the famous Greek philosopher, Plato. The idea behind it had however been in use in many of the Latin and English works much before this proverb came into being.

The Latin version of this proverb, “Mater atrium necessitas”, surfaced in the book titled, Vulgaria by author William Horma back in 1519. A similar saying, “Need taught him wit”, appeared in English in the same year. “Necessitie, the inuentour of all goodnesse”, was another similar phase that came out in Roger Ascham’s work in 1545.

The proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention” as it is used in the present day appeared in Richard Franck’s work in the year 1658.

Explanation by Example

An apt example of this old proverb would be that of the early man. It was human necessity that led the early man to find food, build shelter and prepare tools to protect him from the wild animals. He accomplished all these tasks without any prior knowledge about the way these were to be done. Had all these things not been necessary for his survival, he would have never tried inventing any of these.

Conclusion

“Necessity is the mother of invention” is true to its word. This shows that no matter how difficult the process is if it is necessary for the man to achieve something he will do it by any means.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention Essay – 3 (500 words)

Introduction

The meaning of the proverb ‘Necessity is the Mother of Invention’ is not technical; it simply means that requirement or need for a particular thing drives person to create or invent something which satisfies that particular need.

The major and notable inventions have been the result of critical necessities in a human’s life; once the necessity gets satisfied, people achieve a state of happiness; they will live in harmony and thereby making the world a happy and better place to live in. Even though, the original author of this proverb is not known, but this famous quote is in use at most of the places right from the school.

Meaning:

This is a very famous proverb, people have been hearing since years. Necessity means needs and human beings work hard to fulfil their needs. That’s the basic meaning of ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. Since the civilisation started, necessity has kept on driving human beings to invent innovative and useful things. It simply ignites the passion in a person to work for self living or invent new things which are beneficial for self and others. Necessity also motivates people to get into action; human beings struggle hard to achieve something only when they need something. For e.g. for survival, people need money and to earn money, they need to work and ultimately they search (invent) an appropriate job for themselves. When a particular need becomes the necessity for survival, people finds a way to achieve the same.

According to history, in the primitive age human beings had no clothes to guard their body against heat and cold, no home to live in, no food for their appetite, etc. This dire need for protection and survival compelled them to invent fire to prepare food, trees bark to cover their body and leaves, etc to build a hut like home for themselves. Further they kept on improving and inventing new and better things.

The world knows; when Thomas Edison felt the necessity of light, he invented bulb in 1879 and thus the entire world got lit up. There are several other inventions such as transport system, television, radio, mobile phones and many more that not only show the brilliance of the respective owners and inventors, but has also made our lives comfortable and complete.

In the medical world too, necessity has revolutionised the industry and several types of medicines, surgical equipment and methods to operate those have been invented. These inventions not only cure critical diseases but also save people’s life in various cases. Organ transplantation is one such invention which has proven to be a medical boon for many who had been struggling to live.

Conclusion

Technology is been advancing at a fast pace and various types of modern weapons such as nuclear bomb, atom bomb, etc are also types of invention. But these are destructive weapons which may destroy the mankind and entire world ultimately. Thus, it is important an invention is such which doesn’t destroy people and the relationships; instead helps self and others.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention Essay – 4 (600 words)

Introduction

‘Necessity is the mother of Invention’ is a world famous proverb which a child also knows about. The quotation is not technical; instead it’s very simple and uncomplicated to explain its meaning with certain interpretations which makes the proverb highly impactful.

Meaning

The proverb ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ implies that when we are in a dire need of  something and if we cannot be happy or survive without that particular thing, then we find means and ways to satisfy that need which may result into something called invention. If someone is hungry; then in order to satisfy the hunger, food is cooked. So hunger is the necessity and food is the invention. There are several other examples which explain the meaning of this famous proverb. In fact, most of the popular and beneficial things of the world are the result of necessity that made the inventors restless and compelled them to invent the product. Some of such greatest inventions are bulb, radio, television, motor, mobile, aeroplane and many more.

Invention and necessity are co-related and until wants become necessities a person won’t get into action. Anything and everything that we use in our day to day life is the result of need or necessity and human’s desire to fulfil that need. This signifies that even luxury items such as air conditioners, cars, etc have been invented to satisfy specific needs.

Necessity also makes us hard working and ingenuous. If we look at history, especially the primitive age when there was nothing for the mankind to survive; people invented clothes, food, shelter and thus the civilisation started.

Some inventions make our life not only comfortable but also worth living such as electricity. Imagine a life without light; thanks to Thomas Edison, whose desire to remove darkness from his surrounding gave us light and benefitted the entire world.

But some inventions are destructive such guns, bombs, weapons, etc. Even though, these weapons have also been invented out of the necessity for self protection or for protecting the nation; but these are dangerous and there is always a fear to get harmed in some or other ways. It is important that self need doesn’t become the reason of other’s destruction.

Necessity and Inventions are positively inter-related as necessity forces or drives people to action. Human beings, in order to survive need money, which compels them to find a job which will give them salary in the form of money and the money can be further utilised to satisfy all types of need for food, clothing, shelter, etc.

Not only does necessity compels people to invent means of survival but it also drives people to work smarter in order to get promotion and better position in their profession. A desire or will to achieve success in professional life inspire people to do better than others and thus they invent new means and methods to win the competition.

Conclusion

Necessity must be seen as an opportunity to do better and achieve success in life and no destructive inventions should be undertaken to harm others. The proverb has been taught to people since their childhood in positive aspect and the meaning of the proverb must remain so and not in the negative manner.

Shailja Sharma

Shailja is one of those who is lucky to have turned her passion into her profession. A post graduate in English Literature, writing comes naturally to her and she is doing what she does best - writing and editing. An avid reader, a fashion junkie, nature lover, adventure freak and a travel enthusiast are some of the other terms that describe her.

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Shailja Sharma