The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene Du Bois is a book about a man exploring a previously thought uninhabited island. Professor William Waterman Sherman talks about how his balloon was blown off course and crash-landed on the island known as Krakatoa. Krakatoa has huge amounts of diamonds on it, and the inhabitants want to protect the diamonds from the government. Sadly, since Krakatoa is a volcano island, there is always a risk of the volcano erupting. In the story, the volcano erupted, but the inhabitants had thought of this and made a bizarre contraption to escape. All of them except for Professor Sherman had a parachute, so he had to land the device. He succeeded, and told the rest of the world what had happened. He also talked about his new plan to sell some diamonds to make a new balloon, one he planned to christen Globe the Second. The Twenty-One Balloons is a charismatic tale about hope and the strength of mankind.
Diamonds are valuable because they are rare and beautiful. The more beautiful and rare the diamond is, the more it’s worth. Scarcity is what makes diamonds worth what they're worth. In The Twenty-One Balloons, the inhabitants of Krakatoa find extremely high quality diamonds, and they make sure that they limit the exportation of their diamonds. This method works and provides the island with a steady supply of all materials they would ever need to support their lavish lifestyle. But they take care not to put too many diamonds on the market at a time, because as Mr. F explains, “introducing too many diamonds into the market at once would drive down their value to a shipload of broken glass.” This also applies to everything else, such as how coins with flaws in them, even though they should be worth less, are worth more because they are more rare. Scarcity is the driving force behind value.
A utopian society is the highest form of society, because it is a society where everyone and everything lives in harmony. Krakatoa, with its charming settlers and beautiful scenery, seems to be a utopia. It is an idyllic, secret civilization, where each of the twenty families have their own culture themed restaurant, and they all live happily. But, sadly, as the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end,” and the volcano erupted, burying the island in ash and lava. The settlers escape, each with their own diamonds, and start a new life for themselves in other cities. Their utopian society became a dystopian island in a short time, all due to the volcano erupting. They may have defeated all of mankind’s ills, and conquered the problem of greed, but they were still defeated by a volcano. This suggests the theme of the forces of nature are stronger than humankind, shown by how the volcano devastated Krakatoan civilization despite Krakatoa being a utopian society.
Creativity is essential for success, because it allows us to find clever ways to solve problems. Every day, we face obstacles that we have to pass, and using a bit of ingenuity and intelligence, we can pass these obstacles. Creativity is a useful tool that allows us to accomplish many things. In The Twenty-One Balloons, the inhabitants of Krakatoa used their creativity to keep them from getting bored on the island and improving their life instead. They made all kinds of cool contraptions and dazzling devices to make life more fun there. Creativity is amazing at helping us accomplish goals, no matter how far fetched they are. All we need is creativity and a determined spirit, and we can overcome any obstacle life sets for us. These two important traits will allow us to succeed in life.
Rare and beautiful things are the most valuable in life, because rarity is the driving force behind value. This applies to many, if not all, of the things in life. A truly utopian society does not exist, because nothing in life is perfect. But a civilization can come close to being utopian if its inhabitants have creativity, determination, and kindness. Creativity is an extremely powerful tool that can allow anyone determined enough to succeed, because it allows us to solve problems in different ways and utilize our imagination to help us work. It can accomplish the hardest tasks as long as you try hard enough. The Twenty-One Balloons is a great book that teaches that since good times are fleeting, we must make the most out of it.
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