SAT essay prompt given June 2009
Published in Writing Samples on 6/18/2009
Here are two responses to the same essay prompt. By reviewing the pro and the con approach, you can see where it doesn't really matter what answer you choose as long as you are able to back it up with relevant examples. The two responses featured below are given unedited, with their original spelling and grammatical errors intact. They are not perfect responses but they both received high scores because they deal directly with the question and provide evidence to reinforce their opinions.
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.Some people say you should be content with what you have and accept who you are. But it is possible that too much self-acceptance can turn into self-satisfied lack of ambition. People should always strive to improve themselves and to have more in their lives—friends, things, opportunities. After all, where would we be if great people, both in history and in our own time, did not try to have more and to improve themselves?
Assignment:
Is it best for people to accept who they are and what they have, or should people always strive to better themselves? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Response #1
People should learn to accept who they are and what they have. Happiness and self-fulfillment do not come from always striving for what you don't have. Rather, contentment comes from being happy with who you are and by making the most of what you have. By understanding this you will come to realize that less is more.
One example of choosing acceptance over always striving can be seen in my own life. My mother and father both work but there are seven children to feed and care for. Because of this, there is very little disposable income in my family. This lack of money means that I can't afford to buy the expensive toys and electronic gadgetry that almost all of my friends have. But instead of coveting their state-of-the-art cell phones and video games, I have learned the positive value of free entertainment, such as a book from the public library. I am confident that in the long run, my reading will have been more advantageous – and cheaper - than their video game playing.
A great example of an historical figure who wasn't always trying to have “more” in his life was the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies was one of the fathers of modern architecture and a strong supporter of minimalism in building. He sought to come up with a style of architecture that would represent the age in which he was living just as the Classical style of building represented an age long gone. By getting rid of all that was ornamental and superficial he pioneered a new path to beauty and to modern living.
Through the two examples given above, I have attempted to show that always striving for what you haven't got is not the path to happiness or the path to bettering one's self. I do not think that improvement is to be found in the process of acquisition but rather in the denying of this process.
Response #2
I think people should always strive to better themselves. To be satisfied is to be stagnant. Getting the most out of life means having the most opportunities. Even a cursory review of history shows us that progress and growth come from the people who were not satisfied with the way things were but wanted something better.
One example of this type of person is our current president, Barack Obama. It is easy to see just in the way Obama moves around, that he is not satisfied with the way things are. He has set an example for the rest of the country to follow – to better themselves by making opportunities for themselves and not just sitting back and waiting for things to happen or being content with their current situation.
As was mentioned above, history also gives us plenty of examples of people who had a positive impact on the world and on themselves by striving to reach for better things. Vaclav Havel is one such example. Not satisfied with the communist regime in his country of Czechoslovakia, he wrote essays denouncing the ruling regime and organized others to do the same. His unceasing efforts and his refusal to be satisfied with the way things were led to his becoming president of his country and led also to the freedom of his people. This would not have happened had he allowed himself to be content with the way things were.
My father also is someone who has improved not only his own life but the lives of those around him by wanting more and striving for more and not being satisfied with the hand he was dealt. By working hard and saving his money and never losing sight of his goals, he was able to move to the United States, get married and start a family. If it wasn't for his desire to improve himself, I would not be here now, trying to get into college.
It is important in life to always want more – more knowledge, more happiness, more experience. It is through these things that we achieve what we want. Without these desires we are really no different from the animals in the field.
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