SAT Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet for SAT
Foreword
I am Zuo Min from the Batch of 2014, and I'm writing 'Cheat Sheet for SAT' because I
struggled very hard for months to understand the true requirements of the SAT, especially
the essay component. Also, many books available are tailored to Americans, and so I hope
to also provide a more Singaporean perspective to understanding the SAT.
I got 2070 on my first try, and after I figured out more clearly how the SAT works, I got 2380
on my second try. I mention this to show that I am not naturally gifted at English writing, and
that through understanding the technicalities of the SAT and working hard, you can get a
good score. I also hope this lends some credibility to my tips. Of course, I do not profess to
have all the answers, and I do not think that my tips are perfectly suitable for everyone. I also
understand that the SAT format is changing in 2016, so these tips are unlikely to be useful
thereafter. However, in the meantime, these tips were useful to me, so I am sharing them
with you in hopes that you will not struggle as hard as I did to figure the SAT out.
Last, I also sincerely hope that if you have already done well for the SAT, you will also spend
some time to write down tips for others so we can well study more efficiently. Anyways, all
the best, and study hard!
Goh Zuo Min
Last Updated 8 Oct 2014
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SAT Essay
Overview
The SAT essay is a 300-400 word, 25-minutes argumentative essay. It is scored by two
markers, who each gives the essay a score of 1 to 6 (6 is highest), and the total score is the
sum of the two scores. The essay is 1/3 of the Writing score, and can significantly pull your
Writing section up if done well.
Here are some sample questions
Is solitudespending time alonenecessary for people to achieve their most
important goals?
Is talking the most effective and satisfying way of communicating with others?
Is moderation an obstacle to achievement and success?
Do we benefit from learning about the flaws of people we admire and respect?
Should we limit our use of the term "courage" to acts in which people risk their own
well-being for the sake of others or to uphold a value?
Length of Essay
The most important thing about the essay is length. You must write about 350-400 words,
which is about two full pages of the answer sheet for a standard handwriting size, to get a
score of 5-6.
It is very difficult to write so much in just 25 minutes, but it is absolutely necessary. Just keep
practising. Do not be too concerned about the logic, content or flow yet, because length is
the most crucial factor.
According to various sources, the markers are alleged to have only 1-2 minutes per essay to
mark. Hence, the markers place significant importance on the length of your essay to gauge
the quality of it.
Format of Essay
The format of the essay can be varied, but I use the following format because I think it is the
simplest and most reliable. This format is different from that of General Paper. This format is
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also relatively different from the model essays that the College Board shows, but I believe it
is most useful for Singaporeans.
My suggested format only conssists 4 paragraphs Introduction, Example 1, Example 2,
and Conclusion. Also, you only pick only one side to argue, and present two examples that
both support your thesis. This allows your markers to understand your essay more simply.
Introduction
Here are some examples of introductions
Should people who are more fortunate than others have more of a moral obligation to
help those who are less fortunate?
Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, once opined that poverty, like
apartheid, is man-made. Indeed, poverty is a social construct, and it is hence
unsurprising that humanity has always worked towards ameliorating the lives of the
impoverished. Despite this, detractors often argue that wealth earned is entirely due
to individual excellence and hard work, and as such individuals do not have a duty to
those most in need. However, this is an overly myopic view that romanticises the
ideals of self-determination and personal responsibility. In contrast to a mere cursory
glance to the topic at hand, an acute analysis of a myriad range of personalities, such
as Warren Buffet and Martin Luther King Junior, will show that people most fortunate
ought to contribute most to society.
Do people place too much value on newness?

Through modernisation and innovation, mankind has always worked towards
ameliorating the lives of others, especially the impoverished and underprivileged.
Despite this, detractors often argue that society has overly emphasised on novelty
and creativeness, and that humanity should be contented with the status quo.
However, this is an overly myopic view that romanticises our current lifestyles. In
contrast, an acute analysis of a myriad range of examples, such as Wikipedia and
Martin Luther King Junior, will show that, in reality, people should demand
advancements to their current situations.
Evidently, there is a standard template used. The importance of having such a template is
that it enables you to write more quickly, reduces the time needed to structure your essay,
and helps to lengthen your essay significantly. I also state the two examples I will use in my
essay in the introduction, because markers need to see that your essay has a structure.
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In contrast to General Paper, you do not need to think of a new argument to prove your
thesis statement. Instead, you only need to illustrate an example clearly and link it to how it
justifies your thesis statement.
The template is as follows
<General sentence about the topic>. Despite this, detractors often argue that <antithesis>. However, this is an overly myopic view that <argument why anti-thesis is
inaccurate>. In reality, as I shall demonstrate through a myriad of examples, from
<example> to <example>, <thesis of your essay>.
Examples
Here are some examples
Does improvement or progress usually involve a significant drawback or problem of
some kind?
Wikipedia is a prime example that highlights how enhancements to information
exchange can have limitations. Founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia
contains over 30 million articles in close to 300 languages on an eclectic platform of
subjects. In the now antiquated style of learning and research, hardcopy
encyclopedia books used to be the only source of such a didactic collection of
information. However, it was often out-dated due to the ever-changing information
landscape. Consequently, Wales wanted to develop an online library that
incorporated crowd sourcing, allowing any man-in-the-street to include updates and
editions to the articles online. However, as a result of this, some information found on
the website becomes less reliable and accurate, and many netizens have to cross
reference material from Wikipedia with that from other sources in order to verify the
truthfulness of the article. Therefore, it is evident that whilst Wikipedia has enhanced
quotidian learning, it also presents some disadvantages in terms of its reliability and
accuracy.
Does the way that information is communicated today result in people learning less
than ever before?
Twitter is another prime example of how knowledge is exchanged today, resulting in
enhanced learning about political situations. In particular, during the Arab Spring riots
in Egypt in 2011, Twitter was widely used as a platform for organising
demonstrations and protests against the despotic and totalitarian regime. The
famous gathering at the Tahrir Square was rallied through Twitter, as thousands of
Twitter followers shared details about the place and time of the uprising. This is in
stark comparison to now almost obsolete forms of communication, such as through
radio and newspapers, in which they are typically controlled by the state in such
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undemocratic societies. Moreover, these mediums of communication would never

have been able to spread as quickly as Twitter, given that Twitters high
interconnectedness. This thereby shows how Twitter can be a highly effective tool to
empower individuals to learn and share information about the latest situation, hence
allowing them to ultimately bring down Hosni Mubarak, ushering a new era of modern
development for Egypt.
Additionally, Martin Luther King Junior has also employed his talents to alleviate the
hardships and destitute of others. He lived most of his life from 1940s to the 1960s, a
time when racial segregation ran rampant and government laws had been enacted to
prevent African Americans from socialising with the supposedly superior white
society. As fortunate individual with a doctoral degree as well as a talent for
speaking, King felt compelled to aid his fellow brothers and sisters in the attaining
equal rights as the white supremacy then. As such, he pioneered social rights and
economic improvement for African Americans through initiating a myriad of boycotts,
non-violent resistance movements, peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins. In particular
his compelling and eloquent I Have a Dream speech was quintessential in
advancing the rights of African Americans, freeing the subjugated black race from the
grasp of social exclusion and marginalisation. As such, this prime example shows
how King, as a privileged individual, felt obliged to help his community to attain equal
rights.
Is it better for people to work out their own ideas on a problem or issue before
learning how others have approached it?
Milton Friedman, a Nobel-prize winning economist, is another personality who
researched into past solutions to problems, before devising his own economic
theories to stimulate growth in an economy. After the Great Depression, most liberal
governments adopted the economic theory of John Maynard Keynes, the so-called
demand-side economics. Friedman studied his extensively, and produced numerous
post-doctoral research papers on the effectiveness of demand-side economics.
Concluding that the effects of Keynesian economics were more short-term in nature,
Friedman then devised his own supply-side economics to help ensure long-term,
sustainable economic growth in nations. He trained 25 students who later became
known as the Chicago Boys, who helped him implement his supply-side economics
as Chiles fiscal policy. In the following decade, the Chilean miracle, an astounding
and exponential growth rate, that resulted from Friedmans ideology gained world
attention. As such, Friedman shows that by building upon past research and
knowledge to devise theories to tackle the drawbacks of current theories, more
comprehensive solution to the issue at hand can be devised, helping to ameliorate
the lives of millions of individuals in society.
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Does planning interfere with creativity?

Michael Moore, a popular American filmmaker, is renowned for investing the majority
of his time in crafting thought-provoking, expository films. One of his most renowned
films Bowling for Columbine exposes Americas folly in its gun policy regarding
youths, juxtaposing Americas violent culture with other cultures like Japan or
Canada. Moore reportedly spent half a year planning the film, by interviewing to
victims of gun violence, analysed Congress gun policy debates and drafting
countless of draft movie outlines. In particular, Moore researched extensively into the
Columbine shooting in 1999, which he used as an example in his documentary. In
fact, one cannot even begin to fathom the possibility of creating a documentary
without being punctilious in planning. Indeed, the film had an overwhelming success,
and was hailed for its realism and accuracy in representing the gun ownership
debate in America. It also motivated Kmart, the place where the shooters bought
bullets, to stop selling ammunition for guns, a landmark victory for pacifists
throughout America. Evidently, Moore has been able to use film as his creative outlet
through meticulous planning, in order to inspire, educate and expose people to the
pertinent issues that affect our daily lives.
You should memorise the elaboration for about 8 examples that you can use to answer
almost any question (see Appendix 1). The examples that I personally focussed on were
Warren Buffett, Martin Luther King, Wikipedia, Milton Friedman, Michael Moore, Google X,
Jasmine Revolution, 2008 Great Recession, and Jack Welch. The above examples were the
elaborations that I memorised.
Your example paragraphs should not follow the Point-Elaboration-Example-Link (PEEL)
structure. Instead, it should introduce the example and explain how it answers the question,
then go on to explain the example in as much detail as possible, and then finally link it back
to the question. In particular, you should focus a lot of providing as much details as possible
in your example paragraphs, even if they may seem to be irrelevant to your argument. The
markers focus much more on language and grammar, so including extra information will not
negatively impact your marks. In fact, by writing longer and including more details, it shows
that your command of the language is stronger and hence allowing you to earn higher
marks.
Choice of Examples
Regarding the choice of examples, use only real-life and well-known examples.
Do not use obscure examples, because you will have to waste significant amounts of time to
explain the context of the example before going on to your key argument. In contrast, a wellknown example, e.g. LinkedIn, is immediately understood by the markers and hence you can
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immediately skip to explaining your argument without explaining much about what LinkedIn
is and how it works.
Do not use clich examples, because novel examples are more fascinating and markers are
likely to give higher marks to interesting essays. Also, other students may use these
examples and write very well; hence your essay may seem worse in contrast. Clich
examples include Apple, Microsoft, Isaac Newton, Barack Obama, Einstein, and Batman.
Unique examples include Jeff Bezos, Milton Friedman, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Michael
Moore.
Do not use examples that offend the United States. The markers are from the US, and
although they should be as objective as possible, you should not risk offending them by
using those examples.
Do not use personal examples. Personal examples are weaker than factual examples, and
given that General Paper has trained us relatively well in writing such essays, we ought to
stick to factual examples, unless you have a natural flair for writing.
Essay Questions
You can find the list of past essay questions from this website
http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/sat-test-prep.html
Typically, you do not need to read the entire essay prompt; you only need to read the
assignment question, thereby saving time. However, the essay prompt can also guide you in
your thinking if you do not know what to write.
I categorised all SAT questions from Jan 2009 to Mar 2014 into the following topics (see
Appendix 1) Change, Teamwork, Happiness, Media, Heroes, Morality, Leadership,
Success/Decision-Making, Privacy/Convenience, Small Details, and Others. I do not think I
did a good job of categorising these topics though.
In preparing for the SAT essay, I went through many of these questions and thought of my
thesis statement and at least two examples that I would use for the essay (see the words in
brackets after each essay question in Appendix 1).
Whilst most questions can be answered by having a list of prepared examples, there are
some that are more challenging to do so. Here are some examples
Is it absolutely necessary for people to study the creative arts?
Is solitudespending time alonenecessary for people to achieve their most
important goals?
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Can the study of popular culture be as valuable as the study of traditional literary and
historical subjects?
Are photographs straightforward representations of real life, or are they artistic
creations reflecting the photographer's point of view?
Should leaders be judged according to how well they treat people?
Is it important for people to spend time outdoors and to learn to appreciate the
natural environment?
As such, you will also need to read up about specific examples from media, nature, arts,
literature, etc., to prepare yourself more comprehensively.
Accuracy of your examples

Factual inaccuracies of your examples will not be penalised because markers are only
looking at language and grammar. In fact, some of the essays that the College Board uses
as model essays are factually inaccurate. Hence, you should not be too concerned with
fabricating minor details of your examples, although they obviously cannot be blatantly false.
If on the exam day you cannot think of your suitable examples, you may want to consider
altering some examples to better support your thesis statement.
Language
Whilst it is not crucial, it is better to include as many bombastic words in your essay as
possible, although they have to be apt as well. Markers are more likely to give you higher
marks if they see that you use advanced vocabulary. This is despite the fact that it will make
your essay seem excessively verbose and complicated. Examples of advanced vocabulary
are phrases like diametrically opposed, antithetical to, fallacious and parochial, sagacious
words of wisdom, didactic collection of information, and antiquated style of learning.
However, this is still much less crucial than achieving a good length in the essay.
You can use either American or British English in your essay, but you have to be consistent
throughout the essay.
Conclusion
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Here is an example of a conclusion

John Rawls famously introduced the veil of ignorance thought experiment in his
seminal work The Theory of Justice, showing how fortunate individuals have a
moral duty to serve the community. Indeed, these sagacious words of wisdom from
Rawls effectively refute the fallacious and parochial views of naysayers, and shows
that the world, more than ever, needs individuals who can empathise with others and
strives to assuage poverty throughout the world.
The template is as follows

<Famous quote that supports thesis statement.> Indeed, these sagacious words of
wisdom from <person> effectively refute the fallacious and parochial views of
naysayers, and shows that <thesis statement>.
Modifying Templates
Given that this document is publicly available, I highly suggest that you tweak most of the
wordings in my suggested templates, to prevent repetition and copying.
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Critical Reading
For the Reading section, my only important tip is
- Read Paragraph 1, Answer only the first few questions that are relevant to Paragraph 1. Do
not answer the questions are relevant to the entire passage
- Read Paragraph 2, Answer only the questions relevant to Paragraph 2
- Repeat until end of Paragraph
- Answer the questions relevant to entire passage
- When you approach passage questions, don't try to convince yourself why the answer is
correct, but convince yourself why the answer is wrong. Although it sounds simple, this
approach helped me a lot :)
The passage questions in the Reading section are very specific to each paragraph, so this
method helps you focus on each question better. The passages also tend to be very long so
this also helps you focus.
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Appendix 1 All SAT Essay Questions from March 2014 - Jan 2009
Change
Does being content with the way things are prevent people from improving themselves and
doing better? (Yes; Jimmy Wales, Milton Friedman)
Should we hold on to the old when innovations are available, or should we simply move
forward? (Move forward; Wikipedia, Milton Friedman)
Do growth and progress make us happy or do they lead to dissatisfaction? (Happy; Milton
Friedman, Milton Friedman)
Do people place too much value on newness? (No; Wikipedia, Milton Friedman)
Does progress reduce the number of problems in the world, or does solving old problems
just lead to new ones? (No; Martin Luther King, Milton Friedman)
Are people better off if they do not listen to criticism? (No; Wikipedia, Milton Friedman)
Do groups that encourage nonconformity and disagreement function better than those that
discourage it? (Yes; Martin Luther King - democracy enables disagreement, Milton Friedman
- Friedman encouraged debate)
Should originality always be more highly praised than conformity? (Yes; Wikipedia, Milton
Friedman)
Is it better for people to work out their own ideas on a problem or issue before learning how
others have approached it? (Learn how others approach; Milton Friedman, Wikipedia)
Should people respect and tolerate everyone's opinions, or should people take a stand
against opinions they consider to be wrong? (Take a stand against opinions; Wikipedia,
Milton Friedman)
Should individuals take responsibility for issues and problems that do not affect them
directly? (Yes; Milton Friedman, Wikipedia)
Does planning interfere with creativity? (No; Milton Friedman, Michael Moore)
Is imitation of others always harmful? (No, because it leads to greater success; Martin Luther
King imitate Gandhi, Milton Friedman imitate Keynes in devising supply-side economics
through econometrics)
Is it best for people to accept who they are and what they have, or should people always
strive to better themselves? (Strive to better themselves because it leads to greater success;
Martin Luther King, Jimmy Wales)
Do people put too much emphasis on doing things by and for themselves? (Yes because it
leads to greater success; Martin Luther King, Jimmy Wales)
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Does improvement or progress usually involve a significant drawback or problem of some

kind? (Yes; Jimmy Wales, Milton Friedman)
Does every achievement bring with it new challenges? (Yes; Jimmy Wales, John Maynard
Keynes)
Does the way that information is communicated today result in people learning less than
ever before? (Yes; Jimmy Wales, Arab Spring revolution)
Has today's abundance of information only made it more difficult for us to understand the
world around us? (No; Jimmy Wales, Arab Spring revolution)
Is it more important to remain consistent than to change one's mind when circumstances
change? (Yes; Jimmy Wales, Milton Friedman)
Should people change their decisions when circumstances change, or is it best for them to
stick with their original decisions? (Change; Jimmy Wales, Milton Friedman)
Should people change their behavior depending on what situation they are in? (Yes; Jimmy
Wales, Milton Friedman)
Are people more likely to achieve their goals by being flexible or by refusing to compromise?
(Refusing to compromise; Jimmy Wales, Milton Friedman)
Are people likely to succeed by repeating actions that worked for them in the past? (No;
Jimmy Wales, Milton Friedman)
Is it better for people to learn from others than to learn on their own? (Learn from others;
Milton Friedman, Martin Luther King)
Do people have to pay attention to mistakes in order to make progress? (Yes; Jimmy Wales,
Martin Luther King)
Is it best to forget about past mistakes as soon as possible? (No; Jimmy Wales, Martin
Luther King)
Is it necessary for people to imitate others before they can become original and creative?
(No; Jimmy Wales, Michael Moore)
Is it always harmful for an individual to think and live as other people do? (Yes; Milton
Friedman, Martin Luther King)
Would it be better if people were more accepting of mistakes? (Yes, can learn from them;
Jimmy Wales, Martin Luther King)
Is there really much more for people to invent and discover in the world today? (Yes;
Graphene, Google X, Humanitarian inventions)
Does tradition prevent people from doing things in new or more sensible ways? (Yes; Martin
Luther King, Jimmy Wales)
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Can a small group of concerned individuals have a significant impact on the world? (Yes;
Martin Luther King, Jimmy Wales)
Do idealists contribute more to the world than realists do? (Yes; Martin Luther King, Google
X)
Is an idealistic approach less valuable than a practical approach? (No; Martin Luther King,
Google X)
Is imagination less valuable than facts and objectivity? (No; Martin Luther King, Google X)
Is it a mistake to value action over thought? (Yes; Martin Luther King, Google X)
Are people who do not follow society's traditional paths to advancement more likely to be
successful than those who do? (Yes; Google X, Jimmy Wales)
Teamwork
Are teams or groups beneficial for individuals, or does group membership prevent individuals
from forming their own moral judgments? (Prevent moral; 2008 financial crisis; gender
equality)
Do society and other people benefit when individuals pursue their own goals? (Yes, altruistic
individuals; Warren Buffett, Wikipedia)
Has the emphasis on individualism in our society caused people to forget the importance of
belonging to a community? (No; Warren Buffett, Wikipedia)
Does everyone, even people who choose to live alone, need a network or family? (Yes;
Milton Friedman, Bill Gates)
Happiness
Do material possessions make us truly happy? (No; Buddhism, Bill Gates, Tuesdays with
Morrie)
Is it best to determine how wise people are by how happy they are? (Yes; Buddhism, Bill
Gates, Tuesdays with Morrie)
Is money the most significant factor in determining a person's quality of life? (No; Buddhism,
Bill Gates, Tuesdays with Morrie)
Does money lead to selfishness? (Yes; 2008 financial crisis, Monsanto and GM crops,
Huang Woo Suk)
Do rules and limitations contribute to a person's happiness?
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Medias Influence
Do advertisements contribute to unhappiness and dissatisfaction? (Yes; unrealistic
expectations, small fine print, create a consumeristic culture)
Are advertisements harmful to teenagers? (Yes; unrealistic expectations, small fine print,
create a consumeristic culture)
Are people overly influenced by unrealistic claims and misleading images? (Yes; unrealistic
expectations, small fine print, create a consumeristic culture)
Is popular culture the strongest influence on a young person's identity? (Yes; unrealistic
expectations, consumeristic culture)
Can popular entertainment offer us anything of value, or is it just a worthless distraction?
(Worthless distraction; Marvel movies like Thor, Superman, Avengers romanticize saving the
world, Violent shows like - Columbine shootings)
Can the study of popular culture be as valuable as the study of traditional literary and
historical subjects? (No; Marvel movies like Thor, Superman, Captain America, Avegeners
romanticise saving the world but historical subjects like Martin Luther King, Malcom X,
Susan B Anthony show how to truly change the world)
Are the values of a society most clearly revealed in its popular culture? (Yes; Morality Marvel movies like Thor, Superman and Avengers; Music like Thrift Shop by Macklemore
and Ryan Lewis show value of saving; Music like Lady Gaga that support gay rights)
Are photographs straightforward representations of real life, or are they artistic creations
reflecting the photographer's point of view? (Artistic creations; Photoshop beauty for
commercials, Tilt-shift imaging or fish eye lense, to focus on subject or make this minuscule)
Do people benefit from forms of entertainment that show so-called reality, or are such forms
of entertainment harmful? (Benefit; Reality shows like Biggest Losers, American Idol, ...)
Heroes
Is it possible to be a hero in the modern world? (Yes; Bill Gates, Jimmy Wales, Michael
Moore)
Should ordinary people be considered heroes, or should the term "hero" be reserved for
extraordinary people? (Extraordinary people; Bill Gates, Jimmy Wales, Michael Moore)
Morality and Trust

Is it possible for a society to be fair to everyone? (No; Warren Buffett vs Children in South
Sudan in civil war Nuer vs Dinka, Genetics Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps vs any man-inthe-street)
Should people accept unfairness and find ways to make the best of it? (Yes; Egypt Arab
Spring revolution We Are Khalid Said; Martin Luther King)
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Is it wise to be suspicious of the motives or honesty of other people, even those who appear
to be trustworthy? (Yes; 2008 Financial Crisis, Hwang Woo Suk)
Do people put too much trust in the guidance of experts and authorities? (Yes; 2008
Financial Crisis, Hwang Woo Suk)
Are people too willing to agree with those in charge? (Yes; 2008 Financial Crisis, Hwang
Woo Suk)
Should we pay more attention to people who are older and more experienced than we are?
(No; 2008 Financial Crisis, Hwang Woo Suk)
Should people make more decisions on their own and rely less on the advice of experts?
(Yes; 2008 Financial Crisis, Hwang Woo Suk)
Is it wrong or harmful to motivate people to learn or achieve something by offering them
rewards? (Yes; 2008 Financial Crisis, Hwang Woo Suk)
Is it often difficult for people to determine what is the right thing to do? (Yes; 2008 Financial
Crisis, Hwang Woo Suk)
Are the consequences of people's actions more important than the motives behind the
actions? (Yes; Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot all had seemingly good intentions but bad outcomes;
IMF Washington Consensus caused Asian Financial Crisis)
Does being ethical make it hard to be successful? (No; Unilever, Google, Apple
Leadership
Should leaders of a country or group be judged by different standards?
Is a group of people more likely than an individual leader to bring about significant change?
Is flexibility the sign of a strong and wise leader?
Should leaders be judged according to how well they treat people?
Is strong moral character the most important qualification for a leader?
Success / Decision-making
Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect more
of themselves?
Is using humor the best way to approach difficult situations and problems?
Should people let their feelings guide them when they make important decisions?
Is it better for people to stop trying when they feel certain they will not succeed?
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Does progress result only from struggle and conflict?

Are optimistic, confident people more likely than others to make changes in their lives?
Do people succeed by emphasizing their differences from other people?
Do people tend to get along better with people who are very different from them or with those
who are like them?
Privacy vs Convenience
Should people give up their privacy in exchange for convenience or free services?
Does society place too much value on convenience?
Do we place too little value on privacy?
Focussing on Small / Details

Is it better to aim for small accomplishments instead of great achievements?
Do small decisions often have major consequences?
Is it a disadvantage to pay attention to details?
Do people put too much importance on getting every detail right on a project or task?
Others
Is it sometimes necessary to be impolite?
Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it be questioned?
Is it easier now to form friendships than ever before?
Does society put too much emphasis on working hard?
If people worked less, would they be more creative and active during their free time?
Should the government be responsible for making sure that people lead healthy lives?
Do consumers have a responsibility to purchase goods only from companies and people
whose actions are beneficial to others?
Does having too much information about public figures distract us from the important issues?
Are people likely to be dissatisfied rather than content once they have achieved their goals?
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Are firmly held opinions reasonable?

Should people be more willing to excuse the errors and shortcomings of others?
Does familiarity prevent people from developing or maintaining respect for others?
Is it better for people to agree with others, even if doing so means being insincere?
Is it better for people to act on their feelings than to talk about them? (Yes; Milton Friedman,
Bill Gates)
Do people need discipline to achieve freedom?
Does accepting the values of a group allow people to avoid taking responsibility for their own
thoughts and actions?
Does every individual have an obligation to think seriously about important matters, even
when doing so may be difficult?
Is it better for people to act quickly and expect quick responses from others rather than to
wait patiently for what they want? (Yes; Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr)
Do temporary or otherwise imperfect solutions to problems only create more serious
problems?
Is it better for people to have limited choices?
Is it absolutely necessary for people to study the creative arts?
Is it important for people to spend time outdoors and to learn to appreciate the natural
environment? (Yes; Margaret Thatcher, Keynes, Vincent van Gogh)
Is solitudespending time alonenecessary for people to achieve their most important
goals?
Do we benefit from learning about the flaws of people we admire and respect?
Should we limit our use of the term "courage" to acts in which people risk their own wellbeing for the sake of others or to uphold a value?
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Appendix 2 Compilation of 11/12-Mark Essays found Online

Since the dawn of time, many human traits have been established. One of the most
prominent is laughter, and since ancient times it has been used by jesters and comedians as
entertainment. Today, a number of studies suggest that laughter can even reduce stress and
improve health. Indeed, an analysis of leaders, past and present, reveals that humor is the
best way to approach difficult issues.
A prominent leader of today is recently retired President George W. Bush. Although not well
received by many pundits, Bushs presidency was a difficult one. Almost a year after he
took office, the US was attacked by terrorists amidst a larger economic crisis. Bush passed
the Patriot Act, created the Department of Homeland Security, and employed other means to
secure the national security. He also began military initiatives in Iraq and Afghanistan that
became controversial wars. In the media, Bush is shown to be a laughing and joking
politician. In fact, during perhaps the lowest point of his presidency, he was attacked by an
Iraqi journalist with a shoe. Bush quickly shrugged off the incident and made a joke out of
this indication of his low reputation abroad. Through his humorous ways, he has prevented
other attacks on American soil. Bushs presidency shows that humor is the best way to
attack any situation.
Another prominent leader is Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. Franklin played a critical
role in the American Revolution by securing an alliance with France. At the time, France was
an aristocracy-ruled society dominated by the lavish court of King Louis XVI. Franklin
successfully and humorously blended into the French social scene, charmed influential
figures, and entertained his way to an extensive military and economic treaty. Franklins
humorous approach to diplomacy shows how humor can be applied to a serious problem.
A third leader is President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR served during the Great Depression
and World War Two. A rich and dilettantish mamas boy, FDR knew how to charm the
American people through jokes and fireside chats. He bolstered public morale during a
period of world changing disasters and successfully guided America out of the Great
Depression and WWII. By the time he died, the US had emerged as the new superpower.
FDR revealed how humor is essential to solving difficult problems.
As Marshall Brain once noted, one should cope with difficult situations by using humor.
Page 18
Society has had many difficult problems it has to deal with, but there are often solutions to
these problems that are not so serious. Martial was a great Latin poet in the time of Rome's
heyday. Although Rome was a thriving empire, it still possessed numerous social and
political issues, and Martial helped to right these wrongs with his humorous, but serious,
epigrams.
In Roman times, doctors were treated poorly because they had no formal education in their
field. They would often resort to primitive practices, such as bleeding patients in hope of
curing them of their disease. Martial reflected on this practice when he said, "You sir, used to
be a doctor, but now you are a murderer," revealing the severity of Roman medicinal
practices in his time. Martial likens the work of Roman doctors to that of murderers because
their patients were more often killed than saved, and the humor evident in his poetry helped
the Romans realize how inexperienced their doctors truly were by leading to a variety of
health reform laws.
Martial was an excellent Roman poet, but other poets in his time were not as well-versed.
Nero was an emperor of Rome who fancied poetry as a hobby, but to the dismay of his
subjects, he was a horrid poet. He would make the populace sit through his recitations, and
no one would be able to criticize him for his lack of talent, lest they be condemned to death
for speaking out against the emperor. Martial, however, took a rather jovial approach to the
issue of Nero's awful poetry. In one epigram he stated, "Why do you wear wool on your
neck? The wool is probably better for our ears." Martial did not specifically mention Nero in
this epigram, but he made his reference clear because Nero wore woolen scarves while he
recited his works. As a result, the Roman people knew they were not alone in their contempt
for Nero, and this epigram is hailed by some as a direct cause for Nero's assassination by
the Roman people.
Martial tackled many Roman issues simply by writing humorous lines of poetry to show his
views on the topic. The Roman people appreciated his work, as it put their dilemmas in a
humorous light and made life easier to deal with. Tiberius, Nero's successor, was an avid
reader of Martial's laugh-provoking epigrams, and he promoted Martial to the position of
consul, the post second-highest to emperor, to show the gratification of the Roman people to
his work.
Many Romans were afraid to openly criticize social and political issues, and question the
way things were done. It is in this regard that Martial is able to distinguish himself, as he not
only helped to correct society's plethora of problems, but he did so with humor in such a
successful fashion.
Page 19
Is it more valuable for people to fit in than to be unique or different?

"Lady, I need that seat now," the white bus driver commanded. The place was a public bus
in Montgomery, Alabama. The date was December 1, 1955. For a brief moment Rosa Parks
looked at the bus driver and remained silent. What would she do? Would she obey the driver
and fit in or would she dare to be unique and different? Which would be the most valuable
course of action?
During Rosa Park's entire life, white society had demanded that she fit in, that she "know her
place." Fitting in thus meant following the all pervasive rules of Jim Crow segregation. Fitting
in meant drinking from colored water fountains, eating in colored sections of restaurants and
sitting in the colored sets on a public bus. Fitting in thus meant obeying the bus driver and
humbly taking another seat.
On that fateful day, Rosa was tired of fitting in. As all the passengers - both black and white stared at her, Rosa made a momentous decision to be different to be unique. In a firm
unwavering voice, Rosa gave a one word reply - "No." The bus driver and the other
passengers did not applaud Rosa's act of defiance. Being unique and different can carry a
painful price. The bus driver called the police and Rosa spent the next hours in jail.
Rosa's decision to be different, to say no, galvanized the Black community in Montgomery.
Led by her young minister, the 26-year-old Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Black community
supported Rosa by boycotting the Montgomery buses. The boycott worked. Within 15
months city officials changed the segregation rules on public buses.
Rosa Park's decision to be different helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement. For almost a
century following the Civil War, Black Americans had chosen to fit in. Rosa Park's singular
and courageous decision to be different demonstrates that it is far more valuable for people
to be unique rather than to fit in. Without people willing to be different there can be no
change. Someone must be willing to say, "No."
Page 20

We have all heard the story of the tortoise and the hare, and we have all been taught that
slow and steady wins the race. This applies not only to fictitious childrens fables, but to
success in general; the way to succeed in achieving your goals is to remain balanced,
controlled, and restrained. Moderation is key when something goes awry, slow and
steady will give you ample time to correct your mistakes and move on. Take, for example,
the contrast between the slow development of the United Kingdom and United States
democracies versus the hasty rise and subsequent falls of the Nazi Germani and Communist
Soviet Russian states.
Britain and the USA have had long histories of governmental development leading up to the
systems they have today. Britains famed Magna Carta came in the thirteenth century and
served as a strong starting point for further reforms. The British then gradually lessened the
power of the monarchy, slowly enough that the issues typifying most democratic states the
role of religion in the state, the shift from agriculture to industry, the granting of suffrage and
the votecould be handled one at a time. In Britains case the three aforementioned
issues were dealt with in the 1500s, 1800s, and 1900s respectively, giving the country plenty
of time to wrap up one issue before the next came along. In the United States, first came the
thirteen original colonies and the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution and Bill of
Rights came after a lengthy debate on the Articles and it was not until nearly two centuries
later that the United States added state number fifty.
In contrast, Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were created extremely quickly and both
ended up collapsing. Hitlers charisma and charm allowed him to quickly rise through the
ranks of the Nazi Party, and once he assumed leadership he hastily decided to take over
Europe. We all know how that went. Stalin in the USSR enacted a series of five year plans
designed to rapidly transform the Soviets into an industrial world power. He ended up killing
even more people than Hitler, and the USSR collapsed in 1991 due to a lack of sound
infrastructure and economy compounded with a poorly planned military build-up.
Great enthusiasm, high energy, and extreme effort all sound nice, but when it comes to
getting things done, moderation is key.
Page 21
than ever before?
The age we live in is the information age. Technology had progressed so rapidly that we
have the ability to gain access to a plethora of information in the blink of an eye. However, all
of this progress has also brought a curse with it; information today is heavily censored and
edited before it is presented. Thus, the way that information is presented today has resulted
in people learning less than ever before and leaving them with ambivalent opinions.
The Vietnam war was one of the most candid eras in terms of journalism in America. The
common citizen could gain information about the war readily through sources such as the
radio and television. Gory scenes from the battlefront that were completely unedited were
shown to the public. Newspapers assiduously stuck to the truth about the war. Thus, the
information about the war, including the number of casualties, total expenses, and even how
many soldiers were at the battlefront, were conveyed in a frank and direct manner. This
enabled the average person to gain a wealth of information about the war, and thus allowed
them to make informed opinions about it. In fact, this exemplary journalism was the catalyst
for people's disapproval for the war. In short, the way information was presented back then
resulted in great awareness about the war.
However, the way information is presented today sharply contrasts with the way it was
displayed in the Vietnam War era. Nowadays, information is heavily filtered and processed
before it is presented, resulting in an ambiguous piece of information. Today's media is
primarily concerned with entertaining the public and remaining annoyingly equivocal.
Newspapers no longer present clear-cut opinions on any issue, for fear of controversy. The
written articles are edited a thousand times before they are published, leading to just an
incomprehensible glob of text. News channels, such as Fox news, are primarily concerned
with entertaining the public and showing the news in a biased manner. Such partisan
"infotainment" channels are no longer concerned with veracity; rather, their main goal is to
make as much money as possible. Thus, the way information and news is communicated
has been severely degraded.
Even though we have the power of technology at our beck, we fail to utilize this great
medium in order to convey information about the world. In fact, we were much better off
when we weren't inundated with a thousand different sources of so-called "fair and
legitimate" news. Maybe if we reverted back to our original principles of truthfulness, we can
help people to gain more knowledge than they are right now.
Page 22
than ever before?
Ever since man created civilisation and society, he has worked to ameliorate the lives of his
peers. As man has evolved, he has been able to better society continuously by increasing
knowledge and by working to eradicate ignorance. This forward progress is moving at a
faster pace than ever before and is allowing people to learn more than ever in both the
academia and social facets of life. As evident in the rise of Wikipedia and Facebook, the way
information is communicated today results in people learning more than ever before.
Consider Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia edited by people of all demographics,
educational and cultural backgrounds. Founded in 2002 by Harry Welch, Wikipedia contains
over one billion articles in hundreds of languages on an eclectic platform of subjects, ranging
from Cesar Francis to Alex Trabode and from the College Board to the Dallas Mavericks. In
the now antiquated style of learning and research, the only source of such a didactic
collection of information was a brick-and-mortar library, which was closed more than half the
week, which often lacked a desperately-needed book, which had only five parking spaces a
mile away. Diametrically opposed to the inconvenience of the learning library is Wikipedia,
which is open 24/7 to those with Internet, which contains always-available content, which
can be accessed anywhere in the world. Not only does Wikipedia facilitate the ease of
learning, it also provides perspectives on certain information not found in a typical library
building. For example, a 1960s American student who wanted to learn about the effects of
the Marshall Plan on Soviet Society would go to their local library and find nothing but
speculation written by American authors who never experienced Stalins Purge or Breshrevs
Prague Spring. However, a modern student could access Wikipedia and learn, first-hand,
about the topic from a Russian contributor writing about the food shortages and cold winters.
Wikipedia allows people today to learn more than ever about academically related material.
However, the Internet age also helps people learn more about their peers and friends. The
now-ubiquitous Facebook serves this purpose flawlessly. In the past generation, people only
know so much a friend - perhaps his name, his address and his telephone number. With
Facebook (and other social networking sites), any friend can read anothers profile and find
out not only the most basic facts, but also about favourite books, movies, quotes and facts.
Never before has a person been able to learn so much about his or her friends. Facebook
with over one billion users and newfound fame in the movie, The Social Network, is the
paradigm of the new form of information communication (i.e. the Internet), resulting in people
learning more than ever before.
In the past, citizens of all nations were shrouded in darkness - a lack of information that left
them in a parochial state of mind. However, the dawn of the Internet - the primary way
information is communicated today - has introduced two edifying websites, Wikipedia and
Facebook, have allowed for the learning of more social and academic knowledge than ever
before. The way information communicated does not result in people learning less than ever
before - quotidian learning is presently at its all-time high.
Page 23
Should people try to be as active and busy as they can, or should they try to have
more free time for themselves?
While free time may be enjoyable, more often than not, lazily slothing about leads to mental
or physical stagnation and does not yield progress. Admittedly, the acts of daydreaming and
appreciating nature, the joys of contemplation, can serve to give poeple breaks from their
otherwise fast-paced lives, but these lapses of daydreaming and meandering are exactly
that--breaks. Excessive resting is hardly beneficial and should be avoided; breaks must be
taken in moderation. Acute analysis of historical as well as literary examples in context show
that in the end, while free time can be rejuvenating, it is hard work which leads to selfcultivation and technological advancements.
In Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Hamlet, the protagonist of the play, remunerates far too
frequently, and it is for this reason that his fate ends so tragically in death. Hamlet's father
has just recently been murdered by Claudius in Claudius' conspiracy to overtake the throne,
and the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, confirms Hamlet's sinister suspicions and
burdens Hamlet with the task of avenging King Hamlet's death. Hamlet knows, of course,
that he needs to kill Claudius, but instead of actively carry out his duty with efficiency and
pointed alacrity, Hamlet dwells on the issue of the morality, or lack thereof, of taking
anothers' life, and thus wastes valuable time in which King Claudius secretly devises a plot
to poison Hamlet. Too much free time is what leads to Hamlet's eventual debacle--Claudius'
plan ends up successfully, and Hamlet is duped into King Claudius' lethal trap.
Steve Jobs, on the other hand, used his time somewhat more productively, and this zeal for
life and his sanguine nature is what allowed Jobs to earn his success--he personally
benefited from his subsequent material wealth, but he also helped millions of people by
donating altruistically to numerous charities as well as providing many with the electronic
tools that they need to succeed. The Apple company did not rise from the dust from idea
alone--it was a direct result of active determination to achieve a goal. Jobs' motivation built
him a company with billions of dollars in net worth--his hard work and his tedious labor
earned him an enterprise which has helped millions of Americans alive. How many times in a
day does one see people chatting on their Iphones, playing on their iPods or watching
movies on their iPads? This number has become so increasingly large that it cannot even be
counted.
Another example which shows that hard work yields desired results comes from my own
personal observation of a friend. At lunch, this kid and classmate sits with seniors and
teachers to interview them for a school newspaper article; during class, he jots down notes
assiduously, even during his free periods he studies for a future test.
Evidently, free time can yield ephemeral boons, but in the long term it is always better to
take action. Only with doing, not thinking and wondering, can innovation and progress be
acheived.
Page 24
Is it a disadvantage to pay attention to details?

Details are what make up life. Life is not just sixty or eighty years when one gets by only
paying attention to the main idea of everything. If that were true, then every person in the
world would be seen as just a person; the little details would not matter - the intelligence, the
look, the hair color - all the details that make up who a person is. So, the question, "Is it a
disadvantage to pay attention to details?" is fallacious. In other words, paying attention to
details is an important part in life, whether making an easy decision, or the most trivial. The
evidence supporting this fact through history and life is very pervasive.
The first case where paying attention to details proves to be an advantage is in the Chinese
battle of Penghu, in the middle of the 19th century. At the time, the ruler of the Qing dynsasty
was the omnipotent King, Kangxi. At the time, the King got into a horrible dispute with the
leader of Taiwan, in which no discussion or treaty could solve. So, the King declared war,
sending admiral Shi Lang with 100,000 men and 600 warships to attack Taiwan. AT first, the
attack was deflected, so the admiral split up the trops. One of the generals of the split up
troops, Jiang Tzu, played a large role in the decisive victory that later occurred, all by paying
attention to details. As he was in Taiwan, he noticed weird occurrences - one man in his
troops did not quite add up, and after looking at the details, he found him to be a traitor, and
so, capture d him, found out where the enemy was, attacked, and won the battle of Penghu.
The next occurrence where details play a large role is in "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. In it,
Jurghis, his wife, Ona, and her family travel from Lithuania to America to experience the
American Dream, but because they did not pay attention to the details, they soon found out it
was the "American Nightmare". At the beginning, Jurghis, with the pittance of money he had
left, buys a house with a mortgage of $12 a month. But because he did not pay attention to
the little details in the deed, he soon found out he owed interest, insurance, and other cots,
the money for which he did not have. The family was soon evicted, one family member left,
Ona and her baby died, and the others dispersed throughout Chicago, leaving Jurghis to
become a criminal. As can be seen, little details play large roles.
Finally, the little details played a large role in the life of Donald Cullen, a wealthy and
munificent stock broker of the 1920s. His life was good - he made tons of money, and even
gave a lot to charity - but then, as the '30s approached, he noticed the little details, like how
many people were buying on a low margin and could easily become in debt, and also how
Joe Kennedy ,one accused of insider trading, pulled his money. So when Black Tuesday
came, Donald did not have money in the market. The little details helped him to keep his
wealth.
To reiterate, little details do, much of the time, add up to huge things. If little details are seen,
good decisions can be made, to do big things. But if they are missed, prodigious
consequences can occur.
Page 25
Is it always better to be original than to imitate or use the ideas of others?

Throughout history conformity and using the ideas of other have led to the downfall of many
cultures and civilizations, as well as unspeakable crimes of humanity. So it is always better
to be original and think from an individual, analytical, and objective perception without any
previous bias. Philosophers Hannah Arendt and Frantz Fanon clearly emphasize the
problem with the human condition of conformity, and in Herman Hesses Siddhartha Hesse
portrays the importance of having personal experiences.
Hannah Arendt, one of the first to examine the events of the Holocaust as well as Nazi
Germany, found a terrible discovery of the human psyche when submissive to conformity
and impersonal concepts. She came to the conclusion that when humans are given orders
and are told to conform, they feel no responsibility or guilt towards their actions because they
are simply following orders. Arendts concept is know as humanitys Banality of Evil,
and Arendt states that it can only be overcome by an individual able to analytically think and
come up with original ideas.
Frantz Fanon, one of the greatest philosophers and influences of the entire civil right
movement, saw the destruction of culture through imperialistic imitation and declared that
conformity leads to the degradgation of humans because two unequal classes were
produced: the imitators and those being imitated. Fanon believed that if the natives of lands
influenced by imperialism did not retain their own unique culture then they would face a
struggle of continuous subjectivity towards the imperialists. Ultimately, Fanon believed that
unique culture led to creativity and originality, and that these traits could be destroyed
through imperialistic submission.
In Herman Hesses Siddhartha, a Buddhist story about the path to enlightenment, Hesse
proclaims that enlightenment can only be achieved by personal experience, and that
following impersonal doctrines of enlightenment are useless. Hesse shows through his use
of literary artistry that those who learn how to personally experience the wonders of Earth
will be able to understand and be content with lifes mysteries and even death. Siddhartha
learns that all he has been taught is the teaching of the doctrine of social constructs, so he
decides to attempt to overcome the bias of society, and personally discover what is
meaningful in life through his original lens.
Imitation and conformity has been the cause of great social injustices throughout history, and
the path of originality is the path of true, personal happiness and understanding. Hannah
Arendt and Frantz Fanon show the flaws in imitation, while Herman Hesses Siddhartha
shows the importance of personal experience and originality.
Page 26
Do we ourselves cause change in our lives by making certain decisions, or are we

acted upon by events that happen around us?
During the medieval era, many were assigned to respective social classes and believed that
it was their unchangeable destiny to live the life they were given. A considerable number of
modern citizens may find such a belief tragic and filled with abstinence in that it does not
allow confidence in one's abilities. Others, on the other hand, still hold faith that an entity
from above or some unseen force controls and gives human beings a predestined life. By
briefly analyzing the book _A Fallen Swan_ by Ana Trotsky and the notorious German leader
Adolf Hitler's decisions regarding the Russian invasion, one can conclude that we, ourselves,
control our own lives--that one's life choices are the factors that lead to one's downfall or
success, not an external force pulling on the strings of fate.
In the book _A Fallen Swan_, Prince Ivan is cast away from his past prosperity into the
peasant class. However, despite the slim chances, he escaped to the then chaotic China as
a "representative" who introduces communistic ideals to Chairman Mao's cabinet of
scholars. Although some may argue that Ivan's initial exilement from royalty was an
uncontrolled factor, life is still not entirely dependent on external factors. The most important
reason why Prince Ivan eventually found a new wealthy life in China is his determination to
survive and his choice to disguise as a representative for a relatively unknown province of
scholars. Had he instead chosen to stay in the peasant class, he may have been executed
by the Bolshiviks or may have lived the rest of his life homeless on the streets of Moscow,
Russia.
The main concept of making one's own destiny can be seen not only in the historic novel's
protagnist Ivan, but also in a very tragic page of history. Adolf Hitler, the persecutor of
countless Jewish people, led to his own downfall during the Russian Invasion. Though some
may say that Hitler would've fallen no matter the process, as humans all die some day, he
may not have died early enough to stop the prejudice of Jews. Instead, he ultimately led to
his own suicide when he chose to send his army of manpower to invade the vast and cold
land of Russia after a broken treaty. This resulted in a great loss of military power, which in
turn gave advantage to the opposing side of World War II. Had he chosen instead to keep
his alliance with Russia, Hitler may have won the World War II instead--and life may not be
as we know it.
In the end, although many of us may be born with predestined conditions such as wealth and
physical advantages, our life story can not be written, ultimately, by anyone but us. "You'll
never know if you catch the fish if you don't step in the pond." As Confucious once said, no
one can determine another's future except the person himself.
Page 27
Are people who do not follow societys traditional paths to advancement more likely
to be successful than those who do?
The assertion that one should make one's own decisions instead of relying on the advice of
experts is a categorical truth. Making one's own choices guarantees freedom of expression
and freedom of individuality, unrestrained by the thoughts of others, and I substantiate my
claim with evidence from history, literature, and personal life.
One example that substantiates my claim can be drawn from the late reverend and social
rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King Jr. lived most of his life from the 1940's to
1960's, a time when racial segregation ran rampant and government laws had been enacted
to prevent African Americans from socializing with superior white society. At this time, many
African Americans, scared of any violent repercussions, placed their own decisions
subservient to the rulings and decisions of the activists at the NAACP headquarters, who
encouraged African Americans to trudge along without any dissent if they wanted to keep
out of trouble. However, King Jr. made his own decisions, disregarding the advice of the
NAACP. Instead of keeping mum and quiet about societal troubles, King Jr. pioneered social
rights and economic improvement for African Americans through his numerous speeches all
across the country. His actions and inspiring speeches helped to free the subjugated black
race from the grasp of social segregation. Clearly is it good to make one's own decision, as if
King had never made his own, segregation may have persisted, against African American
society, for a longer period of time.
Another fine paradigm that can substantiate my claim comes from the literary great,
Huckleberry Finn, written by Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain, in 1884. Huck, a young and
obstreperous Southern child, has always seen those around him, the adults who he extols
as experts, heralding that slavery is a correct practice and that slaves do not have any
feelings nor the capability to act for themselves, an argument that carps at Huck's deformed
conscience. However, as Huck comes to the aid of his friend and runaway slave, Jim, who
tells of the old African tales of "love for one's brother" and "mercy to the subjugated", as well
as shows emotion and care towards Huck as his role model, care taker, and
brotherly/fatherly figure, Huck begins to realize that the "experts" in his hometown were
wrong; through his adventures with Jim and the protection and care that Jim gives for Huck,
Huck makes his own decision to view slaves as people that feel emotion and give care, and
not meandering souls. Clearly, making one's own decisions is better than taking the advice
of authority, as, in this case, it helped one determine one's own view of the morality of a
topic.
An example from my personal life can also substantiate my claim, in the form of my close
friend Billy Bob Jones, the CEO of Mobile App X. Expert engineers and market analysts from
Google told Billy that his app was entering a saturated market, and that he should rescind
his app request and work on better ideas. However, Billy made his own bold decision to
release the app, and within days had already experienced a download number of over
100,000 and had offers from Google to buy his Mobile App X out. Clearly, making one's own
decisions is better than listening to experts, as, in this case, it can help one persevere and
attain success.
From King Jr., to Huck Finn, and finally to Billy Bob Jones, making one's own decisions
allows one to express their individuality, liberating themselves and others, helping all to
persevere to success.
Page 28
Do groups achieve more when a person in a group behaves in a manner conducive to

the achievement of an individual goal, or when they act in the interest of a goal
common to the entire group?
The uniquely human capacity for group organization and collective action indeed is
responsible for much of humanitys triumphs. However, groups do not function at an optimal
level when their individual parts work for a good other than that of the group. Rather, all
people work towards one unified goal in the ideal group. The ultimate failure of the French
Revolution and the origins of the Cold War support this assertion.
The French Revolution, a tempestuous social evolution that shook the foundations of
Europes class structure, saw the unification of the peasants and the upper middle class
against the aristocracy that, for centuries, had maintained a foothold on society. Although the
Revolution achieved an ephemeral sort of success, it ultimately became a bloody blunder as
it devolved into the now infamous Reign of Terror, only to have another tyrant ascend to the
throne in its wake. Why? Because the peasants and the upper middle class had different,
irreconcilable goals. The peasants sought to ameliorate the poverty and desitution that
plagued their lives at the base of the social pyramid. The upper middle class- doctors,
lawyers, and bankers- intended to inherit the same status that the aristocrats once held.
Over time these disparate goals caused much dispute, gave rise to much dissent, and left
the country in a state of intellectual destitution and moral bankruptcy for both classes.
Less than two centuries later, yet more political disaster resulted from the inclusion of two
inherently incompatible goals into one group. During World War II, the democratic United
States and the communist Soviet Union joined under one political banner in order to
effectively combat the Fascist hydras brewing in Germany and Italy. However, as the war
drew to a close and each sides military encircled Hitlers Berlin, it became clear as day that
two incompatible goals had managed to slip into the Allied Alliance: both the Soviets and the
Americans wanted control of Germany after the War. Mutually aware of this, both sides
rushed into Berlin to fill the avoid after the Nazi surrender, resulting in the polarized West
and East Germanys and ultimately in the Cold War. Had both nations been truly working
toward one goal, Fascism would have still been dismantled but the decades of nuclear Fear
and mutually-assured destruction might have never been.
Groups, despite the intuitive belief to the contrary, are most effective not when their
members pursue individual goals but when their members work toward a common goal. Both
the French Revolution and the rise of the Iron Curtain evince this.
Page 29
Do people need discipline to achieve freedom?

All around us, we, as people of a sovereign nation, see freedom in its full plenipotentiary
glory. But where has this freedom come from? It is the fruition of years of planning and
protest, of our nations founding fathers, of our history of leadership. It is the distinct quality
of discipline that led to the consummate ideals that billions of people live by quotidian.
With great cooperation comes great influence. Just ask the framers of the constitution,
composed of fifty-five polyhistors with different bailiwicks. How are people with different
weltanschauungs supposed to agree on such a monolithic topic? The chairman, George
Washington, was called on before anyone else. People who did not tolerate the discussion
simply walked out. Those with the strongest principles, and discipline, were the ones whose
ideas were adopted into the ubiquitous freedom that the United States is renowned for.
Two hundred years later, another revolutionary event rises into play. African Americans, who
were held by the fetters of a non-integrated society, strived to achieve an eternal freedom.
Many activists, such as Malcolm X and W.E.B. DuBois were known for their intellectual
papers and violent uprisings, respectively. But what these people lacked was the sheer
foundation of discipline; their ways were accusatory and desultory. Not much was to be
gained from their disorder. However, when a man of nonviolent protest, the epitome of
discipline, rises into action, we see a change that Martin Luther King, Jr. has transpired for
decades. This proves that discipline is the cornerstone of freedom, for these results would
have never happened without it.
Freedom doesnt even have to be on such a large scale to see the effects of discipline on it.
Going to college is seen as one of the prevalent ways of escaping the bunker of homeliness.
Individuality is often displayed as such, and the only way people go to college and live a life
of solitude is through persistent discipline.
While the effects may seem surreptitious, throughout history a multitudinous amount of
events have displayed the impetus of discipline causing freedom. Whether it is the
establishment of a country, a removal of a law, or even the journey of life, the keynote
process remains the same. And that is because with discipline comes freedom.
Page 30
Is it important to learn from your mistakes?

One of the most important life skills acquired is that of learning from yours and others'
mistakes. Indeed, this becomes apparent when inspected in different areas of politics,
literature, and business.
In the novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel Cervantes, the main character is a knight errant who
refuses to learn from his mistakes. While this provides for an interesting plot, it is
philosophically important that he does not learn that actions do have consequences. Don
Quixote believed that eh was granted impunity as a knight, but Cervantes makes it apparent
to the reader that while Quixote is smart, it is his obstinate refusal to learn from his many
failed adventures that stops him from truly being great.
Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric from 1984-2004, is epitomizes the idea that mistakes
are important - he realized what everybody else had been doing incorrectly. Unlike many
CEOs, Welch adopted a sense of brutal candor, something he said was lacking from
business men. Welch cut the bottom 10% of his management annually while providing large
benefits to the top 10%. Through analyzing the mistakes of his contemporaries and
implementing change, Welch increased the wealth of GE from 20 billion dollars to over 5400
billion dollars and was named Fortune Magazine's "CEO of the Century."
The Armenian genocide of the early 20th century is a mistake that we may take many
lessons from. Most importantly, it instilled a fear of empiricism in the western world. A
modern genocide was brought on by countries - Greece, Turkey, and Serbia, wanting
greater empires. These ethnic clashes begotted ethnic cleansing of Serbs, Armenians,
Greeks, and Turks, in a didactic lesson that the west failed to learn from. If we had analyzed
the genocide and why it happened, further genocides in Germany and the Philippines could
have been abated.
Indeed, mistakes are important throughout all realms of life. As we have seen, the response
to mistakes separates Don Quixote from Jack Welch and allows or prevents macabre
political and ethnic affairs.
Page 31
Are people too serious?

Words alone cannot express the egregious extent to which many people live their lives
complacently and frivolously with a lack of seriousness that often deprives them of myriads
of invaluable opportunities. One should not, however, fall prey to the misconception that it is
acceptable to live one's life nonchalantly without exerting one's utmost efforts and willpower
to maximize one's full potential and to attain unparalleled heights of success. By making
serious efforts to accomplish one's goals rather than sitting back passively, the sky's the
limit!
We need look no further than the life of the once prominent NBA superstar Michael Jordan to
recognize the validity of the aforementioned statement. A winner of 6 NBA championship
titles, numerous MVPs and various other accolades, Jordan undoubtedly accomplished
much during his dominant and illustrious career in the NBA. Yet, what many fail to recognize
is that Jordan experienced a devastating setback during his sophomore year in high school.
Deemed too short and unathletic, Jordan failed to make the cut for the varsity basketball
team. Undeterred, Jordan did not just accept this failure in resignation but decided instead of
take a much more serious and rigorous approach to overcome his failures. He woke up at 5
am every morning to enhance his athleticism and increase his skills. His relentless efforts
and serious mindset of determination ultimately allowed Jordan to overcome his limitations
and surpass his own expectations, which led to unparalleled heights of success not only in
his high years but throughout his career in the NBA.
The life of Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent civil rights' activist in the 1960s, further
reinforces the notion that only when one takes a serious approach to resolve a problem can
one truly succeed. In a time when black people were harshly segregated and persecuted
from the mainstream society, King rose to prominence as a brave and fearless leader of the
Civil Rights Movement. King understood the gravity and seriousness of the situation and
carefully mapped out a plan to address such grave injustices. He initiated a myriad of
boycotts, non-violent resistance movements, peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins. Who can
also forget King's compelling and eloquent "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered with a
serious and impassioned tone that millions of Americans were aroused to the brutal realities
of racial segregation and joined his righteous cause? As one can also see in the life of MLK,
people must always take a serious approach in order to attain success both on a personal
and societal level.
An indisputable reality of life is that people who are too serious are sometimes seen as analretentive rigid robots who lack humor and good will. In the final analysis, however, as vividly
portrayed through the lives of Michael Jordan and Martin Luther King Jr., a serious approach
to life is often the only means by which one can truly succeed.
Page 32
Is it best to have low expectations and to set goals we are sure of achieving?
It is often easy to imagine that we can never live up to our expectations. Often, too, people
have low expectations of themselves. But, while it may appear that low expectations are
optimal, low expectations can have deleterious effects on and can exacerbate the current
situation. It is best to have high expectations, which can have incredibly positive outcomes.
This point can be exemplified by examining two important figures in world history: Winston
Churchill and Frederick Douglass.
In the Second World War, Britain fought against Adolf Hitler of Germany, and it appeared in
the early stages that Britain would be forced to soon surrender. And yet a powerful British
leader, Winston Churchill, gave an incredibly stirring speech to the British people, many of
whom thought that they would lose. Winston Churchill said that Britain will fight to preserve
its institutions and democracy. Britain would fight Germany against all odds. This boosted
morale to a great extent, and indeed, Britain was one of the winners of the war. Surely
without Churchill's high expectations, Britain could very possible not have had enough
morale to continue fighting. Here is an example of a way in which high expectations
positively shook the course of history.
A second character, one who lived several years before Churchill, is Frederick Douglass, a
former slave in the nineteenth century. Most slaves in America at the time had no rights;
many slaves simply obeyed their masters, demanding little of themselves. Douglass,
however, was not weak and indeed strove to be the best he could be. He learned how to
read and write -- a task not often pursued by slaves at the time. He had incredibly high
expectations of himself -- he got himself a job working as a caulker and was a jack-of-alltrades. Through his great demands he eventually achieved his freedom. If he had low
expectations of himself, he most likely would not have advanced in American society. He
would have remained a slave with low expectations of himself, as so many slaves in his time
had.
History is said to teach the lessons of the past, and humanity has seen the dramatic results
of high expectations. If history truly does repeat itself, then the greatest expectations are
clearly the best.
Page 33
Can success be disastrous?

The world is littered with the carcasses of those who strove for success, only to find
emptiness and despair. Relentlessly pursuing success can lead to deathas in the case of
Jay Gatsbyor, more commonly, to disappointment and madness, as in the cases of
Alexander the Great and Britney Spears. Success can have disastrous consequences.
Jay Gatsby, the anti-hero of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, was a man motivated by
his need to succeed. Jay Gatsby said that his goal was to win the love of Daisy, but he was
really motivated by a more common American dream: money. Gatsby only loved Daisy
because her voice sounded like money. His whole life was spent pursuing financial and
social success. Nothing good came from his desire for success; instead, Gatsby died, and
almost nobody attended his funeral.
The case of Alexander the Great had similarly disastrous consequences. Conquering the
known world was Alexander the Greats main goal and he excelled at it. By his early 30s,
Alexander found that he had successfully gained power over everything he had ever wanted.
But this didnt satisfy Alexander. Instead, he was crushed by the disappointment that there
was nothing left to conquer. Alexander was successful in achieving his incredible goal, but
his success proved disastrous to his mental health, and he died soon after.
Britney Spears is another cautionary tale of success. From her early appearances on the
Mickey Mouse club, to her musical superstardom, to her head-shaving public breakdown,
Britney Spears proved how quickly your star can ascend and then crash back down. She
achieved worldwide success shortly after she did puberty. It was obviously too much for her
to handle, both mentally and emotionally. Her life of glamor and fame quickly fell apart. By all
accounts her success was devastating to her personal life and mental health.
The pitfalls of striving forand achievingsuccess are tragically apparent in the examples
of Jay Gatsby, Alexander the Great, and Britney Spears. Those who hope to be famous and
revered should take note. In some situations, success can have unexpected and unfortunate
consequences.
Page 34
What is your view of the concept that people reveal a great deal about themselves
through the choices they make?
Choices, the mundane decisions that shape our lives, do a great job of showing who we are.
Some people are seen as idealists, some as realists, others as liberals, and others as
conservatives all due to the choices they make. Holden Caulfield, from J.D. Salinger's The
Catcher in the Rye and Neo, from the science-fiction movie The Matrix are both paragons of
the concept of choice-dependent futures and choice-dependent personae.
Neo, the protagonist of The Matrix, reveals his outlook on the world through the choices he
makes. When he agreed to know the truth of what he thought to be "reality" it could be
inferred that subconsciously he knew that there was more than that which he saw around
him. In the Matrix Reloaded, the sequel, Neo makes a choices to save Trinity, his love. This
decision reveals how a personal issue "vis a vis, love" supplanted strict prudence in his
decision making. Neo's sacrifice in the final movie, The Matrix Revolutions, mirroring that of
Jesus, shows his desire to save. Neo's judgment is revealed to us a selfless as his
conscience compels him to sacrifice his life.
Holden Caulfield is another example of how choice impacts one. He gets expelled from
Pencey for failing, he shuns society, and he is essentially tormented by the ubiquitous
mundanity of society which he labels as an amalgam of "phonies." His decisions like asking
a prostitute to come to his room or calling his ex-girlfriend on the phone completely inebriate
or even getting into fights with people as he very frequently does show his lack of wisdom
and his puerility. Holden, as one can conclude, ends up, not surprisingly, in a psychiatric
ward somewhere in California recounting his story to the reader(s).
Choice reveals a lot about who someone is and his/her outlook on society (at least what we
would expect it to be). Free will directly correlates with this issue of choice. Neo and Holden
were both shown to the reader(s) or moviegoer(s) that the finality of their "stories" is due to
choice. With regarding the future of anything as Neo said quite well "the problem is choice."
Greek philosopher, Heraclitus once said "A man's choices are his fate...". Choices inevitably
and inexorably are the summation of who we were, who we are, and who we will be.
Page 35
Should we admire heroes but not celebrities?

The term "hero" comes from the ancient Greeks. For them, a hero was a mortal who had
done something so far beyond the normal scope of human experience that he left an
immortal memory behind him when he died, and thus received worship like that due the
gods. Many of these first heroes were great benefactors of humankind: Hercules, the
monster killer; Asclepius, the first doctor; Dionysus, the creator of Greek fraternities. But
people who had committed unthinkable crimes were also called heroes; Oedipus and
Medea, for example, received divine worship after their deaths as well. Originally, heroes
were not necessarily good, but they were always extraordinary; to be a hero was to expand
people's sense of what was possible for a human being.
Today, it is much harder to detach the concept of heroism from morality; we only call heroes
those whom we admire and wish to emulate. But still the concept retains that original link to
possibility. We need heroes first and foremost because our heroes help define the limits of
our aspirations. We largely define our ideals by the heroes we choose, and our ideals -things like courage, honor, and justice -- largely define us. Our heroes are symbols for us of
all the qualities we would like to possess and all the ambitions we would like to satisfy. A
person who chooses Martin Luther King or Susan B. Anthony as a hero is going to have a
very different sense of what human excellence involves than someone who chooses, say,
Paris Hilton, or the rapper 50 Cent. And because the ideals to which we aspire do so much
to determine the ways in which we behave, we all have a vested interest in each person
having heroes, and in the choice of heroes each of us makes.
Again, the critical moral contribution of heroes is the expansion of our sense of possibility. If
we most of us, as Thoreau said, live lives of quiet desperation, it is because our horizons of
possibility are too cramped. Heroes can help us lift our eyes a little higher. Immanuel Kant
said that "from the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made." That may
well be true. But some have used that warped, knotted timber to build more boldly and
beautifully than others, and we may all benefit by their examples. Heaven knows we need
those examples now.
Page 36
No Question
The majority of the people in the world never find their best attribute. They, often
prematurely, find their role in life and stay in that area for the rest of their lives. Even
though they feel a dull dissatisfaction with their life, only a select few choose to break out of
that monotony and rediscover their lifes work, their childhood passions. Albert Einstein was
one of these individuals.
Einstein showed an early aptitude for science and mathematics. He finished his homework
far ahead of most pupils and used the free time to devise clever thought experiments. While
most students were daydreaming about the boy or girl next to them in class, Einstein would
be riding along on a beam of light. He marveled at how fast all of the planets and space
would whiz past him But such dalliances were soon forgotten. Einstein matriculated to a
university, and that meant English courses and liberal arts. Einsteins father never
encouraged his son to pursue a career in theoretical physicsquite understandable as
many careers offered more prestige and a higher salary. Einstein took an extended
sabbatical from physics, and took a job at a patent office. Einstein could have done quite
well in administrative workfor his unkempt appearance, he was surprisingly organized and
clear-minded. Einstein also was an extremely gifted violin player. Having taken lessons since
a young age and possessing an innate musical ability, Einstein could have easily become a
violinist in a professional orchestraa career that was in high demand at the time. Medicine
or business was also an option. However, if Einstein had decided on these other career
paths, our knowledge of physics as we know it would not be what it is today. Einsteins true
gift was in the realm of abstract thought in unraveling the mysteries of the world. His
intelligence and creativity would have allowed him to succeed in many careershowever,
his achievements would not have been revolutionary. Relativity may have been discovered,
but it would only occur decades later and would be very clumsy mathematically. Einsteins
gift was not only in the ability to intuit relativity, but to express his ideas in clear and concise
equations. Einstein refused to stay in a job that was not allowing his best attribute to shine.
He rediscovered his childhood dreams and became a theoretical physicist.
Of course, not all of us are gifted with the intelligence and creativity of Albert Einstein. But it
is undeniable that every person is endowed with at least one thing he or she is talented in.
Singing, writing, acting, science, leadership skills, communication skills, art, managerial
skills; the list goes on. Not everyone will achieve the greatness of Albert Einstein or even
close to it, but by finding what our greatest attribute is, developing it, and applying it, we may
find that we can accomplish far more than we imagine.
Page 37
No Question
The artist or the scientist finds it quite easy to cite instances of recent creativity. The Human
Genome project, the demotion of Pluto as a planet, and it's just as easy to cite examples of
creativity in art and music. On youtube.com, I recently saw an African American man
improvising songs on his piano that were never performed in a recording studio.
Tremendously talented but underpaid garage bands and artists are literally everywhere. But
the pure mathematician finds his work harder to defend. Laymen and even scientists, the
mathematician's colleague, claims that mathematics is a stagnant body of knowledge. While
they admit that mathematics is a truly marvelous work of humanity, they also say that
"innovation" in mathematics is impossible.
In the late 1990s, Andrew Wiles published a proof that was over one thousand pages long. It
proved a statement that when fully expressed, is slightly more complicated than the
Pythagorean theorem, which can be proved by any high school math student. Yet it took
over 400 years to prove. It is called Fermat's Last Theorem, named after an amateur French
mathematician who lived in the 17th century. Surprisingly, such a simple statement required
knowledge and application of the most obscure mathematics, some which had been
discovered only a few years earlier. The proof, while amazing in its own right, also asked its
own questions. Why does such a simple statement require such complicated proof
techniques? Is there a simpler and more elegant proof? These questions will continue to
drive mathematical innovation in continuing years. Fermat's Last Theorem is perhaps the
most famous instance of recent mathematical innovation, but it one of many. Those who
complain and say that these "innovations" are completely useless must remember the
unsettling fact. If it weren't for the work of number theorists (the most abstract and "useless"
field of mathematics), the FBI couldn't keep track of criminals and online purchases couldn't
keep your credit cards confidential. Number theory has given birth to a branch of applied
mathematics called cryptography, and nobody disputes its importance.
Even in the most abstract and removed areas, innovation is taking place. In the more
practical areas such as art and science (as described above), innovation is taking place at
an alarming rate. In fact, those acquainted with the double-edged sword nature of science
are more worried about the excess of innovation rather than the lack thereof (dangers of
nanotechnology, global warming due to our fossil fuel burning plants, nuclear power, etc.). It
is a mistake to say that creativity is a thing of the past.
Page 38
Is there a value in celebrating certain individuals as heroes?

Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin are few examples of the many superheroes
that prevail in comics and cartoons. Children are captivated by these heroes because of their
awesome superpowers, but in actuality what is truly amazing about these heroes is that they
remain just, fight for justice, and have apt courage to do so. Many children and adults look
up to heroes, whether real or not, as inspiration to become better people. There is ample
reason to celebrate individuals as heroes because not only do they deserve to be extolled
but they remain an essential part to our society.
Recently, I attended a leadership conference which took place over a three-day period within
the snowy pines of Idyllwild, California. About 300 students gathered there to develop
leadership skills and be commemorated for excellence. The coordinators of the conference
constantly congratulated and thanks us, making me wonder why. Later, a keynote speaker
asked us if we through there were heroes in the world and if the world was changing for a
better place. Many replied denouncing President George W. Bushs leadership, but one lone
student arised and said how can we say there are no heroes in the world when we have all
gathered here today? It finally sprung on my with these few simple words that I was grateful
for this conference and how the coordinators thanked me. It inspired me because I was
previously wondering, what is the point of being a hero and helping others when there is
nothing to be given in return? People need to continue to celebrate heroes like in comic
books to prevent them from not continuing to be a hero. Heroes are real people and they
need reassurance no matter what good deed they are doing.
However, not all people are born heroes. Some are timid and shy their entire life. They
remain aloof even when they disagree with something. However, when they do speak out
and attempt to open up, they exhibit strong heroic qualities. In my opinion, people that are
timid but gain the courage to speak passionately about what they care about are heroes.
One girl in my class never spoke out loud in class. She would sit silent in her chair always
listening to everyone else. However, one day, maybe she was inspired by someone else,
she raised her hadnt and participated in the debate that day. Once she did so, everyone in
the class started clapping. After this, she turned bright red and sat down but after that she
became much more involved in class activities. This simple act of gratitude from the class of
clapping our hands was instrumental in her continual participation. If we hadnt celebrated
her heroism of gaining the courage to speak out that day, I dont think I would have ever
been able to hear her ideas.
In conclusion, celebration of heroes helps their confidence and inspires others.
Page 39
Is creativity needed more than ever in the world today?

In a world, plagued with the horrors of war, poverty, famine and disease, creativity is
way many are able to express their anguish and desires. Whether it be through
literature, film, music or other forms, Creativity is omnipresent. Three examples
exemplify this are: Picasso's "Guernica", "The Gulag Archipelago" by Solzhenitsyn
Michael Moore's film "Bowling for Columbine".
one
art,
that
and
"Guernica" is considered to be one of Pablo Picasso's most well-known and valuable

paintings. It was painted in the late 1940s, during the time of the Spainish Civil War and the
reign of fascist dictator, Franz Franco. In the painting, Picasso, uses many symbols to
express the atrocities of war. People are depicted as being stabbed and brutally murdered.
In one section of the painting, Picasso uses a lightbulb in order to symbolize hope.
"Guernica" continues to be a symbol of anti-war protest. After its creation, it toured all
throughout Europe and America during WWII. Picasso used creativity as a method of
protest, during the opressive regime, and war that plagued Spain during the 1940s.
"The Gulag Archipelago" was written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in it he adresses the
monstrocites that occured during the reign of Stalin during the mid-19th century. He exposes
the horrors of the labor camps, in which many Russians were forced to labor under
detestable conditions, rank with pestiliance. When Solzhenitsyn tried to get it published in
Russia, no one would. So, he went to the U.S. to get it published. It was immensely popular
and remains an important Cold War artifact. Solzhenitsyn, used "The Gulag Archipelago" to
vent his frustrations with the U.S.S.R. and the cruel and unusual methods that were
implemented in Stalinist Russia. Thus, his creativty exposed the world, to something that
they might not have realized the magnitude of this issue, without the publication of the novel.
Michael Moore, a popular American filmaker, is known to create throught-provoking,
expositiory films. One of his most famous films "Bowling for Columbine" exposes America's
folly in its gun policy regarding youths and people in general and juxtaposes America's
violent culture with other various cultures, such as Japan and Canada. Another main focus
of the documentry, is the Columbine shooting. The columbine shooting, involved two
students going on a killing spree in their Colorado high school. In the movie, Moore and one
of the kids that was paralyzed from the incident are able to get Kmart, the place where the
shooters bought the bullets, to stop selling bullets. This is very powerful, and illustrates that
maybe hope is not lost, and that America can reform its violent ways. Michael Moore uses
film as his creative outlet, in order to inspire, educate and expose people to pertinent issues
that affect our daily lives.
A world without creativity, would not be able to exsist. The world, would not be able to last
because there would be nothing to inspire or educate people. Thus, life would becoming
uniform and meaningless. Creativity allows one to create their own self and seperate
themselves from others. Thus, creativity is essential to the well-being and preservation of
man-kind.
Page 40
Is anything truly original?

Throughout history, creative endeavors have been consistently prized as some of
mankinds greatest achievements. Yet, originality is never completely true. As evidenced
by literary efforts following the Gilgamesh Epic, the role of the University of Chicago in the
second ghettoization of urban Chicago, and the technology approach of Apple, complete
originality cannot be found in the world today.
The Gilgamesh Epicwhich entails the adventures of king and comradeis commonly
recognized as the first written narrative. Following this achievement, however, literature was
denied the capability of being truly original. Every man-and-friend tale, from Huckleberry
Finn to Lord of the Rings, has somewhere in its origins the delightful camaraderie found in
the Gilgamesh epic. While both Huckleberry Finn and Lord of the Rings are innovative in
certain respects, they nevertheless lack complete originality for the motifs and witticisms of
each work have a foundation in history. Yet, to call the Gilgamesh epic utterly original would
be erroneous as well. Even Gilgameshthe first substantial workfinds its character from
previous oral recollections and the environment of the time.
While the rhetoric of literature often proves to lack originality, the same can be said of the
rhetoric of history. In the 1950s, the University of Chicago attempted to smokescreen the
residents of Chicago into believing that it was supportive of an interracial community. Even
though the liberalism of the institution shrouded the universitys intentions, people
ultimately saw through Chicagos chicanery and realized that their main intent was to drive
blacks out of the classy Hyde Park region. Indeed, Chicagos attempt to ostensibly
appear integrationistand hence originalwas seen through by an angered community.
The residents of Chicago saw through the Universitys ploy and realized that the
University, despite its progressive posture, was no less racist than the rest of Chicago. It
became clear that even a university lacks true originality for the cultural environment is so
strongly engaged.
Even in the modern era, pragmatic concerns override the need to produce works that are
unique. Indeed, the business strategy at Apple is designed not to envision completely new
ideas, but to make improvements on old ones. Even innovative products like the I-Pod are
merely amalgamations of previous ideas. The capability of Apple to envision these products
is certainly noteworthy. Yet, to call them original would be a slap in the face to both Apple
executives and former designers alike.
Originality is a fickle thing, and it is hard to come by in a world where so many ideas already
exist.
Page 41
Is identity something people are born with or given, or is it something people create
for themselves?
An ancient Sudanese proverb reads, Your mother crafts the bowl, but nature fills it.
Scholars have debated the influence of nature versus nurture for decades; however,
irrespective of genetic influence, creatures are changed by that which they experience.
Through the examples of a traumatic experience that my best friend experienced, and the
experiments of psychologist Harry Harlow, we will explore the idea that, yes, identity and
personality is created not by genes, but by experience.
My best friend Melissa was once the girl who always laughed first and longest, always had a
bad knock-knock joke, and always laughed at her own mistakes. However, in spring of 2003,
Melissa was raped by two boys at a party. After, her demenor changed. She was no longer
the lighthearted girl my friends and I all knew. Last summer, instead of spending her time
laughing with friends at the mall and joking about which guy liked her, she was hospitalized
after swallowing a bottle of pills. The depression she felt as a result of her rape had driven
her to desperate measures and she didnt believe she could go back to the person she once
was.
While Melissas experience came from her environment, psychologist Harry Harlows job
was to change the environment of his subjects. In 1971, Harry Harlow created an experiment
to test the influence of mothering on baby monkeys. He gave one group of monkeys a toy
mother with a soft towel they could cuddle with, and the other group was given only food.
The results proved that the monkeys denied of the contact comfort of the towel had severe
anxiety and health problems as a result. They were changed, and for the worse.
So, in conclusion, the experiences of Melissa & Dr. Harlows monkeys influenced them
greatly. Their bowls were filled with pain and suffering, and as a result, their identities
reflected that pain.
Page 42
for themselves?
Identity is something that is unique and special to every individual. It is what makes them
what they are and it gives them a sense of being. Each persons identity is shaped by their
own experiences and the people they encounter. I have observed this both in my own life
and in various books I have read.
In my own life, I have a fairly good sense of my own identity. I am an artist, a friend, a
student, a sister, the list goes on and on. All of these aspect make me who I am, but I would
not have been able to arrive at where I am today without certain people and experiences in
my life. One such experience is my time at Interlochen Arts Camp that has defined me as an
artist. I went into it for music, but ended up taking a ceramics class as an elective and fell in
love. The next year I went back as a ceramics major and chose a beginners metalsmithing
class taught by Evan Larson, a person who I greatly admire and respect. He introduced me
to this wonderful craft and taught me patience, the value of hard work, and so much more. I
had found my calling. Now, each piece that I make has a little bit of Evans creative vision in
it, but that is accompanied by my own vision and the vision of all the teachers I have had
over the years. Making jewelry and working with metal is such a large part of my life that it
defines me not only as an artist, but also as a person. I will be majoring in Metal and Jewelry
Arts when I go to college next year, and I owe it all to the teachers I have learned from and
all of the opportunities that I have been given.
I have also noticed this trend in my reading, especially in the book Hamlets Dresser by Bob
Smith. In this autobiography, Mr. Smith tells the tale of how his life was shaped dramatically
by Shakespeare and his summer job working as a dresser in a small theater in Stratford, CT.
He was introduced to Shakespeare at a young age and became enthralled with the language
and the stories that it soon became a very large part of his life. Working at the theater was a
perfect job for him because he was able to be a part of the world that he so loved, without
being put in the spotlight himself. The theater became a sanctuary for him in his adolescent
year. In his later life he went on to teach Shakespeare to old women in nursing homes.
Bob Smith was so influence by Shakespeare that he became known as the Shakespeare
guy. I was so influence by my art that I was voted class metalsmith for the yearbook this
year. We were both so shaped by our experiences that they became part of our identities
and part of what defines us as people.
Page 43
Are we born with our identities or are they a result of the environment which we live?
The nature verses nurture debate is a quite enigmatic quandary for psychologists and
laymen alike. Whether who we are is locked in a coffer called our genetic code or if we as
humans are moldings of our environments, peers, and most certainly encounters is surely a
question for the ages. However, I firmly stand staunchly in support of the notion we are
strictly without identity and it is the end result of our trials and tribulations which evidently
paint the mosaic which is our lives. Furthermore, the recounting of Frederick Douglas' life in
his autobiographical narrative, "Narrative of the Life of a Slave," and the recent apalling
tragedies of September 11th firmly prove that we as humans are shaped by the reactions we
make to stimuli.
In the "Narrative of the Life of a Slave, Douglas crafts poignant memoir which repeatedly
illustrates how the once slave, learned a plethora about who he was and how he was
shaped to become the influential, legendary figure due to discovery of identity. More,
specifically, when Douglas shares an anecdote about how he learned to surpass retaliation
to one oppressive, domineering slave owner, he shows he changed that day forever. To
anyone, it is clearly exhibited the power of a situation and how it can influence us to evolve
to who we are. Through Douglas' writings, a crystal clear portrayal is presented to the reader
how our identities are self-created.
More recently, this belief in creating our identities is more true than ever is reinforced
wholeheartedly. An example would be when the treacherous terrorist attacks transpired.
Many agree at this time a multitude of denizens of our country developed their identities as
"Americans". It is remarkable how an entire nation responded so patriotically to a time which
was so despondent. Personally, I can relate to this because in my home, my parents never
were exemplary Americans in showing their devotion? to our great nation. However, six plus
years later my parents still insist we give back to our country annually to commemorate of
our nation's darkest hours. Certainly, my family's identity didn't turn us into death-defying
firefighters who risked their lives to save others on that day in September, but it did shape
how we respect and how much adulation we have for the U.S.
Perhaps even the puzzle which fills debates on nature verses nurture can be partially
dissolved when presenting the evidence of people are affected by traumatic or life-altering
events. With said information we can at least note the fluctuating identities we possess.
Page 44
for themselves?
The ancient Greek quote Know thyself is a powerful yet subtle expression. It gives meaning
to the individual through its mysteriously short length. However, the quote Know thyself
is in fact a very valuable quote about the identity of an individual. Identity in the modern
world is relatively materialistic; an ambiguous and varying form of personal interests.
Perhaps it is due to the environment that people are brought up in, but through our right of
free will, it becomes clear that we as individuals, decide our own identities.
Just as a poet carves his expressions by deciding when and where his lines begin and
endthat which is different from a prose writer who simply writes until there is no more
available spacehumans carve out their identity. It is a tedious and meticulous process;
one that involves years of experiences and learning. For example, as a High School
freshman, it was not apparent to me what my great passion in life was. As my career in High
School continued, I learned, through both negative and positive experiences, that my
passion was writing.
Writing allowed me to navigate into the deepest crevices of my soul, giving me the
opportunity to pull out the anchor that only held me back from discovering what my identity
was. I was not told or given a lecture on my passion, interests, or personal conflictsI had
to discover these attributes exclusively as an individual searching for his identity. Even
through experiences involving love-hate relationships, social intolerance, and heated
arguments between family and friends, it was NOT the environment that gave me MY
identity, telling me to receive it. This world is not a communist dictatorship, we as
individuals must seek, learn, and explore ourselves to appreciate and gradually build up our
identity.
Just as Math is a cumulative and gradual processone that involves learning the basics in
order to build a foundation for more sophisticated mathematics in the future creating our
own identity is the same. Many defend the perspective of parents being a major influence on
their children; while this is true, to what extent does this remain true? Are abusive parents
who neglect their children the only two individuals who just hand an identity to their
offspring? I must disagree, as I have been in this scenario myself and have chosen to deny
an identity of a depressed, internally torn, and mentally unstable teenager. I understood that
there was always more to my identity, which I had gracefully discovered after I sought what it
truly was. It was in my power to do so, and it remains within every other persons power as
wellwhich is why we as humans must seek and create our identity not just blandly
receive it.
Page 45
No Question
Having a large number of options to choose from does not in fact make people very happy.
Just because certain people are more better off than others and because of this have more
things available to them, doesnt make them enjoy life anymore than any other person. This
can be seen in the movies such as Tuesdays with Morrie, in literature, and in the world of
sports.
First, just because people have many options doesnt necessarily make them happy. In the
movie Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Album, a famous and wealthy sports writer that lives in
Detriot has everything available to him. He has a good job and a gorgeous girl friend, and is
very well off. Yet, he still isnt happy. His relationship isnt going as well as he would have
hoped and his job is taking up most of his life. He reconnects with his old professor Morrie,
who is terminally ill with ALS and they talk about life together every Tuesday. Morrie helps
put Mitchs life back on track and gives him the lesson of what is most important in life:
friends and family, not material goods and such.
Next, in a Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, Bill and Stephen Katz, one of his friends, go on
a 5 month trip through the Appalachian Mountains. For this trip to happen, they had to cut
back on the amount of items they were taking such as food and clothing because that would
be the weight they would have to carry on their backs for the duration of the trip. Together,
they started in Georgia and experienced all the elements Mother Nature had to offer as they
made their way up to Maine. Even with all of their options such as food and clothing to
choose from, they still enjoyed themselves for a 5 month period. During this period, they
were limited with all of their options. They knew they would have to sleep in the same tent
every night, wear virtually the same clothing that they did a few days back, eat the same
meals day in and day out, and shower only on occasion. All the things that we humans take
for granted were removed from their lives and they couldnt enjoy it anymore than they did.
They still had eachother.
Third, in sports today, baseball in particular, athletes are given many options to choose from
but are still not happy. Alex Rodriguez, former third baseman of the New York Yankees just
decided to opt out of a $252 million dollar contract with the Yankees to pursue more money.
Some experts believe the bidding for his services will start at $350 million dollars. Some
people. ,myself included, think this number is an absurd amount of money to pay a person
who does nothing but hit a baseball four hundred feet. Alex Rodriguez, however, and many
athletes similar to him buy huge houses, cars, and televisions, yet want more and more at
the same time. They can never be happy no matter how much they have.
Page 46
No Question
"It is a false assumption of mankind to assume the resilience of outdated practices," said
western thinker and philosopher Slavoj iek. I agree with iek in supporting the statement
that it is always necessary to find new solutions to problems. Innovation is paramount to our
growth as a civilization, and will perish if not used, which can be exemplified through
literature, history, and current world affairs.
Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World tells the haunting story of a futuristic society where
the constituents are bred from test tubes and then psychologically conditioned to obey
orders from the totalitarian government that rules them. Bernard Marx, a main character in
the novel, recognizes the brainwashing that his fellow citizens are influenced by, and seeks
to overthrow the government. He remembers that in times past, the citizenry often used
rebellion as a means to free themselves from oppression, but due to the fact that the people
around him are conditioned to obey the government, he recognizes that rebellion would not
work. This literary example clearly shows that coventional solutions are not always useful,
therefore demonstrating that innovative thinking is needed to keep up with the changing
times and help us solve the contemporary problems of today.
The 1960 presidential candidates debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon is
yet another example of how innovation is needed to solve problems as opposed to relying on
conventional methods. The Kennedy-Nixon debate was the first televised presidential
debate, which meant that it would be receiving ample news coverage in different media
forms. Nixon, the presidential incumbent at the time, was very confident about winning
because of his knowledge of the policy issues and his popularity with the American
constituency. However, Nixon was short, often wore wrinkled clothes, and overall lacked
aesthetic appeal. Kennedy, on the other hand, was tall, charismatic, well-dressed, and very
good-looking. When the debate was seen on television, Kennedy looked poised and
confident next to Nixon, who had sweat dripping from his brow due to the harsh camera
lights. This resulted in Kennedy winning the election. The 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate
shows the necessity of innovation because Kennedy knew that the television would give
voters a whole new means of evaluation--aesthetics. THis also shows that conventional
methods, such as those Nixon relied on (policy targetting) wouldn't stay resilient.
Innovation is also necessary in today's world affairs. In our industrialized world, more smog
and pollution is causing a depetion of the ozone layer, which is beginning to take its toll in
the form of global warming. To stop the problem, we obviously can't stop driving cars and
operating factories, because that would wreak havoc. This situation requires humans to be
innovative and to think of new ways to conserve energy and our planet.
As shown through literature, history, and world affairs, innovation and new solutions to
problems are always necessary if we as a civilization want to advance to our full potential.
And as Slavoj iek observed, we cannot assume the resilience of outdated traditions.
Page 47
for themselves?
Though people are born and raised in specific cultural backgrounds, it is through critical
reasoning and innovative decisions their identities are conceived.
John Marshall, probably the most influential Chief Justice of the United Sates have ever had,
is a perfect example for changing the traditions and creating an identity for himself. By the
time Marshall took over the seat of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,
the judicial branch was no more than a court that dealt with daily trifles and was obliged to
travel long distance to sit in on rulings of inferior courts. Marshall established a stronger
judiciary, one that can effectively limit the powers of the executive and legislative branches.
In the case Marbury vs. Madison, Marshal altered history by interpreting the Constitution
such that the Court was given the power of judicial review. Because of this ruling, Marshal
broke away the ideals of British court and formulated a unique American court system that
would be an independent force of the government. In a sense, Marshal not only established
himself as the most influential Chief Justice, but also created a powerful identity for the
Supreme Court.
Another example of forming [? I cant read my own handwriting] identity through actions is
the late economist Milton Friedman. After the [three words I cannot identify] the
Great Depression, most liberal governments adopted the economic theory of John Maynard
Keynesthe so-called demand-side economics. Friedman, however, had his own vew of
this dynamic, globalizing economy. He was not afraid to assert his own opinions and
challenge the demand-side stronghold. He trained the twenty-five students who later
became known as the Chicago Boys. His ideas were implemented as his students went back
to Chile and carried out Friedmans supply-side economics as Chiles fiscal policy. In the
following decade, the Chilean miraclean astounding growth ratethat resulted from
Friedmans ideology gained world attention. Friedman also became the most influential
economist of his time. Thus, through innovation and implementation, Friedman erected an
identity for himself; a German newspaper called him Der Konterrevolutionar to illustrate his
revolutionary theory.
As shown in Marshal and Friedmans experiences, we sometimes have to break away from
the traditions we inherit from the past and formulate our own policies from knowledge, critical
thinking, and, most importantly, implementation. Through innovation and novel ways of
thinking can we have our own identity in the pages of history.
Page 48

We have all heard the story of the tortoise and the hare, and we have all been taught that
slow and steady wins the race. This applies not only to fictitious childrens fables, but to
success in general; the way to succeed in achieving your goals is to remain balanced,
controlled, and restrained. Moderation is key when something goes awry, slow and
steady will give you ample time to correct your mistakes and move on. Take, for example,
the contrast between the slow development of the United Kingdom and United States
democracies versus the hasty rise and subsequent falls of the Nazi German and Communist
Soviet Russian states.
Britain and the USA have had long histories of governmental development leading up to the
systems they have today. Britains famed Magna Carta came in the thirteenth century and
served as a strong starting point for further reforms. The British then gradually lessened the
power of the monarchy, slowly enough that the issues typifying most democratic statesthe
role of religion in the state, the shift from agriculture to industry, the granting of suffrage and
the votecould be handled one at a time. In Britains case the three aforementioned
issues were dealt with in the 1500s, 1800s, and 1900s respectively, giving the country plenty
of time to wrap up one issue before the next came along. In the United States, first came the
thirteen original colonies and the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution and Bill of
Rights came after a lengthy debate on the Articles and it was not until nearly two centuries
later that the United States added state number fifty.
In contrast, Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were created extremely quickly and both
ended up collapsing. Hitlers charisma and charm allowed him to quickly rise through the
ranks of the Nazi Party, and once he assumed leadership he hastily decided to take over
Europe. We all know how that went. Stalin in the USSR enacted a series of five year plans
designed to rapidly transform the Soviets into an industrial world power. He ended up killing
even more people than Hitler, and the USSR collapsed in 1991 due to a lack of sound
infrastructure and economy compounded with a poorly planned military build-up.
Great enthusiasm, high energy, and extreme effort all sound nice, but when it comes to
getting things done, moderation is key.
Page 49

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Do people place too much value on newness?

undemocratic societies. Moreover, these mediums of communication would never

Does planning interfere with creativity?

Accuracy of your examples

Here is an example of a conclusion

The template is as follows

Does improvement or progress usually involve a significant drawback or problem of some

Morality and Trust

Does progress result only from struggle and conflict?

Focussing on Small / Details

Are firmly held opinions reasonable?

Appendix 2 Compilation of 11/12-Mark Essays found Online

Is it more valuable for people to fit in than to be unique or different?

Is moderation an obstacle to achievement and success?

Is it a disadvantage to pay attention to details?

Is it always better to be original than to imitate or use the ideas of others?

Do we ourselves cause change in our lives by making certain decisions, or are we

Do groups achieve more when a person in a group behaves in a manner conducive to

Do people need discipline to achieve freedom?

Is it important to learn from your mistakes?

Are people too serious?

Can success be disastrous?

Should we admire heroes but not celebrities?

Is there a value in celebrating certain individuals as heroes?

Is creativity needed more than ever in the world today?

"Guernica" is considered to be one of Pablo Picasso's most well-known and valuable

Is anything truly original?

Is moderation an obstacle to achievement and success?

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