<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I wanted to see if anyone could give me any suggestions on this essay. My goal is 11 or higher.</p>
<p>30 minutes-</p>
<p>Prompt: At some high schools, teachers have considered allowing each student to choose the books he or she will read for English class rather than requiring all students in class to read the same books. Some teachers support such a policy because they think students will greatly improve their reading skills if they read books they find interesting. Other teachers do not support such a policy because they think that students will learn more by participating in class discussion with others who have read the same books. In your opinion, should each individual student be allowed to choose the books he or she reads for English class?</p>
<p>In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.</p>
<p>Essay (written under actual test conditions): </p>
<p>Books: the archaic sources of wisdom and knowledge, or despair for the apathetic teenager. As times move forward, students are seemingly expected to read more and more literature in a shorter amount of time. Some have considered allowing individual students to choose the books they want to read during the school year; this is a recipe for complete academic diasaster [sic].</p>
<p>Aldous Huxley's novel on a 'utopian' dystopia affirms the inevitable failure of allowing students the liberty of choosing their own books. In contrast to the people in Orwell's 1984, the citizens in Brave New World stopped reading out of a lack of desire to read. They were consumed by meaningless triviality, by endless protected sex and mindless games. By turning a blind-eye to truly important issues (caste oppression, hunger, ignorant masses, etc.), the people of Brave New World entered a new level of despair. Allowing immature students to choose their own reading material is the stepping stone to a society like that of Brave New World. Already, dozens of eye-candy 'books' line the shelves. Albeit very entertaining, books like Twilight or Fifty Shades of grey do not belong in an academic setting. Entertainment and education DO NOT intertwine successfully at al. Mandatory classics should continue to be required reading for schools, or society will fall prey to the tantalizing triviality of entertainment reading. </p>
<p>While some may say that allowing students to choose their books gives them a greater sense of purpose and desire to read, that desire can easily be wasted with reading books that teach no morals, and offer no insight into the complex workings of the world. There is a definite reason that 'classics' are deemed classics. They have withstood the test of time, of countless critics and obstacles. Books such as Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men or Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby should always be worthy of a spot in education, regardless of whether or not students truly enjoy them. Reading is not always for enjoyment- sometimes, the reader must learn to enjoy what they are getting out of the book besides pure pleasure [sic]; they must learn to appreciate the knowledge contained in that book. When students are given the choice of what books they WANT to read, the temptation is there. It's a poisonous option- reading modern entertainment books and waltzing past the classics- but an option that many students will likely take if given free rein.</p>
<p>In regard to class discussion, be prepared for lifeless Socratic Seminars and unprovoking comments when students have all chosen different novels to read for English class. In particular, at the Honors and AP levels where discussion is so vital to the learning process, be prepared for a loss of a component of the classroom environment. It is excellent to encourage diversity in education, but it is entirely different to kill diverse discussions by allowing chaos in the English curriculum. Letting students choose their reading material is exactly that: chaos. Many might argue that requiring students to read the same books all school year is an invasion of liberty, of democracy. The opposite is in fact true: individual freedom might be achieved, but at the cost of classroom anarchy.</p>
<p>E pluribus unum, written on the seal of the United States, read that "Out of Many, One". It denotes that, out of diversity, we can achieve greatness, out of different background [sic], national unity; however, it also suggests something more important: that diversity can exist without FRAGMENTATION, and unity can exist without conformity. If students are allowed to disregard established English procedures and choose their own books, fragmentation can be the only outcome.</p>