<p>Hi. Can you guys please grade this? I want to know how well I write before Saturday's SAT! I think it's pretty bad but I gave myself strictly 25 minutes.</p>
<p>Prompt: What is your opinion of the claim that without adequate knowledge of the past, we cannot truly understand the present?</p>
<p>Essay--</p>
<pre><code> The only way in which we can understand the world around us as it is is by understanding the past. No other things give us such good perspective and analysis for the present. This is true in the arenas of music, politics, and science, where understanding the past is key to comprehending the present and future. The progression of music needs to be studied with emphasis on the past. The politics of today are a reflection of the politics of past generations, and progress in science can come much faster if we learn from the past.
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<p>In modern avante-garde music, there is a much greater degree of melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and structual complexity. To understand the polytonalism, tertian chords, and irregular meters, it is crucial that one learn the concepts of earlier music of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. Greater insight into those past periods will naturally lead to a greater understanding of modern music, which integrates and syntehsizes music from the past. It is easier to understand and analyze modern music if we know the major and minor scales used by Mozart in the past, than if we jump directly to serialism and the whole-tone scales of the later 20th century. There, if we understand music fo the past, music of the present will be better understood.</p>
<p>Additionally, in politics, it is necessary that one understand the past to be sucessful in the present. Andrew Jackson lost his first bid as presidential candidate to John Quincy Adams, as Jackson was inexperienced and did not have many connectsion in Washinton. However, the second time around, he understood the process, and was able to be elected president, and kept his presidency for two full terms. By learning from his mistakes and shortcomings, Jackson was able to come back stronger and win the election. Because hd understood his past mistakes, he was able to use his understand to be successful. </p>
<p>Finally, in science, understanding the pat is imperative to understanding the present. The Columbia disaster provides a perfect example of this. The space shuttle burst into flames upon reentry in the Earth's atmosphere. NASA scientists attribute the failure to overheated tiles on the shuttle that could not withstand the heat. However, this tradgedy alllowed scientists to investiage the causes and devise ways to prevent further problems in the future. By understanding the problems of the past, scientists can learn from them and prevent them, making the present more comprehendable.</p>
<p>The past and the future directly correlate with each other. In art, progress is made from the past to the present. Politics shows us how one can learn to be sucessful by past mistakes. In science, the same can be true: the present can be improved by learning from the past. If everyone took time to learn of the past, the present might be a better place.</p>