<p>I finally wrote an essay not too long ago to see if I couldn't reassure myself a bit (as well as to get a better feel for the time limit). Grading would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>The prompt is as follows:</p>
<p>In his poem, "To a Mouse," the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) wrote these immortal lines: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley." To paraphrase Burns's archaic dialect in modern English: No matter how carefully we plan our projects, something can still go wrong with them.</p>
<p>Assignment: Are even our best plans always at the mercy of unexpected, chance events? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this idea. Support your position with reasoning and examples from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>And the essay:</p>
<pre><code>Chance events ultimately decide our lives. Whatever preconceptions we may hold in the present, the future is forever an unknown contingency, capable of destroying weeks of preparation with something as simple as an unexpected rainstorm. But naturally, chance is not limited to the weather. Chance events have ruined the plans of numerous novel characters, such as the renowned Gatsby of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as that of myriad historical figures, such as MicKinley and his League of Nations and Al Capones bootlegging scheme of the 1920s.
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby has spent his entire life building up a false persona of wealth and refinement all of the sake of impressing the love of his youth, Daisy Buchanen. When he is finally reunited with her, all seems well at firstshe prefers him over her husband Tom, is amazed by the man he has become, and easily rekindles her love for him. However, just weeks later, the whole plan of Gatsbys to cause her to divorce Tom comes crashing down when Tom reveals Gatsbys shady business and the confused and torn Daisy comes to realise that she cannotindeed, does not wish toleave her husband. The fantastic scene results at last in Gatsbys death due to a series of grave misunderstandings, which is far from his ideal of a life with Daisy, In this way, years of planning can easily be ruined by the unpredictable actions of a single man.
Such events extend to history as well; take, for example, McKinley and his plan to bring about the League of Nations. It all began fairly well as he integrated his ideas into the treaty formed after WWI, but upon returning to the US to have the League approved by Congress, he was met with a vast opposition which altogether halted his carefully thought-out ideas. Coupled with McKinleys own refusal to compromise and finally with his falling ill from exhaustion, the entire deal was out of the window. The unexpected opposition from Congress, much stronger than McKinley could have imagined, along with his own shortcomings, the effect of which he was unable to adequately judge, in the end ruined his plan. Unforeseen events like these can easily prevent entire countries from realising their leaders ideals.
Individuals as well have been afflicted by such chance events; Al Capone easily becomes an example of this. He is, of course, famous for his bootlegging ring in the time of Prohibition. However his whole scheme collapsed when he was finally arrestednot for the alcohol, but for tax fraud. Yes, his whole organisation fell because of a crime which he had probably never foreseen being caught for. And individuals plans can easily be destroyed by the chance consequences of contingencies they did not account for.
Seemingly insignificant chance events can easily demolish our carefully built-up plans, as evidenced both in literary works such as The Great Gatsby, and in historical events such as the founding of the League of Nations and Al Capones bootlegging ring. Through it is impossible for humans to foresee the future, we must be sure to always try to the best of our ability to account for whatever chance forces may lie in waitlest our most painstakingly devised plots be ruined in the blink of an eye.
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<p>Thank you in advance!</p>