<p>Grade my essay please! Read it quickly (3 min) and grade holistically. Grade on a scale 1-12.</p>
<p>"Truth is more of a stranger than fiction." This quotation stresses the elusive nature of truth. Self-knowledge is a personal type of truth that, for some, is a known. For others, it is as elusive as the "stranger" in the quote."</p>
<p>Assignment: Do we need to be faced with hard choices in order to understand the truth about who we are?</p>
<p>In his acclaimed poem the "Road Not Taken," Robert Frost tells the story of a man who faces a difficult choice. Frost's character faces a dilemma, but ultimately choses the road "less traveled by, which makes all the difference." "The Road Not Taken" shows how difficult choices reveal the truth about who we really are. People must confront challenges and make difficult decisions to uncover the truth about who they are. American literature is filled with stories of unsure, indecisive characters facing hard decisions, but ultimately achieving self-realization. Similarly, history reveals how people must face trial and tribulation in order to learn more about themselves.</p>
<p>In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, a character named Rev. Dimmesdale faces a seemingly insolvable dilemma. For the entire novel, Dimmesdale is caught in a dither: he can't decide whether to reconcile his adulterous sin. The reverend contemplates whether he should tell his congregation that he has commited aldultery with a despised member of the community, Hester Prynne. As he faces this hard decision, Dimmesdale learns more about himself, and ultimately learns enough to realize that he should reconcile his sin with the community. In the end the reverent "finds God" and reveals his sin to the community.</p>
<p>In a similar vain, during the course of the Civil War, the United States learned more about itself as a nation. The arduous war taught the democratic nation that it was more than just a loose association of states; rather, it was a united, coherent body. Under the leadership if Abraham Lincoln, the US learned that a "house divided could not stand," and unification was necessary at all costs. The Union confronted hard choices during the civil war, and ultimately learned that the "United States IS," not the "United States ARE."</p>
<p>In conclusion, hard choices enable people to learn more about themselves. Dilemmas pose an opportunity for self-realization and learning. The United States and Rev. Dimmesdale both faced unique, unprecedented hardships, but in the end, they both learned invaluable information about themselves.</p>