<p>So, I'm a little bit confused on the SAT Essay.</p>
<p>I took the SAT cold in the Spring right after taking AP English Lit and US History, and got a 2100, with a 660 writing (9 essay). Just a few days ago, I bought Kaplan SAT Premier 2011 (bad choice??) and began to look over the contents for the October SAT. I read the essay section and am stumped. The biggest problem that I have: the prompts plain throw me off! Asking if rules are good? (That was in the REAL SAT that I took...) Isn't that like elementary school homework? </p>
<p>Maybe it's just me in AP mode, but I just don't get what I'm supposed to do. I'm not allowed to have an "Although..." thesis that weighs both sides but leans towards one a la APUSH, or use flowery language and analyze a point like AP Lit?? If not, is there a real structure to follow? Having only two pages makes it REALLY hard, too, since I have gigantic handwriting! I just don't get how to respond to such a... dumb question. </p>
<p>Anyways, I tried to follow what I understood from forum posts here and the Kaplan book, and here's what I got...</p>
<p>Prompt: Is financial status the most important factor in an individual's quality of life?</p>
<p>Response: Though we, as a consumeristic society, are thought to be defined by our material possessions, the old adage "Money doesn't buy happiness" rings true to this day. Financial status does not, in fact, govern an individual's quality of life, as money, though able to provide physical comfort, cannot provide happiness and inner peace in the same way as education, passion, and drive. This idea transcends generations as well as cultures, as demonstrated by Francisco Jimenez's early-20th-century tale, "Cajas de Carton," as well as Lauren Hillenbrand's Unbroken.</p>
<p>As the classic Spanish-language story, "Cajas de Carton" (In English: "Cardboard Boxes,") reveals, it is human interaction or, more specifically, education that governs one's quality of life. Ito, the first-generation son of Mexican migrant worker parents, breaks through the boundaries of socio-economic class and is able to find true happiness, friendship, and peace -- the foundations of a good quality of life -- through education, not money. His parents are incredibly poor, barely able to provide food for their family, and uneducated, placing far less value on educational opportunities as on financial ones. Because of this, they, along with Ito's siblings, are never able to live a life as deeply fulfilled as their son's, despite the money that they end up earning after finding steady jobs and assimilating into American society. Ito's elementary school education proved to be an invaluable stepping stone on the road to prosperity and happiness, allowing him to go on to earn his PhD and, eventually, write this very book. Through Ito's experiences, we are able to see that education, not money, is one of the defining characteristics of a good quality of life.</p>
<p>In Lauren Hillenbrand's Unbroken, we see another vital aspect of the road to a happy and fulfilling life -- once again, it is not money. Louis Zamperini's indomitable will is what gives him the strength to overcome the horrors faced as a Japanese POW, horrors that killed thousands. His determination and drive is what allowed him to survive frigid winters and the Bird's merciless attacks. Before his imprisonment during WWII, his passion for running was what brought him out of a life of petty crime and violence. His passion for running was what brought him to compete in the Olympic Games. As an old man, money is still not what makes Louis Zamperini happy, it's the passion that he has for reforming children who were like himself and his desire to run. It was this-- his passion and drive--that allowed Louis to survive the trials of WWII and live a long and happy life.</p>
<p>As attested to by the motivational stories of Hillenbrand and Jimenez, it is a combination of education, passion, and drive that allows one to live a truly happy and fulfilled life. It is true, then: money cannot buy happiness. </p>
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<p>So what do you guys think? What can I do to improve?</p>
<p>It's ok to use a non-english book, right? I just read both of these stories last week for my AP Spanish and English classes, so they were what popped into my mind. </p>
<p>Also: I REALLY stretched the truth on the first one... The story has nothing to do with that, and ends with a super happy Ito coming home from school to find everything packed up in cardboard boxes -- they moved and we don't know if he went to school again. Is that okay? I'm guessing that the readers won't have read the story, though... I got stuck on the Unbroken part, too, so I BS'd the whole paragraph.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>