<p>Nice to meet all of u! I'm Khoa, Vietnamese, a total newbie here. I have a problem with the essay writing section of SAT. Some of the tasks given in Writing sections often require students to use historical, literatural evidences to clarify and illustrate their points. Nonetheless, I'm a Vietnamese student and ignorant of US historical and literatural information. Can you please suggest me some materials for reading that will enrich my knowledge about this issue in a short time? (Well, I've got 3 months more until my test date). Thanks a million!</p>
<p>I don't think there's any reason you'd have to use U.S. references; references from your own culture and region should work fine. The essay component of the SAT is an assessment of writing style; the content of what you write (as long as it's coherent and actually addresses the topic) is less important.</p>
<p>I actually think it's important to provide references which are universally recognized and acknowledged. Some are done too much - Alexander the Great, Gandhi, Hitler etc. But they don't HAVE to be American. I used examples like Wangari Mathai because she personified what I was talking about. But it's more important to write well, make sure your points are clear etc. As long as the reader, while reading your essay, gets a very clear idea of what you're talking about, you'll do good. </p>
<p>The Scarlet Letter, A Streetcar Named Desire, To Kill a Mockingbird and Macbeth are some examples used by students.(in my experience)</p>
<p>I think it's better to provide foreign knowledge to the essays. My friend talked about the road system in Belgium and got a perfect score on the essay. I talked about "Lord of the Flies" and the Populist era and got 9/12.</p>
<p>If you want to learn about American references, "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Inherit the Wind," and "The Crucible" are all good choices. "Slaughterhouse-Five" is my favorite American novel--it's an anti-war thing about the Dresden bombing. Read up on some legal cases maybe? Like the Watergate scandal, Brown v. Board of Education, Marbury v. Madison, Aaron Burr Conspiracy, Salem Witchcraft Trials (that's what "The Crucible" is about), Scopes Monkey Trial ("Inherit the Wind"), Oklahoma City Bombing (1997, so more current)...</p>
<p>Hope that helps you.</p>
<p>As long as your examples support your thesis, you are fine. I don't think it matters where your examples are coming. You can make up stuff on the essay and still get a good score as long as it proves your thesis.</p>