<p>Hey, I'm preparing to take the SAT in March and I'm working through some prompts from the College Board site. Could you give me a score estimate? Thanks!</p>
<p>PROMPT:
The discovery that someone we admire has done something wrong is always disappointing and disillusioning. Yet even when people we consider heroes have been tarnished by their faults, they are no less valuable than people who appear perfect. When we learn that an admired person, even one who is seemingly perfect, has behaved in less than admirable ways, we discover a complex truth: great ideas and great deeds come from imperfect people like ourselves.
ASSIGNMENT: Do we benefit from learning about the flaws of people we admire and respect?</p>
<p>MY ESSAY:</p>
<pre><code> "Larger than life." It's a phrase we apply to celebrities, well-known historical figures and famous politicians. For many of us, it describes those people that seem above all wrong, or have the finances and prestige to sweep any immoral activity under the media rug. Over the years, journalists and philosophers have grappled with this question regarding popular figures and powerful characters: we all know they have their imperfections - should these be hidden from the public eye in order to create a "safer", more perfect image? Yet, history provides us with countless examples to the contrary.
Former president Bill Clinton led the United States through a time of relative economic prosperity. The 1990s also expanded peace relations in the Middle East, aided masterfully by Clinton and his ambassadors. Now, nearly two decades later, it is hard to pinpoint many things that the president did wrong. However, the Lewinksygate scandal is something few have completely forgotten. Clinton's extra-marital relations he later admitted to not only tainted the presidency, but his public image, which was previously near-spotless. While these memories are definitely unfortunate, they provide us with a more well-rounded view of a man often looked up to and perhaps idolized.
Some argue that our goals - those of people who look up to a hero who has shown some of his or her true colors - also become tainted when we know the truth. Perhaps, they contend, we have less to look up to once we come to terms with the fact that this person is not perfect. Still, we must see that getting a more well-rounded picture of the idolized individual establishes a connection. We realize the person is just human, like us, and find that this opens up the doors of opportunity for us to aspire to their position.
Overall, it becomes easy to understand how imperfections play such a crucial role in a persons image.
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<p>(END) Thanks again!</p>