The presumption that originality is overrated is erroneous. Although some proponents of the triteness of originality would argue that originality is meaningless in the end, these idealistic critics are too dogmatic in their provincial views. Originality involves finding a novel way to approach problems, which leads to success. Two examples that exemplify how the use of originality leads to success are The Battle of Penghu and Walter Matthews.
The Battle of Penghu, a naval battle fought in 1638 between the kingdom of Tungning based in Taiwan and the Manchu-led Qing Empire of China, clearly demonstrates how originality can lead to success. In the 17th century, there were many conflicts between the rulers of Taiwan and China. The omnipotent ruler of Taiwan, King Kangxi, wanted the Chinese ruler Fu Wei to release long-held Taiwanese captives. But Fu Wei, renowned for his stubbornness, refused to give in as doing so would be a sign of weakness for the great ruler. King Kangxi negotiated and even offered peace treaties, but to no avail. Finally, King Kangxi sent an army of approximately 100,000 men along with his most trusted admiral, Shi Lang, to rescue the Taiwanese captives. Shi lang was a brilliant military general, and knowing that the Chinese army was much larger than his, employed the famous "Flying Dragon" tactic, which involved the smaller Taiwanese army to entrap and defeat them. The use of this rare and unconventional military tactic serves as a testament to Shi Lang's originality. If Admiral Shi Lang hadn't used this tactic, his army would have inevitably been defeated by the larger Chinese army. This event goes down in maritime history because Shi Lang, using his military prowess, took the path less traveled and as a reward, won a soaring victory for his country.
Another example that clearly demonstrates that originality and novel approaches lead to success in life is the story of Walter Matthews. Mr. Matthews, a wealthy and munificent CEO of the company "H.K. Walker and CO." is often described as an eccentric man. So original are his business and marketing strategies that CEO's of more successful companies take notes in the hopes of improving their companies. One strategy that Walter Matthews uses is to abolish any hierarchy system in his company. By doing so, he aims to make the work environment less intimidating and more inviting. many studies have shown that this approach does indeed work by making all employees feel included and even part of the family. This in turn leads to greater success in the company because everyone wants to work harder to improve a company they like. His "eccentric" approaches show that creativity is not overrated, but rather a strategy to be used so that one can overcome a myriad of problems in life.
In summation, The Battle of Penghu and the story of Walter Matthews show how creativity or using novel approaches in life can lead to success in the battleground , workplace, and all scenarios in life.
This essay got a 10. It’s not that I think that a 10 is a bad score, but I scored that last time and would like to improve my essay score for my 3rd and final try at the SAT. I showed this essay to a friend, and he said I had some tense errors, awkward run-on sentences, and I shouldn’t repeat “clearly demonstrates” so much. He said I should get right into the examples and try to connect them to my thesis near the middle of the paragraphs instead of rambling on like a storybook. What do you guys think? How can I improve my essay score to an 11 or 12 next time?