<p>Considering that we're given only 25 minutes for the essay on the SAT, I spend way too much time brainstorming literary and historic examples that fit the prompt. I memorized several examples before the test when I previously took it, but the none of them fit the prompt once I actually opened up the test. Anyone have any suggestions?</p>
<p>use a movie or a t.v. show that you are familiar with. being able to back up your stance is THE most important thing. don’t feel like you have to memorize facts, details, events, etc. because you will be overwhelmed and wont be able to write a good essay in 25 minutes. the point is not to state facts. the point is to manipulate what you know by reasoning to back up your argument.</p>
<p>give me an essay prompt and ill give you an example of a good argument. ill use everyday things, well-known movies/stories, etc. you can use legends. if you are fun with your essay and display good reasoning skills, then the readers could care less what literary or historical examples you use</p>
<p>Okay, here are two (if you don’t mind doing more than one) prompts that I have NO literary or historic examples for:</p>
<p>1) Is the purpose of education to change the world? (from a Princeton Review book)</p>
<p>2) Is censorship sometimes justified? (also from the Princeton book)</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>1) literary: Three cups of tea, by greg mortenson which describes teaching young women in pakistan, which aids in making their hometown a better place. Historical: Horace Mann public education etc.</p>
<p>2) literary: ANYTHING by ray bradbury, my personal favorite (as a read) is Fahrenheit 451, which could show the results of censorship in reading taken to an extreme. 1984 is also a great one, talk about double think. Histoical: censorship takes a prominent role in governments, it is a form of propaganda, China in todays world, America during WW 2 are two good examples.</p>
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<p>(This is not an actual essay. I am just writing out my ideas as they come. Notice I do not use classical literary or historical examples, yet the argument is still there.)</p>
<p>OK. YES, the purpose of education certainly is to change the world. Learning about issues makes those issues commonplace in the world. For example, if the majority of students learn what AIDS is, many of them can end up donating to charities, which make an economic difference in the world. Without such education, students will not be concerned about everyday things. They will not know about issues that they could possibly contribute to if they knew about them. Education also encompasses topics, ideas, theories, etc.–not just issues. This aspect of education also changes the world because it helps people grow as individuals; these individuals work together in society to construct society. Educated architects build buildings in which equally educated men and women may work. Teachers learn how to teach in order to teach the succeeding generation . . . etc.</p>
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I will list some ideas that can be thought of based on reasoning and logic as opposed to literary and historical examples:
- Sometimes it is justified. Free speech can be limited by the government if it causes panic or turmoil. A classic example involves yelling “fire!” in a theater when there is really no fire. It causes panic and thus the person that yelled would get in trouble. Of course, this does not directly relate to censorship, but it communicates the general idea of it–i.e., protecting the public as opposed to the individual.
- The media has massive influence on today’s generation. The media is also large. There needs to be censorship so as to limit those who take advantage of the media.</p>
<p>Sorry, but I can’t think of any movies or T.V. shows that have to do with censorship. The only one I could think of is The Truman Show, but it isn’t exactly a popular movie (in comparison to superhero movies, classic long-running T.V. shows, etc.) I guess I kind of contradicted myself. Still, you could apply your knowledge of childhood movies, heroes, memories, shows, comics, etc. to a wide variety of essay prompts. You could start by thinking of the most recent movie you’ve seen.</p>
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<p>Some examples that you can use (probably for a thesis that says “No”):</p>
<p>–Orwell’s 1984
–Stalin’s USSR
–Family Guy (specifically the PTV episode)
–South Park (specifically the most recent episodes with Muhammad)
–Any comedian/satirists making fun of the government (Modern ones like Dane Cook or historical ones like Voltaire)
–China and it’s censorship of the Internet</p>
<p>That’s just what I could come up with off the top of my head. Remember, you can always make up a story about some local politician (who may have never existed) or about something that you experienced as a child (that may have never happened). It’s probably more effective to use well-known examples, but the graders won’t know what really happened in your life or in your hometown.</p>