I took a SAT practice essay on Khan Academy. I just want to know how my essay would be graded and any tips for improving my writing.
Essay:
The speech, “Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence”, written by Martin Luther
King, argues that the Vietnam War is unjustified. King is able to persuade his
audience by reasoning that the war has hurt impoverished citizens, showing that it is
hypocritical in nature, and describing how it promotes violence.
King is able to persuade readers by reasoning that the Vietnam War has hurt citizens
living in poverty. King explains that poverty programs became “broken and
eviscerated” due to the redirection of funding towards the war effort in Vietnam. This
serves as strong persuasion since it leads readers to believe that the Vietnam War is
hurting citizens. This shifts readers’ perspectives on the Vietnam War from being a
foreign affair to a domestic issue. By describing how the poor are negatively affected,
King shows that the Vietnam War is not just another conflict somewhere far away. It
makes readers believe that the war is affecting them negatively as well. By showing
readers how the war can negatively affect them, King produces a compelling point.
King shows that the Vietnam War is unjustified by showing its hypocritical nature.
King claims that the war is “taking the black young men who had been crippled by
society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in
Southeast Asia”. This gives readers a sense of irony since black men were fighting
for Vietnam’s liberties despite the fact that African Americans did not have the same
rights as white citizens. It shifts the focus from the war itself to the American soldiers
fighting in the conflict. It shows that African American soldiers must not only be
forced to fight, but also live in a society where they do not enjoy as many rights as
white citizens. It makes the war seem extremely unfair towards Americans.
King is able to persuade his audience that the war effort in Vietnam is unjustified by
claiming that it promotes violence at home. King uses the reasoning that Africans
Americans are justified in using violent force to obtain their rights since the United
States government uses violence to achieve its goals. King is able to persuade the
audience by relating violent protests in America to the war in Vietnam. By relating
these two issues, King makes readers aware that conflict in Vietnam will only create
a world where violence is commonly used to solve problems. The war not only hurts
the innocent civilians in Vietnam, but it also hurts Americans citizens since violent
protesters use the war as justification for their movement.
King is able to convince readers that the Vietnam War is unjustified by showing its
hypocrisy and harmful effects on American society such as violence and poverty.
King is able craft persuasive arguments by relating the conflict in Vietnam to issues
in America. By focusing on home, Kings speech becomes understandable to many
citizens in the United States and it gives the impression that the war is hurting
Americans more than any other group.