<p>What work of art, music, science, mathematics or literature has surprised or unsettled or challenged you, and in what way? </p>
<p>Yeah, sooo.... I have no idea what to write about. Do you guys have any suggestions?? </p>
<p>(If you've already written the essay, I'd still love to hear what you wrote about just to get some ideas. I promise I won't write on your topic.)</p>
<p>Also, do you consider a movie to be a work of art? Would it even be a good idea to write on a movie?</p>
<p>Last year, my essay for this prompt was about theoretical physics and how my inability to completely understand it made it more interesting and appealing to me.</p>
<p>Oh, and I would advise against using a textbook as a work of literature.</p>
<p>I wrote about the Tuskegee Spyhilis Trials and how it shocked me and taught me that everyone (doctors) can't always be trusted, and how essentially we are all on our own..</p>
<p>To the General Public: If you don't know anything about the Syphilis Trials I would really reccomend learning about them, especially since the whole debacle is missing from any standard US History textbook...</p>
<p>Writing about something simpler/less serious isn't necessarily a bad or good thing. I just chose topic that was near and dear to my heart, quite personally. As long as your response is thoughtful and genuine, you should be fine</p>
<p>Last year I read King Lear and absolutely loved it, I then wrote a 20 page research report on the futility of flattery, and my English teacher wrote my recommendation a lot about this paper and I wrote about this play. My advice is to find something that you loved and write about it regardless of how serious you think it is.</p>
<p>I wrote about Alice Walker's The Color Purple...such a great book!!:)
I pretty much talked about how I viewed the main charcter as an inspiration seeing as she was able to break down and overcome male domination within her life and break through the expectations that scoiety and her family hold her to. The obstacles the main character went through were unsettling to me...I thought what a great topic to write about. Still, I wrote a paper on the book last year.</p>
<p>MAYBE not the simpsons, though they are a great artistic influence, seriously. i love the simpsons. theres a lot more under the surface too when you feel like being ghettosuperlookforthemeaning, but they're also just that great. anyhow, i wrote on a book i read/ tied it into science and art and writing and stuff i'm interested in like that. it actually turned out pretty good because i guess i liked what i was writing about. a few people i know wrote about a math thing or something like that that confused them, and some wrote about a piece of art (painting, sculpture) that THEY had done that either they didnt like or it was really hard to get it right and what they learned from it. i thought that was a pretty cool idea. i had a hard time with it too though, but once you figure it out it will roll right ;)</p>
<p>I wrote about Albert Camus' The Stranger and how its whole premise was false but it 'challenged' me to review my way of thinking or some bs like that. I didn't particularly like the book, but I thought what I could talk about the novel itself elicited more about myself and my personality than I could have thought of in any other way at the moment.</p>
<p>^^ I feel bad for saying this... but I know at least three kids who wrote about The Stranger. And a lot of kids from last year too.. it's a part of our school's AP English curriculum. :( :( But on a good note, I think they wrote more about Mersault than antyhing else.. and you got in too, didn't you? My friend last year wrote about the Stranger and got in too.. must be a good, but popular subject</p>
<p>I wrote about a piece of art. I had PM'd it to a couple of people on this board but they didn't get back to me. I guess it was not that good?????</p>
<p>It might be a little late to start reading Tolstoy, but UVa's alumni magazine had a great article last year rating the admissions success of applicants who wrote about various works of lit: Mr. Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, Nabakov, the Bible, etc. Hint: avoid Catcher in the Rye, as it doesn't indicate a particularly wide breadth of literary curiosity.</p>
<p>I would not recommend evaluating a movie inasmuch as movies were not included in the question. If you go out on a limb in terms of subject (Simpsons) or an area not enumerated, it had better be very well written. Were historical events included and if not, how does the Tuskeegee trial fit?</p>
<p>Tuskegree was a series of medical experiments/research intended to "benefit" the scientific community.. it's more a work of science than history, though it is very important history.</p>