<p>So I made a huge list of books and people that I should learn for my SAT Essay from others on the forums. And Im gonna read up on them from sparknotes and Wikipedia. I just thought Id share with you guys first for comments/feedback/suggestions on this. Btw, heres a list of a few of them. (no, i wont watch the movie, just read online)</p>
<p>1) Birth of a Nation (movie)
2) One hundred years of solitude (by Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
3) Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
4) Candide (by Voltaire)
5) The Scarlett Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne)
6) Ethan Frome (by Edith Wharton)
7) Metropolis (movie)
8) Birth of a Nation (movie)
9) Vertigo (movie)
10) Citizen Kane (movie)
11) Of Mice and Men (movie/book)
12) Lee Iacocca
13) Muhammad Yunus - Microcredit</p>
<p>So you’re gonna read the Sparknotes versions of a bunch of classics just for your SAT essay? That’s pretty sad man. At least read the actual book.</p>
<p>I agree with jamesford – if you take the time to actually read the books, you’ll have a much more thorough knowledge and hence will be able to adapt them to a wider variety of prompts. I would pick three books to read and then familiarize yourself with four of five more.</p>
<p>As for the Great Gatsby… it gets used so much that I would probably steer towards something else.</p>
<p>So am I allowed to use anything Ive read in my school as an example if Im going for a 12? What if I cant think of a single examples if I dont? I mean come on, its not like my English GT teacher is gonna be grading it, right? There are tons of teachers and different levels read different books and not all teachers are english teachers, right</p>
<p>Just steer clear of the most commonly read ones, and more importantly, the ones most commonly used in the essay. Of course, if it’s all you can think of, it’s better than making something up.</p>
<p>I believe all the graders are english teachers.</p>
<p>So using Great Gatsby isn’t a good idea? I mean it shouldn’t really matter whether you’re essay is unique, right? Shouldn’t it matter whether it makes sense, has a good flow, and is overall a good essay?</p>
<p>Yes, but if you were an essay grader wouldn’t you get tired of hearing about The Great Gatsby after the 1000th time? It shouldn’t affect them, and I’m sure they try not to let it affect them, but I’m sure subconsciously things like that can.</p>
<p>i still thinking reading a whole book is no where near as fruitful as actual SAT study, even if it means my essay wont be as great. Any ideas wat to do?</p>
<p>People have no idea what they are talking about. You can use the most cliche examples, as long as you make a good essay with them. The SAT is a simple formula: 2 pages, 10 “big” words, simple thesis, 2 examples, and a conclusion. This is coming from a kid with a 760 Writing, 12 essay.</p>
<p>How do we have no idea what we’re talking about. This is common sense.</p>
<p>If you know two books equally well and you know that every other 16 yr old in America can/will use one book as an example, why wouldn’t you pick the more obscure book? The essay is graded by humans who are subject to their own biases. </p>
<p>The graders don’t give the essay the grade they think it deserves, they give it the grade they think the other graders will give it.</p>
<p>Well, I doubt the graders routinely scribble “ZERO!!! CLICHE TOPIC!!!” all over every essay about the Great Gatsby, but I could see it easily having a subtle effect subconsciously. There would just be no way of proving it. I don’t think it’s going to make a huge impact, but if all else is equal why not choose the less used example?</p>
