<p>Happy New Year all! This is my first SAT essay and I would greatly appreciate it if someone...anyone...would give me some feedback. Thank you lots and cheers!</p>
<p>Excerpt: Sometimes it is necessary to challenge what people in authority claim to be true. Although some respect for authority is, no doubt, necessary in order for any group or organization to function, questioning the people in charge - even if they are experts or leaders in their fields - makes us better thinkers. It forces all concerned to defend old ideas and decisions and to consider new ones. Sometimes it can even correct old errors in thought and put an end to wrong actions. </p>
<p>Assignment: Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority? Plan and write an essay etc. etc.</p>
<p>ESSAY</p>
<p>You are standing in the center of Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. Amidst the yelling and chanting, you hear it - "We want change!" This is a perfect exampls of people questioning people of authority and demanding change, which is certainly important in the contemporary world. Not only does questioning authority keep society and communities in balance with their leaders and governments, but it also provides room for everyone to voice their own opinions on what they believe is right or not. Examples of succesful (sp) questiong of authority include the Arab Spring and the Galileo Affair.</p>
<p>In December of 2010, a man named Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire as an act of protest against the authorized officials of his country, Libya. His act is what ignited the so called "Arab Spring". This event is named after a series of "springs" of questionings of the governments of Middle Eastern and North African countries, including Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and, most recently, Syria. This event has not only allowed for the advancement of these countries in terms of political and social issues, but also has helped young people around the ages of 17-25 voice their opinions on political issues such as unemployment and food prices (?????). Most of these countries have successfully overthrown their overpowerful governments and have made room for more democratic and peaceful ways.</p>
<p>Another example of a successful questioning of authority is the historical account of the Galileo Affair. Galileo Galilei was a famous scientist of the 1600s. He believed in the idea of heliocentrism, or that the planets revolved around the sun. The Catholic Church, the dominating "government" at the time, believed otherwise and would not allow for the citizens to go against its rulings. The church believed it was clearly stated in the Bible that the planets revolved around Earth. However, Galileo claimed that "the Bible tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." He continued to study his belief and discovery and published his findings publicly. The Catholic Church later sentenced him to house arrest for the rest of his life. As a result of Galileo's question of the authority's beliefs, his discovery turned out to be correct and is what is taught today to people around the world. Since, the Church has issued a public apology for arresting the scientist for voicing his beliefs.</p>
<p>These examples and many more prove that questioning the ideas and decisions of people in authority is, indeed, true (???). One must realize that a simple group of people are not capable of deciding what is right or wrong, what is black or white, what is up or down. Everyone should be able to decide for themselves and become activists for what they believe to be "the right thing."</p>
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<p>I definitely repeated the words "change", "authority", and "beliefs" at least 100 times.
I don't think I used any SAT words (eek) so I gotta get used to that.</p>
<p>THANK YOU! (ﾉ◐ヮ◑)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧</p>