<p>I've received some pretty useful help on this forum over the years, so I hope this will help others.
Below is my essay from October 2009, which received a 12.</p>
<h2>Good luck on your SATs.</h2>
<p>Prompt: Both in society and in our own lives, today's problems are serious and require serious solutions. Increasingly, however, people are taught to laugh at things that aren't usually funny and to cope with difficult situations by using humor. They are even advised to surround themselves with funny people. There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease.
- Adapted from Marshall Brain, "How Laughter Works"</p>
<h2>Is using humor the best way to approach difficult situations and problems? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</h2>
<p>Since the dawn of time, many human traits have been established. One of the most prominent is laughter, and since ancient times it has been used by jesters and comedians as entertainment. Today, a number of studies suggest that laughter can even reduce stress and improve health. Indeed, an analysis of leaders, past and present, reveals that humor is the best way to approach difficult issues.</p>
<p>A prominent leader of today is recently retired President George W. Bush. Although not well received by many pundits, Bushs presidency was a difficult one. Almost a year after he took office, the US was attacked by terrorists amidst a larger economic crisis. Bush passed the Patriot Act, created the Department of Homeland Security, and employed other means to secure the national security. He also began military initiatives in Iraq and Afghanistan that became controversial wars. In the media, Bush is shown to be a laughing and joking politician. In fact, during perhaps the lowest point of his presidency, he was attacked by an Iraqi journalist with a shoe. Bush quickly shrugged off the incident and made a joke out of this indication of his low reputation abroad. Through his humorous ways, he has prevented other attacks on American soil. Bushs presidency shows that humor is the best way to attack any situation.</p>
<p>Another prominent leader is Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. Franklin played a critical role in the American Revolution by securing an alliance with France. At the time, France was an aristocracy-ruled society dominated by the lavish court of King Louis XVI. Franklin successfully and humorously blended into the French social scene, charmed influential figures, and entertained his way to an extensive military and economic treaty. Franklins humorous approach to diplomacy shows how humor can be applied to a serious problem.</p>
<p>A third leader is President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR served during the Great Depression and World War Two. A rich and dilettantish mamas boy, FDR knew how to charm the American people through jokes and fireside chats. He bolstered public morale during a period of world changing disasters and successfully guided America out of the Great Depression and WWII. By the time he died, the US had emerged as the new superpower. FDR revealed how humor is essential to solving difficult problems.</p>
<p>As Marshall Brain once noted, one should cope with difficult situations by using humor.</p>