<p>The prompt was "Should people be more focused in keeping some things private? Use examples blah blah blah"</p>
<p>I wrote:
People should be as open with each other as possible. Famous literature as well as examples from history illustrate and reinforce this claim and demonstrate the dangers of keeping things hidden from others.
Throughout history, governments have frequently kept citizens in the dark for a variety of reasons, and this usually leads to disaster and even revolt. For instance, the American government kept its people uninformed on the details and motivations of the Vietnam War. When it was finally revealed that Richard Nixon was still fighting the war out of desperation, the people were outraged. The same man caused an entire nation to distrust its leaders when he continued to "keep some things private" during the Watergate incident. A country cannot function if it cannot trust its leaders, so these men in charge must be honest and open about everything.
In the play "The Night of Stone" (loosely based on "Romeo and Juliet"), a young Jack Bender succumbs to depression and commits suicide because the woman he loved was too embarrassed to reveal her love for him. Similarly, the secrets kept between Gatsby and Daisy in The Great Gatsby, as well as between Tom and his mistress, lead to an explosion of catastrophic emotional outrage. Tom, to get revenge on Gatsby, manipulates Myrtle's husband's ignorance and convinces him to kill Gatsby, leaving the lot of them heartbroken. These tragedies could have been avoided through honesty and openness.
Although pop culture icons complain about their exposure to the media, this constant vigilance keeps them in check. These people are immersed in a world of unhealthy habits like alcohol and drug abuse. With the rest of the world always informed of their lives, however, they have a motive for staying healthy and keeping a good image. If John Frusciante had thought of his drug use as something to keep private, he never would have gotten the help he needed.
When people are fully open with each other, they maintain good relations. This keeps misunderstandings from destroying them, and it gives them an outlet for their troubles. To reserve something is to deny others the truth and to deny oneself a connection, so disclosing all one feels and knows allows everyone to be fully informed and make clear, positive decisions.</p>
<p>Please remember that factual inaccuracies can't affect my grade. >_></p>
Best of luck on the test.</p>