<p>Prompt: Is the way something seems to be not always the same as it actually is?</p>
<p>Essay:</p>
<p>Although some people say argue that first impressions are always correct, first impressions are seldom correct and should be strongly avoided in real life. Several examples from history and literature clearly exemplify how first impressions are seldom correct or of any value.</p>
<p>In Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the reader is presented with a boy, Huck, that seems to be a failure. Huck is infamous for skipping school and deviating from the morals of his southern society; as a result, he is an outcast in his society. But, as the novel progresses Huck meets an escaped slave named Jim, and as his relationship with Jim grows stronger so does his apprehension about his society. Eventually he is seen several times saying he would rather go to hell than follow the racist teachings of his society. As a result, through deep introspection Huck is unaffected by his society and is able to make his own decisions and form his own moral conscience. Toward the end of the novel, Twain places a strong contrast between Huck and Tom Sawyer, a boy that is largely a product of southern society. The reader goes on to find out that Sawyer is a lot more immature than Huck; this is because Tom Sawyer had subscribed to the teachings of his southern society. His immaturity is greatly exemplified in his dangerous escapades where he eventually gets shot. The story of Huck greatly shows that what some people might consider a failure at first glance may actually be more of a success than they had first expected.</p>
<p>The Cold War also clearly shows that first impressions are not only useless in fiction but also in real life political conflicts. The two main opponents of the Cold War, The U.S. and the USSR, competed to see who had better Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM). By August 1957 the USSR had launched its first ICBM, and by July of the following year its first earth satellite, sputnik. The launch of sputnik inaugrated the space race, which astronaut Frank Boreman described as "just a battle in the Cold War to see who has superior ICBM's." And although most people consider the Cold War as a major modern crisis that cost the U.S. over 8 trillion dollars and the lives of more than 100,000 americans, it sparked unprecedented increases in spending on education and research. To this day more than 1200 american schools retain their very own planeterium.</p>
<p>After closely examining the Cold War and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn one can safely conclude that, indeed, first impressions should not be taken at more than face value.</p>