<p>Hi everbody.. I just got my free Livegrader essay graded by Princeton Review... I got a 12, but I am somewhat skeptical of that. The comments were:
"Hi,
Your results are in! On a scale of 2-12, you earned 12 on your essay.
Excellent! You are primed for success with your essay.
Now check out what our graders had to say about your essay and how to strengthen it on test day.
Content
Your argument is well-reasoned nicely done.
Great insight into the prompt!
Other
This is honestly the best essay I've read to date, you state your position clearly, and use excellently detailed examples. You did good work, congratulations"</p>
<p>That seems a little too good...
Here's my essay. Can somebody please skim and grade it?</p>
<pre><code>Often times, people who commit crimes or illegal acts rationalize their actions by using the saying "Rules were made to be broken". However true it may be for some, often it is just a means of escape when people break the rules or the law. Though most of the time, breaking rules under the cloak of "respect for the law" is simply rationalization for bad actions, it is sometimes justified. Justifications have been seen in history, literature, and current events. There have been numerous instances in which defiance of the law has been necessary in order to secure freedom. Even the Declaration of Independence says that it is the duty of the people to overthrow an unjust government.
Perhaps the most apt example of this is in history, where numerous famous figures have rules in order to gain independence or freedom. In the Indian Independence Movement, Mohandas Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi, frequently used civil disobedience in order to gain "home rule". Through this process, he frequently broke government rules and regulations, and was consequently thrown in jail several times. Nevertheless, the laws were unjust, and he continued to protest them. This is a case where such actions are justified because the laws were truly unfair. On the other hand, a student who downloads illegal music cannot simply claim that copyright laws are unfair. In Gandhi's case, there was a true breach of natural rights and therefore the breach of the law was justified. Throughout history there have been monarchs, governments, and dictators that have imposed harsh, unfair laws on their citizens; it is necessary to break those laws in order to protect freedom from being suppressed.
Another good example of where breaking the law has been necessary is in the book In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. In the book, four young women were forced to take down an evil dictator, Trujillo, because the rest of the country was afraid of breaking subversion laws. Nevertheless, their movement gained popularity and as the book progressed, their support grew immensely. Eventually, at the end of the book, Trujillo was taken down from his pedestal of power, restoring peace in the Dominican Republic. This example from literature shows that it is indeed necessary to step up to the plate and break the law at times, but only when it is reasonable to do so. In this case, it was most certainly necessary as people were being killed by a secret police force commissioned by the dictator. Thus it is justified and necessary to break laws at times.
This same rationale of breaking the law for freedom has played out over the last few years, in the countries of Afghanistan and Iraq. Both countries were under tough, military regimes that frequently suppressed freedoms and violated their citizens human rights. In Afghanistan, it was necessary for the Northern Rebels to start insurrection against the Taliban if not for them, the task of taking down the regime would have definitely proven far more difficult. When they began to see that the Taliban were abusing their power and imposing harsh laws, they recognized that it was their duty to break the law and fight against the unjust regime. This further shows that breaking rules and laws is sometimes justified, when human rights are being violated.
From these examples it is evident that it is often necessary to break rules and laws. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, "An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust
is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law". It is often justified because the laws of a nation or the controlling body are in violation of basic human rights; however this duty to break unjust rules is not to be abused. This further proves that it is an important right to recognize and uphold when unjust rules are being imposed.
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