<p>Hi, I'm taking the SAT I in October and while I generally feel pretty prepared, the essay has been a source of stress for me. My problem is that while I have no problem filling up two pages, I tend to stick with a four paragraph format and rely heavily on personal examples. Is this going to result in a lower score? Below is an essay I wrote, using a prompt from the Barron's book.</p>
<p>Prompt: We most resent in others the very flaws that we ourselves possess.
What are your thoughts on the statement above?</p>
<p>"As human beings, we do everything in our power to avoid reminders of our own weakness. We detest others for possessing the same flaws that we display ourselves, to the point of hypocrisy. Evidence of this cognitive dissonance can be found in the societal condemnation of reality TV, as well as in my own personal experiences.</p>
<p>When it comes to reality TV showers such as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and its predecessor Toddlers and Tiaras, the public tends to react with disgust. We loathe the people whose lives are revealed to us on the screen, condemning them for making incorrect choices. What we fail to acknowledge, however, is the fact that many of these people are simply the by-products of our own society. Young girls dressed provocatively incite scorn, though they have simply imbibed the messages directed at them thousands of times each day by the media, reinforced by the world around them. They grow up believing that acting a certain way will earn them love and praise, yet when their exploits are directed to the North American public, they are treated with disdain. "It's trash," people say, but this is the trash that our own society has created, the result of social conditioning that we ourselves perpetrate. It is easy to laugh at human beings who seem so far away us as we sit in our living rooms drinking coffee, but it is much harder to admit that these so-called "monsters" are only products of a toxic environment that each consumer has personally helped create.</p>
<p>The story of my classmate is another, more personal example of how people tend to detest their own flaws in others. I met her in my second semester of grade 10, and immediately began to dislike her. The strange thing however, as that we were very similar - both outspoken young women who had many of the same hobbies. I gradually came to the realization that she reminded me of all the qualities I hated in myself. She was too bold, too brash, too talkative; she slurred her words in the same way I did; she showed up at every school club I attended. As I got to know the girl better, however, my aversion to her decreased. We are now friends, and I view my appreciation of her personality almost as an extension of my own self-acceptance.</p>
<p>"We most resent in others the same flaws that we possess in ourselves," the quote goes, and I completely agree. When people judge others, it is often because they are insecure about their own faults, and unable to accept themselves."</p>
<p>Any advice is much appreciated, thank you.</p>
love ur choice of examples…</p>