<p>So this is the first practice essay I've done. Could you tell me if I'm on the right track, and if it would be reasonable for me to expect a 10-12 with an essay like this?</p>
<p>Prompt: Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?</p>
<p>It is important to question people in positions of authority, because unchecked power leads to corruption and prevents progress. Several examples from literary works, history, and current events demonstrate the importance of holding authority accountable.</p>
<p>In Macbeth, Macbeth's tyranny nearly leads to the ruin of Scotland. Macbeth gains power by murdering King Duncan, and then has Banquo killed because he fears Banquo will attempt to overthrow his throne. Macbeth rules Scotland with only his own interests in mind, and chaos ensues, as evidenced by strange weather and supernatural events under Macbeth's rule. Macduff and Malcolm realize Macbeth is corrupt and plan to overthrow him. When they succeed, order is restored to Scotland. Therefore, Malcolm and Macduff's actions demonstrate that it is essential to question authority. If they had failed to do so, Macbeth's corruption would have led Scotland to ruin.</p>
<p>Journalist Anna Politkovskaya also shows why questioning authority is essential. Polikovskaya was a human rights activist, and criticised president Vladimir Putin for his policies on the Chechen conflict. Politkovskaya knew the dangers of questioning authority, but chose to anyway, saying "People sometimes pay with their lives for saying aloud what they think". Sadly, her prediction came true when she was murdered on October 7, 2006. In her momory, the Anna Politkovskaya Award is given to honor human rights activists that risk their lives to expose the truth. Anna Politkovskaya risked and ultimately lost her life, in order to question authority and expose the truth. This demonstrates the importance of questioning authority.</p>
<p>Galileo Galilei supported heliocentrism, the belief that the earth revolved around the sun. When he wrote Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, he was tried by the Spanish Inquisition because of the book's radical ideas. He was found guilty of heresy, and sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life. Despite pressure from the church, he refused to recant his ideas. We now know that he was correct. Galileo's fight against the Church's belief that the sun revolves around the Earth shows that without questioning authority, no progress can be made.</p>
<p>After a careful analysis of Macbeth, Anna Politkovskaya, and Galileo Galilei, one can see that questioning authority is indeed essential. Without questioning authority, corrupt leaders would run rampant, and many breakthroughs would not have been made.</p>