<p>I'm am international student, taking the SAT in 3 days. Here is my practice-test essay.</p>
<p>Prompt: Technology promises to make our lives easier, freeing up time for leisure pursuits/ But the rapid pace of technology innovation and the split second processing capabilities of computers that can work virtually nonstop have made all of us feel rushed. We have adopted the relentless pace of the very machines that were supposed to simplify our lives, with the result that, whether at work or play, people do not feel like their lives have changed for the better.</p>
<p>Assignment: Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily make them better? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experiences, or observations.</p>
<p>Essay:
In our society nowadays we have lots of machines that can simplify our work, our lives. But do they really make them better? No, they don't.
Just think about cars: they can help us go everywhere, virtually, but what do we miss because of them? Well, we have lost the enjoyment of walking in the nature, maybe with friends. Maybe we can also say we have lost a part of the contact with the world.
A really powerful example of the idea is the nov 'Marcovaldo' by Italo Calvino.
In here the author shows how the lives of the people changed with the improvement of the technology. The most expressive episode of the novel is right at the beginning. The protagonist is a little kid who likes to look out of the window and night, and to watch the stars; one night, someone installs some neon lights right on the building in front of the kid's house. With these lights, Marcovaldo is no longer able to see the stars and he is very disappointed.
Well, that's kind the point of the discussion.
The lights are very useful, indeed. They help people who are driving at night to see better, and maybe to notice some shops or something. They also help Marcovaldo, because now he can see other things at night as well, but the lights do not make him feel better; in fact, the contrary.
There are plenty of others examples we could think about. Another of them would be fast-foods. This kind of restaurant are very useful for us - they make our lives easier - just think about how much time and money we save when we eat there! However, what is the cost?
Everything we create, we invent might be useful, but it comes with a cost. It helps us in a certain way, but, from other points of view it takes something away from us.</p>
<p>Basically the topic was based on the prompt : Do people perform better if allowed to do things their own way.</p>
<p>People are more likely to succeed in their various endeavors if allowed to carry out their tasks with full independence. Many people may argue otherwise especially parents in the case of a child. This is because ostensibly having a formulaic or regimented way of doing things is a better option. I strongly believe the reverse holds true. Several examples ranging from history , science and even to music have proved that people perform better at their own pace and using their unique and individual approach.</p>
<p>As can be seen from the history of the American revolution that culminated into the independence of America from the hands of the British colonial masters. The American colonists were ready to go to any length in fighting for the freedom of their country. They would much rather run their country with their own beliefs and unique style. Although the struggle was intense and some lives were lost, the victory gained marked the begininnig of a new dawn in the history of America. The founding fathers then proceeded to frame a constitution with which the country was to function by, considering the interests of the people and also the progress of the nation as a whole. Today after so many years from independence, America stands strong as a nation; More so a nation that is highly regarded even as the most powerful in the whole world. This is surely no mean feat and was achieved only because the founding fathers were opportune to run the country themselves without any external interference from the British.</p>
<p>The story of Ben Carson’s separation of the first siamese twins ever separated succesfully also springs to mind. He is a famous surgeon today not only in the field of medicine but throughout the world whereverever his name his mentioned. This is because he managed to perform an operation that was initially considered impossible using the available knowledge and expertise at the time. He was faced with the option of performing the surgery as usual, with only a slight chance of success or abandoning the case altogether. This was an undoubtedly difficult choice to make for him. However after much deliberation he was able to accept the case as he came up with an idea different from the usual, which he believed could be potentially succesful. Fastrward to the post operation and the twins were separated succesfully even when senior doctors were skeptical about his “novel” method. This shows how doing things your way can be aid success among individuals. </p>
<p>After careful analysis of the examples of the American revolution and the story of ben carson . It can be seen that people have a very high chance of succeeding if given the chance to do things their own way, when the converse happens and people are derived of the opportunity , the same results would keep on happening and there would be little progress if any at all.</p>