Should I do this on an SAT essay?

<p>My question is: should I elaborate well in 2 body paragraphs, rather than rush to fill in three body paragraphs? Here's a practice essay I wrote (please grade out of 6 if possible :) )</p>

<p>Prompt: Is deception ever justified?
Deception can be justified in some instances. When it is used as a means by which to achieve good and honourable ends, it is understandable. The ancient Greeks were among the first to use deception to change the course of history; furthermore, the sae man who would end the Trojan War for the Greeks would save his own household through deception.</p>

<pre><code> In Homer's "The Iliad", a ten year war between the Greeks and the defending Trojans was nearing an unrewarding and anticlimactic end. To make a final advancement on the walls of Troy, Odysseus, an Achaian hero, decided on the most famous historical plan of deception. While the Greeks pretended to leave, Odysseus and a handful of men hid inside a giant wooden horse outside the cities' walls. The Trojans, thinking it a gift, wheeled in the great beast. From their concealment, Odysseus and his men opened the gates for the entire Greek army to storm the sacred citadel. Through Odysseus' cunningness and deceptive tactic, the Greeks were able to achieve their long-awaited victory.

When Odysseus returned home from war, the delicate art of deception again came into play. His house was swarming with wile and inputs men seeking to woe his wife and gain his possessions. With the help of Pallas Athena, goddess of wisdom, Odysseus was able to disguise himself as a beggar and safely enter the house. Once inside, his revenge was unleashed upon the suitors. Homer's epic tale of homecoming in "The Odyssey" is only able to come to a satisfying end through the act of deception. Without his disguise, Odysseus would not have been able to avenge his family.

Although some acts of deception can bring about honourable ends, some cases have proved ignoble and fatal. Acts of terrorism, throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries have shown the darker motives of deceptive acts. The Viet Cong's gorilla tactics against the Americans proved impossible to counteract; and again, the terrorising acts of September 11, 2001 proved that deception is also a form of cowardice.

Throughout history and literature, deception has been used to successful ends. While it can be a noble means, as shown by Odysseus, it can also be unjustifiable, exemplified by acts of terrorism. Deception, like all military and social tactics, can be either justified or abused by its users.
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<p><em>Notice how I provided insufficient evidence in the 4th paragraph</em></p>

<p>Hey Leonidas (sparta!!!1 - jk),</p>

<p>to answer your first question, if you can do a solid 2 paragraphs and then a conclusion, that’s great, you don’t need to rush into a third body paragraph.</p>

<p>HOWEVER - you DON"T NEED A CONCLUSION to score a 6 on your essay. Anyone who tells you different is uninformed. I’m a tutor and I’ve written study guides on this (check out my website for more info) and I’ve scored 12s on multiple essays that don’t have conclusions.</p>

<p>So if you want to fully explore your subject and don’t feel like wrapping up your argument, you don’t have to. It’s better to have cohesive argument than to rush to a conclusion. Remember that you’re being graded on a ROUGH DRAFT of your essay.</p>

<p>In terms of grading this, I think it’s a 4-5 essay. Be careful about the spelling and grammatical errors, a couple won’t hurt, but a lot will ding you. Also, be careful about just telling the plot of the Illiad/Odyssey. It’s more important to connect it to your thesis than it is to re-tell the plot. Citing all the thousands of lives saved by deception in the Trojan war is more important than just saying HOW deception was used.</p>

<p>SCRAP your 4th paragraph! That took your essay off course. You make no reference to terrorism and Vietnam in your intro, so if you are going to mention those at all, the only place you can do it is in the conclusion.</p>

<p>Also, unlike other essays, you DO NOT have to reference the other side of the argument in an SAT essay. Just pick your side and stick to it… they don’t need counter evidence.</p>

<p>The trick to getting a 6 is to pick your side, make a clear thesis, organize your essay well and sprinkle a vocab word or two in each paragraph.</p>

<p>Hope that helps! For more, you can always check out my site.</p>

<p>Thanks so much 100points! That gave me a real confidence boost because I’ve been feeling really hung-up about my conclusions. Yes, I sure will check out your website. And yes, “sparta!!!”.</p>