<p>Someone told my kid (who is taking the March 10 SAT) that the best way to prepare for the essay writing section is not only to practice writing essays under timed conditions, but also to come up with what they said are "universal" examples, such as famous people, people from literature, etc. Can anyone comment on this? How can a student come up with examples from literature/history/popular culture, etc. that will work in most essay prompt situations? Or is this just stupid advice?</p>
<p>Topic is on freedom. 20,000 essays were submitted. 19,000 writes about Martin Luther King Jr. What do you think essay readers will do? Most likely "Not another Martin Luther King example....." and give a low score. Try to be more original instead of using obvious examples that everyone will use.</p>
<p>I think it works well... an example of a good "universal" example would be Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden". It describes his two years of life alone at Walden Pond in Massachusetts. He recounts his daily life in the woods and celebrates nature and the individual's ability to live independently of society.</p>
<p>This can be used for an essay about freedom or psychological independence or "is health related to an individual's lifestyle" and many others... there's even nice quotes, like “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”</p>
<p>Another is Martin Luther (not King Jr.). Could be used for:
Do actions speak louder than words?
Relation between job and character.
Freedom stuff
etc</p>
<p>And, of course... Jesus.
He works for anything.</p>
<p>Just make sure, as parks said, the "universal" example isn't extremely common.</p>
<p>I think it's a good idea to have a few pieces of literature or parts of history that you know well, so that you can choose examples from them after reading the prompt. Generally the questions are pretty broad, so picking examples shouldn't be a problem. The literature/history may well be what you are studying in school, or other issues that you know well. Good luck!</p>
<p>Now when using a literary example, should you first briefly summarize the piece? Or just launch right in, writing as if the reader knows the work already?</p>
<p>(Semi-OT: Also, has anyone else heard that historical/literary examples are better than using personal experiences?)</p>
<p>I read in Barron's 2400 their better, but haven't heard it from anywhere else. It's probably better just because you can't lie.</p>