12-09-2009, 04:08 PM
Hello.
I wrote this in 12 minutes while practicing for the SAT. The prompt:
""Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to reckon with the past and integrate past and present. Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? 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, experience, or observations."
Essay:
I am a strong believer that memories and recollections can help us drastically in attempting to succeed in the present. I find it hard to think of a better teacher than past mistakes and experiences.
We, as humans, are creatures of habit. However, one would be surprised to find out that this fact actually helps us break those habits. By not repeating past actions, we can grow to find our true selves; our niche in this world, if you will.
I myself speak from experience. In my short fifteen years of life, I have come to realize that certain actions and behaviors can cause a less than favorable results. but, that is exactly why I am the person that I am today.
The ability to recognize patterns, both bad and good, rests within every human being, However, harnessing that ability is another thing entirely. Just look at humanity's past in general; the flaws that lie imbued in our DNA today can be observed in civilizations as old as the Olmecs.
Does this mean that we are banished to a life of perpetual failure? Of course not! As I stated, every human being can recognize patterns. Will you be one of the few who overcome their habitual, sometimes self-hazardous actions? Or will you let your life succumb to being dictated by repetitive functions? Let your memories serve as a guide towards your future self; one cannot let themselves be bound by their past and expect to be successful.
--
I think that writing in first person may have been a mistake. But, I read that it should be a persuasive essay, so I wrote it as such.
Thanks.
I wrote this in 12 minutes while practicing for the SAT. The prompt:
""Many persons believe that to move up the ladder of success and achievement, they must forget the past, repress it, and relinquish it. But others have just the opposite view. They see old memories as a chance to reckon with the past and integrate past and present. Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? 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, experience, or observations."
Essay:
I am a strong believer that memories and recollections can help us drastically in attempting to succeed in the present. I find it hard to think of a better teacher than past mistakes and experiences.
We, as humans, are creatures of habit. However, one would be surprised to find out that this fact actually helps us break those habits. By not repeating past actions, we can grow to find our true selves; our niche in this world, if you will.
I myself speak from experience. In my short fifteen years of life, I have come to realize that certain actions and behaviors can cause a less than favorable results. but, that is exactly why I am the person that I am today.
The ability to recognize patterns, both bad and good, rests within every human being, However, harnessing that ability is another thing entirely. Just look at humanity's past in general; the flaws that lie imbued in our DNA today can be observed in civilizations as old as the Olmecs.
Does this mean that we are banished to a life of perpetual failure? Of course not! As I stated, every human being can recognize patterns. Will you be one of the few who overcome their habitual, sometimes self-hazardous actions? Or will you let your life succumb to being dictated by repetitive functions? Let your memories serve as a guide towards your future self; one cannot let themselves be bound by their past and expect to be successful.
--
I think that writing in first person may have been a mistake. But, I read that it should be a persuasive essay, so I wrote it as such.
Thanks.