SAT王子 2008-3-15 20:43
发几篇Sat的Essay,希望对大家的写作有帮助
[size=12pt][font=Times New Roman]Topic: Progress is not possible without sacrifice
In order to reach the top of a mountain, one must train for years, then when ready toil for hours or days before reaching the top. This is true of many of life's worthwhile challenges. In fact it is often impossible to make progress without sacrifice.[/font]
[font=Times New Roman]One novel that strongly supports this theme is To Kill A Mockingbird. In this story Atticus Finch, a small town lawyer, defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. He does this despite being threatened and disparaged by members of his community. Because of his willingness to sacrifice his social standing to do the right but unconventional thing, Atticus was able to launch a brilliant defense of his client.
Ray Bradbury conveys a similar theme in his novel Fahrenheit 451. In this book, Guy Montag, a"fireman" charged with burning down the houses of book-lovers,sacrifices his wife, his career and his lifestyle in order to have books. Without his great sacrifice, Montag would have continued to live a half-life of boredom and unhappiness. And he never would have known the freedom of thinking and of being challenged intellectually.
Over a century ago another man, Charles Goodyear, was willing to make similarly large sacrifices in order to support his dream of making rubber useful for all mankind. Charles spent seventeen years of his life experimenting with rubber, borrowing money to finance projects, going broke repeatedly and nearly losing his wife and family before discovering the secret that made rubber useful--a process called vulcanization. Had Mr. Goodyear not been willing to make these sacrifices he would never have reached his goal and it might have been many more years before rubber was made useful to the world.
And the world needs the contribution of men and women willing to make these sacrifices, if progress is to continue. Our current social problems, which still include racism, need to be faced by people with social courage like Atticus Finch and Guy Montag. Our world continues to need new inventions to improve life such as that created by Charles Goodyear. We will never stop needing such brave individuals who help to make progress in the world.
Topic: Which is a better indicator of a person's true character, their actions or their words?
"A picture tells a thousand words" is a saying that applies to the newspaper industry but which also applies to people. The picture created by a person's actions tells us a thousand words about him or her and goes much farther than words do in telling us about a person's true thoughts and feelings. Several examples from literature and history demonstrate this point.
Atticus Finch's actions in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee show that to truly know a person's convictions we must observe his or her actions. Atticus, a small-town lawyer in a racist, white, southern town was charged with defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused or raping a white woman. Before he took this talk Atticus spoke like a person who believed in fairness and equality. After taking on this task,despite ridicule from the people in his town, it was obvious he believed in the ideals of which he spoke.
Another example, which further demonstrates that a person's true feelings can only be discerned by his or her actions, is Arthur Dimsdale's behavior in The Scarlet Letter. In this novel Dimsdale preaches that salvation comes from obeying God's will-doing good and not doing what is wrong, being true and honest instead of false and deceiving. All the while he is carrying on a secret relationship with Hester Pryne who has had his child. When she is discovered to be pregnant, he does not defend her. Instead, he lets her carry the social stigma of their mutual sin.Through Dimsdale's actions and inactions we can see that Dimsdale's true beliefs are not as absolute as his words and that his character is not as upright as he would have us believe.
An example from history, which shows that we know a person by his actions, is that of Thomas Jefferson who spoke and wrote about freedom for all mankind yet kept slaves. It appears his belief was that only white men were equal. Something that is only apparent after observing his actions. And it is from reflection on actions such as those mentioned above that Emerson once said, "Your actions speak so loudly thatI cannot hear what you say." A point that is important to remember because knowing a person's true character helps us to know whom to trust and whom not to trust.
Topic: Is sacrifice necessary to make progress?
Life is a journey in which human's strive to achieve greatness, happiness, and prosper. It is human nature to set goals for oneself in order to progress consistently throughout one’s lifetime. In order to achieve a goal, one must work through obstacles and climb walls he is faced with. Life's obstacles can be strong and brutal but, in orderto overcome them, one must give his all and sacrifice comfort and time.Progress cannot be accomplished without hard work and sacrifice, the saying"No pain, no gain" rings true for all people enduring all circumstances.
Jose Marti was a Cuban Revolutionary who fought tirelessly against Spain (and later America) for Cuba's long deserved independence. He sacrificed his home and lived in exile in New York leading his people because of the danger he faced living in his homeland (Cuba). Marti later sacrificed his life when he was killed after the Spanish-American War. Marti could have easily sat motionless and watched his people suffer in Cuba, being beaten to death and manipulated by Spain. However, Marti was unwilling to accept his fate. In order to progress towards independence,Marti made sacrifices. Without those sacrifices, by him or someone else, Cubans would still be withstanding the cruel and unjust Spanish rule.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the story of two "Star-crossed lovers" from two enemy families. Their love is strong, but they face many obstacles. They repeatedly sacrifice their easy and comfortable lives to grow together and strengthen their love. In the end, they both die, sacrificing their lives to be together in heaven. Neither of them would settle for taking the easy-way-out. Without the sacrifices they made, the young lovers relationship would be shattered leaving the two miserable.
Ian Thorpe was once again a hero during the 2004 Olympic Games when he continued to win goal medals. He started a mediocre swimmer, however, after practicing everyday, multiple timesa day for years; he progressed becoming one of the world's greatest swimmers.Every morning at 5:00am Thorpe would wake up to go to practice, sacrificing both his sleep and his comfort. He would work so hard in practice he would sometimes vomit, again sacrificing his comfort for progress. Moreover, his sacrifice paid off and years later, he is one of the most recognized athletesin history. There has never been an outstanding athlete who didn't sacrifice something to progress.
In conclusion, progress is impossible without sacrifice. Sacrifice is what enables one to outdo what he believes he can do. Progress consists of tiny steps where each step represents doing something just a little bit better than the time before. It is ridiculous to say that one can exceed his prior step without sacrifice. Sacrifice is the means to any end and the key to any form of success.
Topic: People often confuse appearances with reality?
It is very easy to confuse appearances with reality. Unfortunately, masking emotions is a skill that many individuals have mastered and a skill that is used all too often. This is because false appearances are often convincing. Evidence of this point is seenin everyday life, history, and literature. In All The Kings Men, the main character "Willie" hides his true motives to appear to be the"good, common man," Adolf Hitler appeared to be a great man with the capacity to lead Germany towards stability, however, he was really an evil man starving for power, and finally one of the greatest classic stars in history Marilyn Monroe hid her true feelings with a big smile.
That appearances can be deceiving is clearly shown in All the Kings Men. This novel portrays politics in an honest light. Willie, who runs for mayor, appeared to be a good man,honest and caring. However, his appearance was misleading. He actually, was apower-hungry, selfish, fraud who distorted reality for everyone around him.Despite this, he was elected fooling everyone because everyone was influenced by his outward appearance. Adolf Hitler's takeover of Germany in the 1930's is another example that proves that people are lead more by appearances than by reality. Hitler was an evil genius. He was able to hide the awful magnitude of his intentions behind his appearance as a strong and intelligent man capable of leading Germany. If appearances were not such a strong indicator of reality to most people, Hitler would have never been able to get away with the wrongs he caused.
Marilyn Monroe's behavior is another example that shows that people are fooled by appearances. Marilyn Monroe was incredibly depressed throughout her life. She drank and took pills to hide her pain and slept with men to find feelings of self-worth. During her life, she was thought to be incredibly happy because of her outgoing appearance. However, Monroe ended up taking her own life at a very young age because of her intense pain. Before this tragedy, no one knew her situation.She was able to hide her internal reality with a strong and deliberate appearance. And it is because people are influenced so strongly by what theysee on the outside, that they could never discover the tortured soul that laywithin.
In conclusion, reality is easily hidden by superficial appearances. In reality someone could be cruel and power-hungry, but if he appears to be nice and genuine, he is believed. It is scary how convincing appearances can be. Unfortunately, those who can master the game of appearances will always be able to hide the truth.
Topic: Are a person’s actions a better indicator of his or her thoughts and feelings than are words?
It is much easier to[/font][font=宋体]“[/font][font=Times New Roman]talk the talk" than to "walk the walk", however, a person's actions are the true indicator of his feelings. One can easily lie with words, but one cannot lie with ones actions. Actually doing something concrete is a much stronger statement than speaking empty words. There are many clear examples of this from history, literature and personal experience. Martin Luther King Jr. sacrificed his freedom to express his feelings of resentment towards his oppression, Rosa Parks expressed her emotion by not giving up her seat on a bus, and Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," give their lives as a symbol for their love for each other,actions that express emotion much stronger than any words could describe.
Martin Luther King Jr's actions during the Civil Rights Movement demonstrate that a person's actions are a better indicator of his feelings than are words. King believed that all men were created equal and was willing to do anything to change the unjust nature of man. Merely stating that his circumstances were unfair would not have been nearly as strong of an indicator of his true feelings than standing up.Taking action is always much stronger and more powerful than words.
Rosa Parks action on a bus in Birmingham also demonstrates that a person's true feelings can only be known through actions. During a time when a black man gave up his seat for a whiteman, Rosa Parks made a statement that no words could have made. As a true indicator of her feelings, Rosa Parks denied a white woman a seat occupied by herself. Because of this she was arrested and sent to jail. Those actions showed her deepest emotions better than any words could have.
The actions of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet demonstrate that true feelings oflove can only be known through actions. Romeo and Juliet loved each other very much. They expressed their love through words, but the epitome of love was shown when they gave their lives to keep from being apart. Giving your life is the strongest gesture anybody could give. The words "I love you" are only so strong and expressive compared to the great sacrifice of ones life.Romeo and Juliet's actions were a stronger indicator of their feelings than words could have ever been.
In conclusion, no matter how strong words are, they can never express emotion as well as actions can.One must feel very strongly in order to act; therefore, actions show the truest of ones feelings. Therefore we must be ever watchful of people's deeds and not their words, we must compare words and actions to know whom to trust and whom not to trust.
Topic: Which is a better indicator of a person's true character, their actions or their words?
"A picture tells a thousand words" is a saying that applies to the newspaper industry but which also applies to people. The picture created by a person's actions tells us a thousand words about him or her and goes much farther than words do in telling us about a person's true thoughts and feelings. Several examples from literature and history demonstrate this point.
Atticus Finch's actions in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee show that to truly know a person's convictions we must observe his or her actions. Atticus, a small-town lawyer ina racist, white, southern town was charged with defending Tom Robinson, a blackman accused of raping a white woman. Before he took this task Atticus spoke like a person who believed in fairness and equality. After taking on this task,despite ridicule from the people in his town, it was obvious he believed in the ideals of which he spoke.
Another example, which further demonstrates that a person's true feelings can only be discerned by hisor her actions, is Arthur Dimsdale's behavior in The Scarlet Letter. In this novel Dimsdale preaches that salvation comes from obeying God's will-doing good and not doing what is wrong, being true and honest instead of false and deceiving. All the while he is carrying on a secret relationship with HesterPryne who has had his child. When she is discovered to be pregnant, he does not defend her. Instead, he lets her carry the social stigma of their mutual sin.Through Dimsdale's actions and inactions we can see that Dimsdale's true beliefs are not as absolute as his words and that his character is not as upright as he would have us believe.
An example from history,which shows that we know a person by his actions, is that of Thomas Jefferson who spoke and wrote about freedom for all mankind yet kept slaves. It appears his belief was that only white men were equal. Something that is only apparent after observing his actions. And it is from reflection on actions such as those mentioned above that Emerson once said, "Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." A point that is important to remember because knowing a person's true character helps us to know whom to trust and whom not to trust.
Topic: People often confuse appearances with reality?
People are easily deceived by conventional appearances and because of this often miss subtle realities.Many people become satisfied with appearance alone and are influenced by it more than they are influenced by reality itself. People confusing appearances with reality has been repeated throughout history and literature.
The reaction of the American people to the incident called Seward's Folly demonstrates that people are often confused by appearances. William Seward was a former secretary of state from American history who was criticized for his policies and actions.When he accepted a deal from the Russians to purchase Alaska, people were aghast. Alaska was nothing more to them than a barren winter wasteland with no value. However, the following years justified the actions of the incident people dubbed Seward's Folly. What appeared to the nation as a useless plain of ice was actually a goldmine rich in oil and valuable resources.
The actions of Kino and his family in John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl are another example of how people confuse appearances with reality. In this story, Kino and his family think thata large pearl Kino has found is valuable because it is so large. However, when he tries to sell his treasure to merchants, the merchants say that while the pearl is large, it is of no special value. Kino and his family refuse to believe this because of how strongly they are fooled by the large appearance of the pearl. If they, like most people, were not so taken in by appearances they would have been able to see what they merchants tried to show them--that the pearl had little value.
Paul Baumer's initial expectation in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front proves that people are lead more by appearances than by reality. Paul Baumer is seduced by war when his professor lectures about how war is an epic adventure where all soldiers become heroes. Paul's entire class is deceived by the propaganda and many students enlist in the army. However, Paul soon discovers that though the appearance of war is luring in the abstract, the reality of war itself is a nightmare. Paul suffers intense trauma on the battlefield, watches many of his friends die, and ultimately goes insane. War is not the epic adventure he hopes for after all. Had he not been so deceived by appearances he would have been better prepared for the realities of war.
Inital appearances though relevant are not always what they seem. And unfortunately, because this human propensity to miss subtle realities is not recognized, people continue to try to fix such important social problems as war, hunger and violence in the same old ways. Ways which appear to work at first but fail in the long run because more profound problems have not yet been addressed. Only by learning to continually look deeper can we solve the worlds problems. And as Einstein once said, "You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that produced it" so to can we not solve our problems until our level of thinking goes far deeper than initial appearances would allow.[/font]
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[[i] 本帖最后由 SAT王子 于 2008-3-16 00:50 编辑 [/i]]
