09-01-2016, 10:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-01-2016, 10:48 AM by acemytest7.)
Hi there!
I am taking College Composition in 6 days and I'm super nervous:/ I've never really had a problem with "creative writing". But the example essays in the back of my REA book seem very rigidly structured, to-the-point, and technical. So in preparation for the test (which is by the way in SIX DAYS!!!) I looked up an essay prompt and timed myself with 35 minutes to write my essay. Guys I feel like I'm jumping off the deep end here, and I'd love some feedback because one thing REA doesn't have is a way to grade the practice essays. Please be brutally honest. Tell me what to do or what to not do. I can take it
Okey doke, here's my prompt:
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Common sense tells us that people tend to get along better with those who are like them, who think and act as they do. Many people, however, get along very well with people who are very different from them and may prefer to associate with those whose views and actions are different from their own. In fact, some people even complain that they are bored and irritated by those who are too much like them.
Assignment: Do people tend to get along better with people who are very different from them or with those who are like them? 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.
And here's my essay:
Opposites: Do they attract?
We are often fed the blanket statement “opposites attract”. Of course this is not always the case one hundred percent of the time. Yet it does seem true widely true. Can you think of any couples you know, for example, who seem to have dynamically different personalities? I certainly can.
As a matter of fact, my great grandparents were one of those quintessential opposite couples. Mostly lovingly, my great grandmother would take charge of the situation; she was the boss. Following the stereotype, my great grandfather would sit back and let her take the reins. They stayed married for over 50 years. I often wonder, though, if it was always a happy relationship. Certainly there were times when it seemed to the outsider very much like they were fighting. On the flip side of the attracting opposite mentality, is the notion that people with congruent likes, passions, and personalities tend to gravitate toward each other. I once had a 78-year-old woman impart wisdom to me, regarding her marriage of 60 plus years. Her biggest piece of advice? “Make sure you share a similar disposition.” Though I thought it random at the time, the principal certainly seemed to be working for her and her husband! Culturally I can see this ideology surrounding me today. With tools like matchmaking websites and apps, there seems to be a crowd of people looking for others who are like themselves.
So which is better? Does congregating with like-minded humans breed more happiness and contentment? Or does broadening your horizons through the friendship of those who are different produce lasting relationships? I can honestly say there are merits to each way of thinking. Perhaps it is unhelpful to make such overreaching statements as “all opposites attract” or “find someone like yourself”. For a moment, I believe we should reflect on the fact that all human souls are different. All human souls, therefore, need different kinds of relationships to build them up. This brings me to an old proverb; “iron sharpens iron”. Such a short verse this is, yet it holds so much truth.
Truly, can we be our best selves if there is never someone pushing, sharpening, and refining us to do so? I’ve often had my flaws pointed out, whether directly through discourse or indirectly through an opposing personality. Simple as it may sound, how could we even know our flaws were there if they were never brought to light? In a broader and more abstract sense, think of your worldview. Has it progressed over the years? Have you grown? I would argue that if you answered yes, that is largely due to the influence and refinement produced by encounters with those who are different from yourself.
Coming back to friendships, these are longer lasting when the two parties are varying in disposition. Friends who mirror you may make good short-term “feel good” companions. But the friend who makes you a better person, who expands your views and broadens your horizons, that is the soul you will treasure forever. Let’s recognize the truth: so long as they are not diabolically opposed, types of people who differ make the best long term companions, couples, and friends.
I am taking College Composition in 6 days and I'm super nervous:/ I've never really had a problem with "creative writing". But the example essays in the back of my REA book seem very rigidly structured, to-the-point, and technical. So in preparation for the test (which is by the way in SIX DAYS!!!) I looked up an essay prompt and timed myself with 35 minutes to write my essay. Guys I feel like I'm jumping off the deep end here, and I'd love some feedback because one thing REA doesn't have is a way to grade the practice essays. Please be brutally honest. Tell me what to do or what to not do. I can take it
Okey doke, here's my prompt:
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Common sense tells us that people tend to get along better with those who are like them, who think and act as they do. Many people, however, get along very well with people who are very different from them and may prefer to associate with those whose views and actions are different from their own. In fact, some people even complain that they are bored and irritated by those who are too much like them.
Assignment: Do people tend to get along better with people who are very different from them or with those who are like them? 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.
And here's my essay:
Opposites: Do they attract?
We are often fed the blanket statement “opposites attract”. Of course this is not always the case one hundred percent of the time. Yet it does seem true widely true. Can you think of any couples you know, for example, who seem to have dynamically different personalities? I certainly can.
As a matter of fact, my great grandparents were one of those quintessential opposite couples. Mostly lovingly, my great grandmother would take charge of the situation; she was the boss. Following the stereotype, my great grandfather would sit back and let her take the reins. They stayed married for over 50 years. I often wonder, though, if it was always a happy relationship. Certainly there were times when it seemed to the outsider very much like they were fighting. On the flip side of the attracting opposite mentality, is the notion that people with congruent likes, passions, and personalities tend to gravitate toward each other. I once had a 78-year-old woman impart wisdom to me, regarding her marriage of 60 plus years. Her biggest piece of advice? “Make sure you share a similar disposition.” Though I thought it random at the time, the principal certainly seemed to be working for her and her husband! Culturally I can see this ideology surrounding me today. With tools like matchmaking websites and apps, there seems to be a crowd of people looking for others who are like themselves.
So which is better? Does congregating with like-minded humans breed more happiness and contentment? Or does broadening your horizons through the friendship of those who are different produce lasting relationships? I can honestly say there are merits to each way of thinking. Perhaps it is unhelpful to make such overreaching statements as “all opposites attract” or “find someone like yourself”. For a moment, I believe we should reflect on the fact that all human souls are different. All human souls, therefore, need different kinds of relationships to build them up. This brings me to an old proverb; “iron sharpens iron”. Such a short verse this is, yet it holds so much truth.
Truly, can we be our best selves if there is never someone pushing, sharpening, and refining us to do so? I’ve often had my flaws pointed out, whether directly through discourse or indirectly through an opposing personality. Simple as it may sound, how could we even know our flaws were there if they were never brought to light? In a broader and more abstract sense, think of your worldview. Has it progressed over the years? Have you grown? I would argue that if you answered yes, that is largely due to the influence and refinement produced by encounters with those who are different from yourself.
Coming back to friendships, these are longer lasting when the two parties are varying in disposition. Friends who mirror you may make good short-term “feel good” companions. But the friend who makes you a better person, who expands your views and broadens your horizons, that is the soul you will treasure forever. Let’s recognize the truth: so long as they are not diabolically opposed, types of people who differ make the best long term companions, couples, and friends.
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