Literature/Historical Examples for SAT Essay

skatj · 12-29-2007, 03:02 AM

Is there a list of generic literature/historical/other examples you can adapt for a variety of prompts?

For example,
MLK - courage, sacrifice
Ghandi - courage, sacrifice, standing up, etc
Catcher in the Rye - Frustration, change, immaturity
Stem cell research - two sides to an issue, practicality vs. morality
Hitler - Power, corruption, propaganda
Julius Caesar (play) - Pride, downfall

If not, let's make one!

Lavaplatos · 12-29-2007, 08:30 PM

This is a great idea. I'll start with an example I used on my essay

Spider-Man - Responsibility that comes with power, perhaps loss of innocence

D-Yu · 12-29-2007, 08:37 PM

American Revolution : Tenacity, courage, British being overconfident

skatj · 12-31-2007, 06:32 PM

Ender's Game - severe pressure, emotional distress, deception
Marc Antony (in the play) - style over substance, manipulation, trickery
Beloved - dwelling on/getting over the past, starting a new life, effects on human psyche
Advertising/Marketing - How first impressions/how something is presented affects a person's view on something
Brave New World - role of technology in people's lives, does personal freedom have to be sacrificed for a happy society?, etc

Cmon people add some more

Handyandy58 · 12-31-2007, 06:41 PM

Lord of the Rings is infinitely usable.
Twain Novels are decent.

buffalowizard · 12-31-2007, 07:15 PM

Abe Lincoln- courage, working hard/persistence/self-made man
Song of Solomon- self-discovery

dchow08 · 01-01-2008, 02:38 AM

I used Frederick Douglass and Winston Churchill for big expectations.
Do you guys really think this is a good idea? I mean, you're supposed to be showing your ability to think about and write a good response to a prompt in a short amount of time. You're not supposed to have answers plugged into your brain before you even see the question!

D-Yu · 01-01-2008, 01:07 PM

FDR - overcoming hardship, innovative

guptasaintx · 01-01-2008, 02:24 PM

i mean there is nothing wrong with preplanning examples. u should kind of have a good idea of things u can use that way u don't waste time. now u may have to adjust ur examples.

Macbeth - discrepancy of appearance v reality (Fair is foul and foul is fair)
Henry CLay - compromises

guptasaintx · 01-01-2008, 02:25 PM

Munich conference - appeasing others' wishes

skatj · 01-01-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Do you guys really think this is a good idea? I mean, you're supposed to be showing your ability to think about and write a good response to a prompt in a short amount of time. You're not supposed to have answers plugged into your brain before you even see the question!

Believe me - I hate formula writing, which is why personally I think the SAT essay is a load of crap, but unfortunately that's how ETS made it, and it's up to us to beat them at their own game. Even though I would never use this approach in a real english class, its an effective strategy on the ETS. (gj testing us on our writing skills Collegeboard...)

BandTenHut · 01-01-2008, 04:58 PM

Why pleplan examples when you can make up examples that do not actually exist... with no penalty!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

goblue10nis · 01-01-2008, 05:54 PM

I have work both 1984 and Frederick Jackson Turner into about 70% of the essays I have written for the SAT, ACT, and practice tests. Look these up, they are good examples for getting a high score, which really doesn't have that much to do with how well you write. 1984 is pretty well known, FJT's thesis is a little less, but it will impress the reader.

patel · 01-02-2008, 06:50 PM

Frankenstein: dangerous knowledge, secrets of science, monster being rejected by society, abortion.
The Great Gatsby: decline of America in the 1920s, deals with upper class throughout the novel.
And Then There Were None: justice, guilt.
Bill Gates/Warren Buffet: wealthy people who strive to donate to charities: money can or cannot be powerful - can argue either side; also, grew up with nothing, and accomplished a lot of things.
Malcolm X: civil rights leader - anti-racism.
The Once and Future King: force and justice, knighthood (bravery and becoming a man).
Adolf Hitler: power/corruption/ambition.
Animal Farm: corruption/communism, abuse of power.
King Lear: justice - believing humans get what is just since God is just.
Beowulf: bravery, loyalty - Wiglaf stays and helps Beowulf while the dragon ends up killing Beowulf; Wiglaf never leaves his side, while Beowulf's other men have already fled.
To Kill a Mockingbird: prejudice, educating children's innoncent minds.
The Hobbit: heroism - Bilbo who develops from an average, ordinary person into a hero.
The Odyssey: temptation.
Fahrenheit 451: censorship, knowledge vs. ignorance.
The Scarlet Letter: sin, identity.
The Outsiders: the rich and poor, when male and female interace = chaos, doing things to honor him and his gang.
Rosa Parks: anti-racism, stood up for what she believed in - equality among race.
Michael Jackson: abused fame - got abused by dad during childhood, then grew up to be a child molester. (Maybe this isn't a good example to use.)

Liist · 01-02-2008, 09:33 PM

Well, we get all this good stuff, so pretty much anything is applicable.

Just go on Sparknotes and look up the themes and motifs and you pretty much have your answer.

However, I wonder if we can apply pop culture. References to things that SAT essay graders would know about would be a plus.