Joysy0602

Well... a mechanical online resource is objective and few in number.... I understand that SAT writing graders are objective as well, but I do want someone to help me...

The prompt:
What is your view of the idea that even our best plans are always at the mercy of unexpected, chance events? In an essay, support your position by discussing an example (or examples) from history, literature, the arts, science and technology, current events, or your own experience or observation.

My essay:
Society can be seen as a world divided in two. Those who meticulously plan each goal they wish to attain, and those who follow a more Taoist, "Go with the flow" approach. I advocate for the latter. It can easily be pointed out that plans are subject to pure chance. often with the conformed path of a plan, chance cause it to go completely astray. This is abundantly clear in literature as well as history.

No work of literature provides a more acute analysis on chance than Paulo Coehro's enchanting novel, The Alchemist. In it young Santiago begins his life as a shepard. He plans to meet once more the woman he has come to love ask for her hand. However, chance should say differently. He recieves a dream which ultimeatly compells him to cross the sea to Africa. He then plans to find treasure there. Again by chance he is robbed and restrained in at the sea dock. These are simply a few examples on this wonderful work.

In yet another classic piece of literature, Flowers for Algernon, the protagonist, a young man classified with Down's Syndrom, receives an operation which causes him to become intelligent. The scientist who operated on him schemed to create a cure for retardation, thus achieving fame and fortune. However, their plan goes awry when the protagonists intellect accelerated beyond expectation, and again when his intellect spontaneously decomposes.

This theme remains greatly true not only in literature, but also in history. For example, during the Napoleonic Reign, Napoleon schemed to invade Russia. However, chance cause cold and famine on Napoleon's troops as the trekked through Russia's harsh topography. This strike of bad luck ultimeatly led to Napoleon's first exile.

As these works have so effectively illustrated, plans are often futile and given too much room for error by chance. This is not to say planning should not be done, for than would entail chaos for the human race. Simply that chance is a formitable foe in which the careful planner must be wary of.