Hi, I'm new to this forum even though I have been referencing it for a while. I am going to take the December SAT and have been practicing for the essay section. Please read my essay and tell me what score I would get/how I can improve!
Prompt: Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?
People in positions of authority should supposedly make decisions for the benefit of the general population, but since this is not always the case, it is essential to question their ideas and decisions. Examples of these situations can be seen in the novel Fahrenheit 451 and in history during the colonial times in the New World.
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, society is governed by a totalitarian government that blatantly makes corrupt and cruel decisions for what they think is for the good of the people; the government engages in book burning, killing of innocent people, and the brainwashing of all the adults and children about the morals of a normal society. Majority of the people complied with all of the wrongdoings, just assuming that the government could not be an evil body that wanted total control. Montag, however, was different. He knew that he did not want to live in such a controlled society where he could not read books or even walk around without being suspected of treason. Slowly but surely, Montag started going against the government by collecting and reading books and by planning the killing of government workers. In the process, he did get caught and was required to run for his life, he finally managed to escape out of the totalitarian society and become a part of a more humane one. Because he questioned authority, unlike others, Montag was able to start living a life free of control and corruption.
Through their actions, the colonists of the New World also portrayed how complying with the authority is not always the best choice. English, when people first started forming settlements in the New World, did not care about it at all because they thought associating themselves with this barbaric people would not do them any good. When the colonists started earning profits by growing tobacco and other cash crops, however, the attitude of the English changed significantly. They started to impose ridiculous taxes including the Stamp Act and the Tea Act. The colonists were enraged at how the English were trying to take advantage of them after not even helping them in the very beginning. The colonists, therefore, refused to comply with these acts and even started rebelling. This dissent soon led to the American Revolution and then the Independence of the U.S. Because the colonists started questioning the authority, they were able to accomplish this feat. This event shows the importance of not being overly quiescent and being able to speak up what is right, even though it is against authority.
After the careful analysis of the novel Fahrenheit 451 and the colonists of the New World, one can see that questioning authority is, indeed, very necessary and appropriate. Without questioning authority, one will be unable to spot corruption and fix the unrighteous occurrences.
