<p>I wrote the following essay with no examples or strategies in mind; completely impromptu. I didn’t even bother to come up with a mental outline. I basically just winged it.
The E-rater gave it a 5/6. </p>
<p>IMO, this essay deserves nothing of the kind, as its conclusion in unsupported by its body. (and numerous other flaws.)
Please rate it, or, tell me if you agree/disagree with my assessment of the E-rater.</p>
<p>Here it is:
The question of honesty’s value is ultimately determined by our willingness to brave the unknown. Often, when one is placed in a situation that would make honesty a choice, one chooses the path that seems easiest, that is, the dishonest path. But often, I believe, honesty can be a much safer course of action.</p>
<p>Imagine a young boy who has just been confronted by his father. His father claims to have found the wrapper of a certain forbidden candy discarded in the boy’s wastebasket.
The boy is faced with the forked path; the honest admittance, or the dishonest dodge. The boy’s gut feeling urges him to lie; to “duck under” the question; to find a loophole; to escape out of the figurative backdoor. However, despite this, he chooses the path of honesty; he admits to eating the forbidden treat.</p>
<p>Now, I believe that the outcome of such a course of action is ancillary to the action’s inherent self-worth. Whether or not the boy is punished for his action is almost out of the question; the path of honesty has intuitive value, because of the way it allows us to face the unknown. Since we face it holistically, as one entity not fragmented into shards of dishonesty, we are able to collect ourselves, and face the unknown without fear of regret. Honesty is not easily second-guessed, for precisely this reason: when one faces the unknown outcome of a course of action honestly, one can be assured that the outcome, despite its tangible consequences, will be fair. One can be assured that even if the harshest punishment imaginable is doled out remorselessly, solace can be found in the knowledge that the outcome will be the only deserved one.</p>