Grade my sat essay?

tongxiang77
Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:40:04 +0000

This is my first (kind of terrible) practice SAT essay. I’ve typed it so that this version is absolutely faithful to what I wrote during the given 25 minutes, so it’s complete with spelling/ grammar errors.
Can someone give me feedback and a score? (and also some advice on how to write the essay more quickly so I can check it over?)

Thank you so much!

Prompt: Does the truth change depending on how people look at things?

One’s concept of truth is contigent on one’s perspective and interpretation of an event. Because each person has his or her own own unique set of opinions and physical abilities to perceive a certain event, truth for each person is comprehended differently. Through literary works, history, and personal experience, truth is shown to be multi-faceted and construed in many ways.

In “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel, the main character, Piscine (Pi), is stranded at sea after a storm. According to his tale, he had to contend with a ferocious Bengal tiger who by chance was stranded on the same lifeboat as him. Together, they embarked on a fantastic journey until Pi arrived, barely alive, in Mexico. However, he tells his interviewers a different version of his story, one that is more gruesome but somewhat more realistic. Pi’s story can interpreted many ways. His interviewers may never discover exactly what happened because Pi’s interpretation of his own experience could have been metaphorical or exaggerated. The truth, in this case, is up to the interviewers to interpret.

Japanese propaganda of the Nanking Massacre is another example in which truth was affected by perspective and in this case, political intentional as well. Propaganda gloated the harmony in Nanking and the affinity between soldiers and civilians. However, those stationed in Nanking witness rape and massacre. The truth of the events in the Chinese city was portrayed in various ways, some contradicting each other. The massacre and its portrayal further corroborates how differently an event can be construed and conveyed.

From my own experience, truth is greatly affected by one’s interpretation of an event. My sister and I once became embroiled in an argument. I believed that she had taken my allowance money without asking and she had claimed that I had granted her permission. Her interpretation of being granted permission was my arbitrary nod. Whether or not I truly had granted her permission to my money was completely up to our interpretation of what had happened.

The truth of an event can never be absolutely determined. As shown by literature, history, and personal experience, one’s perspective affects one’s comprehension of the truth.