<p>Hi all, I’ve been a lurker for awhile but with the SAT coming up have decided to show myself and ask for help 
You guys are a great community.</p>
<p>This prompt was taken from Practice #1 of the BBB.</p>
<p>Prompt: Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?</p>
<p>Questioning the ideas and decisions of people in authority is important to allow us to become better aware of ourselves and of where we live. Several examples in history and present-day culture prove this true.</p>
<p>In the Renaissance Era, Galileo challenged the Catholic Church’s beliefs with his groundbreaking astronomical observations. Previously, the church had led people to believe that the universe was geocentric; that is, the universe orbited the Earth. This was based on God’s valuing of human beings as the most important of his creation, and it was believed thusly that everything centered on us. Medieval beliefs such as this were conceived by philosophers like Aristotle and went unquestioned. However, as we today know, science has proved that the solar system is heliocentric. Without speaking up and risking persecution like he did, Galileo would have prevented a new era of discovery and individual observation proceed that would radically change hypotheses that were enforced but not proven.</p>
<p>In modern Asian American cultures, many teens also struggle with challenging their parents’ authority. My Asian friends are pushed hard to excel at school and be someone that their parents can be proud of. True, academic success is not a detriment, but generally individuals must decide for themselves the person that they want to become. Because the peer-exemplified stereotypical Asian parent wants their child to become a doctor or engineer, many teens thus become blind to other careers out there that they would enjoy for the rest of their life. Dance, journalism, and art are only a few of the many alternatives in a world that is not just limited to science and medicine. In creative arts many people find their passion, and through creative arts, a hobby or passion unhindered by their parents, one many truly find an identity and solidify who they are. True, it is understandable that Asian parents want the best for their children and future generations as immigrants who may have come from places with few opportunities relative to America, but experience is the best teacher, better than loving through planning their child’s future. By challenging their parents’ desires for them, teenagers will not only develop their identity, but preserve the legacy of passion for their children and appreciate the dynamic ups and downs of family life besides just obedience.</p>
<p>This is clearly demonstrated in literature by Andrew Pham’s Catfish and Mandala. In it, Pham forsakes the results of his upbringing by his strict parents who had escaped from the Vietnam War and wanted the best for their children; Pham became an aerospace engineer, but did not feel satisfied. Through his ascetic journey to Vietnam, scared by his sister’s suicide under racial pressure, spurred to find his own roots beyond the career his parents wished for him, he did indeed find new passion: to live in the present and make the best out of it. He learned to be grateful for his parents’ sacrifices and at the same time made a foundation for the rest of his life. Challenging his parents’ wishes made him a surer person.</p>
<p>(No conclusion… how necessary is it for a 11/12?)
This was my first ever SAT essay, but feel free to slaughter it and offer helpful criticism!
Too simplistic? Too detailed? Paragraphs too long? Focus? What are SAT readers looking for?</p>
<p>Thank you all so much!</p>
