Please grade my essay.. just score

grayfalcon89
Sat, 03 Mar 2007 01:03:15 +0000

No feedback or anything this time. Just score por favor. X/12 where X = score

October 05 Prompt: Is society’s admiration for famous people beneficial or harmful?

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “not, when I die, to discover that I have not lived. I do not wish to live life that is not living.” Why did Thoreau remark such statement? History suggested that even in ninteenth century (Thoreau’s period), the society was affected by “celebrities” who had fames and money. Clearly, “celebrities” today show analgous characteristics but the society’s admiration persists because these “celebrities” are beneficial by distinguishing “what to” and “what not to” do.

Regarded as the richest man in the Earth if he were still living, Sam Walton was an epitome of “what to.” Walton came from a rural family and greatly supported his family while he successfully graduated from the high school by becoming honor roll, basketball All-Star, and president of the student body. He excelled in the college as well in both academically and socially (joined fraternities) but he spent most of time for his family by working in the farm and eventually a manager in JCPennys. Then he started the Wal-Mart, a store based on his ideas of setting cheap and incessantly many items for customers in organized way. As a result, the Wal-Mart became the leading store in the nation, and he also became a great “what to” example for creative business.

Renowned as the environmentalist and philosopher for “simplifying” the life, Henry David Thoreau revealed himself as another “what to.” Similar to Walton, Thoreau also came from a rural family, where his father’s graphite company was a source of living, and with the help of his friend Emerson, he went and graduated from the Harvard University. Despite his education from such prestigious college, he didn’t find himself a high-paying profession because he wanted to lead a “right” life by doing what he wanted. Therefore, from July 4, 1845 to September 4, 1847, he lived in the Walden Pond, and fathomed life by interacting with the Nature. He explained to the society that physical avarice and cupidity were not main points of the life.

On the other hand, F. Scott Fitzgerald was a prominent example of “what not to.” Originally from a wealthy family compared to Walton and Thoreau, he attended Princeton University but quitted it to enlist in the Army. Though people regarded him as a successful writer, his only successful novels were The Great Gatsby and This Side of the Paradise. He and his wife caroused lavishly, and after Stock Market Carsh of 1929, he went broke and became an alcoholic. Clearly, he didn’t exhibit an honorable death of a venerable writer.

This society admired and respected the “celebrities” or “famous people” for their influences both good and bad.