<p>Hello, this is my D’s SAT essay, on about her fifth practice test. Any grades, suggestions, or tips would be very helpful!</p>
<p>Prompt (from the Blue Book): Is conscience a more powerful motivator than money, fame, or power? Plan and write an essay in which…</p>
<p>Essay:
Things like wealth, power, and fame have always been desires of humans. In many cases, humans will do anything for these selfish motives. Sometimes, the desire can blind a person and stop them from seeing what is right. In these cases, the person will ignore their conscience in order to achieve what they want, whether it be wealth power, or fame. For example, in Socrate’s “Antigone”, King Creon disobeys his conscience by refusing his nephew a proper burial in order to gain more power and influence as the king. Furthermore, in the Gladiator, a man murdered his own father in order to become king of Rome. Both of these power-hungry individuals ignored their conscience to get what they wanted.</p>
<p>In “Antigone”, King Creon refused his nephew a proper burial, knowing that it would upset the Gods. Yet, he wanted to show his people that he was more powerful than the gods. Although he knew that not giving someone a proper burial was gravely wrong in his culture, he chose to ignore his conscience, believing that he would prove his power over the gods if he did what he wanted. However, this would prove to be a wicked decision because the gods grew very upset with Creon and cursed him so that his wife and son both killed themselves. Only after his instance did Creon realize how foolish his decision was. </p>
<p>Another scenario in which the desire for power overpowered a man’s conscience can be seen in The Gladiator. In this film, a young man murders his father, who was the king of Rome, because his father told him that his top military commander Maximus would become king instead of his son. This angered his son and he killed his father so that no one would know that he was no supposed to be the next king of Rome so that he could take his father’s place. The young man knew it was wrong to kill the one man in his life that could trust, but his desire for power overrode his conscience. Later, Maximus would come back and kill the young man to avenge the rightful king’s death.</p>
<p>Selfish desires such as the desire for wealth, power, or fame have always been strong motives for humans, yet sometimes these motives can become dangerous when they become more powerful than a person’s conscience. For instance, in “Antigone”, Creon’s decision to ignore his conscience in order to prove his power over the gods cost him his family. Moreover, in the Gladiator, a prince’s desire to be king led to his demise. In these ways selfish motives can easily lead to disastrous effects if they override the conscience.</p>
<p>NOTE: this essay took up about nearly the full space.</p>