<p>I have 2 SAT essays for the same prompt that I’d be interested in getting scores for or just why one is better than the other. The second one is optional if you don’t have a lot of time, but I’d appreciate a score (out of 12) of at least the first one. Thanks!!</p>
<p>Prompt: Should heroes be defined as people who say what they think when we ourselves lack the courage to say it?</p>
<p>Essay 1:
When many people think of a hero, they may recall superman, or Luke Skywalker. The portrayal of a sangfroid fighter and protector of liberty commonly embodies the idea of heroism. But in reality, one thing that all heroes share is much more fundamental: the capacity to speak out and defend the rights of the oppressed, to protect those who lack the power or courage to do themselves. History and literature have marked the stamp of true heroism throughout time; legacies that will forever be cherished and remembered.
During America’s Civil Rights movement, the country was carried in a great struggle between white segregationalists and African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr., a black minister, took upon his shoulders the burden of his oppressed race and stepped up to lead his people. Implementing Gandhi’s non-violent resistance, King spoke out for his brothers and sisters, urging the nation to move towards equal rights for all. Through many demonstrations and speeches, including his monumental “I Have a Dream” speech, king took up a stance against a dominating overseer, championing the will of many who previously lacked the courage and means to speak for themselves. Effectivel, he unified a minority into a great resistance. Through endless efforts, Martin Luther King was able to wane the power of segregation, and reclaim the unalienable and sacred rights of his people. As a result. his efforts embody the principles of a true hero.
Similarly, literature also sheds light on the values manifested in heroism. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus, a lawyer of a small town, defended the innocence of a young black man convicted of the assault of a white woman. As the novel revealed that although evidence clearly suggested the innocence of the defendant, it soon became apparent that the court was largely influenced by the racism and prejudice of society. Although it was unlikely that the African America would win the case dispite compelling evidence, Atticus continued to fight for his freedom. At one point, Atticus even faced the threat of the violence of his neighbors in retaliation for helping the cause of a black, but Atticus did not stand down. As a result, although the young African American was sentenced to prison, Atticus still demonstrated the values of a hero.
Although heros may be romantically portrayed as humans with supernatural strength and powers, the true heroes of the world are those who defend the voice of the oppressed minority, dispite any opposition.</p>
<p>Essay 2:
There are many types of heroes in real life or in literature, but the most courageous type of all is the one who is willing to stand up and say what they believe in even when everyone else lacks the courage to do so. Many people are content to go through life following the crowd. They will themselves to believe in ideas that society says is right, even when they know in their heart it is wrong. A hero is one who is willing to give up his position in society in order to tell people what he believes is right.
The abolitionists, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and William Lloyd Garrison, were heroes in their own time. Before the Civil War, people in all sections of the country thought that African Americans were animals and treated them as such. During the reform period of the Jacksonian era William Lloyd Garrison began to publish his abolitionist newspaper The Liberator. In this newspaper he demanded that the African American slaves be set free immeadietly, without any compensation to their owners. Because his view on slavery was against the common belief of the population he was not recieved well. Throughout his life he was given multiple death threats and one of his abolitionist friends was killed. Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist after Garrisons time, but she was recieved in much of the same way. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was released, she wrote the book Uncle Toms Cabin. It was a story of a slave living in the South and the cruelity of his owner. The inhumaness of the owner caused many southerners to ban the book in anger, but at the same time it brought the terrible act of slavery to the light. Many northerners used this book as a weapon against the Souths peculiar institution.
Rudyard Kipling once wrote in his poem If, which said that you will be a man if you can stand up and say what you believe in when all men around you doubt you. Heroes must have the courage to risk everyting they love to stand up for theirselves in the face of opposition. Both William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Beecher Stowe stood up against a society which had accepted slavery as a right. They believed that what their heart told them was right and risked everything to tell the public what they believed in. These two people have hopefully shown others to believe in themselves and what they view in their hearts.</p>