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    Examples from Literature

    Books are great examples to use since they cover a wide range of human

    experience and social issues. You don't need to have read a book to write about it -

    you just need to understand key points about the plot and be able to relate it to the

    thesis.

    Animal Farm

    This short novel written by eorge !rwell in "#$%is a parable &a short story used to

    illustrate a lesson about the (ussian (evolution. )t describes a farm's animals

    banding together to overthrow the farmer who exploits their work and products &milk*eggs* etc. so they can take control of the farm themselves. +owever* the pigs &with

    specially bred dogs as guards immediately begin scheming to control the farm

    themselves* and ultimately take advantage of the other animals in the same way the

    farmer did.

    This is a literary classic* and for good reason - it touches upon many core human

    struggles.Animal Farmcan be used to support the following theses* among many

    others,

    &Opinions and Values Should people pay more attention to the opinions of people

    who are older and more experienced?

    Yes inAnimal Farm* the only animal who suspects the pigs' deception is

    Boxer* the oldest animal on the farm. oon* the pigs send him to be killed* and

    the other animals are even more helpless than they were before.

    &Morality Is it best to always suspect that others may have ulterior motives?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
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    Yes the animals inAnimal Farmwould have been better off if they had

    suspected that the pigs were planning to exploit them.

    &Success and AchievementAre important discoveries the result of focusing on

    one subject?

    /o inAnimal Farm* the success of the animals in running the farm depends

    on their ability to teach themselves how to read* do math* build structures* and

    harness electricity* among other skills.

    Frankenstein

    This classic novel by 0ary helley* first published anonymously in "1"1* tells the

    story of 2r. 3ictor 4rankenstein* who alienates his family by following his obsession

    with animating a man made of corpses* creating artificial life for the first time. But he

    is horrified by his creation* and the monster* lonely and miserable* wanders the

    earth* rejected by everyone. +e develops anger toward his creator and kills 3ictor's

    brother* and then 3ictor's wife* on their wedding day. 3ictor then chases the monster

    all over the world* trying to kill him* and dies in the process.

    Frankensteincan be used to support the following theses* among others,

    &Knowledge, Learning, and reativityIs self-knowledge the result of adversity?

    Yes 2r. 4rankenstein can only understand the horror of artificially creating life

    &or 5playing od5 after multiple people are killed.

    &Success and Achievement an success to be disastrous?

    Yes in the first part of the book* 2r. 4rankenstein sacrifices everything to

    achieve his goal of bringing his monster to life. But as soon as he does* his

    life becomes more and more miserable until he finally dies in the 6rctic.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankensteinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein
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    &Morality Is it better to decide one!s own ideas of right and wrong or follow the

    crowd?

    4ollow the crowd 2r. 4rankenstein ignores everyone's warnings that his

    obsession is dangerous. +is creation of the monster is a direct result of his

    deciding for himself what is right and wrong* because his obsession clouds his

    judgment.

    Examples from American !istory

    You've likely learned a lot about 6merican history in school* but a few notable

    examples stand out as compelling events that you can use to support a wide range

    of prompts.

    "he Atomic #om$ing of !iroshima and %agasa&i, 'apan

    2uring the last stage of 7orld 7ar ))* after ermany surrendered to the 6llies* 8apan

    refused to surrender. )nstead of a military invasion of the mainland of 8apan* the 9..

    decided to end the war by dropping two atomic bombs on 8apan with no warning,

    one on the city of +iroshima on 6ugust :* "#$%* and the other on the city of /agasaki

    on 6ugust #. 8apan surrendered on 6ugust "%* but the immediate effects of the

    explosions killed #;*;;;

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    &Knowledge, Learning, and reativity an knowledge be a burden?

    Yes some of the scientists who worked on the atomic bomb* in "#$%* signed

    the ?il@rd petition* which asked Aresident Truman not to bomb 8apan without

    warning. This shows that their understanding of the possible effects of the

    bombs was a burden on their respective consciences.

    &Morality 6re bad and good choices eually likely to have negative conseuencesC

    Yes the bombings of +iroshima and /agasaki caused massive civilian

    casualties* but had the cities not been bombed* many 6mericans and

    8apanese would have died in further ocean- and land-based warfare.

    &Opinions and Values hould people weight all opinions eually* or place more

    weight on informed opinionsC

    Alace more weight on informed opinions 6fter Aearl +arbor* many 6mericans

    hated the 8apanese and wanted their whole country eradicated. But the

    scientists who understood the awful power of the atom bomb had a different

    view they were wary of dropping it on 8apan with no warning. 0any fewer

    civilians would have had to die if the concerned scientists had been heeded

    and the 8apanese had been warned about the bombings ahead of time.

    "he Life of (rederic& )ouglass

    (rederic& )ouglass&"1"1-"1#% was an6frican-6merican social reformer* public

    speaker* writer* and politician. Born a slave in 0aryland* he taught himself to read

    and write &despite literacy being forbidden to slaves and eventually escaped to the

    /orth. +e became an important leader of the abolitionist movement through his

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglasshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglasshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglasshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
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    persuasive writing in antislavery publications and the talks he gave during his

    freuent speaking tours. +e made it clear that slaveholders' arguments about slaves'

    inferior intelligence were fabricated and helped see the country through the Divil 7ar

    and out of the era of slavery.

    The life of 4rederick 2ouglass can be used to support the following theses* among

    others,

    &Opinions and Values Should people be valued according to their capabilities

    rather than their achievements?

    Yes 2ouglass* like many others even today* faced nearly insurmountable

    difficulties in achieving even literacy. 4or these people* opportunities for

    achievement are rare* and capabilities are the only accurate measure of their

    value.

    &Morality an dishonesty be appropriate in some circumstances?

    Yes 2ouglass had to be dishonest with the slaveholders who 'owned' him in

    order to learn how to read and write* because slaves were not allowed that

    privilege. +e later had a large influence on the abolishment of slavery* so his

    dishonesty was well worth the cost.

    &Success and Achievement Is productivity the result of the demands of others?

    /o 2ouglass achieved and an unimaginable amount and published a number

    of booksdespitethe fact that he was a slave and nothing at all was expected

    of him.

    Examples of urrent Events

    /otable events happen constantly in the news. 0any students will pull on these to

    support their topics* but the key is to understand the topics thoroughly and be able to

    speak beyond a superficial level. This will impress the grader since you rise above

    other testtakers.

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    "he Shooting of Michael #rown in (erguson, MO

    The shooting of "1-year-old 0ichael Brownoccurred on 6ugust #* E;"$* in

    4erguson* 0issouri* a suburb of t. Fouis. 2arren 7ilson* E1* a white 4erguson

    police officer* shot the unarmed teenager from a distance* but it was unclear whether

    Brown was surrendering or threatening 7ilson. The unclear circumstances ofBrown's death* the resulting nationwide protests* and police forces' perceived

    overreaction to the protests all led to a serious national debate about law

    enforcement's treatment of 6frican-6mericans in the 9nited tates.

    The events surrounding the shooting death of 0ichael Brown can be used to support

    the following theses* among others,

    &Knowledge, Learning, and reativity "o people learn from the past?

    Yes despite widespread anger* the protests in 4erguson were mostly

    nonviolent* reflecting the practices of earlier civil rights protesters in the 9..

    These nonviolent protests successfully led to widespread awareness of the

    growing nationwide law enforcement problems of racial profiling and use of

    excessive force.

    &Success and Achievement Is it better to use cooperation or competition to

    achieve success?

    Dooperation in the wake of the shooting* conflicts between protesters and

    police in 0issouri led Aresident !bama to call for funding to support initiatives

    to support cooperation between communities and law enforcement.

    &Morality*Are people more motivated by conscience or by money# power# and

    fame?

    Donscience The shooting of 0ichael Brown brought thousands of protesters

    all over the country onto the streets to make a statement against racial

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Michael_Brownhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Michael_Brown
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    profiling and police brutality. 0onitored by the police themselves* these

    protests have potential for conflict* but people attended them anyway*

    motivated by their conscience.

    "he American +ealth ap and the -.

    )n E;"$* the $ashington %imesreported that the top wealthiest "G of 6mericans

    hold $;G of the nationHs wealth the bottom 1;G* by contrast* hold IG. 6nother way

    to put it is that the 5richest "G in the 9nited tates now own more wealth than the

    bottom #;G.5 The top ";G of 6mericans has "*;;;G of &or ten times the wealth of

    the middle class that increases another ";;;G for the top "G of 6mericans. This

    means that the average employee needs to work more than a month to earn what

    the average DJ! earns in one hour.

    The wealth gap in the 9.. can be used to support the following theses* among

    others,

    &Success and Achievement Is success the result of effort or luck?

    Fuck most of the wealthiest people in the 9.. were born into wealth* and

    have been lucky enough to have their investments not fail. Jffort clearly does

    not factor into the wealth differences between a DJ! and a minimum-wage

    worker.

    /Society and ulture*Should people look up to celebrities?

    /o celebrities* like other super-rich people* have all of their needs handled byother people and lead lives that are totally different from average people's. To

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States
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    look up to people who are rich because of modeling or acting careers is to

    compare ourselves to people who live in a different world from average

    people because they happen to be beautiful or good at acting.

    &Morality*Are people more motivated by conscience or by money# power# and

    fame?

    Aower* money* and fame The wealth gap implies that power and money

    &which are strongly connected* of course are such powerful motivators that*

    once people become rich* much of their energy goes into becoming morerich.

    This is the only way to build the kind of wealth that creates the 6merican

    income gap, to focus completely on what will bring in more money* regardless

    of the conseuences

    KEY WORD: SUCCESS Victory Accomplishment Achievement Exceeding gols

    Winning !ri"mph KEY WORD: D#SAS!EROUS !rgedy Ctstrophe Clmity R"in

    $il"re %ert&re' Devsttion dmge

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    + ) T ! ( Y

    0 ! ( J

    Top 10 Heroes Who Made the World a

    Better Place

    " ; . 0 9 T 6 4 6 K J 0 6 F 6T6T 9 ( K

    Mustafa Kemal Pasha was a dictator in the country of Turkey. But mind you, not all

    dictators are bad and Kemal Pasha turned out to one of the best leaders of the

    country. He was an army officer, a statesman and later, he went on to become the

    first President of Turkey. He is known to have founded Turkey as the country we see

    today, modern, liberal and beautiful. He undertook various development plans and

    made sure that the people benefited the most from his actions. In !"#, he was $iven

    the title %taturk which means &'ather of the Turks( and this title is forbidden to be

    conferred to anyone else. He is what one can call a benevolent dictator.

    # . ) 0 ! / B ! F ) 3 6 (

    http://listcrux.com/category/history/http://listcrux.com/category/more/http://listcrux.com/category/history/http://listcrux.com/category/more/
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    )atin %merica is a world in itself. It is e*otic, beautiful and very peaceful. This peace

    was disrupted after the +panish conuests. There was one man who did not bow

    down to this conuest and he was +imon Bolivar. % military and a political leader,

    Bolivar fiercely protested a$ainst the rule, tyranny and the un-ust laws of the

    +paniards who had taken over his motherland. In what later comes to be known as

    one of the $reatest freedom stru$$les, he was the pioneer of the )atin %merican

    stru$$le a$ainst the +panish. He successfully ruled the +panish out, formed

    $overnment and ensured peace and pro$ress in countries like cuador, Bolivia,

    /ene0uela, 1olombia, Peru etc. He is now known as l )ibertador throu$hout )atin

    %merica which means The )iberator.

    1 . 0 6 ! L J 2 ! /

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    Today, we cannot ima$ine a day in our lives without the e*istence of the country of

    1hina. But, if it weren2t for Mao 3edon$, thin$s would have been very different. He is

    the founder of the People2s 4epublic of 1hina and he also $overned the country from

    !#! to !56. He is the main reason who 1hina has catapulted so $reatly in all walks

    of life. He is also the founder of the Maoism reli$ion which is basically Mar*ist7

    +ocialism with some elements of military strate$ies. %lthou$h his ima$e now stays

    torn between lovers and haters, we cannot deny the fact that he chan$ed the way

    1hina worked and was and made it much better.

    I . 0 ! T + J ( T J ( J 6

    1harity be$ins at home. 8e all have heard this but rarely practice this. But there was

    one woman who $ave her entire life to help the sick, the wounded and the poor7

    Mother Teresa. +he $ave shelter to patients with diseases such as HI/9%I:+, leprosy,

    tuberculosis etc and also treated them in hospices and hospitals. +he came from a

    $ood family but she $ave it all up and helped the needy. It was only after her that

    people reali0ed the importance of helpin$ those in need. +he chan$ed the way people

    thou$ht of and behaved with poverty7struck people. +he has uplifted lives of

    thousands but she has enli$htened the lives of millions and so, she will always be a

    hero of her own kind.

    : . 3 F 6 2 ) 0 ) ( F J / ) /

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    Today, 4ussia is one bi$ country amon$st the small scattered countries that once

    to$ether formed the mi$hty ;++4. %nd the one man who bou$ht about the actual

    formation of ;++4 was /ladimir )enin. %fter the e*ecution of his brother, )enin $ot

    really interested in leftist politics and took upon himself to chan$e the way the Tsars

    ruled in 4ussia. He started a revolution in !5 which overthrew the Tsar re$ime and

    he founded the ;++4, a communist, socialist country which at that time, was the

    only worthy competitor to the capitalist ;+%.

    % . 0 6 ( T ) / F 9 T + J ( K ) / 8 ( .

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    eor$e 8ashin$ton ? the man who led the

    %merican colonies into a freedom war a$ainst the British. He is the foundin$ father

    of %merica and he had his ideas and $oals very strai$ht7 freedom from the tyrannical

    rules of the British. He rooted the idea of freedom in the minds of %mericans and

    today, freedom is what every person in the world seeks when they think of %merica.

    He set the $olden rules and formed the $overnment and we know how the country

    then 0oomed ahead on the path of success.

    = . D + J 9 J 3 6( 6

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    1omin$ from a very wealthy family, rnesto >uevara had all that he needed but he

    didn2t have the peace of mind. He watched people, so poor and unhealthy and $ave

    up his lu*urious life to revolt a$ainst the un-ust %merican laws. rnesto @1he2

    >uevara is the man behind the 1uban 4evolution. His $uerilla warfare, his tactics,

    his strate$ies have all helped in freein$ )atin %merican countries of the un-ust laws

    of ;+%. He is very popular with the youth today as they see him as a symbol of

    rebellion. He made the world a better place, but were his ways ri$htA That is one

    debatable topic

    E . / J F ! / 0 6 / 2 J F 6

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    Madiba Madiba 4oared the chants in +outh %frica last week when we saw the

    passin$ of a le$end, a hero, a revolutionary man ? Celson Mandela. He is accredited

    with bein$ the person who went a$ainst the %partheid system in +outh %frica which

    se$re$ated the whites and blacks and $ave them different sets of ri$hts and laws.

    Celson Mandela served D5 years in prison for rebellin$ a$ainst the $overnment but

    when he didn2t let that $et him down. He fou$ht and fou$ht until he successfully

    abolished the apartheid system and today, he is and will always remain an

    inspiration for millions of people who are fi$htin$ for racial euality.

    " . 0 6 + 6 T0 6 6 / 2 + )

    The person who needs no introduction7 Mahatma >andhi. He revolutioni0ed not

    only Indian politics and freedom stru$$les, but that of the world. His non7violence

    approach uickly $ained him the respect and love of millions all over the world. He,

    alon$ with many other freedom fi$hters in India, stood up a$ainst the British rule,

    day after day, week after week, never $rowin$ tired. His resistance movements were

    all non7violent and thus, even without hurtin$ a person, he showed the world that

    -ustice can be availed. He truly made the world a better place to live and for that, we

    can and we should never ever for$et him.

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    The world is littered with the carcasses of those who strove for success, only to find emptiness and

    despair. 4elentlessly pursuin$ success can lead to death?as in the case of =ay >atsby?or, more

    commonly, to disappointment and madness, as in the cases of %le*ander the >reat and Britney

    +pears. +uccess can have disastrous conseuences.

    =ay >atsby, the anti7hero of '. +cott 'it0$erald2s The >reat >atsby, was a man motivated by his

    need to succeed. =ay >atsby said that his $oal was to win the love of :aisy, but he was really motivated

    by a more common %merican dreamE money. >atsby only loved :aisy because her voice sounded &like

    money.( His whole life was spent pursuin$ financial and social success. Cothin$ $ood came from his

    desire for successF instead, >atsby died, and almost nobody attended his funeral.

    The case of %le*ander the >reat had similarly disastrous conseuences. 1onuerin$ the known

    world was %le*ander the >reat2s main $oal and he e*celled at it. By his early "Gs, %le*ander found

    that he had successfully $ained power over everythin$ he had ever wanted. But this didn2t satisfy

    %le*ander. Instead, he was crushed by the disappointment that there was nothin$ left to conuer.

    %le*ander was successful in achievin$ his incredible $oal, but his success proved disastrous to his

    mental health, and he died soon after.

    Britney +pears is another cautionary tale of success. 'rom her early appearances on the Mickey

    Mouse club, to her musical superstardom, to her head7shavin$ public breakdown, Britney +pears

    proved how uickly your star can ascend and then crash back down. +he achieved worldwide success

    shortly after she did puberty. It was obviously too much for her to handle, both mentally and

    emotionally. Her life of $lamor and fame uickly fell apart. By all accounts her success was devastatin$

    to her personal life and mental health.

    The pitfalls of strivin$ forand achievin$success are tra$ically apparent in the e*amples of =ay

    >atsby, %le*ander the >reat, and Britney +pears. Those who hope to be famous and revered shouldtake note. In some situations, success can have une*pected and unfortunate conseuences.