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So you need to write an essay?
By Olga Bednarek
So you need to write an essay?
Essays are the joy of all teachers who teach Grade Nine English. They love to watch kids struggle to come up with topics, then find quotes, and then some how put it all together. Not to mention the obvious glee they must feel when a kid has put together a marvelous essay in terms of structure and content, but has completely overlooked the necessary grammar. “I would have given you a 90, Timmy, but seeing as you put ‘didn’t’ instead of ‘did not’…
If you happen to have a supremely evil teacher who has not explained to you the basic of essay writing, you can check out the guidelines written here.
If you have your topic, your quotes, and an outline filled out, but you are still just a bit lost, the following is an essay of mine that I wrote in Grade Nine concerning the book, “Of Mice and Men”. It received a 4+ (90-100%), and just might give you some inspiration to complete your own essay.
Who I Am Hates What I’ve Done.
A person’s personality shines through in everything that they do. Their thoughts, actions, even what they say can all act as indicators as to what that person is really like. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Carlson, Candy and George’s personalities were evident in the choices they made. They are prime examples of the fact that decisions are made based on personality traits.
Carlson is impatient and self-centered. He makes his choices based on how the results will affect him. Upon finding the dog in the bunkhouse, Carlson tries to get Candy to kill it, saying, “Well, I can’t stand him in here” (Steinbeck 44). Carlson then offers to shoot the dog himself without any consideration to the fact that Candy loved it. Carlson put himself first in this decision, which shows that his decisions are made based on his personality traits.
Candy is a passive person. He does not stand up for himself and only defends his case minimally. When Carlson wants to shoot his dog, Candy protects it for a bit, muttering, “No, I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im too long” (Steinbeck 45). He eventually gives in and lets Carlson shoot the dog. His passive personality led him to allow Carlson to kill the dog he loved. Candy is yet another example of how decisions are made based on personality traits.
George is compassionate towards other people. He wants others, particularly Lennie, to undergo the least amount of suffering possible. After Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George tells Candy, “I ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie” (Steinbeck 95). George then directs his efforts into making sure that Lennie dies painlessly. George made this choice because it was for Lennie’s benefit. He was compassionate when considering Lennie’s fate, which is further proof that decisions are made based on personality traits.
A person’s decisions are reflective of their personality. George’s compassion, Candy’s passive attitude and Carlson’s impatience influenced the major decisions they made. Character traits are evident in everything someone does or says, which goes to show that decisions are based on them as well.
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© 2006 Olga Bednarek. All rights reserved.