494 McGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Sample Essays: Practice Essay 8
Consider carefully the issue discussed in the following passage, then write an essay that answers the
question posed in the assignment.Freedom requires the eradication of repression from tyrants and from want, but
eliminating these is not enough. We must also eliminate the means by which we oppress
ourselves, through our peeves, our addictions, and in our insecurities. This may involve
strengtheningthe restraints within ourselves.Assignment: Does freedom require eliminating restraints on behavior, or does it require
creating or strengthening certain restraints?Write an essay in which you answer
this question and discuss your point of view on this issue. Support your position
logically with examples from literature, the arts, history, politics, science and tech-
nology, current events, or your experience or observation.Sample: 6 points out of 6
In the United States today, the issue of freedom is being discussed as a matter of both foreign and domestic
policy. Should we export our freedoms and our democracy to other countries? Should we give up some of our free-
doms to make sure that we are safe from terrorism? What is freedom anyway, and what is it worth? Many people
who say they are patriots simply say “freedom isn’t free” and leave it at that. Actually, real freedom isn’t just the
right to do whatever we want, and we don’t get it just by conquering other people. Freedom is the ability to con-
trol our selfish instincts so that we can stop being controlled by them. Ironically, freedom requires constraints.
The reason we are trying to export democracy to Iraq today, some say, is because we will be safer if the
Middle East embraces some of our values. But we can’t jam our values down their throats, especially values like
freedom of choice and speech. Also, we haven’t shown that we are restrained enough to be worthy of those free-
doms ourselves. Some mercenary contractors have shot up Iraqi civilians because they felt a slight threat. Sim-
ilarly, our administration does not seem to be able to hold back from any fight because it is filled with people
who need to be perceived as tough. But they aren’t free because they are still controlled by their fear, and there-
fore they are prisoners.
In his book, “Night,” Elie Wiesel talks about being in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany where he was
deprived of almost all of his freedoms. He is whipped for just talking to a girl, is forced to do hard labor and sees
people all around him being led to the gas chambers. It was in these horrible conditions that Elie discovered
that his most important freedom was his freedom of thought that the Nazis couldn’t take away from him. While
his body was imprisoned, he found the freedom of his soul.
When people hold protests for freedoms, like the Civil Rights marchers in the 60’s or the Women’s Rights
suffragettes, they are not simply trying to assert their rights. They are also trying to show that they are
constrained enough to be worthy of their rights. Civil Rights marchers were well-known for their noble restraint
from violence, which helped them to rise above those ignorant citizens who wanted to harm or kill them to pre-
vent them from achieving equality. Through intelligent restraint, both the Civil Rights and the Women’s Rights
movements have made great strides.
We can’t live in freedom if we are controlled by our selfishness and our fears of others who are different from
us. Freedom isn’t about conquering others, it is about conquering our own worst qualities. Because if we don’t,
then they will conquer us.
Evaluation:This excellent essay provides well-reasoned and well-organized support for the thesis that “freedom is
about conquering our own worst qualities.” The examples of American policy in the Middle East, the Civil and
Women’s Rights movements, and Elie Wiesel’s Nightprovide substantial support to the idea that freedom has more
to do with self-control than with physical freedom or conquering one’s oppressors. The author’s use of language is
competent and effective, despite a few slightly awkward sentences.