Private Tutor Sat Writing 2013-2014 Prep Course

136

Question: Do people spend too much time trying to satisfy others,

rather than just trying to satisfy their own standards?

• “I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never
  live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man
  to live for mine.” With these words, Russian-born
  American novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand sums
  up her philosophy of Objectivism: that man’s highest
  moral purpose is to live for his own rational needs
  and interests, never sacrificing himself for others, or
  expecting others to sacrifice for him. If people first
  satisfied their own standards, they would have more
  to give to society, and in nurturing their own desires,
  needs, and gifts, would inherently be satisfying others.
  People do indeed spend too much time satisfying
  others; time that would be better spent satisfying
  their own standards. A dissection of the events in Shel
  Silverstein’s The Giving Tree and an analysis of the
  success of laissez-faire capitalism, confirm that
  satisfying your own desires should be the utmost priority.

Hook. What type? The

Quote. Notice how she

attributes the quote to the

correct person (Rand) and

uses it to usher in an

explanation of her thesis.

Explanation of Thesis

Thesis – we pretty much

already know her thesis

before she states it here, but

notice how she doesn’t leave

anything for the reader to

assume, but instead

CLEARLY states her thesis.

List of Examples – notice

how she connects them to her

thesis.

Body Paragraphs ..........................................................................

The first thing your body paragraphs need is a transition. Either a transition from the introductory paragraph,
or a transition from the 1st body paragraph. Transitions are connections from one idea to the next or from one
paragraph to the next. Think of transitions as bridges.

Examples of Transitions:

Transitions from Intro paragraph to 1st Body Paragraph:

• The mass protests in January 2011 against Egyptian
  President Mubarak illustrate just how powerful
  the will of a people against authoritarian rule can be.


• Technological advancements come with a price,
  as witnessed by the rising rate of obesity in American
  children.

Introduction of body

paragraph example.

Connects the example to

the thesis and the intro

paragraph.

Reiteration of thesis ties in

to the example.