Below are my first 3 practice Issue Essays. I tried to follow the Kaplan method and used the OG as another template. I would appreciate any advice on how to improve. Thanks!
Essay 1:
"Of all the manifestations* of power, restraint in the use of that power impresses people most."
*manifestations: apparent signs or indicators
Explain what you think this quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Develope your position with reasons and/or specific examples drawn from history, current events, or your own experience, observations, or reading.
A pacifist would agree, "Of all the manifestations of power, restraint in the use of that power impresses people most. " On the other hand, most people would agree that the physical use of power is more impressive and leads to results. In this discussion, I shall present arguments favoring the latter statement and refuting the former.
Prior to the United States involvement in WWII, the US adopted an isolationist policy, which caused the US to restrain from directly entering into the conflicts brewing in Europe and Asia. This policy of isolationism and restraint ultimately led to the Japanese to view the US a "weak" and to the violent attack on Peal Harbor. All Americans would agree that restraint during WWII was a mistake and that a physical show of power could have deterred the Japanese from attack.
More recently, the Tibetan people showed restraint when the Chinese began to occupy their land. The leader of the Tibetan Monks, the Dali Lama, preached restraint in all forms. Unfortunately, this restraint, has allowed for an oppressive regime to take over a once peace country. Furthermore, many followers of Tibetan Buddhism have gone against their beliefs of restraint and physically retaliated against the Chinese to no avail.
Martin Luther Kings show of restraint during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States did show that restraint can impress a nation and ultimately lead to a real change. However, when Martin Luther King was assassinated, the restraint that he preached was dismissed and mass rioting broke out all over the US. The show of power and violence by Kings supporters had a profound impact on the overall movement even though it was counter to King's philosophy of restraint.
The show of restraint can have a tremendous impact on many issues, however, the show of restraint can be exploited, some timed violently. Although restraint can be impressive, many modern day situations require a physical show of power to produce meaningful results.
Essay 2:
"It is unrealistic to expect individual nations to make, independently, the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. International leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential if we expect to protect the world's energy resources for future generations."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion states above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from you own experience, observations, or reading.
Some people expect individual nations to make the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. On the other hand, international leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential to protecting the world's energy resources. Through reasoned argument and analysis, I will present a clear perspective on the issue, favoring the second statement and refuting the first.
First, it is unrealistic to assume that a single nation can single handedly change the world's energy consumption. The United State is the world's largest consumer of energy resources, however, other large nations, including China, India and Brazil consume a far greater amount of resources than the United States combined. Without the collective cooperation of all large energy consumers, no major progress could be made.
Additionally, the use of alternative energy by a single nation would not be able to change the world's energy consumption. Germany, for example, has benefitted tremendously from the use of wind energy, however, many industrialized powers have failed to follow in Germany's foot steps. A major reason being the costs associated with wind energy development. Even though Germany leads the world in green energy technology and innovation, wind energy has failed to make a large impact on most industrialized powers, including the United States because of the lack of return on investment in the wind energy space. Therefore, nations need to come together to share in energy innovations and technology in order to conserve non-renewable energy resources.
Some people would argue that since large industrialized powers consumer the most energy, the US must lead the world by example by consuming less and investing more in renewable energy. On the other hand, it is unrealistic to assume that the United States can single handily change the way the rest of the world consumes energy. In order for a real change to take place, nations must come together and agree that energy conservation must take place.
Essay 3:
"Corporations and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employees according to their experience and expertise. A "flat" organizational structure is more likely to encourage collegiality and cooperation among employees."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
Many people believe that corporations and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employees according to their experience and expertise, which leads to a "flat" organizational structure that encourages collegiality and cooperation among employees. In this discussion, I shall present arguments refuting the author's statement.
Eliminating ranks can cause serious problems within a company by causing employees to become complacent in their jobs. The lack of mobility within an organization gives little incentive to employees to produce more than what is asked of them. For example, many small private banks have flat organizations. Employees have little incentive to provide the best service to their clients, which can cause harm to the banks reputation and can cause clients to leave.
Furthermore, private banking has a very low retention rate due to the flat organization structure of the company. Quality employees who seek a high degree of professional responsibility and a high pay rate are required to look outside the company in order to promote their own careers.
Conversely, a flat organization does allow for a very collaborative atmosphere. Software companies have very collaborative work environments, however, a collaborative atmosphere can lead to lack of control within an organization and cause loss of focus, which in turn can hurt a companies bottom line.
Flat organizations can have serious downsides. Not only do companies face the harsh reality of loosing top quality employees, but also potentially loosing clients due to the failure of employees to go that extra mile.
Essay 1:
"Of all the manifestations* of power, restraint in the use of that power impresses people most."
*manifestations: apparent signs or indicators
Explain what you think this quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Develope your position with reasons and/or specific examples drawn from history, current events, or your own experience, observations, or reading.
A pacifist would agree, "Of all the manifestations of power, restraint in the use of that power impresses people most. " On the other hand, most people would agree that the physical use of power is more impressive and leads to results. In this discussion, I shall present arguments favoring the latter statement and refuting the former.
Prior to the United States involvement in WWII, the US adopted an isolationist policy, which caused the US to restrain from directly entering into the conflicts brewing in Europe and Asia. This policy of isolationism and restraint ultimately led to the Japanese to view the US a "weak" and to the violent attack on Peal Harbor. All Americans would agree that restraint during WWII was a mistake and that a physical show of power could have deterred the Japanese from attack.
More recently, the Tibetan people showed restraint when the Chinese began to occupy their land. The leader of the Tibetan Monks, the Dali Lama, preached restraint in all forms. Unfortunately, this restraint, has allowed for an oppressive regime to take over a once peace country. Furthermore, many followers of Tibetan Buddhism have gone against their beliefs of restraint and physically retaliated against the Chinese to no avail.
Martin Luther Kings show of restraint during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States did show that restraint can impress a nation and ultimately lead to a real change. However, when Martin Luther King was assassinated, the restraint that he preached was dismissed and mass rioting broke out all over the US. The show of power and violence by Kings supporters had a profound impact on the overall movement even though it was counter to King's philosophy of restraint.
The show of restraint can have a tremendous impact on many issues, however, the show of restraint can be exploited, some timed violently. Although restraint can be impressive, many modern day situations require a physical show of power to produce meaningful results.
Essay 2:
"It is unrealistic to expect individual nations to make, independently, the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. International leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential if we expect to protect the world's energy resources for future generations."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion states above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from you own experience, observations, or reading.
Some people expect individual nations to make the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. On the other hand, international leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential to protecting the world's energy resources. Through reasoned argument and analysis, I will present a clear perspective on the issue, favoring the second statement and refuting the first.
First, it is unrealistic to assume that a single nation can single handedly change the world's energy consumption. The United State is the world's largest consumer of energy resources, however, other large nations, including China, India and Brazil consume a far greater amount of resources than the United States combined. Without the collective cooperation of all large energy consumers, no major progress could be made.
Additionally, the use of alternative energy by a single nation would not be able to change the world's energy consumption. Germany, for example, has benefitted tremendously from the use of wind energy, however, many industrialized powers have failed to follow in Germany's foot steps. A major reason being the costs associated with wind energy development. Even though Germany leads the world in green energy technology and innovation, wind energy has failed to make a large impact on most industrialized powers, including the United States because of the lack of return on investment in the wind energy space. Therefore, nations need to come together to share in energy innovations and technology in order to conserve non-renewable energy resources.
Some people would argue that since large industrialized powers consumer the most energy, the US must lead the world by example by consuming less and investing more in renewable energy. On the other hand, it is unrealistic to assume that the United States can single handily change the way the rest of the world consumes energy. In order for a real change to take place, nations must come together and agree that energy conservation must take place.
Essay 3:
"Corporations and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employees according to their experience and expertise. A "flat" organizational structure is more likely to encourage collegiality and cooperation among employees."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
Many people believe that corporations and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employees according to their experience and expertise, which leads to a "flat" organizational structure that encourages collegiality and cooperation among employees. In this discussion, I shall present arguments refuting the author's statement.
Eliminating ranks can cause serious problems within a company by causing employees to become complacent in their jobs. The lack of mobility within an organization gives little incentive to employees to produce more than what is asked of them. For example, many small private banks have flat organizations. Employees have little incentive to provide the best service to their clients, which can cause harm to the banks reputation and can cause clients to leave.
Furthermore, private banking has a very low retention rate due to the flat organization structure of the company. Quality employees who seek a high degree of professional responsibility and a high pay rate are required to look outside the company in order to promote their own careers.
Conversely, a flat organization does allow for a very collaborative atmosphere. Software companies have very collaborative work environments, however, a collaborative atmosphere can lead to lack of control within an organization and cause loss of focus, which in turn can hurt a companies bottom line.
Flat organizations can have serious downsides. Not only do companies face the harsh reality of loosing top quality employees, but also potentially loosing clients due to the failure of employees to go that extra mile.
