issue essay eval

[kraft79]

Total time was 33:49

The main benefit of the study of history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are significantly different from people who lived in earlier times.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.


One of the benefits of studying history is to show that the people of today’s generation are not so different from the people of times past. If you think about it, education, career , and family are just as important know as they were sixty years ago . As important as this benefit is , I believe the main benefit of studying history is to learn from the mistakes from the past . This knowledge ensures that we continue to move forward as a society .
In terms of learning from the past , the area in which we gain the most insight deals with wars. War is one of the most catastrophic events known to humankind. The negative side effects range from casualties and destruction, to financial hardship and post traumatic stress. By studying history,current generations can learn what types of actions, words, and thoughts led to war. By understanding the negative ramifications of these actions, future leaders will be more thoughtful in their global attitudes.
Secondly, by studying history we gain a higher sensitivity to the oppression of diverse cultures. Students who learn about slavery in America, will have a direct understanding to the outcome of prejudice. By learning more about minorites and other cultures, future generations will be more open to different races, religions, and languages. The more open we are, the less likely we will be to commit racist acts. The direct study of the civil rights movement shows that oppression leads to anarchy and unrest .
In terms of the environment, there is no better teacher than history . We have seen great advancements in the areas of pollution control and decreasing our carbon foot print. Studying history gives future generations insight into how pollution from the industrial era damaged the environment . This inspires designers to create cars and machines that are eco friendly .
In conclusion, The study of history reaps many benefits , but the most important is that our future generations are able to learn from the mistakes of the past .

[tommywallach]

Hey Kraft,

This essay has some really great points. In particular, I think your structure is really solid, and your writing skills are cleaner here than in anything else of yours I've read.

A few issues, however:

1) You seem to have misunderstood the prompt. If the question was "What are the benefits of studying history?" you would have done fine. But the question was (paraphrased) "Is that main benefit of studying history to dispel the illusion that people who lived in earlier times were significantly different from people living now?" You could do ONE paragraph saying "No, the main point is to learn from mistakes." But you can't do three paragraphs on it; that's writing a different essay. You need to keep explaining why it is NOT this particular issue. For example, your structure could be:

1) The main point is learning mistakes
2) Anyway, people living today ARE fundamentally different
3) There is no illusion to dispel (i.e. everybody knows that people today are fundamentally different)

Also, your essay is a little short. I think this is primarily because you got off on a tangent of an essay, and maybe had less to work with than you thought (you effectively made the same point three times, that history is about learning from mistakes). Make sure you stay close to the prompt!

-t