Sat Essay
Quote: Never do today what you can do tomorrow. Something may occur to make you regret your premature action –Aaron Burr.
Prompt: Do you agree with Aaron Burr that it’s wisest to put things off if you can?
One should never always put things off simply because he is able to do so. Though at times it may be wiser to postpone a thing or two under reasonable circumstances, it is by far not wisest to do so for everything. The following examples from my personal experience and literature serve to illustrate this point very clearly. My experiences in procrastination prove to be not so wise. This year, I was assigned a rather lengthy research project in my AP Language and Composition class. It was a two-month project on the 2012 Election Campaigns and required a 15 page typed research report. As a busy high school junior, I decided not to touch the project until the week before it was due. To my dismay, Hurricane Sandy swept through my region and caused a five day power outage. As a result, my procrastination cost me a large project grade. Sometimes our reputations cause us to put things off. In Arthur Miller’s “An Enemy of the People”, Mayor Peter Stockmann faces this dilemma. As the mayor of a small town, Peter constantly quarrels with his brother and town doctor Thomas Stockmann over the issue of their town’s beloved springs. Though Dr. Stockmann has found sufficient and plausible evidence to back up suspicions on the contamination of the springs, Peter Stockmann holds his ground to not tamper with the springs, mostly to protect his reputation as the mayor. As a result, Peter goes as far as to gather the press and townspeople on his side to put off the reconstruction of the springs. Peter’s decision to do so on the basis of protecting his own status may thus have led to severe consequences on the rest of the town. Whether we are tempted to simply procrastinate, or are swayed by our positions and reputation, putting things off is clearly not the wisest
Prompt: Do you agree with Aaron Burr that it’s wisest to put things off if you can?
One should never always put things off simply because he is able to do so. Though at times it may be wiser to postpone a thing or two under reasonable circumstances, it is by far not wisest to do so for everything. The following examples from my personal experience and literature serve to illustrate this point very clearly. My experiences in procrastination prove to be not so wise. This year, I was assigned a rather lengthy research project in my AP Language and Composition class. It was a two-month project on the 2012 Election Campaigns and required a 15 page typed research report. As a busy high school junior, I decided not to touch the project until the week before it was due. To my dismay, Hurricane Sandy swept through my region and caused a five day power outage. As a result, my procrastination cost me a large project grade. Sometimes our reputations cause us to put things off. In Arthur Miller’s “An Enemy of the People”, Mayor Peter Stockmann faces this dilemma. As the mayor of a small town, Peter constantly quarrels with his brother and town doctor Thomas Stockmann over the issue of their town’s beloved springs. Though Dr. Stockmann has found sufficient and plausible evidence to back up suspicions on the contamination of the springs, Peter Stockmann holds his ground to not tamper with the springs, mostly to protect his reputation as the mayor. As a result, Peter goes as far as to gather the press and townspeople on his side to put off the reconstruction of the springs. Peter’s decision to do so on the basis of protecting his own status may thus have led to severe consequences on the rest of the town. Whether we are tempted to simply procrastinate, or are swayed by our positions and reputation, putting things off is clearly not the wisest