Sample SAT Essay 4

Topic: People often confuse appearances with reality?

It is very easy to confuse appearances with reality. Unfortunately, masking emotions is a skill that many individuals have mastered and a skill that is used all too often. This is because false appearances are often convincing. Evidence of this point is seen in everyday life, history, and literature. In All The Kings Men, the main character "Willie" hides his true motives to appear to be the "good, common man," Adolf Hitler appeared to be a great man with the capacity to lead Germany towards stability, however, he was really an evil man starving for power, and finally one of the greatest classic stars in history Marilyn Monroe hid her true feelings with a big smile.

That appearances can be deceiving is clearly shown in All the Kings Men. This novel portrays politics in an honest light. Willie, who runs for mayor, appeared to be a good man, honest and caring. However, his appearance was misleading. He actually, was a power-hungry, selfish, fraud who distorted reality for everyone around him. Despite this, he was elected fooling everyone because everyone was influenced by his outward appearance. Adolf Hitler's takeover of Germany in the 1930's is another example that proves that people are lead more by appearances than by reality. Hitler was an evil genius. He was able to hide the awful magnitude of his intentions behind his appearance as a strong and intelligent man capable of leading Germany. If appearances were not such a strong indicator of reality to most people, Hitler would have never been able to get away with the wrongs he caused.

Marilyn Monroe's behavior is another example that shows that people are fooled by appearances. Marilyn Monroe was incredibly depressed throughout her life. She drank and took pills to hide her pain and slept with men to find feelings of self-worth. During her life, she was thought to be incredibly happy because of her outgoing appearance. However, Monroe ended up taking her own life at a very young age because of her intense pain. Before this tragedy, no one knew her situation. She was able to hide her internal reality with a strong and deliberate appearance. And it is because people are influenced so strongly by what they see on the outside, that they could never discover the tortured soul that lay within.

In conclusion, reality is easily hidden by superficial appearances. In reality someone could be cruel and power-hungry, but if he appears to be nice and genuine, he is believed. It is scary how convincing appearances can be. Unfortunately, those who can master the game of appearances will always be able to hide the truth.

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