Sample Essays

What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or remained the same over time in your culture? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

The qualities of a good son and daughter---obedience, loyalty, respect---have not changed. Any patent will tell you that, like their ancestors, they expect these qualities from their children. However, they do not always get what they expect from their children.Parents demand that their sons and daughters, regardless of age, obey them. Even if the children are married and have their own children, they should still do whatever their parents ask of them. At last, that’s the way it was. Now, children tend to obey their parents until the children are of college age. Then they feel they are adult enough and can make their own decisions even if these decisions are against the parent’s wishes.Parents also expect loyalty from their children. If there was a dispute in the neighborhood or between families, the parents would expect their children to side with their own family. This quality is probably still very common. Most children today will support their family against others.Parents, of course, demand respect. As people become more mobile, and introduced to non-traditional ways of doing things, this quality may not endure. Parents are sometimes viewed as old-fashioned. Children don’t think their parents can appreciate the way life really is. They think their parents are too old to understand. They lose respect for their parents.Obedience, loyalty, and respect are virtues that are being challenged today. We may not obey our parents, give them the loyalty or respect they wish or deserve, but I hope my children obey me, are loyal to me, and respect me.

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Some people prefer to work for a large company. Others prefer to work for a small company. Which would you prefer? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

I would prefer to work in a large company rather than a small one. A large company has more to offer in terms of advancement, training, and prestige.In a large company, I can start at an entry-level position and work myself up to the top. I could start in the mailroom and, once I know the company, can apply for a managerial position. In a small company, there is not as much room to grow.In a large company, there are a variety of jobs. I could work in sales, in marketing, in distribution, in shopping, or in any department I applied for. I could be trained in a variety of positions and would have valuable experience. In a small company, there would not be the same opportunity.In a large company, there would be more prestige. I could brag to my friends that I worked for one of the biggest companies in the world. I would always have something to talk about when I met strangers. If I worked in a small company, I would always have to explain what the company did.Working for a small company would not give me the same opportunities for advancement or on-the-job training as working for a larger company would. Nor would I be as proud to work for a small company---unless the small company was my own.