SAT Essay and Tips on Point of
View
By: Sean
Savoie
Now we should explore the importance of continuity between
paragraphs. In each well-written essay, the point of view (1st
person, 2nd person, or 3rd person) must be carefully
controlled. There is no strict rule that insists a writer must stay in the same
point of view throughout the essay, yet it makes the most sense to be consistent
in this way. In a thesis essay, a position paper focusing on one strong opinion,
use of the 3rd person is usually preferable.
The most common problem arising from writing this type of paper in the 1st
person is the tendency for writers to focus too much on themselves, which takes
away the emphasis from the central idea itself. In other words, when a writer
includes him or her self in the essay, the fact that the writer is considering
the subject becomes part of the work itself. This is often called developing a
persona, which is the expressed identity of the author. Is this author a
forgiving, happy, strict, confident, competitive person, etc..? Most everybody
has opinions. Reading something that has the feeling of another opinion impacts
the reader less. Facts speak best to most people; the examples used to
strengthen an argument are almost always more efficacious than one person’s
opinion, especially when it is the biased opinion of the author. After all, it
is clear that a person wrote the essay. If using first person, a writer should
be able to justify how putting himself into his paper makes the argument more
valid. If he has a truly pertinent personal experience, use of the 1st
person may be perfect when controlled well. Young writers often weaken the essay
when they write as if they are having a conversation with “you”, the reader.
This brings us back to another problem, the 2nd person, “you”. Notice
how I, in this instructional site, often use “you” in my articles about writing.
But this is an instructional essay designed to teach. Another common use of 2nd
person would be a cookbook. In 2nd person point of view, the “you” is
often left out, creating a kind of command form; open the book, turn to page 39,
read the first paragraph, etc… In an editorial in a newspaper, the author often
speaks directly to the reader in a “From me to you” fashion, which is often the
biggest difference between persuasion and argument. However, in academic
education, the issue and its support rarely require the writer or reader to be
in the essay; the idea is king. Focus on your idea, not about yourself (ego)
thinking about your idea. Using “you” means that your audience is a single
person, which, although more personal, does not give more force to the essay. It
is better to avoid using “you” in an essay when speaking about people in
general.
Noun clauses and gerund phrases, especially when combined with the passive voice, are excellent tools when focusing on a main idea. A common mistake among young writers is choosing a less appropriate subject for a sentence. Addressing this tendency, I tell my students to practice by making the grammatical subject the same as the topic of the paragraph, which does not mean always starting a sentence with the subject. Many clauses and phrases other than the main clause may introduce the idea, yet the subject should be direct.
My students often write “I think, I believe, I feel, In my opinion, For me, etc…” This point of view, although sometimes efficient, is not so strong. I say to some students “Who cares what you think? What are the facts?” If you are in your own essay, you need to ask yourself why. If the only reason you are in the essay is because the opinion is yours, use the 3rd person.
Another very common flaw,
especially among Asian-born students (for some socially interesting reason) is
to support a position almost entirely based on what “most people think”.
Fortunately, I was raised by parents who understand that what most people think
is very often wrong. The freedom to express a difference of opinion may be why
you are studying to write well. “Most people think” is bad style for a number of
reasons. First, it often has no connection to the main idea. How much tax is
required to get this country out of debt does not depend on what people think.
Second, understanding the thinking of even one person is difficult; at best,
third party polls are necessary to support the point. Third, stating a belief in
what most people think indicates that you are not an individualist. The power of
the individual, ironically, is very highly praised in this pluralist nation.
Usually, it is best not to use “most people think” even when you want to go
against the opinion of “these people”.
Take a look at the changes made to
the following sentences to see both how the main idea of the sentence becomes
more focused as well as what various noun clause forms are available. For
clarity, all the revised sentences below are noun clauses, not gerund phrases
(which we will practice later).
Weak: Most people do not understand when they should exercise their right to the 5th Amendment.
Better: When the right to the 5th Amendment should be used is widely misunderstood.
OK: I am not
completely confident that the people of the
Better: Whether the people of the
OK: Most people accept the fact that they must pay taxes to improve their quality of life.
Better: That taxes are necessary for an improved quality of life is understandable.
OK: Many people continue to look for clues as to the way that the Founding Fathers thought when they wrote the Constitution.
Better: How the Founding Father thought when they wrote the Constitution is continually scrutinized and debated.
Examine the
following weak paragraph and attempt to make it stronger in whatever way you
can. One improved example, as well as more practice with noun clauses, can be
seen in the next section of this site.
Faulty example:
I do not think the 2nd
Amendment freedom of the press is being used very wisely. Most people feel that
if the newspapers and news magazines can publish anything they want to that all
people will be safer. If this is true, why do I always see information about
vulnerable locations in the