Writing Feedback / Should friends be honest to each other? [6]

Hi everyone ^^
I'm new to this forum, and I decided to submit a practice essay I wrote for the SAT...

Assignment: Should friends be honest with each other, even if a truthful comment could be hurtful?

"Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become. Except in cases of necessity, which are rare, leave your friend to learn unpleasant things from his enemies; they are ready enough to tell them." By Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table.

"A good friend can tell you what is the matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling." By Arthur Brisbane, The Book of Today

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In my opinion, friends should be honest to each other, no matter how hurtful a thing can be. While this does not mean two friends can simply hurl insults at each other, it is nessecary for your friend to know if something is wrong with them so it can be fixed for his sake.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said that "disagreeable" things should be told to friends by their enemy. A friend in my opinion has the responsibility to talk to you, to point out your weakness and flaws and together help you to overcome that flaw in your personality. I believe that the nearer you are with someone, the more they should accept your flaws and vice-versa. However, should your friend is doing something that might potentially hurt himself or other people, you have the responsibility as a friend to tell him.

Of course, it does not mean that insults and making snide comments to your friends is helping them. There are many ways to approach a problem, depending on its magnitude. For example, I had a friend who used to wear very short skirts. Rather than giving her insults on how inappropriate it is, I gently told her that she should be aware that while short skirts give her more freedom, she is showing her underwear to everyone behind or under her. She immediately understood, apologized to me, and turned up the next day wearing a much more casual dress. In this situation, she accepted it as something said to her so that she can become a better person in everyone's eyes.

It is true that in another scenario, telling them the truth might make the friend angry and think that you are hi enemy. However, I believe that being honest to yourself and your friends is a must in order for long-lasting friendship to develop.

In conclusion, I believe that if something hurtful must be said to your friend so that he can become better, it should be stated frankly to him.

Word Count: 334.
The example was a bit...funny, but I can't seem to think of anything else, so I just decided to write it down. Feedback and Comments please? :)

Writing Feedback / Are people more likely to be productive/successful when they ignore opinions? [3]

Sorry for the funny title, the whole question couldn't fit in :(
Well, here is another SAT essay practice. I timed myself (25 min), and used a pencil. It was hard trying not to use "you" and things like that, so I ended up using a few. I tried to be more persuasive in the arguments, but reading back, I guess it's something I need to work on. But well, criticize away! :)

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In order to be the most productive and successful people that we are capable of being, we must be willing to ignore the opinions of others. It is only when we are completely indifferent to others' opinions of us-when we are not concerned about how others think of us-that we can achieve our most important goals.

Assignment:

Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

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People are not as likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinion of others. In the modern age, customer's comments are indispensible in improving your own product, and can potentially increase the product's success.

In order to be successful and productive, listening to other's opinion is necessary. Opinions provide criticisms and suggestions for improvements. These comments may not always be useful, but can occasionally help pointing you in the right direction. However, believing in an opinion and not get affected by people's opinions is important too.

Take a writer who is writing a series. Listening to the reader's comments can help the writer to understand how the author's writing style and choice of words are affecting the readers, but these comments might include a good idea that the author should incorporate in the series. These opinions can increase productivity and success at the same time.

Another example would be a cosmetic shop. The shop has some regular customers, who suggested that the newest line of perfume should be a little deeper. However, the shopkeeper thinks that the perfume is already too strong, and refuses to listen to the regulars. The regulars came less frequently, but the perfume was a success. In this case, not getting swayed by the customer's opinion is important as well.

In conclusion, listening to people's opinions can affect your success positively, but believing in your own opinion is important as well.