Essay prompt 1: should we always suspect people's ulterior motives?
Human nature teems with unexpected features and characteristics that we are yet to fully comprehend them. It still evokes our curiosity in understanding it. We never get to know ourselves deeply, therefore we hardly have a grasp at people's motives. It is best to always suspect that others may have ulterior incentives.
First and foremost, as far as human nature is concerned, we are whimsical creatures and hard to be predicted. Suspicion plays as an aegis against any ill will of others. If people may have ulterior motives, then we should be watching out in return. As a scientist, one always questions the veracity of a theory or an experiment and must doubt everything even oneself. Science is all about finding the truth, but the truth can't reveal itself unless one unearths it from the ground. Suspicion constitutes a tool.
Generally, the world is rife with unforeseen events, hence we'd better make ourselves prepared to any circumstances. The US government received the bitterest lesson from the terror of September Eleventh and since then, they have bettered the airport security and put police on the planes to prevent any mishap caused by ulterior motives of terrorists. Before the September Eleventh, the US government let the terrorists find their way to enact misdeeds and kill numerous innocent victims. Fortunately, the governors come up with proper and timely policy to thwart terrorism. The victims on September Eleventh didn't die in vain, but on the other hand, their death teaches us that anything could happened and we are responsible to act swiftly.
In To kill a mockingbird, a book written by Harper Lee, Mr. Ewell puts Tom Robinson, a Negro of Maycomb, on trial, accusing him of raping Ewell's daughter. Atticus, father of Jem and Scout, defends Robinson in the case and successfully convinces everyone in the town, even Ewell himself that Tom Robinson is not guilty. However, Atticus not only defends Tom Robinson, but he also points out that Mr. Ewell abused his daughter and alleged that Robinson committed a crime. Unfortunately, under the Southern system, Robinson is jailed, finally being shot more than ten times when 'trying to escape'. Everything seems to be over, or at least that's what Atticus thinks. After the trial, publicly carried out, Ewell is ashamed, so ashamed that he keeps pestering Mrs. Robinson and even breaking in the Judge's house. His anger shimmers and bursts out at night, when Jem and Scout is on their way back home from Halloween's pageant. The night is as dark as ink without any moon's light. Ewell drinks, holding a knife with him, follows the children easily as Scout's costumes glisters in the dark, and nearly kills the children. Lucky for Jem and Scout, Ewell fails and is tripped by oak tree's roots, killing himself instantly. Atticus and everyone are appalled by the incident. It never crosses Atticus's mind that Mr. Ewell would do this to his children because Ewell just bothers Atticus mildly.
The aforementioned examples of the September Eleventh event and Mr. Ewell justify that we should under any circumstances be always looking for any ulterior motives to stymie preventive unwanted event.
Essay prompt 2: Should people weight all opinions equally, or place more weight on informed opinions?
Human nature teems with unexpected features and it still evokes our curiosity to comprehend it. Our nature sometimes lets us come up with the 'erstwhile' absurd ideas but these ideas turn out to be original and revolutionary. Therefore we should scrutinize and weigh every opinion equally for by doing so we not only open ourselves to new ideas but also learn to appreciate people and their flows of thought.
First and foremost, every man is created equally, so he is entitled to speak up his opinion. Since then, he must work out the best way to deliver his thoughts and persuade people to listen and follow him. He has successfully made it with his skills accumulated from years of practice and observation. Therefore his voice has more volume than others'. But not everyone is like him. Those who lack charisma and ability to influence people will stand on weaker stance and are inclined to be ignored. In a group, therein lies hegemony of people who have 'informed' opinions and tend to block out others. That's very dangerous. As seen in the case of 'Test' movie, informed opinions never prevail. The movie talks about a group of people participating in a test to compete for a slot in the Board of Director position and 'there is only one answer'. They are befuddled as their paper is emty and there's no instructions except for the candidate's name and number. Edward stands up and comes up with many informed opinions and have done everything from breaking the room's light bulbs to activate emergency's light. There is a rule that every candidate must protect their paper otherwise they will be disqualified. Edward continually eliminates Sarah, an innocent girl who lets Edward destroy her paper by igniting the paper to turn up the water for emergency. It is Edward's idea that the water may contain special chemical substance and it will reveal the answer. However, a French guy sits still and holds a glass broken from the light bulb against the paper. What all the remaining four people don't know is he is the CEO but he is a recluse. He says, when examining the paper with the broken glass from the light bulb, the key to the door must be found in scrutiny and if try hard enough, one can open the door to people's heart. Edward keeps on mocking him and makes him chew the paper. The CEO is led out of the room. The three tries everything but they fail. Conflicts start to burst out, which results in Edward being tied in the chair. But he tells the group that he already knows the question. Lisa, Hogwart and Peter make him speak; Edward explains his 'rational opinion' that there is one answer means that only one person in the room who still stays in the test wins. Edward successfully kicks Hogwart out of the room and shoots down Peter. He is disqualified too because he tries to communicate with the CEO who is watching from behind the black window. At last, Sarah flashes back the French's 'weird' saying and finds that the answer is 'there is no question' on the paper that is written with extremely small size.
Therefore every opinion must be weighed equally.
