Why Certain College Essays Work

As the due dates for my college essays rapidly approach, I am terrified. How will I know what makes a good college essay? The answer is that my English teacher will tell me. She has showed me what characteristics make a college essay good, bad, or risky. She has also named the four D's that we must avoid: death, divorce, drugs, and drama. My teacher has given me three college essays that worked, and it is my job to determine why they worked. The first essay was written by Lakshmi Kannan '10 for Mahindra United World College, Trechur Kerela, India. She successfully avoided the four D's, she followed the directions of "discuss an achievement", she was specific and focused, she was definately very creative, she had an angle, she held the reader's attention, she had a strong hook, her essay was descriptive, it appealed to the senses, and Lakshmi developed a very distinct voice. Her essay was not cheesy or bragging, she did not generalize or bad mouth, for all I know, she did not lie, her essay was certainly not boring, she did not use too many obnoxiously big words, and religion and politics were left out of her essay. Taking risks can be harmful or helpful and in Lakshmi's case, she took risks and they worked. Lakshmi had a funny tone that sets her apart from the other applicants, and she talked about sex throughout her essay, which makes her writing unique. Lakshmi had a shocking opening of "Wagina...wagina...wagina" which, again, sets her apart from the other heaps of applications sitting on the dean of admission's desk.

Why I Loved "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

I have to admit that summer reading is a great source of dread in my life that usually results in major procrastination. That is why when I picked up Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" I was very unhappy about having to read the thick volume during my sacred summer vacation. However, I had no reason to begrudge reading this novel because I ended up actually enjoying it! That's right. I said it. I loved my summer reading book. It was, by far, the best book I have ever been assigned for summer reading. Why did I love "A Thousand Splendid Suns"? The reasons may not fit in this blog. Just kidding, I'm sure I will struggle to meet the 500 word minimum as I usually do. Anyway, let's get to the point: why I enjoyed this novel. I enjoyed it because it is very well written. Hosseini is a very descriptive writer, and that is appealing to me as a reader. It keeps things interesting. Another writer could describe something and I would be bored, but Hosseini's description of the simplest of objects is artistic and colorful. Hosseini's style makes his novels hard to put down, and I finished the book fairly quickly. Hosseini's character development is wonderful, and a reader feels like they know the characters. This results in the reader being even more entralled with the plot. Hoseinni's most important accomplishment is not how he writes his novels, (although that is very impressive), but what he writes them about. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" lets people know what is going on in the middle east. Although people of the world can watch the news, that only goes so far. That is what the reporter can show you, but Hosseini gives us a glimpse of just how terrible the conditions are. He puts us in the shoes of an abused housewife. The news can't do that. I enjoyed "A Thousand Splendid Suns" much more than my other summer reading book. "Night" is a good book, but it doesn't compare to Hosseini's writing. I honestly only chose to read "Night" because it is as thin as my latest "Seventeen" magazine and I had already read it once in middle school. I had heard my mother and Great Aunt Elaine raving about "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and now I know why they were so fond of it. I plan on reading Khaled Hosseini's other novel, "The Kite Runner", this summer, when I am less busy. If "A Thousand Splendid Suns" was so great, then I can't wait to read Hosseini's other work. I will probably try to find other authors who write about the same topics as Hosseini, because those topics are very important in my opinion. Other authors will probably not be able to match Hosseini's descriptions and character development.484. In conclusion, I loved reading Khaled Hosseini's novel, "A Thousand Splendid Suns", because of it's excellent descriptions and characters. Summer reading was not a chore this year.

Comparing and Contrasting Characters of "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

In Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns", two of the main characters are named Mariam and Laila. They have both similarities and differences. Their similarities are that they are both women suffering in the terrible conditions of the middle east. More specifically, they are both married to the same abusive man. The similarities end there. Laila is beautiful, while Mariam is not. Laila comes from a privileged background, while Mariam does not. Laila was educated and Mariam was not. Despite their differences, the two women must depend on eachother to survive the wrath of their husband, Rashed. Rashed can be compared to another character named Tariq. Hardly any comparisans can be drawn since Rashed and Tariq are practically foil characters. This means that they are polar opposites and they exaggerate the other's characteristics. Tariq was Laila's childhood friend, who she later fell in love with. He lost his leg to a land mine, but did not let this slow him down. Tariq is strong and kind, while Rashed is a tyrant. Laila's parents both had very tragic lives, but since they are very different characters, they handled their tragedies differently. After Laila's brothers died in war, Laila's father grieved normally, then returned to his normal life. He displayed tremendous strength. Laila's mother was almost bi-polar. She never left her bed, then she would suddenly be out of bed, acting happy. She did not handle her son's deaths well, and she ignored the child she still had because she was too caught up in her grief. Laila's parents did not have the normal dynamic that most families in that country did. Laila's mother was forceful and Laila's father was submissive. Mariam's parents did not live together as Laila's did. This was because Mariam's mother worked for Mariam's father and they had an affair. Mariam was born out of wedlock as a harami or bastard, and she and her mother were sent to live in an isolated shack so they would be kept a secret. Mariam's mother was bitter because she and Mariam had been sent away, and she took out her frustration on her daughter. Mariam's father visited her from time to time, and he was very good to Mariam and she loved him even though he had sent her away. The main difference between Mariam's parents is that her mother took care of her but was cruel to her, and her father ignored her, but was kind when he visited.411. Laila and Tariq are another set of characters who can be compared and contrasted. They have their love for eachother in common, and they also are suffering the same terrible conditions of their country. They both loose their families because Laila's house was bombed, and his parents died in a refugee camp. Laila and Tariq are both kind and well educated. The difference between the two is that Tariq is stronger. Laila is strong too of course, but Tariq is the one who lost a leg, and Tariq is the one who came to save Laila from Rashed.