GRE作文是中国学生比较头痛的，经常准备很多时间最后还是只得到3.5。我之所以得到6分，个人认为我的文风比较淳朴扎实，有科学性，写的思路比较广(正、反、特)，字数也比较多(I800+、A700+)。
Next consider the military hero, who gains heroic stature by way of courage in battle, or by
otherwise facing certain defeat and emerging victorious. Former presidential hopeful John
McCain, whom even his political opponents laud as a war hero for having not only endured
years of torture as a prisoner of war but also for continuing to serve his country afterwards. Do
his patriotism and mettle reveal our society's true character? Certainly not. They reveal only
that we admire his courage, fortitude, and strength.
114
On the other hand, consider a third type of hero: the champion of social causes who inspires
and incites society to meaningful political and social change. Such luminaries as India's
Mahatma Gandhi, America's Martin Luther King, South Africa's Nelson Mandela, and Poland's
Lech Lawesa come immediately to mind. This unique brand of hero does reflect, and indeed
must reflect, the character of the hero's society. After all, it is the function of the social
champion to call attention to the character of society, which having viewed its reflection in the
hero is incited to act bravely--in accordance with its collective character.
In sum, I agree with the speaker's claim only with respect to champions of society's social
causes. Otherwise, what society deems heroic reflects instead a basic, and universal, human
need for paragons--to whom we can refer as metaphors for the sorts of virtues that for lack of
character we cannot ourselves reflect.
Issue 104
"Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people
have a diminished sense of who they are."
The speaker asserts that rituals and ceremonies are needed for any culture or group of
people to retain a strong sense of identity. I agree that one purpose of ritual and ceremony is to
preserve cultural identity, at least in modern times. However, this is not their sole purpose; nor
are ritual and ceremony the only means of preserving cultural identity.
I agree with the speaker insofar as one purpose of ritual and ceremony in today's world is to
preserve cultural identity. Native American tribes, for example, cling tenaciously to their
traditional ceremonies and rituals, which typically tell a story about tribal heritage.
The reason for maintaining these rituals and customs lies largely in the tribes' 500-year
struggle against assimilation, even extinction, at the hands of European intruders. An outward
display of traditional customs and distinct heritage is needed to put the world on notice that
each tribe is a distinct and autonomous people, with its own heritage, values, and ideas.
Otherwise, the tribe risks total assimilation and loss of identity.
The lack of meaningful ritual and ceremony in homogenous mainstream America
underscores this point. Other than a few gratuitous ceremonies such as weddings and funerals,
we maintain no common rituals to set us apart from other cultures. The reason for this is that
as a whole America has little cultural identity of its own anymore. Instead, it has become a
patchwork quilt of many subcultures, such as Native Americans, Hasidic Jews, Amish, and
urban African Americans--each of which resort to some outward demonstration of its
distinctiveness in order to establish and maintain a unique cultural identity.
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