SAT II Writing ~6 (timed essay - 20 minutes)
The discussion anouy a person's character being innate vs. made goes on ceaselessly in the present day. However, there is no one who argues that an individuality is developed solely by inborn factors. On the contrary, many people now believe that the environmental factors play a vital role in development of a character, as I also believe. Current statistics on crimes and researches on education prudently prove this point.
In the United States, statistics show that our of males in the households where the husband beats the wife occasionally, over 60 % of them turn out to be wife-beaters when they grow up. This shows how the environment one grows up in; things he sees, ideas he forms, and ways he lives in unconsciously inculcate him to be accustomed to them, and think of them as natural to commit.
Philosopher John Locke once propsed teh idea of Tabula Rasa; "a blank sheet" - an idea that we are born with nothing on our brains, our brains being a blank sheet of paper on which our experience writes on and form individuality. Although a little bit one-sided, it proves to be mainly right nonethelessly. Researches show that 30 % of our individuality is formed through hereditary factors, and the remaining 70 % is formed through education and experiences until the age of approximately 25. This clearly shows how it is much more sensible to say that individuality is formed, rather than born with.
The specific statistics on criminals and the researches on development of individuality in general show how the experiences play a much more crucial role in making a person the way he is. After all, nobody is born with innate qualities to be a criminal. The society; the adverse conditions and deseperate needs put them in situations where there is no alternative.
Note *
As I was very much running our of ideas, I used the Tabula Rasa that our dehydrating headmaster had taught us.
I'm not sure if it really was John Locke. I just hope it was.
If it wasn't, umm.. oh well.