Final Exam 1

Final Exam

Jacob Dunn

5-24-2023

Throughout our history, we have faced numerous challenges and celebrated remarkable

achievements. By drawing upon the wisdom of our past, we can chart a course towards a brighter

future for all who call this great land home. As we stand at the start of a new era, I will share

pieces of advice that will guide us towards a better future.

Firstly, we must embrace the middle way. Throughout our country’s history, we’ve witnessed the

growth of extreme political ideologies, often polarizing our nation and impeding progress. While

these extremes may be tempting, promising a simple solution to complex problems, it’s in the

middle ground, where there is compromise and cooperation, that we find the true ideals of our

country. The problem lies in the divisions between us, where the pursuit of victory takes

precedence over the pursuit of common ground.

As President Eisenhower said in his farewell address, “Together we must learn how to compose

difference, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.” When looking back at our

history, we are provided with excellent examples, such as the civil rights movement led by Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr, which achieved extraordinary progress through peaceful resistance and a

commitment to justice.
Final Exam 2

Additionally, with the growth of social media, we must promote effective communication and

civil discourse. The problem arises when conversations become polarized, characterized by

hostility, and a lack of respectful engagement.

Schools can be an excellent place to teach people how to have civil discourse. By teaching

students how to listen, and express their thoughts respectfully, we prepare them to properly

navigate disagreements. As President Lincoln said in his first inaugural address, “We are not

enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.”

We must also embrace our humility and learn from history. History holds valuable lessons that

can guide us towards a more enlightened future, but our failure to learn from the mistakes of the

past has led to repeated missteps. We must confront this issue head on by embracing humility

and recognizing that we are beings capable of error.

We should draw inspiration from historical events such as the Vietnam War, a conflict that

divided our nation, and left a lasting impact on the collective consciousness of our people. The

consequences of the war were devastating, both in terms of human lives lost and the long term

damage that was inflicted on our international reputation. We can once again look at Abraham

Lincoln, who acknowledged his own limitations and surrounded himself with advisors who

offered diverse perspectives.

As a final piece of advice, we must preserve the fragile beauty of our environment. The natural

beauty of our land is a precious inheritance that we must protect for future generations.
Final Exam 3

Throughout history, there have been both positive and negative examples that highlight the

importance of environmental preservation.

The Dust Bowl is a devastating environmental disaster that occurred during the 1930s. Intensive

farming and a severe drought led to widespread erosion of topsoil and the creation of enormous

dust storms. This serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of disregarding the fragility of

our environment.

A current negative example is the contamination of the Flint River. The inadequate treatment of

drinking water led to high levels of lead and other toxic substances, causing a public health

crisis.

While there are negative things happening to our environment, there are also positives, such as

the establishment of Yellowstone National Park. This was the first national park in the world,

becoming a symbol of the environmental conservation movement.

In the end, we should embrace the middle way, have civil discourse, practice humility, and

preserve our environment to help shape the future for the generations to come.

Life during covid was challenging for many people around the world, including me. For my

experience, I was on a trip in Oregon with my dad when Covid first started spreading. About half
Final Exam 4

way through the trip, a few states had started preventing access to tourists, so we had to end our

trip early due to the worry of being stuck there for an undetermined amount of time. It was the

last quarter of eighth grade for me when it first started, and I thought I was going to have a nice 2

week vacation. Those 2 weeks then turned into the rest of the school year, then the rest of the

school year turned into the following school year. This had a big impact on my health because

while I was doing school online for ninth grade they didn’t even do zoom classes, so I never

made face to face contact with my teachers or classmates, even if it was online. This also caused

me to not make any friends during that year, so I spent most of my time inside. I remember

hearing about all the seniors in high school being sad due to there not being prom, and for some

schools, not even having an in person graduation.