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Are there any corrections i should make and what do you think of my essay. please check it. and give feedback. please and thank you. Prompt: Discuss something that you have read and how it has influenced you, possibly changing your mind about something. Essay: "You can disappear here without knowing it." —Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis A book that has influenced me, or changed my mind about something was the novel Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. This book has changed my perceptions on the idealistic lives of the young and rich in the 80’s and what it really means to “have it all”. After reading Less Than Zero it gave me that haunting and empty feeling very few books are able to give me. It gave me a better insight on the lives led by the privileged and ultimately made me pity them and their tragic ways. The characters in the story are able to have anything they want, which as the story unfolded I figured out was exactly the problem. They test the boundaries of how far is too far and it’s never far enough. When reading such a deep, haunting, mind bending novel about a controversial and rarely discussed subject I could not help being influenced and changed from what I had read. Less Than Zero has taught me to believe that the glamorous Los Angeles lifestyle is not all it’s cracked up to be and characters similar to those in the book are actually the unlucky and ill-fated ones. The characters appear to be shallow because, in reality they aren’t really there. Without anything to entertain them they play through life’s actions halfheartedly. This is due to the fact that, from an early age Clay and his friends were exposed to things most parents shield their kids from. One dilemma they face is that they really have “been there and done that”. They understand that they can have anything they want and they can do anything they want which ultimately leaves them nonchalant and reckless. The finer things they own or are given such as cars and expensive clothes do not help their situation any more than it hurts it. Each day is a quest to find thrills. I found this quite intriguing because, the average teenager finds the lack of freedom and not being able to do something due to restrictions set by parents/ guardians, morals, and religion is a problem in their lives. As television and movies show us the average teenager aims to establish more freedom and responsibility in hopes of living that seemingly fun and attractive lifestyle like Clay and his friends. No longer will I hold that kind of lifestyle in such high regards and believe it is anything worth wanting. I realize it is some meaningless search to find happiness and entertainment in a world where they could get anything they want with a snap of a finger. I credit this book for opening my eyes up about a kind of life I cannot experience firsthand and showing me the dark side of wealth and glamour. Furthermore, Less Than Zero proved to me that no one is shielded from the struggles and hardships of life no matter how easy their lives might seem. I found myself sympathizing with the characters even though I could not relate to their lives and personalities throughout the story. I put aside the fact that there are people such as those stricken by poverty and disease who would consider themselves lucky to be in their position and, the problems Clay and his friends face seem petty compared to many people in the world. I finally figured out that under the circumstances in which they live in they too are worth recognizing as unfortunate. Like the quote stated above, Clay and his acquaintances have disappeared in their fast paced L.A. lives without realizing it. Throughout the story the characters frequently mention their urge to go back to a simpler time, a time when they could actually feel things instead of playing through life’s motions. If one could see through the characters soulless exterior they can realize what goes on in their minds and the defining moments that led up to making them the self destructive and unhappy beings that they are. After searching for the good in these lost characters, I learned I should be doing this with people I face all the time. Instead of criticizing and despising someone based on their personality and actions I should try to see the situation from their point of view to reach the ultimate goal of understanding. Overall, Less Than Zero is a novel that has both influenced me and changed my mind about something. This harrowing novel has changed my thoughts about the heavily sugar coated lives of the rich and fabulous crowd in the 80’s and revealed the truth about this Los Angeles reality and the desperate search for cheap thrills I knew very little about. It influenced me to always look at both perspectives of a situation and not judge a person too quickly before thoroughly analyzing their point of view also and understand where they are coming from. As a result, this novel has affected me dee

Public Comments

1. Overall this essay seems to answer the question well. The introduction, I think, seems just a bit too specific. It could be somewhat more generalized to better support the body paragraphs. The second paragraph just seems to be a repeat of the first with a few words changed/added here or there. Body paragraphs flow much more smoothly without any off-topic add-ons with strong main points apparent in your introduction. Rather than listing all these points you are planning to talk about, you can just say the main points in the intro and support those with details and points in the body. The intro also seems to basically answer the question with the same words. Maybe part of this is because you directly try to answer this in your very first sentence. You should double check your comma placements. You should also explain who Clay is in the second paragraph. Rather than being the protagonist, I could mistake him for being an antagonist or my pet cow. Good luck.