Descriptive Essay Sample
The Person I Am
An innate question for humans beings is, “Who am I?” A failure to answer this question can be disastrous for our well-being,
since it refers to making a distinctive decision to what we aspire to do, and what we want to achieve in our lives. Consequently,
it becomes easier for people to manipulate and shape us into what they want if we don’t give ourselves an answer to this
fundamental question. As for me, I have become grounded in an idea of myself, and this has aided me in being self-confident.
Richard Gunde (2002) posits that a person’s physical appearance is the foundation on which other people judge them by (p.
71). Unfortunately, identifying oneself this way is inaccurate because other people cannot appropriately deduce who I am just
by my height or the way I dress. For instance, I am a short person, which consequently assigns me to the lower regions of the
social ladder, so to speak. Most people will treat me with prejudice because of my height. But only after these interlocutors
interact with me can they more or less make an idea of who I am. A personality – that is a gateway into knowing whom people
truly are. Through the personality I exhibit, people can perceive how good I am. My friends see me as caring and generous,
always willing to go that extra mile for them.
For a person to achieve a lot, they need to set high goals and values, and pursue them throughout their whole lives with
diligence. However, the fact that not many people act upon this procedure is quite disturbing, because it seems that such
people simply go adrift and don’t make efforts to manage the many areas of their lives as a coherent whole. I think that I could
be called an exception among my friends. I am a focused and organized person who is determined to achieve the best that life
has offered me in the way of opportunities. I know when I will retire, and what activities I should engage in at their correct
time in my life. I also know how much money I will have saved by the time I am fifty years old.
Besides being above the rest in determination and organization, I have a penchant for writing. I attribute this to my parents
who were both teachers and encouraged me to read and write from a tender age. By the time I was three, I could read and
write, and I would spend my spare time cuddled up on the floor trying to make sense of high school textbooks while my peers
were out playing in the sandpit. When writing, at times I get so enthusiastic that I hardly realize what I am trying to put
across. My fingers fly over the keyboard and ideas just pour from my head. Later, when I go through the hodgepodge of
scribbled ideas, I invariably notice themes. Evaluating these themes help decipher my bottled-up emotions and interpret my
characters. In stories, the characters express my viewpoint. Opinion essays, on the other hand, demonstrate my values.
I believe that physical appearances are not the best yardstick for evaluating who a person really is. My personality, ambitions,
and what I love doing should be the best criteria for defining who I really am. One should never be worried that they do not
know everything about themselves because we are continuously learning and discovering new aspects of ourselves. Personally,
I am satisfied knowing that my friends value me and consider me an asset.
Reference
Gunde, Richard. (2002). Who am I? Where did I come from? Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
The Great Wall of China
China is the largest country in Asia and the world’s most populous nation. It also has one of the world’s oldest and continuous
civilizations. The Chinese have occupied their vast territory for thousands of years and China boasts numerous achievements in
a variety of areas. The country has produced many great thinkers and philosophers, and numerous artists and inventors from
China have introduced creations that have changed perhaps billions of lives. Some of these creations include the compass,
gunpowder, paper and printing, porcelain and silk. But, perhaps the most well-known and recognized symbol of China is the
Great Wall.
The Great Wall, or Chang Cheng in Chinese, is massive. It begins in the east at the Yellow Sea, travels near China’s capital,
Beijing, and continues west through numerous provinces. For thousands of miles, it winds like a snake through China’s varied
terrain. Smaller walls extend from the main wall. According to conservative estimates, the Great Wall’s length is approximately
2,400 miles, its thickness ranges from 15-30 feet wide, and it reaches in height to about 25 feet. For many centuries, the Great
Wall has been considered one of the world’s wonders (Turnbull & Noon, 2007).
Although it is often mistakenly thought of as a single wall, the Great Wall is a series of walls that were constructed,
reconstructed and expanded over several centuries and, depending on the location, using different materials. The massive
construction project was the idea of China’s first emperor, Shi Huangdi, who ended more than 250 years of regional fighting
between several independent states, and united China. Once in control, Shi Huangdi wanted to maintain his power and
position. The idea to create a massive wall along the northern border of the country was conceived by the emperor to bar
assailants from kingdoms to the north of China. Construction of the Great Wall continued long after the reign of Shi Huangdi,
particularly during the Han and the Ming dynasties. During these periods, features such as watch towers, gates and garrisons
were added or enhanced and the Wall’s design was unified (Marsh, 2006).
The Great Wall is of great significance as it reflects much of China’s extensive history. The wall helped define the empire and
mark a boundary between the Chinese and foreigners. The great emperor, Shi Huangdi, wanted to keep the Chinese people
together and at the same time isolate the foreigners, especially those to the north (Sterling, 2009). The Great Wall survives
today, more than 2,000 years after its initial construction. It attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world each day,
being one of the most toured and significant monuments in the world. This has helped boost China’s economy through tourism
and foreign exchange (Collins, Staton & Milgrom, 2010).
The Great Wall is undeniably one of humankind’s most prominent and enduring architectural feats. It is a testament to a
people’s ability to plan, organize, create and work diligently together. The wall is a monument to the Chinese civilization, one
that came at great costs and through countless sacrifices.
References
Collins, T., Staton, J., & Milgrom, A. (2010). Building the Great Wall of China: an Isabel Soto
history adventure. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.
Marsh, C. (2006). The mystery on the Great Wall of China. Peachtree City, GA: Gallopade
International.
Sterling, B. L. (2009). Do good fences make good neighbors? What history teaches us about
strategic barriers and international security. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University
Press.
Turnbull, S. R., & Noon, S. (2007). The Great Wall of China, 221 BC-AD 1644. Oxford, UK:
Osprey Pub.
