解析SAT短文中的Critical Thinking

It is more valuable for people to be unique and different. Conformity is the bane of our existence— it is differences among people that gives each of us greater perspective and allows us to make better judgments. Throughout history and literature，numerous people have refused to “fit in”，which allowed them to do many things they could not have if they chose to “fit in”，such as Atticus Finch，Huckleberry Finn，and Copernicus and Galileo.

In To Kill a Mocking bird by Harper Lee，Atticus Finch refuses to flow with society. When he is assigned to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman，he acts differentlythan most other lawyers would have. In a case of a white man’s word against a black man’s，the trial would only be a show because the black man would certainly been indicted. However，Atticus is aware that the defendant is innocent and fights a losing battle to reveal the truth，which is what all lawyers should do. He is considerably different from most other men of his time，who would have realized the outcome was inevitable and would not have struggled against it. Thus，he is able to open the peoples’ eyes to the truth，and although he does lose the case，he scores a moral victory. His refusal to go down without a fight marked him as different，but this difference opened the door for the truth，allowing the parochial townspeople to see a larger perspective，beyond their racial prejudices.

Huck Finn is also different，which allows him to see the truth and makebetter judgments. In The Adventures of Huckle berry Finn by Mark Twain，Huck shuns “respectable” society，preferring his free，unchained life. This refusal to obey society’s restrictions allows him to befriend a runaway slave，something that would be impossible in “respectable” society. His difference allows him to see the man as a person，not chattel to be sold at a whim. He begins to realize that slavery is wrong，that all men should be free. Therefore，when his new friend is captured，Huck decides to help him escape，going against all his society has taught him. He is described in glowing terms as a hero，simply because his differences allowed him a more encompassing view of his world，allowing him to make a very good decision.

Copernicus and Galileo also refused to “fit in” with their society； when they discovered the true structure of the solar system，they went against standard views and aired their own. Many scorned them for their discoveries and ostracized them，trying to make them conform and manipulate their discoveries to support the older view of the universe. However，they persevered in spite of all the
obstacles they faced and continued to promote their discoveries. They were unique— they created a new theory and published it during a time when difference was feared and struck out against. Eventually，their discoveries were verified，opening a new perspective and eventuallyleading to even more important discoveries. Their discovery changed peoples’perspectives of the world and led the people to become more open-minded，leading to the discovery of even more，wonderful ideas.

These examples illustrate how nonconformity is an essential quality for mankind. The greatest thinkers were unique— they did not try to “fit in” and follow society；instead，they led it. Differences among people give each of us greater perspective and allow us to make better judgments，suchas the decision to be different. With conformity，there cannot be change or progress，an essential process for the human race- uniqueness and differences allow us to prosper and flourish.

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