Hrant Agakhanyan #1 34/40
AP Language
VanAckeren
22 September 2014 I am confident. I choose this word to label me. I choose from among several similar words like cocky, arrogant, and egotistical. I made this choice about two years ago with simple motives.
I choose this word because of the way it can benefit my life in everything I do. Life is extremely difficult for most people due to the tough obstacles that will be in your way. For example, many people that want to become a doctor or a lawyer go through many years of hardship like stress or frustration. To overcome these hardships in life you must believe in yourself. To believe in yourself you must be confident. Cocky and confident are very similar words. Cocky people are also confident but, confident people are not cocky. Cocky means to have or show confidence in a way that is annoying to others. That shows already that it has a negative connotation unlike confident which means having a belief or feeling that you can do something well or succeed at something. Arrogance also has a negative connotation. It means to have or reveal an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or ability. Egotistical is the feeling or belief that you are better and more important than other people. I don’t want to be labeled cocky, arrogant, or egotistical not only because of the definition but, also from how others would see and treat me. I want to be honorable or be respected by everyone and to earn respect I must show it as well which I would not be able to do if I was cocky, egotistical, or arrogant. It helps a lot in life to be confident. For example, if you are taking a test in any class you if you believe in yourself that you will pass the test compared to

having thoughts about failing you will have a better chance of passing. Another great example would be in sports. When you verse someone in any sport your goal is to beat that person and to win you must believe that you will succeed. All the great athletes in sports history like Kobe
Bryant, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Muhammad Ali all have one similarity which is confidence. You will never see them say that they will lose a match. You will see them say that they will try their best and believe in themselves. Some successful people in life are also cocky, arrogant, or egotistical which is why they are judged by many people. I do not want to be judged
I only want to be confident in myself. In Nancy Mairs essay she states that she doesn’t care what people call her. Unlike Nancy
Mairs I do care about what people call me. I don’t want to be called cocky, egotistical, or arrogant because it does not label me correctly. I do not think highly of myself and I do not tell or show someone that I am better than them. That is being overconfident in yourself which is unnecessary. What is necessary is to be confident in yourself because you want to succeed in everything and to do that you must believe that you can and you will succeed. Effective (A+, A, A­,
B+)

Adequate (B, B­, C+,
C)

Inadequate (C­, D+)

Little success (D, D­,
F)

Essay utilizes an effective word choice
“to name” the writer.
Essay effectively explores the word and its connotations to provide rich insight into the writer. The writer provides effective examples and/or illustrations that support the word choice. Essay

Adequately utilizes word choice “to name” the writer. Word choice may be vague or imprecise, but not incorrect. Essay adequately explores the word and its personal connotations to provide insight into the writer. The writer provides adequate examples and/or

Does not choose an effective word “to name” the writer.
Vague or