2025 Set 2 Open Argument: Amanda Gorman and Optimism

Amanda Gorman is the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, an honor given to a young person for exceptional artistic expression, civic engagement, and social impact. In a 2021 interview in Time magazine, when asked how to maintain optimism1 in challenging times, Gorman stated: “Optimism shouldn’t be seen as opposed to pessimism,2 but in conversation with it. Your optimism will never be as powerful as it is in that exact moment when you want to give it up.”

1: a tendency to view things in a positive light

2: a tendency to view things in a negative light

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Gorman’s claim about the relationship between optimism and pessimism is valid. In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible position.

• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning.

• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.

• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.