Essay on the Importance of Belonging

“In” groups and “out” groups. Us and them. Allies and enemies. Friends and foes. The need to belong may be programmed into humanity, or the need to belong may be something we learn as we grow up. Still, many people choose to be outsiders or become outcasts. Is this system of some people belonging to a group while others are left out a problem, or is it just how human nature is? How important is it whether or not a person “belongs” or is an outsider?

Write a unified, coherent essay about the importance of belonging.

In your essay, be sure to:

● clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective

● develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples

● organize your ideas clearly and logically

● communicate your ideas effectively in standardized written English.

Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of those given, in partial agreement, or completely different.

You may wish to consider the following as you think critically about the task:
● Strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives on the issue
● What insights do they offer, and what do they fail to consider?
● Why might they be persuasive to others, or why might they fail to persuade?

●Your own knowledge, experience, and values
● What is your perspective on this issue, and what are its strengths and weaknesses?
● How will you support your perspective in your essay?