[English Standard] [Module C - The Craft of Writing]

[harjot2k19]

Hey,
I wrote this discursive essay for my standard English assignment. It is based on the given statement; "Inside every person you know, there is a person you don't know". We were given a choice of Discursive, Imaginative and Creative, from which I chose discursive. I would really really appreciate if you could have a look at it (not that long) and share some feedback you think could improve the essay overall. Thanks.
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Individuality defines our character. An individual's unique characteristics are formed during their development in life and provide the foundation on which an individual is recognised. Our relations with others allow us to gain an understanding about their character and features of their nature, which enables us to build connections. However, inside every person exist perspectives that are unknown to the outside world and could be argued are undiscoverable unless shared. These perspectives contribute to the notion of individuality, within a population of billions.

An individual's character is like an iceberg; in that unshared perspectives and experiences exist within every person that aren’t visible to the ‘outside world’ or even close members of  family. Regardless of our relationship with an individual, unshared perspectives and intentions exist inside a person that may contain personalities different to that shown to others. For instance, individuals discontented with their circumstances may not reveal these emotions to others. This is affirmed by the Japanese belief, ‘within each person exists three faces; one shown to the world, one shown to family and last shown to none’. The concept of this belief challenges the traditional perception that an individual's character can be completely understood if significant time has been spent with him or her. However, one can never truly grasp what happens behind closed doors; thus can never fully understand an individual, confirming the statement; ‘inside every person there is a person you don’t know’.

Furthermore, apart from literal medical factors such as ‘multiple personality disorders’, the statement questions the familial relations between individuals, as even those from the same family may not completely know each other as no family member can ever spend their entire life with the other. Individuals may naturally change after the death of a family member or change as the impact of the death, and thus can’t be known entirely.
A challenging aspect of understanding the individual character is the platforms of entertainment and social media. As popularly on social media, individuals present themselves as ‘one in a million’ with specific moods and perspectives that may shape an artificial public perception distant from the truth. These perceptions strongly affirm the statement, as seemingly happy individuals in picture may be a completely different person from the inside. As those in a bad mood may most likely smile for a picture. These platforms encourage ‘fake perfection’ through offering filters and enhancing tools that heavily impact our understanding of the reality of an individual. As such our knowledge of that individual may be greatly filled with lies and misconceptions.

In contrast, it could be argued false in the sense that shallow individual’s may always remain shallow and that their character could be summarised into a common perception, and thus, can be ‘completely' understood by others. For instance, research conducted by the justice system outlines the high likeness of convicted criminals to recidivate upon release, and re-engage in criminal activities. Such acts contribute to the permanent perception of an individual and eliminates the need to know any further about a person’s character. Our personalities are like a mirror, and thus a general sense of an individual can be gained by spending a significant amount of time with him/her, as it reflects their personality upon you and allows you to gain an understanding about their general behaviour and character that is unlikely to change in the future. For instance, academic kids in high school are most likely to perform academically in the future, due to their developed cognitive abilities and mindsets. Thus, close friends of these individuals may not know everything about them, but may know enough to be able to closely predict their behaviour.

Additionally, it could also be argued, that if you know all the primary characteristics about an individual or member of the family, does it really matter if something is being hidden. If an individual is ‘hiding’ certain intentions, experiences or perspectives and it doesn’t impact your relationship with the individual, then it could be agreed that it doesn’t even matter. For reference, newly married couples may not discuss their past relationships, Since there is no real measure of how much you need to know about an individual to truly know them completely, it can be accepted that knowing the behaviour and personality of an individual is sufficient and that if certain intentions have been hidden from everybody, then you know the individual just as well as everyone else.

One can never completely grasp an individual's intentions, behaviours and perspectives as there will always exist thoughts and mental conversations an individual has with the person within him/her self. However, in some regards, knowing somebody enough to gain a general sense about they behaviour and characteristics may be accepted as sufficient, if two or more individuals are able to connect and understand the motives of each other, then it may not even matter about the person within you don’t know about.