Gre analytical Writing issue essay Topic 101

GRE Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Topic - 119 
"While some leaders in government, sports, industry, and other areas attribute their success to a 
well-developed sense of competition, a society can better prepare its young people for leadership 
by instilling in them a sense of cooperation." 
GRE AWA Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Sample 
Solution - 119 
When a young child is brought up, there are numerous things he has to be taught, many of which 
are conflicting. While one has to learn how to be polite, he has to even be taught how to be 
adamant when it is so required. Where compassion for all human beings is to be taught, it is also 
required that the child be taught how to stay away from cons. Bringing up a child and preparing 
him to be a good leader is, thus, very challenging. There are numerous debates and discussions 
on whether a spirit of competition is more beneficial or a sense of cooperation is better. In my 
view, both these aspects are important for a well-balanced personality to develop. Where 
competition is required, it is equally important to learn how things can be done through 
cooperation. 
In today's competitive world, it is not possible for all of us to make our mark. It is only those few 
who are motivated and capable enough that make a place for themselves in society. Such people 
finally become leaders in their own right and inspire millions. For such people, the motivation 
can come from any source. It could be an aspect of one's personality such as his sense of 
competition, compassion, altruism, self-confidence, charity, leadership, intelligence, passion, 
greed, jealousy, pride or anything else that could be the reason for his success. A true leader is 
the one who inspires people to become like him. For instance, if we were to choose a leader from 
the past, we would prefer Mahatma Gandhi to Hitler. Gandhi was compassionate where Hitler 
was one of the cruelest people ever. His pride and determination led to his success, though he 
could never win the hearts of people. Gandhi, on the other hand, was compassionate towards 
people. He spearheaded the Indian independence struggle while cooperating with people of 
different sections of society and became a true leader of masses and classes alike. He continues 
to inspire millions. 
Cooperation among different nations is a major reason why humankind is surviving. Without 
exchanging our raw materials, human resources, food, medicines, technology, armies etc, it 
would not be possible for any country to sustain itself. Similarly, political parties can achieve a 
lot if they cooperate with each other for the betterment of the nation as a whole, though this is 
very difficult to achieve. 
At the same time, it is equally important for a spirit of competition to remain alive. Great 
sportsmen insist on a compelling sense of competition for success. In fact, many sportsmen 
provoke themselves by some means or the other to develop a feeling of vengeance towards their 
competitors. Children perform much better if there is healthy competition in class. A bright 

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student among mediocre classmates might never strive enough because of lack of competition 
and challenges. A student among those who are at par with him will strive to beat them and 
excel. This does not mean that such competitive students should not cooperate with each other. 
The challenge here is to teach children where the line is to be drawn. In the name of cooperation, 
one should not be cheated and for the sake of competition, one should not fill one's heart with 
contempt and vengeance. 
It is not the sense of competition or cooperation that leaders require, but the judicious use of 
these aspects. Though it is difficult for these two qualities to co-exist, it is vital nonetheless. 
Healthy competition, wherever it exists leads to success and improvement. Unhealthy 
competition will always result in degradation, either of quality or of morals. We should thus 
teach our young people how to respect others, cooperate with them and compete for 
improvement of their own selves. 

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