50 Harvard Essays

Essays are for reference only. Do NOT copy or imitate anything! 
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a shot or test results – which has caused such great anxiety. As the essay continues, 
the author uses the occasion of waiting for the surgery to reflect on many of his 
complementary attributes: writer, athlete, coward and stoic. Overall, the writing is 
clear and unpretentious. 
Yet in illustrating his multiple roles, the author tends to lose focus of the essay’s 
overall point. Where it seems like the author portrays himself as an avid writer from 
the flow of the first paragraph, the reader is surprised to learn that the author is 
actually a self-described “jock” who plays squash. Before returning to the topic of 
the operation, the author takes another moment to reflect on his motivation for 
participating in sports. The essay loses significant steam and regains it only with the 
announcement that the author hopes to observe his own surgery. While interesting 
independently, these complications distract from the overall point. An essayist must 
be aware of the need to ensure that the flow of writing maintains a definite sense of 
direction – and doesn’t meander too far from that path. 
“My Responsibility” 
“My Responsibility” 
--by David J. Bright 
When she hung up the phone, she immediately burst into tears and grabbed out in 
all directions for something to hold onto as she sank to the floor. I stood there 
motionless, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say, not even knowing 
what had happened. It wasn’t until I answered the door moments later and saw the 
police officers standing in the alcove that I finally discovered what had taken place. 
My fifteen-year-old brother had been arrested. It was only ten days before 
Christmas, a year ago today when it happened, but still I remember it like 
yesterday. 
Robert had always been a rambunctious as a child – wild and lively, as my mom 
always said. He was constantly joking around, playing pranks, and causing mayhem, 
but his engaging personality and small stature always seemed to save him from the 
firing line. This gave him the notion that he could cause any amount of trouble 
without feeling the repercussions. As a youngster growing up in Ireland, he had 
found few opportunities to get into a great deal of trouble. But four years ago at the 
age of twelve, the rules changed for him when he, my mother and I moved to 
America. 
The same short stature that had been his ally in Ireland was now Robert’s enemy in 
America. He was bullied and beaten on a daily basis. Since I couldn’t be there all the 
time, Robert sought the protection from others. By the end of his first year in 
America, he had already joined a gang. 
His appearance deteriorated, personality disappeared, and aggressiveness 
increased, leaving him an angry, hollowed out, manic depressive. After a year or so, 

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