Friendship Over Everything?
Write a discursive essay exploring the dilemma: Should loyalty to a friend always come before telling the truth?
Consider a scenario where a friend breaks a school rule and asks you to keep it a secret. In your essay, you must:
- Discuss the arguments for prioritizing loyalty and protecting your friend's trust.
- Discuss the arguments for prioritizing honesty and telling the truth, even if it causes conflict.
- Conclude with your own balanced perspective on how to navigate this difficult choice.
Ensure your writing is balanced, objective, and clearly structured to explore both sides of the debate before reaching a conclusion.
💡 Writing Tips
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Start by thinking about what 'loyalty' and 'truth' really mean to you and your friends.
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Write down reasons why it's good to be loyal to friends, and separate reasons why it's good to always tell the truth.
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Think about different situations where this dilemma might come up. What would happen if you always chose loyalty? What if you always chose truth?
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Use linking words and phrases like 'On the one hand...', 'However...', 'Also...', 'In conclusion...' to show both sides of the argument.
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Finish by sharing what you think is most important, or if it depends on the situation, and explain why you feel that way.
📝 Sample Answer
Imagine your friend, Tom, accidentally broke Mrs. Smith's favourite vase during playtime, but he asked you not to tell anyone. This is a very tricky situation!
On one hand, being loyal to Tom means keeping his secret. Friends are supposed to stick together, and if I told on him, he might feel betrayed and our friendship could be damaged. Loyalty means you can trust your friends to have your back, and that feels very important for a strong friendship.
However, on the other hand, telling the truth is also very important. If I don't tell Mrs. Smith, then Tom might not learn from his mistake, or someone else might get blamed. Being honest means doing the right thing, even when it's hard. Sometimes the truth hurts for a little while, but it can lead to things being fixed and everyone understanding what really happened. It also means I'm not lying, which is important for my own conscience.
I think it's very hard to say which is always more important. Maybe it depends on how big the secret is. For something like breaking a vase, I think I would try to persuade Tom to tell the truth himself. If he wouldn't, then I think telling the truth would be the right thing to do, even if it was difficult for our friendship at first. Honesty helps everyone in the long run, even if loyalty feels good in the moment.
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