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Raechel Jarrett

Mrs. Tatum

AP Language, 4th period

17 December 2019

Argument Essay

Competition can be seen through out everyday experiences, whether it be between

siblings or classmates, the effect it has on an individual is evident. However, the idea of

competition and pitting people against one another can be a controversial topic with a variety of

opinions. Alfie Kohn, a critic of competition, argues that the environment that is created by

competition is inevitably unhealthy and toxic, but I believe that under the right conditions,

healthy competition can be a great motivator with positive outcomes.

For some, competition can encourage and ignite a desire to become better at something

and perfect their craft. In classes at my school such as AP English Language and Spanish there

are many intelligent and gifted students. While this could give me an opportunity to sulk and

complain, this in fact has the opposite effect. During this semester I have worked hard to

improve my grades and skills by using the successes of my classmates to encourage and push me

forward. This effect of competition helps form students into hard-working individuals and they

learn that not everything in life comes easy. Through the use of healthy competition, this can

give the opportunity for everyone to improve. While Kohn may argue that while one succeeds

another has to fail, this could not be further from the truth. Similar to my classes, just because

one student does well, does not mean that the rest of the students can not put forth more effort to

also succeed or reach their goals.


Under some circumstances it is easy to see how competition has negative effects on

people. In the book, ​the Joy Luck Club ​ by Amy Tan, the mothers place unhealthy amounts of

pressure on their daughters and would often pit them against each other. However, this is a case

where the line needs to be drawn between healthy and unhealthy competition. When under stable

and good conditions some may be able to thrive with healthy competition. But it can be easy to

go overboard and get caught up in trying to better than everybody. In order for competition to

remain healthy it is important to remember that competition is not simply about being the best,

but instead it is about individual growth.

Although it may seem brutal, competition is just another part of life that people can use to

their advantage. It is easy to get caught up in the toxic side of competition; however, if people

use this as an opportunity to improve and focus on their development and growth, then

competition can be something with more advantages than disadvantages.

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