The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries.
At each moment in history, there are certain figures who rise to prominence for their intellect, morality, talents or a combination of these attributes. It is common for these individuals to be judged by their fellow citizens, and some may even receive a title of greatness. The prompt suggests that the greatness of an individual can only be decided by later generations, not by those who are alive during the individual's lifetime. I believe generally this is true. We have a tendency to either overlook certain negative attributes during an individual's lifetime or fail to recognize their greatness in real-time. Consequently, it is not until later their shortcomings or their failure can be accurately evaluated, and the title of greatness can rightfully be bestowed. I will provide three examples of prominent figures for whom this proves true.
There are at times figures in our society whose shortcomings are ignored in favor of their accomplishments. They are lauded for their perceived greatness in a way that fails to properly reconcile their negative attributes. One example of this phenomenon is Gandhi, well-known for his humanitarian efforts. During his lifetime and shortly thereafter, Gandhi was commonly associated with greatness. It came to light in later years that Gandhi's earlier writings in particular were steeped in racism and sexism. While some continue to venerate Gandhi for all the good he contributed to the world and argue these sentiments were a product of the time, others feel these statements are inexcusable and the title of greatness no longer continues to apply. This example demonstrates the title of greatness applied to Gandhi during his lifetime has been renegotiated in later years as new information came to light.
In other circumstances, we fail to see greatness in an individual during their lifetime. It is not until after their death that we realize their contributions to humankind. Henrietta Lacks is one such example. In the early 1950s, Henrietta Lacks as diagnosed with cervical cancer and eventually passed away from the disease. During her lifetime, some of her cancerous cells were removed and donated to science without her consent or knowledge. These cells, labeled as HeLa, were soon found to be 'the first immortal' human cells. HeLa cells have been used in a number of scientific discoveries, including their use in the first polio vaccine and in cancer research. Henrietta Lacks was relatively unknown during her lifetime, but due to the impact she has had on science, she is now generally acknowledged for her greatness. Henrietta Lacks is a prime example of an individual whose greatness was ignored by her contemporaries but later recognized by later generations.
There are, of course, some individuals whose greatness is strongly felt by their contemporaries and those who live after. Martin Luther King, Jr. was revered during his lifetime as one of the great activists during the Civil Rights Movement. Even now, decades after his death, he is revered for his morality, intellect, and compassion. Some may even argue that we currently hold Martin Luther King, Jr. in higher regard today than at any other time in history, as he was well-respected by Civil Rights activists more so than the general public during his lifetime. In the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., it can be argued his greatness has stood the test of time.
Evaluating the greatness of an individual is challenging at any point in history. At times, we put the great leaders of our time on a pedestal and only recognize the immediate impact of their contributions. Other times, we fail to see the greatness of an individual during their lifetime and only find their significance years after their passing. Those who are able to span greatness in their lifetime and beyond may hold a particular and special place in our imagination. In all, we must be cognizant of the shortcomings we have in assigning greatness to individuals without the time for reflection.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 412, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'individuals'' or 'individual's'?
Suggestion: individuals'; individual's
..., not by those who are alive during the individuals lifetime. I believe generally this is t...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 1, column 544, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'individuals'' or 'individual's'?
Suggestion: individuals'; individual's
...k certain negative attributes during an individuals lifetime or fail to recognize their gre...
^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 530, Rule ID: GENERAL_XX[1]
Message: Use simply 'public'.
Suggestion: public
...Civil Rights activists more so than the general public during his lifetime. In the example of ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, consequently, first, if, look, may, so, well, while, in particular, of course
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 37.0 19.5258426966 189% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 9.0 12.4196629213 72% => OK
Conjunction : 21.0 14.8657303371 141% => OK
Relative clauses : 13.0 11.3162921348 115% => OK
Pronoun: 73.0 33.0505617978 221% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 101.0 58.6224719101 172% => OK
Nominalization: 9.0 12.9106741573 70% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3356.0 2235.4752809 150% => OK
No of words: 653.0 442.535393258 148% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.1393568147 5.05705443957 102% => OK
Fourth root words length: 5.05508305356 4.55969084622 111% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.93220641727 2.79657885939 105% => OK
Unique words: 285.0 215.323595506 132% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.436447166922 0.4932671777 88% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 1066.5 704.065955056 151% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59117977528 101% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 18.0 6.24550561798 288% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Article: 1.0 4.99550561798 20% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 3.10617977528 64% => OK
Conjunction: 4.0 1.77640449438 225% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 10.0 4.38483146067 228% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 33.0 20.2370786517 163% => OK
Sentence length: 19.0 23.0359550562 82% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 42.6593270202 60.3974514979 71% => OK
Chars per sentence: 101.696969697 118.986275619 85% => OK
Words per sentence: 19.7878787879 23.4991977007 84% => OK
Discourse Markers: 2.48484848485 5.21951772744 48% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.97078651685 101% => OK
Language errors: 3.0 7.80617977528 38% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 12.0 10.2758426966 117% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 14.0 5.13820224719 272% => Less negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 7.0 4.83258426966 145% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.337123296587 0.243740707755 138% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0931268252915 0.0831039109588 112% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.10908230696 0.0758088955206 144% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.20429928573 0.150359130593 136% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.106084517675 0.0667264976115 159% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.7 14.1392134831 90% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 52.19 48.8420337079 107% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.92365168539 111% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.7 12.1743820225 88% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.53 12.1639044944 103% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.18 8.38706741573 98% => OK
difficult_words: 149.0 100.480337079 148% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 12.0 11.8971910112 101% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.6 11.2143820225 86% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.7820224719 110% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Write the essay in 30 minutes.
Rates: 62.5 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.75 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.