Tutor profile: Sarah B.

If I hate writing, what can I do to make writing papers/assignments less painful?

The secret to writing is to spin your assignment into something that interests you. For example, I had to write a paper about a book that I absolutely HATED. The book was a tragedy that ended with a whole family getting killed because of their heritage. Instead of groaning and procrastinating, I related an aspect of the book to my personal life. I ended up writing about genocide, how both the aggressor and victims are effected. If you can think of a topic or subject that you are passionate about, writing no longer feels like a chore.

Are humans effected more by nature or nurture?

Depends on who you ask! Evolutionary psychologists, neuropsychologists, health psychologists, and psychiatrists would claim that nature is more important; genes, chromosomes, and brain biology predetermine who we are "destined" to be. On the other hand, developmental psychologists, humanistic psychologists, and cognitive psychologists believe that "nurture" effects us more. Socioeconomic status, parenting styles, race, culture, and education play a more important role in effecting our personalities, interests, and perceptions. However, most psychologists will concede that both nature and nurture are important.

Did Southerners think that slavery was wrong before the Civil War?

Depends on the year! For many years, Southerners classified slavery as a "Necessary Evil", meaning that they believed it is a terrible practice, but necessary at that point in time to avoid economic collapse (slaves were heavy assets because the South was an agriculture-based economy). Southerners believed that, eventually, the evil practice would end. However, as the North became more critical of Southern culture, Southerners changed their perceptions of slavery, believing it to be a "Positive Good" instead of a "Necessary Evil". The "Positive Good" Argument claimed that slavery benefited everyone, including the black population. How? Ask me!