Essay: You can only have one best friend

[kimberly07]

Please correct my essay. The topic is: You can only have one best friend. Discuss.
Different people feel different about friendship. Some say that genuine friendship dwells only between two people. Others find such point of view old-fashioned, claiming that one can have many true friends.
Personally, I share Aristotle’s words, “What is a friend? A single soul, dwelling in two bodies.” In this regard, friendship is understood as a unique blend of trust, mutual respect, love, affection and strong attachment. Also, genuine friendship implies deep devotion. It is when your friend assures to be your side in every emotional crisis and comes to rescue you from the worst phase of life. Your emotional safety and comfort is a matter of his/her greatest concern. True friendship is about feeling each other. Definitely, this is not for a crowd.
Opponents claim that similar interests and hobbies, good memories, loads of fun and roaming together are the main signs of friendship. Considering people psychologically different, they assume that one might live a more pleasant life sharing such experiences with a wider range of individuals.
I would object saying that, in this case, the notion of friendship has been substituted with the notion of companionship. And, companionship is not bad at all. On the contrary, I would call it a valuable means teaching children and teenagers to socialize. Moreover, such relationship could become a first step to a genuine friendship, which is far from just being entertainment.
Summing up, I want to stress that true friendship exists only between two people. Genuine friendship does not mean meeting up often. It implies selflessness, devotion, readiness and willingness to serve your soul mate. Undoubtedly, this is only two human beings’ condition.

 

[tedmc]

When is the essay due to be submitted for marking?

 

[kimberly07]

Well, I'm studying on my own. That's why your opinion is important for me.

 

[tedmc]

Different people feel differently/have different opinions about friendship. Some say that there can be genuine friendship [STRIKE]dwells [/STRIKE]only between two people. Others find such a point of view old-fashioned, claiming that one can have many true friends.

Personally, I share Aristotle’s words, “What is a friend? A single soul, dwelling in two bodies.” In this regard, friendship is understood as a unique blend of trust, mutual respect, love, affection and strong attachment. Also, genuine friendship implies deep devotion. It is when your friend assures you to be by your side in every emotional crisis and comes to rescue you [STRIKE]from[/STRIKE] during the worst phase of your life. Your emotional safety and comfort is a matter of his/her greatest concern. True friendship is about feeling for each other. Definitely, this is not for a crowd.

Opponents claim that similar interests and hobbies, good memories, loads of fun and roaming together are the main signs of friendship. Considering people are psychologically different, they assume that one might live a more pleasant life sharing such experiences with a wider range of individuals.

I would object to this idea, [STRIKE]saying that[/STRIKE][STRIKE], in this case,[/STRIKE] since the notion of friendship has been substituted with the notion of companionship. And, companionship per se is not bad at all. On the contrary, I would call it a valuable means of teaching children and teenagers to socialize. Moreover, such a relationship could become a first step towards a genuine friendship, which is far from just being entertainment(?).

Summing up, I want to stress that true friendship exists only between two people. Genuine friendship does not mean meeting up often. It implies selflessness, devotion, readiness and willingness to serve your soul mate. Undoubtedly, this is only possible between two human beings’ [STRIKE]condition[/STRIKE].

not a teacher

 

[kimberly07]

Thank you very much, tedmc.
With your corrections, it certainly makes more sense.

 

[kimberly07]

I have decided to work further on this topic and wrote another essay, in which I argue the opposite point of view. Could you please take a quick look at it and tell me whether it looks any better than the first one. Just for me to know if I am moving in the right direction.

Friendships play an important role in our lives and most people long for a special connection that is only possible between two close friends. Having said that, true friendships are so rare that some people claim that this special bond can only be forged once in a lifetime if at all. However, I believe that there are no obstacles to us having two or more true friends.

Human beings are complex creatures with various psychological needs and to satisfy these needs we might turn to different people. Shared memories, interests or lifestyles all help us to build up meaningful relationships. For example, with a childhood friend we can go down the memory lane and with someone sharing our hobby we can exchange experiences or spend time together. Both friends can be equally dear to our heart.

Some people say that a person is unlikely to have more than one close friend because nurturing a friendship takes a lot of time. Today’s hectic lifestyle leaves little scope for maintaining multiple relationships.

Nevertheless, as the need for companionship is among people’s basic needs , they might be willing to make an extra effort. In this, they are helped by modern technology, which makes it possible to stay in touch even if you are unable to make time for face-to-face meetings. A photo or a short message shows that a friends is thinking about you and this keeps the friendship going.

To sum up, there certainly can be more than one person that have a special place in our heart.

 

[tedmc]

The grammar in the second essay is almost perfect. I only have one comment:

Today’s hectic lifestyle leaves little [STRIKE]scope [/STRIKE] time for maintaining multiple relationships.

not a teacher

 

[kimberly07]

Thank you, tedmc, for the time you took to read my essays and for your kind words.
As for scope, I used this word in its meaning opportunity. Maybe one of the native speakers on these boards will comment whether this usage is correct.