Question
You are advised to write between 350 and 500 words on the following topic:
Describe a time and place, real or imaginary, when you felt trapped. Concentrate on your surroundings and your feelings at the time.
Model Essay
In the dim light of the abandoned mansion, I felt a sense of unease creeping over me, like tendrils of ivy slowly entwining around my limbs and pulling me deeper into the shadows. The air was heavy with the scent of decay, the musty odor of neglect mingling with the faint whiff of something long forgotten. I stood in the grand foyer, surrounded by towering columns and crumbling plaster, feeling as if I had stepped into a long-forgotten nightmare.
The mansion itself was a maze of crumbling hallways and decrepit rooms, each one more eerie and unsettling than the last. Dust motes danced in the dim light that filtered through broken windows, casting eerie shadows on the faded wallpaper and worn carpets. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional creak of floorboards or the distant howl of the wind outside.
As I explored the mansion’s labyrinthine corridors, I felt a growing sense of claustrophobia closing in around me, as if the walls themselves were closing in to crush me under their weight. Each door I passed seemed to lead to another dead end, another empty room filled with nothing but dust and echoes. I felt as if I were trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape no matter how hard I tried.
My heart raced as I realized the enormity of my situation, the sheer vastness of the mansion stretching out before me like an endless labyrinth. Panic bubbled up inside me, threatening to overwhelm my senses and send me spiraling into madness. I longed to escape, to flee from this haunted place and never look back, but I knew that to do so would be to surrender to the darkness that lurked within.
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As I wandered through the mansion’s gloomy corridors, I felt as if I were being watched, as if unseen eyes followed my every move from the shadows. I could hear whispers echoing through the halls, faint and indistinct, yet filled with a sense of menace that sent shivers down my spine. I tried to tell myself that it was just my imagination, that there was nothing to fear in this abandoned place, but deep down, I knew that something was terribly wrong.
In that moment, I felt as if I were trapped not just within the confines of the mansion, but within the confines of my own mind. The fear and uncertainty that gripped me were like chains, binding me to this place and preventing me from breaking free. I longed to escape, to flee from the darkness that threatened to consume me, but I knew that to do so would be to abandon all hope of ever finding my way back to the light. And so, I pressed on, driven by a desperate determination to survive, no matter the cost.
Word Count: 467