Well, first you might want to consider whether or not it is true that all people deserve equal opportunities, rights, and respect." For instance, does a murderer continue to have a right to liberty, or is society justified in taking that right away by throwing the murderer in jail. If you believe that the latter is true, then you do not believe that
all people deserve equal rights. Likewise, unless you believe that an industrialist who sets up his own company that provides employment for over a hundred workers is just as admirable as a homeless person who has destroyed his mind with drugs, then you do not believe that all people deserve equal respect, either. So, you might begin by attacking the question and showing a capacity for critical thought when given a manifestly foolish prompt.
Next, you might want to start thinking about how you want to define your key terms (always a good way to begin an essay like this). So, what do you think the word "opportunity" means? "Rights?" "Respect?" Most importantly, what do you think the word "equal" means? Once you have come up with your own definitions of these terms, think also about how other people might define them. Then think about how these different definitions might affect both how true people think the proposition is, and how it might affect their support for it. By that point, you should be getting an idea of the various arguments that one can make for or against the idea that all people deserve equal opportunities, etc. Then you would start the rest of your essay by explaining why the arguments you agree with are right, and why the ones you disagree with are wrong.
Sean, EssayForum.com
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