Essay 39 (Planning for the future)

Some people consider thinking about and planning for the future to be a waste of time.  They argue that people should simply live in the moment.  Do you agree or disagree?  Use at least one personal example in your response.

Many people believe that setting goals for the future and making plans to achieve them is beneficial for succeeding in life.  However, there is another line of thought which advices people to lead a meaningful and effective life in the present and not bother much about the future.  I reckon that a close examination of both the perspectives is necessary to decide the better view of life.

On the one hand, having a definite plan for the future is a great motivating factor for people to work harder and achieve their goals.  To be precise, it would prompt people to think about their own abilities and make an extra effort to realise their dreams.  For example, if a high school student dreams of becoming a doctor he may have to work harder than other students to qualify for a medical school.  The plan for his future would prompt him to go an extra mile to attain his aim.  This would mean that planning for the future is not an unreasonable idea.

On the other hand, in many instances planning for the future, some believe, is not very sensible and many unforeseen events in life can turn things against one’s plan.  For instance, people often plan their future and make huge investments in terms of money and other resources.  It is likely that many of these plans do not work according to people’s designs and, as a result, they can feel distressed.

An analysis of both the views seems to present elements of practical points for a meaningful life.  Nonetheless, I am inclined to favour the idea that it is unnecessary to bother much about the future because of the uncertainties life can offer.  Although planning for the future can motivate people, failure to realise their dreams can seriously affect their morale.

In short, making the most out of the opportunities available each day is the ideal way to safeguard people from being overly anxious about the future.

Essay 38 (Freedom to creative artists?)

Creative artists should always be given the freedom to express their own ideas (in words, pictures, music or film) in whichever way they wish. There should be no government restrictions on what they do. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Although it may seem logical (reasonable) to let creative artists to convey their ideas with total liberty, it can sometimes have negative consequences to the functioning of the society.  Therefore, it is sensible for governments to limit their creative freedom to a certain extent, so that art would be used for the welfare of the society.

To start with, although artists are generally considered exemplary individuals who aim at the progress of humanity, some could have vested interests in creating frictions in the society.  Art could be used as a tool to create such tensions among different groups of people, especially in a multicultural environment.  For example, there have been many instances where film makers in India have included socially sensitive materials, which could hurt the religious or communal sentiments of certain groups.  The censorship authority in India has been able to edit the contents of such movies to avoid social frictions.  This would certainly mean that censorship is very essential in guiding creative artists to be socially responsible, while expressing their ideas.

Again, sometimes poets, writers or painters express their ideas but they could be detrimental to the existing moral or ethical standards of a particular society.  Ideal instances would be books and movies that show excess sexual content or glorify illicit relationships like incest or extra marital affairs.  While the artists believe that they should have the freedom to express their perspectives of life, their ideas could mislead the society especially the young.  Governmental restrictions in such cases, many believe, is necessary for maintaining the accepted moral practices in a society.

However, according to some, censoring the freedom of artists could lead to suppression of basic human rights. They content that society has the maturity to judge the positive and negative aspects of any work of art.  They also believe that many of the accepted moral and ethical standards are not conclusive and should be evolved.  Creative artists are instruments of such changes by exposing the society to various ideas.  If an artist’s work creates frictions among people, government should use its authority to discipline the society rather than placing the blame on artists.  Moreover, corrupt and despotic rulers could use censorship to silence their critics.

In conclusion, restricting artistic liberties is a very complex issue which should be handled from a practical point of view.  In principle, freedom of artists should be respected, but if it leads to negative impacts in the society government should restrict artists.

Essay Topics 2011

2011.1.8：  Some people think that robots are very important for humans' future development. Others, however, think that robots are a dangerous invention that could have negative effects on society. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

2011.01.15： Workplace nowadays is trying to employ the equal number of females and males. Do you think it is a positive or negative trend?

2011.01.22： There are an increasing number of anti-social behaviours in recent years.  People generally believe that the society is to blame. What do you think the causes are and who is responsible for this.

2011.1.27： Some people think that it is necessary to travel abroad to learn about other countries, but other people think that it is not necessary to travel abroad because all the information can be seen on television and the internet. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

2011.2.12： Tourism is an excellent way to develop a country, but it also can cause some harm. How can a country ensure tourism benefits its development?

2011.2.17： Some people believe that people who work for arts such as painting, music should be support financially by government.  Others think that they should find other support instead. Discuss both view and give your opinion.

2011.2.19： Some people think that women should play an equal role as men in military force or police.  Others say that women are not suited for such kind of work. Discuss both side and give your own opinion.

2011.2.26： Many people believe that counties should produce enough food for the whole population and import as little food as possible. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.3.5： Some people say that governments should spend money on measures to save languages that are used by very few speakers, while others believe it's a waste of financial resources. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

2011.3.12： Competitiveness is a positive quality that people should have, among most societies. How does competitiveness affect individuals? Do you think it is a positive or negative trend?

2011.3.19 :  With computer technology becoming cheaper and more accessible, more adults work from home and more children study from home. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

2011.4.2 : Cheap flights allow more people to fly by air.  Some people think it will cause more pollution and therefore ticket price should be increased. Discuss both view and give your opinion.

2011.4.16 : Many people believe that it is important to protect the environment, but they make no effort to do it themselves.  Why don't they do it and do you have any suggestion for individuals to protect the environment?

2011.4.30 : Some people think the foreign visitors should be charged more than the local visitors when they visit the cultural and historical attractions in another country. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.5.7 : Environmental problems are too big for individual countries and individual people to address. We have reached the stage where the only way to protect the environment is to address it at an international level. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

2011.5.14 : Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community in order to create a better world to live in. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.5.19 : The government should control the amount of violence in films and on television in order to decrease the violent crimes in society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this issue?

2011.5.28 : Many people believe that teachers should also take the responsibility teach students to judge what is right and wrong and behave well, others feel that teachers should only teach academic subjects. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

2011.6.4 : We can get knowledge from news, but some people think we can't trust the journalist. What do you think? What qualities should a journalist have? 

2011.6.11 : Some people think that government should only spend money on the construction of public services rather than waste on the arts such as music and painting. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.6.23 : In many countries traditional foods are being replaced by international fast foods. This is has negative effects on both families and societies. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.6.25 : We are surrounded by all kinds of advertising, which significantly influences our lives. Do the positive effects of advertising outweigh its negative effects?

2011.7.9 : There are many extinct species. Some people say we should protect these animals from dying out, while others say we should concentrate more on problems of human beings. Discuss both opinions and give your personal view.

2011.7.16 : In today's world of advanced science and technology, we still greatly value our artists such as musicians, painters and writers. What can arts tell us about life that science and technology cannot?

2011.7.28 ： In schools and universities, some girls tend to choose arts subjects, while boys choose to study science subjects. What are the reasons? Do you think this trend should be changed?

2011.7.30 : Some people think that dangerous sports should be banned, but others think that people should have the freedom to choose any sports. Discuss both views and give your opinion.  

2011.8.13 : Some people think that the main purpose of school is to turn children into a good citizens and workers, rather to benefit them as individuals. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.8.20 : Some people think that a police force carrying guns will encourage higher level of violence.  To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.8.25 : For some students from poor families, it is a tough mission to attend to college nowadays.  Some believe that it is government's obligation rather than individual duty to pay the tuition fees. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2011.8.27 : The number of people who watch foreign films is much more than people who watch local films, describe the reasons and should the government provide financial support to the local film industries.

2011.9.3 : The qualities of a person needs to become successful in this world cannot be learned at universities or similar academic institutions. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Essay 37 (Industrial firms to rural areas?)

Many countries want to move factories and big industrial firms out of big cities and towns and into rural areas.  Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

 

Relocating manufacturing firms and plants from big cities to smaller towns and rural areas can certainly address many issues related to excess urbanisation.  Although the negative impacts of this issue should also be given due consideration, I would consider, the advantages of such a move are much greater.

In the first place, shifting manufacturing units from cities can reduce pollution in urban areas to a great extent.  To be clear, the effluents and gas emissions from many factories add to the already polluted cities and create huge environmental issues.  Whereas, rural areas usually have large areas of uninhabited wasteland and effects of pollution can be managed efficiently.

Again, urban migration and crowding of cities can be controlled if more and more jobs are available away from the city.  For example, many states of India have started Industrial Parks in rural areas and given tax incentives to companies to set up factories.  This has prevented many unemployed youth from moving to the cities for employment.

On the other hand, the arrival of big factories can definitely disturb the peaceful atmosphere of villages and small towns leading to increasing levels of pollution and congestion.  Lack of transport and other infrastructural facilities may be a handicap for industrial units as technically qualified professionals and skilled labourers may not be interested in moving to such places to work in factories.

To conclude, having considered both sides of the argument, the benefits of shifting factories to rural areas seem to be a very favourable idea as it can create a large number of job opportunities for the rural youth and reduce urban migration to a great extent.  Hence, the minor drawbacks should not prevent governments from going ahead with this policy.

What do you think about this essay?