Joko's Model Essays

Your humble Head Priest shows his stuff...

Writing an essay with an extremely unpopular opinion...

"WEALTHY NATIONS SHOULD ASSIST POORER COUNTRIES WITH HUMANITARIAN RELIEF DURING NATURAL DISASTERS. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?"

Natural disasters occur in every country, regardless of their level of economic development.  I believe that if poorer countries rely on aid from richer ones when misfortune occurs, it actually hurts the poorer countries ability to develop. This essay will first argue that every nation alongside their neighbors are best at handling disasters and then suggest that the effects of a natural disaster sometimes bring about much needed change to countries that really need it.

When natural disasters strike, the most pressing needs require immediate action. If time is of the essence, relying on aid from the other side of the world will be foolish and only result in more suffering. For people needing to be rescued from a collapsed building, or given a place to sleep or provided their next meal, waiting for help from another continent is not an option. Neighboring countries should be looked to first if additional help is needed.  Poor countries tend to be surrounded by other poor countries, but the generosity and abilities of even the poorest nations should not be underestimated. For example, after the recent cyclones in Mozambique, reports noted the significant aid coming from within the country and their African neighbors.

Whereas mass casualties are tragic regardless the circumstances, much needed changes in policies and practices have been seen after disasters in developing countries. A poignant example is what happened in Myanmar in 2006 when Cyclone Nagis contributed to the deaths of an estimated 400,000 people. At that time, the military government there refused aid from America and Europe, as they were paranoid about the politics behind it. Some now argue that the mass suffering of that event was a “wake up call” for the rulers, and it lead the military self-realization that they were not the best group to be running the country. In 2010, the military began handing power back over to the people. I wonder if that would have happened had they accepted the foreign aid to begin with.

All in all, we all need to help ourselves and our neighbors deal with what nature brings to the best of our ability. I cannot agree that the economic status of a country has any place in that equation.

 

To What Extent Agree/Disagree Question:

The tendency of human beings to copy one another is shown in the popularity of fashionable clothes and consumer goods.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

With careful observation of everyday human behavior, patterns emerge which indicate deeper tendencies within our psyches. It is said that the devotion to seeking out certain brands of clothes or the oftentimes neurotic compulsions of consumerism are products of an instinctual need for humans to copy the behavior and appearance of those around them.

By matching the appearance of others, by copying them, a person gains the trust, acceptance and in some cases, protection of the group. This applies as much to street gangs as it does to ladies clubs gathering for tea. As a showing of one’s group, the popularity of fashion is indeed a sign of why people inherently copy one another. Not just for popularity’s sake, but as confirmation of our place in society.

I am not in full agreement, however, that this same observation can be made in regards to consumer goods. I would attribute much of the homogeneity of these products consumption to the qualities of their brands. People buy popular durable goods mainly because of their quality and reputation, not because they are copying others. In addition, the product range of consumer goods can be baffling and many factors play into the buying decision. Whereas a blouse or tie is purchased on what it looks like, a computer has myriad characteristics that need consideration. Facing this often overwhelming abundance of choice, some people make their decisions based on what their friends and family have bought. It can be said this is done more out of laziness than mimicry.

Ultimately, copying is a social survival strategy in a world where the idea of “us versus them” still holds sway over much of human motivation. The popularity of high fashion tells us much about ourselves. The popularity of bar-be-cues tell us more about bar-be-cues.

298 words.

From Shelly's 100 Task 2 Questions

1. Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later, and so it is often argued that these are the best people to talk to teenagers about the dangers of committing a crime.To what extent do you agree or disagree?  

For those who bear the stigma of having served time in a penal institution, there is often little hope of fully redeeming themselves in the eyes of society. One way in which they can do so is by sharing their tales of their criminal past as a means to influence youth in a positive direction. I think this is one of the best possible means for providing a real life example, which not only will impact young people tremendously, but also serve as a means for the ex-convict to pay their debt to society fully.

        These types of programs already exist and they have had real effects on young offenders. In the USA, the Scared Straight initiative has put thousands of ex-cons in front of at-risk youth to tell their precautionary tales in visceral detail. In fact, the program even extends to putting teenagers who have already adopted some criminal behavior patterns into prisoners who are rehabilitating themselves, but remain incarcerated. As the program has lasted decades, its efficacy is not at question. Furthermore, teenagers are rebellious by nature, and I agree that having criminals warn them not to follow their path is much more likely to make an impact on the teen’s rebellious psyche than would an upstanding figure of authority like a scholar or a member of the clergy. Scared Straight works.

        However, I would think that these former criminals need to be vetted thoroughly before being put in front of teens. If their life-story were painted in such away that it seemed romantic or exciting, like some Hollywood film, then the effect could actually be counter-productive. Part of the reason why youths are sometimes enticed into committing crimes is the perception that it is a “cool” thing to do. Society does not benefit if the criminals speaking were supporting that idea. That said, it would be an easy precaution to make, and I trust our correction services and parole officers to make the correct judgments there.

                        In conclusion, I can think of no one better to warn teens of the dangers of a life of crime than those who have lived it and now suffer the consequences of being felons. As society still does not always accept them fully, perhaps this act of warning can serve as a means to further their redemption.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion essay: 

Some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business and the academic world. Others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. Discuss both these views and give your opinion. 

There is one school of thought which holds that information has inherent value and whose adherents perceive the free sharing of Information as unwise. What they do not see is how information is no mere commodity. I join with those who see scientific and scholarly information sharing along the same lines as the sharing of water, as a duty of a civilized and humane culture

That said, even water is not free. Certain kinds of information, particularly in the business world, comes as work product, the same as any other goods or service. Furthermore, in many cases, the information would not have been discovered if the profit motive had not been there to begin with. The resources that go into generating new ideas can be clearly seen in most corporation’s profit and loss report. Research and development is a major line item, and like any other expense, it is budgeted in expectation of a return.  I can completely understand the business justification of protecting each and every asset, including information.

Like business, scientific research is often driven by an expectation of reward. Even academia partners with commercial interests in the generating of certain types of information.  There is, however, a different kind of tradition underlying many of these labs, think tanks and even business associations. That tradition holds that if information is shared freely, the benefit to humanity as a whole outweighs any temporary foregoing of payment. Perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of modernity, the World Wide Web, began as a means for scholars to share their ideas freely and easily.

Indeed, I would agree with those who see information as a different kind of commodity, one which is often more valuable when given away than when hoarded selfishly.

Two-Part Question:

Many working people get little or no exercise either during the working day or in their free time and have health problems as a result. Why do many working people not get enough time?
What can be done about this problem?

It seems to many that life as a working adult leaves them little time for doing exercise. As ill-health is often a result of insufficient exercise, unhealthy people will sometimes blame their heavy workload for why they cannot seem to keep fit. This essay will look at some of the reasons for this fallacy and suggest some common sense solutions.

There are as many excuses for not exercising as there are obese people today.  Perhaps the easiest of these excuses is to make is blaming it on work. By doing so, the individual puts the responsibility on something outside themselves and also enjoys looking like a noble martyr. Their expanding waist line is not attributed to its true cause, namely their inherent laziness, and instead worn as a dedication to their career. The real reason many working people think they do not have enough time for exercise is because they do not make a conscious effort to find the time.

While there are some public health issues connected with fitness and working people, I do not believe we should impose draconian measures on employers or the general public to enforce some quota for exercise. That said, measures to encourage healthy living are already being enacted in some areas, and if they are successful, they bear consideration for wider implementation. One excellent example is tying insurance rates to health levels. If a person could offset their health insurance premium by the number of hours spent in the gym, then they would have real incentive to find the time to work out.

Whereas it is increasingly common and easy to blame modernity for many of our shortcomings, it is ultimately dependent upon the individual to take responsibility for their own health. If the common good is served by subsidizing people to get off their couches and keep fit, then so be it.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES ESSAY

This is from Cambridge 6 or 7, but nowadays for the academic test, they no longer ask adv/disadv questions without asking you consider whice outweighs the other. That is still done in General Training test 

In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decided to do it

The phenomenon of high school graduates taking a year off before beginning their tertiary education has become so common that it has been given its own term in English: the gap year. During the gap year, youths strike out on their own and travel, perhaps doing work along the way. This essay will look at the possible positive and negative outcomes of doing this.

Young people who take a year off may find themselves at a disadvantage on their return for several reasons. The first reason is financial. Even if they work along the way, they would incur many expenses in travelling and spend money which would be more prudently saved for college. Worse yet, they might go into debt to pay for this time away. Many university graduates are deeply burdened by student loans, which take years to pay back. Going into higher education with debt would make the problem worse. Along with financial concerns, gap year students might be academically challenged at university. High schools should prepare students with study skills that are needed at the next level. If students took a full year off before using them again, they would likely forget many of these important skills.

On the other hand, many gap year students’ time off transforms them in a positive way and gives them advantages over their peers. The most significant change is maturity. The challenges they face and the experiences they have allow them to grow up in ways that they would not have otherwise. With this greater knowledge of the real world, they enter university understanding how the world works, and this helps them in their studies. For example, I myself spent a year abroad as an exchange student at the age of 17. When I came back, many noted how I had seemingly matured beyond my age, and my marks in school improved.

In conclusion, there can be significant costs, financial and academic, to taking a gap year, but valuable personal growth can also result.


333 words