Essays in action
WELCOME, STUDENTS! In this week’s lesson I will share two sample essays with you. They should give you a good idea about how your essays should look. Please read them closely and note how they are organised and developed.
SAMPLE ESSAY # 1
Essay Prompt: ‘People from different cultures find food from animals very appetising. No matter what people say, though, worms are one animal that would never reach my kitchen much less my dinner table.’ Write an argument EITHER for OR against this statement.
Worms are considered a very available food source, rich in protein and considered by some cultures as a delicacy. Still, worms should never be eaten as they are unappetising, difficult to prepare, and unpopular with other people.
First, worms have unappetising characteristics. They wiggle and squirm wildly. Imagine such a sight on one’s plate. Also, they are mucus-coated on the outside, and on the inside it is gritty from all the dirt in their digestive tract. Furthermore, worms are usually blueish-grey and tipped with pink – a very distasteful look.
Second, in addition to being unpalatable, they are difficult to prepare. How, for instance, does one fillet the critters which are so thin and easily punctured? Moreover, no cookbook has worm recipes. Are worms most tasty scrambled with eggs for breakfast, chopped and sprinkled over ice cream, served as an appetiser or heaped like fried onions on hot sandwiches?
Third, eating worms would cause everyone to think one is going crazy. Friends may no longer accept dinner invitations for fear of what is prepared and would ask over and over: “What has gone wrong?” This is so because they would find it difficult to understand how any sane person can eat something so disgusting.
In closing, it is too much trouble learning to stomach the many unappetising characteristics of worms. It would take years to find good recipes for cooking this slimy creature because they are difficult to prepare. There is also the possibility of being ostracised. Until McDonald’s creates a McWorm item for its menu, worms should be left to early birds.
Adapted from Robin Simmons’ Give Mine to the Birds Essay Prompt: ‘Music and visual arts should be removed from the curriculum in order to solve the island’s economic problems.’
Write an essay in support or against the above statement.
SAMPLE ESSAY # 2
The island of Jamaica is in an economic recession, but cutting music and visual arts from the curriculum is not the right way to go about solving our island’s problems. First, these creative subjects are vital to the development of some students and cutting the subjects would not be fair to them. Second, the students enrolled in these subjects can benefit this island economically, and by getting rid of these subjects, you will be eliminating a future valuable source of income. Last, there are better ways of solving economic issues.
To begin with, every child has an area which he is/she likes and is really good at. For some, it may be science subjects, and then for others, it might be the more creative subjects. If the government cuts subjects like music and visual arts, they are also cutting some children’s development and enhancement. It would be compromising the creativity of these students. These children should be allowed to study subjects they like without worrying that it might be cut from the curriculum.
Additionally, students enrolled in subjects such as music and visual arts can become artists or musicians or musical artistes. These careers give back to the island tremendously through foreign exchange. Not only do they provide a source of income for the island, they also make the island a tourist attraction, which further causes the country to earn more revenue.
Furthermore, there are many, better ways of solving this economic situation the island is in. For example, the travelling, utility and personal allowances of members of parliament can be decreased. Without these insignificant allowances, these ministers’ salaries will still be very high and this will not have any huge economic effect on them. With the lowering or even cutting of these expenses, the economy of Jamaica will improve by as much as 5%.
In conclusion, people might say that cutting these subjects may be the best economic way of resolving the island’s problems, but this is not true. Many people will be unemployed if this happens and the unemployment rate will increase significantly, causing the economy to suffer. In my opinion, the government should find other ways to solve economic problems instead of cutting vital subjects like visual arts and music from the curriculum.
I hope the lessons on persuasive writing have proven beneficial. Here is reminder: As you prepare to write the essay, please keep abreast with current affairs. You never know which topic/issue may come on the exam. Take care until next week! Melissa McKenzie teaches at Old Harbour High School. Send comments to kerry-ann.heburn@gleanerjm.com.