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Compose an Argumentative Essay on a Life Issue
I. Compose an Argumentative Essay on a Life Issue - Steps in Writing:
Step 1: Preparation.
- Identify the social phenomenon for discussion.
- Determine your own opinions and perspectives on the phenomenon you want to address.
Step 2: Seek ideas and outline.
* Generate ideas for the article by posing some questions:
- What life issue do you want to discuss?
- What are the positive and negative aspects of that issue?
- What are your opinions on those aspects, and why?
- Do you have any solutions to push back the negativity and spread positive aspects of that phenomenon?
- What lesson do you draw from the issue or life phenomenon?
* Organize ideas according to the three parts of the essay:
- Introduction: Introduce the life issue you want to discuss.
- Main body:
+ Explain what the issue is.
+ Present the causes and current state of the issue.
+ Identify solutions to resolve the issue.
+ Other facets of the issue.
+ Lessons in awareness and action derived from the issue.
- Conclusion: Affirm and elevate the issue.
Step 3: Writing the Essay.
- Write the essay based on the outlined structure.
Step 4: Review and Revision.
- Check if the essay is complete and accurate according to the assignment requirements.
- Review spelling and expression.
II. Topic: My Reflection on the Phenomenon of Vanity and the 'Disease' of Achievement.
1. Outline My Thoughts on the Phenomenon of Vanity and the 'Disease' of Achievement:
1.1. Introduction:
- Introduction to the phenomenon of vanity and the 'disease' of achievement.
1.2. Body of the Essay:
* Explanation:
- Phenomenon of vanity: the desire for a certain status that influences the community.
- Achievement is about positive outcomes. The 'disease' of achievement refers to those who pursue positive results at any cost, disregarding the true values within.
- The phenomenon of vanity is the root cause of the 'disease' of achievement.
* Current Situation:
- Vanity phenomenon:
+ Since feudal times, the vanity phenomenon has been evident in the buying and selling of titles. As Tu Xuong wrote in 'New Year's Wishes to Each Other': 'Silently hearing it wishes for prosperity/ Some buy titles, others purchase ranks.'
+ Nowadays, there are numerous self-proclaimed titles such as 'queen of entertainment,' 'fashion king,' 'music star,'... but their talents and actual abilities are still insufficient to deserve such titles.
- The achievement disease is a common phenomenon in state institutions:
+ Individuals or groups produce results that are unreal or overly glamorous in order to receive praise and rewards.
+ Concealing serious misconduct to maintain the facade of fake achievements.
+ In education, the achievement disease puts immense pressure on students to maintain school performance, leading to the phenomenon of 'fake learning, fake exams, fake diplomas.'
* Causes:
- Due to the toxic competition, constantly comparing and competing for incremental victories in competitions and prize-winning.
- The desire for admiration and praise without the corresponding competence, lacking the skills to truly deserve the accolades.
- Due to pressure from other individuals and groups. In an environment where everyone competes but one lacks the ability, individuals tend to fabricate falsehoods to turn it into fake achievements for competition.
* Consequences:
- People gradually become insincere, selfish, disregarding everything to achieve personal goals.
- Leads to an unfair and unhealthy competitive environment.
- Laying the groundwork for other negative issues such as embezzlement, corruption, and bribery...
* Solution:
- Tightening inspection, management, and taking strict actions upon detecting deceit.
- Advocating and mobilizing individuals to avoid the achievement disease, work responsibly, and be honest.
* Lesson of Awareness and Action:
- The achievement disease is an ailment that anyone can fall victim to.
- Everyone needs to self-cultivate to avoid falling into selfishness, craving for fame, and develop skills and qualities to prevent the achievement disease:
+ It's essential to tightly manage the path of development, focus on substance rather than just results.
+ Enhance personal capabilities to create truly valuable contributions.
- Expansion: In contrast to the achievement disease is the conscious effort to strive and achieve high results through one's own abilities.
1.3. Conclusion:
- Summarize and reaffirm the issue.
2. Sample Essay: My Reflection on the Phenomenon of Vanity and the 'Disease' of Achievement:
Every now and then, we often hear statements and calls to push back against the achievement disease and the vanity habit. What are these phenomena? How do they influence human life? Why is it necessary to resist and eliminate them?
Vanity is the desire for a position or title with influence in society. People do unjustifiable things to attain that 'prestige,' even if it's just an empty title without substance. Achievements are positive outcomes, the desirable results that individuals aim for. However, the 'disease' of achievement is the term used to describe those who pursue these results recklessly, ignoring the values within. It can be argued that the vanity phenomenon is the root cause of the 'disease' of achievement.
Since feudal times, the vanity phenomenon has been evident in the buying and selling of titles. As Tu Xuong wrote in 'New Year's Wishes to Each Other': 'Silently hearing it wishes for prosperity/ Some buy titles, others purchase ranks.' Nowadays, many self-proclaim titles like 'queen of entertainment,' 'fashion king,' 'music star,'... Yet, their talents and capabilities still don't match up to those titles. It's even more noticeable in state institutions where individuals or groups produce unreal or overly glamorous results to receive praise and rewards. They conceal serious misconduct to maintain the facade of fake achievements. Particularly, the achievement disease in education is a very close example, putting students under significant pressure, leading to the phenomenon of 'fake learning, fake exams, fake diplomas.'
The habits of vanity and the achievement disease arise from the human desire for admiration and praise. Pressure from accomplished individuals and groups is also a leading cause of the pursuit of achievements. Additionally, the innate tendency for envy, comparing successes and failures, has fueled the spread and severity of this 'ailment.'
The phenomena of vanity and the achievement disease increasingly make people insincere, selfish, disregarding everything to achieve personal goals. Gradually, the competitive environment loses its fairness and healthiness. This phenomenon sets the stage for other negative issues like embezzlement, corruption, and bribery. Therefore, managers must tighten inspection, management, and take strict actions upon detecting deceit. They should also advocate and mobilize individuals to avoid the achievement disease, work responsibly, and be honest.
The achievement disease is an ailment that anyone can fall victim to. Everyone needs to self-cultivate to avoid falling into selfishness, craving for fame, and develop skills and qualities to prevent it. We should tightly manage the path of development, focusing on substance rather than just results. Simultaneously, elevate our capabilities to create truly valuable contributions.
Vanity and the achievement disease are the festering sores of society, hindering human development and nation-building. Therefore, we must eliminate them as early as possible.
III. Crafting an Argumentative Essay on a Life Issue - Exercise:
* Answering the Eighth-Grade Literature Exercise Questions - Kite:
- Identifying two types of evidence in two paragraphs:
+ Paragraph 1: Evidence from real-life situations.
+ Paragraph 2: Evidence in poetic literature.
- Find one additional real-life evidence and one poetic evidence for the topic in section 2.1:
+ Real-life evidence: The achievement disease in education causes numerous serious consequences. The most affected are students. Chasing after achievements, students may experience 'misplacement in class,' 'results disproportionate to their abilities.' It also makes students feel exhausted, constantly competing with classmates, suffering when considered inferior, not as good as others in the class.
+ Poetic evidence: The play 'The Physician' by the famous playwright Luu Quang Vu reveals a major ailment of the era. People only value prestige, change titles and positions to appear affluent and influential, but it's merely an external facade. In reality, after changing names, livestock farming, and production activities remain stagnant, unable to develop, and even regress. The physician, the phenomenon of empty vanity, is still lurking in human life. The talented Vietnamese playwright has portrayed this ailment in his play, turning it into a work that has lived on for over 30 years.
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To distinguish between the two types of evidence, remember that poetic evidence will introduce the title of the work or quote a poem, a passage to illustrate, while real-life evidence will not. Explore more compositions on Mytour such as: Composing a Speech Contest; Composing Hanging Signs.
