Prompt: Reflecting on the Opinion: In this world, we are not only saddened by the words and actions of the wicked but also by the terrifying silence of the good
I. Detailed outline
1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion
II. Sample essay
I. Outline Reflecting on the Opinion: In this world, we are not only saddened by the words and actions of the wicked
1. Introduction
- Introduce the topic for discussion.
2. Body
a. Concept:
- 'heartache': It is the feeling of sorrow too deep for words, a profound sense of regret lying deep in the heart, it lingers, quietly seeping into the soul, difficult to soothe.
- The villain is someone with a tarnished soul, whose actions and words go against the societal standards of morality, causing harm or injury to others.
- The good person is someone who refrains from committing vile, despicable acts, possesses a virtuous heart, lives harmoniously with those around them,...
- Silent good people are those who dislike inconvenience, hesitate to speak up about any issue, even if it's a matter of right and wrong, they are willing to remain silent, indifferent, even apathetic to avoid trouble.
- The quote by Martin Luther King serves as both a distress signal and a wake-up call about an increasingly strange society, where good people's silence is terrifying, symbolizing a life of indifference, apathy, the fading of a sense of justice, leaving only selfishness, self-preservation.
b. Discussion:
* The evolving trend of villains and the phenomenon of silent good people.
- Villains become more cunning, hiding in various corners of society like ordinary people to commit terrifying acts.
- Nowadays, people not only suffer from thefts or intentional injuries, but more frighteningly, they can be harmed in any space and time.
- Provide examples to illustrate the actions of villains.
- Some examples of the silence of good people.
* Reasons why good people remain silent:
- Fear of inconvenience, they fear that if they speak up they will be targeted (provide an example), due to the proliferation of unethical elements in society, declining moral values, and people becoming more cunning and increasingly indifferent, willing to do anything without considering the consequences.
- People are becoming increasingly apathetic, emotionally numb, overwhelmed by pressures from life, work, and money, causing them to become indifferent to the world and the people around them.
- Among good people, there is a lack of unity and solidarity. Even if someone speaks up somewhere, their actions are ignored, no one cares, no one supports, and they may even be considered different. Gradually, they are marginalized by the majority, and they no longer want to speak up.
3. Conclusion:
- Personal reflection and thoughts.
II. Sample Essay: Reflecting on the Opinion: In this world, we not only lament the words and actions of the wicked
The world of humans is miraculous not only in having a voice but also in the diverse and rich range of emotions, making life more colorful. This diversity is a driving force behind the increasingly humane and compassionate development of human society. I am sure there have been occasions when we felt the pain and sorrow of being hurt, saddened by the death of our pet cat we raised for over a decade, or pained by a farewell to someone. We feel compassion when witnessing someone's unfortunate life, or we also feel pain and sorrow when facing the difficulties and pressures of life. And sometimes we also feel pain and sorrow when someone harms us, but what kind of person makes you feel the saddest, the most sorrowful? I am very impressed by Martin Luther King's statement: 'In this world, we not only lament the words and actions of the wicked but also the terrifying silence of the good.'
What is profound sadness? It's the feeling of sorrow too deep for words, it's the profound sense of grief lying at the bottom of one's heart, it lingers silently, seeping into the soul, hardly dissipating. This sensation arises when one comprehends a particular pain fully, unable to articulate it but silently empathizing, deeply moved, recalling a line from Nguyen Du's 'The Tale of Kieu': 'Sobering from drink, at the end of night, Startled awake, I pity myself, feeling sorrowful,' the agony of fate bringing about a sense of profound lamentation, but unable to confide in anyone. So what makes a person bad? In moral judgment, each person may define it differently, but generally understood, a bad person possesses a soul lacking in purity, engaging in behaviors and speech contrary to societal moral standards, adversely affecting others, causing them harm or injury in some way. Good people are plainly not bad (haha, just kidding), in reality, good people refrain from committing malicious, despicable acts, having a virtuous disposition, living harmoniously with those around them,... But there are many types of good people, as Martin Luther King put it, there is also a type of good person worth pondering - the silent good person! These are individuals who dislike inconvenience, reluctant to speak out about any issue, even if it concerns justice, they are ready to remain silent, indifferent, even apathetic to avoid trouble, they are not bad people but they seem to live quite selfishly, preferring to keep to themselves, they do not care about having to judge, defend the weak and oppose evil deeds. Gradually, as society progresses, things become more complicated, human freedom of speech is rightfully protected, suddenly there arises a series of individuals who naturally become silent, it's called 'the terrifying silence of the good person'. Martin Luther King's statement is a discomfort, as well as a sobering reminder of a society becoming increasingly strange, where bad people proliferate and good people truly become timid because the majority of them have become good people with a terrifying silence, symbolizing a life of indifference, indifference, slowly losing the love for justice, only remaining selfish, preferring to keep to themselves.
It's evident that this is one of the most pressing issues for society in recent years, especially as it intensifies significantly among the younger generation. We all know that society is progressing, yet the number of bad actors, unethical individuals, doesn't diminish but rather becomes more cunning, lurking within the various corners of society like ordinary people to carry out frightening acts. Nowadays, people not only suffer from theft or deliberate harm physically, but what's even more appalling is that they can be hurt in any space and time. In schools, workplaces, it's easy for people to be cruel, mocking, criticizing, even covertly conspiring to harm those they dislike. They find cruel words to offend the dignity of the victim, leading them to isolation, falling into a state of confusion, depression with no way out. Not only is there mental violence in the real world, but technological advancements have also brought about another form of violence, cyberbullying, where thousands of people swarm into someone's post to attack, offend, making it impossible for them to lift their heads, and these people don't even see it as a serious issue, they think it's just loose talk, said for fun! A classic and most haunting example of cyberbullying is the death of the famous South Korean singer Sulli, because of years of hatred, humiliation prolonged on social media, the 25-year-old girl fell into severe depression and chose suicide to end all the pain she had endured for decades in the entertainment industry. Even myself, not long ago, I've been criticized, spoken ill of, simply because I excel in studies, my family is well-off. Then my siblings are also frequently criticized by people who are not even acquaintances, like some neighbors for example, my sister barely comes home twice a year, but still hears strange rumors, like she's someone's mistress, indulging in debauchery to maintain her beautiful appearance, stylish,... Truly, when hearing such rumors, such offensive words, who wouldn't feel hurt, not feel sad for the injustice, for the anger? Not only words but people's actions also leave deep wounds such as sexual harassment in the workplace, or child sexual abuse,... All the issues I've listed above are serious problems unfolding in society and show no signs of stopping, even though authorities have made efforts to prevent them. At this point, I wonder, if half the world is bad, then what about the other half? Are they good people? Why do they choose to remain silent on issues like these, why do they choose to stay silent? These are countless questions that need answers. Good people just choose to remain silent when faced with misinformation, remain silent in the face of baseless insults, even indifferent when witnessing a heated argument, or they act oblivious when seeing a man hitting a woman, or even colleagues in the company, witnessing someone being unfairly scolded, but offering no explanation, just standing by idly as conflicts escalate. Or when people witness a traffic accident for instance, while the injured person awaits rescue, dozens of people around don't utter a word to call for an ambulance, instead, they grab their phones to record the incident, just how indifferent have people become in this case? Or in public places, when someone is being pickpocketed, although everyone knows who the culprit is, no one speaks up, there's hesitation in their eyes, confusion on their faces, but ultimately they still choose to remain silent like cowards.
I've pondered over many reasons why good people act this way, firstly, most of them harbor a fear within, it's the fear of inconvenience, they fear that if they intervene, they'll become targets of retaliation. Surely you've heard many cases where simply trying to do good by intervening in a brawl leads to becoming a victim, or most recently there's a case where a man who reminded a young man of traffic violations was immediately stabbed to death by the young man. Or if you speak up to defend someone amidst a group, your fate will be similar to that person, isolated, even though you're a good person, but in the end, you still suffer losses. It's all because society has seen too many undesirable elements, moral values, human dignity declining, people becoming more cunning and increasingly audacious, capable of doing anything without considering the consequences. So good people gradually become fearful because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are more important than anything else, they have families, children, they fear that any misstep will be the pain of those behind them, so they choose the selfish path of silence.
Truly, it's an extremely dangerous trend in society, each of us when realizing this needs to change ourselves, be ready to speak up when necessary, while also encouraging and supporting others to speak up. However, we also need to identify which cases we can speak up in, which cases require calling for help from authorities. Don't remain silent, because silence is a barrier to the development of society, silence is our tacit acceptance of evil's reign and our own hands strangling the weakening good, my friends.
Social discourse is an important topic in the 12th-grade literature curriculum, to achieve good study results and high scores in important exams, alongside the essay Reflection on the Opinion: In this world, we not only lament the words and actions of the bad but also the terrifying silence of the good, students can also refer to some good essays for 12th grade such as: Reflection on the Saying: Compassion is the key to opening the hearts of others, Reflection on the Saying: Yesterday's difficulties mold today's person, Reflection on the Saying: We can pick up a packet of money..., Reflection on the Saying: Intelligence enriches because of what it receives...
