This Argumentative Essay was asked in ICSE 2012 board exam. You can find Previous Year Argumentative Essay Topics asked in ICSE board exams.
Argumentative Essay ICSE 2012
‘Money causes more harm than good’. Express your views either for or against the statement. (ICSE 2012)
Introduction:
Money is the cause of most of the problems that plague modem society.
- Money has an intoxicating effect that goes into the head of its beholder. It makes them arrogant and selfish.
- Money has also been the root cause of most of the problems that plague the society.
- ‘Money makes the mare go’.
- Being unduly obsessed with money, leads to corruption, crime, stress, ailments and unhappiness.
- Money brings with it fair weather friends, sycophants, scheming relatives, professional rivals.
Conclusion:
Money is essential to live. Need to maintain the right balance, for as we all know ‘money can’t buy happiness, but neither can poverty.’
“They are sick that surfeit with too much, as they that starve with nothing,” said William Shakespeare in his play ‘Merchant of Venice’. This very aptly brings out the role of money in our lives. Excessive money and wealth brings with it problems of security and mental tension, while not having any, reduces one to penury, making life miserable and not worth living. This is for in today’s materialistic world, we have assigned a monetary value to everything. Thus in the words of Somerset Maugham, “Money is like, the sixth sense without which you cannot make complete use of the other five.”
However, money is not the end of all and be all of our existence. There is no denying the fact that money brings with it prosperity, which has a psychological and social dimension. Psychological for the security, self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment it gives to the beholder, along with the increase in social and political status. It has an intoxicating effect, making the person arrogant, selfish and insensitive to others. So great is the intoxication, especially in the neo rich, that they begin to hallucinate in self-glory and pride.
Money has also been the root cause of most of the problems that plague the society. Financial disputes over it have been known to be a major cause of discord in families, making even siblings sworn enemies. It arouses negative emotions like jealousy, enmity and hatred in the family or friends. In its endless pursuit people become unhappy and tense which lead to serious medical conditions like high blood pressure eventually causing diabetes heart attack and brain haemorrhage.
Despite its dubious role there is no denying the fact that, ‘Money makes the mare go.’ It is the biggest and the most effective motivator. Ordinary men have become great and wealthy in its pursuit. The rags to riches stories of Dhirubhai Ambani, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and numerous others, bear testimony to the important role it plays as a motivator. Human progress can,, to a large extent, be attributed to one’s desire to acquire money and wealth. However, being unduly obsessed with money, leads one to indulge in corrupt practices and crime, which invariably lead to punishment, and unhappiness.
Surfeit of money attract fair weather friends, sycophants, and scheming relatives. There are also personal and professional rivals against whom one has to be constantly on guard. This makes life uneasy, insecure and unpleasant.
Undoubtedly money is essential to life. However its endless pursuit, does more harm than good. This is because happiness that comes from the love of dear ones, true friends, and good health are more lasting and essential and they cannot be purchased. It is therefore essential to maintain the right balance.
Assignments
- ‘The wealthy are not happy’. Give your views either for or against this statement.
- Pollution of all types has now become a curse to us. Mention some of the causes of pollution, its harmful effects and how it can be reduced, or checked.
Modes of communication are constantly changing. What are some of these changes? Say which one change you like best and why? (ICSE 2012)
Introduction:
Man being a social animal evolved different modes of communication from sign language to words, letters, telegraph and telephone.
- The advent of the twenty-first century, paved the way for the Internet.
- Telephones made way for mobile phones.
- These come loaded with value added features and are the best way to stay connected with your near and dear ones.
- The integration of the Internet in the mobile phone, is the best change ever to have taken place.
Conclusion:
The advent of the Internet telephony has been the best change ever to happen. Life today is unimaginable without a mobile.
‘Man is by nature a social animal,’ said the Greek philosopher Aristotle. This makes him constantly explore different and more effective ways to communicate with fellow humans. Thus what may have started as a sign language, gradually transformed to words and sentences, by which one could communicate one’s ideas and thoughts. Man’s endeavour to reach out to the vast multitude of people across the globe, led him to make inventions like the telephone and the telegraph. These were powerful and effective in reaching out to people all over the world till the twentieth century. In course of time he found them to be too slow and cumbersome to meet his insatiable desire.
The advent of the twenty-first century, further revolutionsed the mode of communication. The launching of the communication satellites paved the way for wireless communication. The arrival of the computer and the Internet, provided instant connectivity to any one across the globe, through the world wide web. The networking sites on the Internet like Facebook, Twitter and Google, have now reduced the world to a global village. Besides communicating, one can also visually interact with others using web cams and microphones. The boom in information technology has made it possible to assess any information on pressing a key on a computer. It has also enabled many value added services that have made life comfortable.
Mobile phones are the latest gadgetry in communication that has caught the fancy of the youth. Being extremely light and portable they come loaded with value added features like camera, audio, video recording, music, etc. They are undoubtedly the easiest and most effective way to stay connected with your near and dear ones.
The integration of the Internet in the mobile is the ultimate change. The smart phone has now become the most valuable and trusted companion, without which life is unimaginable. It enables me to put my idle time (time spent in travelling or at leisure) to better use. I can now access information on the net for my project work anytime, find my way in the city, or interact with my friends and relatives. It also offers a host of entertainment features like movies, games which I can enjoy in the confines of my home. All this is now possible without using a computer or the hassle of visiting a cyber cafe.
Assignment
‘Science is both a blessing and a curse’. Discuss