Writing Topic: Which event of the twentieth century stands out
to you as particularly impactful, and why? (history)
☆Let’s
Think
1.
Read the following paragraph. How
can it be improved?
In my
opinion, the invention of the mobile phone is the change in the twentieth
century that is most important to remember. Smart phones are great. You can
make a phone call anywhere. Also, they allow you to do many things such as
searching on the Internet and taking a picture.
Note: The
sample paragraph tells how convenient and versatile smart phones are, but it
does not tell how impactful it was. It needs to tell how smart phones have
changed life and society. It is about the great moments in history, stories of
before and after the event. Compare and contrast the situations before and
after the event in your essay.
2.
What are the expressions to
prove that something is “impactful”?
Note: have
a dramatic influence on, provide a significant change of, make something more
efficient than before, profoundly change our perceptions or perspectives, cause
an irreversible change, become the infrastructure of our life, make the world
dependent on it, we cannot live without it anymore, etc.
3.
Name impactful events in the
last century in the following categories: technology, economy, politics, medicine
and culture.
☆Hints for points
The Rapid Development of Technology: Technological breakthroughs had
happened before, but it was in the 20th century that the rapid development of
technology happened and the lives of people changed dramatically. Nowadays,
thanks to electronic appliances, people have more leisure time than they did
one hundred years ago, and use it to do things other than daily chores. The
changes were not only good but also bad. Some irreversible influences occurred,
such as pollution, global warming, threat of uncontrolled nuclear power, new
types of crimes and so on. The first three are especially unprecedented in that
they can wipe out mankind.
The Shift of Hegemony: The two world wars ended imperialism by
force. People learned it the hard way that peaceful coexistence is basic to the
prosperity of humankind. Although imperfect, efforts have been made to
compromise and cooperate, and now no nation can invade another country without
criticism. Meanwhile, The Unites States of America became the most powerful
country in the world after WWII, replacing England. It has played the leading
role in politics, business, and culture. Its military bases, trading posts, and
pop culture spread all over the world. The competition of nuclear armament
caused the threat of nuclear war (the Cold War), but it ended when the Soviet
Union disintegrated at the end of the century, although both countries still
have around 6,000 atomic bombs. At the end of the century, China gained power,
making close economic ties with the world, including America.
Globalization: The development of transportation and communication
allowed corporations do business worldwide. They can now build their branches
and factories in other countries, import cheap materials from other countries,
and sell their products in other countries. As a result, people all over the
world use the same kind of things, and share more information than before. The
drawback of this change is world-side class war. Former colonies, or developing
countries, stayed poor as providers of raw materials while former colonizers profited
through trades. People in developing countries were exploited at sweatshops for
low wages under horrible conditions, as well as the loss of indigenous
languages, traditions, and cultures. People in developed countries lost regular
work because of outsourcing, or moving factories to developing countries.
Climate Chane and Environmental Movement: The Industrialization,
which started in the 17th century, had been causing environmental
destruction. Other than pollutions, global warming and its negative impacts
were found in the 20th century, and the cause was identified to be
burning of fossil fuels. The environmentalism, or the environmental movement,
to tackle these problems started in the 1960’s. The activists have made some
great changes, but failed to stop climate change due to their leaders’
financial relationship with the industry, in which they helped greenwashing and
stalled substantial change in oil digging and other activities that are not
ecologically friendly. Now the CO2 level is over the point of no return and
climate crisis in the 21st century.
The Advent of the Information Technology: The Internet connected the
world and changed all aspects of our lives. First, the way we communicate
changed. E-mails replaced letters and phone calls. Then text-massaging made our
communication richer. Almost all of our activities are now done much faster and
more efficiently. In many cases, people used to go out do to what they had to
do before, but now they do it online. For instance, you don’t have to leave
home for shopping, consulting doctors, and getting a copy of a document from a
library anymore. Moreover, the Internet gave birth to social media in the 21st
century, making our lives even more interconnected and enjoyable, although it
also brought some problems like cyberbullying.
The Birth of the Entertainment Industry: The entertainment industry
has changed our lifestyle. Before the 20th century, even though they
had fun activities, people did not have what we now call the entertainment.
However, with movies, radio, and television, the entertainment industry has
developed in the last century, and people started watching TV programs and enjoying
related activities instead of reading books or spending time with other people.
Following the trend in the entertainment industry has become the most important
for many. Although this change has enriched our lives in various ways, the
entertainment industry has promoted consumerism and made it easier for
governments and corporations to control people’s thoughts.
☆Sample Answer
for Ideas and Expressions
【Thesis】A series of big wars stands out to me as
a particularly impactful event in the twentieth century.
【Supporting Details】Not to speak of the casualties and loss of properties, World Wars I
and II left the world with the United Nations and new technologies. The United
Nations, though far from functioning properly, has become the beacon of the
civil society, promising human rights to all humans on earth. The technological
inventions became double edged swords, such as nuclear power and the PFAS
substances. They have made our lives comfortable, but they also have had
irreversible adverse effects on our lives. The PFAS substances have helped make
numerous new products like Post-it pads and non-stick pans, but PFAS is a toxic
forever chemical and it is now in everyone’s blood, threatening our health and reproduction.
Nuclear power has provided enough energy for ever increasing population.
However, thousands of nuclear warheads are now in place, making our lives at
stake at this very moment. In the case of Japan, radiation from the crippled
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been contaminating our island since
the explosion following the earthquake and tsunami. The Cold War, which
followed WWII, gave birth to NATO and military industrial complex. Even after
the end of the Soviet Union, NATO not only kept existing but also expanded,
causing conflicts and the US government addicted to war.
【Conclusion】This series of change seems to me have pushed the world to the point
of no-return. Therefore, it influenced the world more than any other event in
the twentieth century. (254 words)
☆Let’s make
a point
Answer the following two questions using the template to make sure
your points.
Question 1 What is different before and after the event?
Sample response: I think the advent of the Internet stands
out as particularly impactful in the last century. In the past, the
information was something that was provided in limited amounts by the
authorities. However, these days, because of the Internet, most
information has become available to anyone. Also, it has become possible for
anyone to provide information for others easily.
Your response
I think ………………………………………………………. is most important to remember in the
last 100 years.
In the past, …………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………….
However, these days, because of …………………….…………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…
Question 2 How great was the impact of the event?
Sample responses
1)
The change brought by the
Internet is most important to remember in that it has become the
infrastructure of the world.
2)
Its impact on our society was
so great that no one in our society can live completely independent from
the Internet any more.
Your short response
1) The change brought by ………………………. is
most important to remember in that …………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…
2) Its impact on our society was so
great that …………………………………………………………..…………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Write the
draft of your final writing. Show each other your responses. Write down
questions or suggestions to each other’s draft.
DRAFT
