Writing for Academic Discussion The event of the twentieth century that stands out as particularly impactful - revised -

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 20^th 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 21^st 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 21^st 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 20^th 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