Task for November 10th:
Write an essay on the statement 'Most TV programmes are not worth watching'.

Teacher's answer: 9 Good arguments!


Most shows or TV programmes shown in Argentina are very watched and popular. However, most of them aren't worth watching.

First of all, some programmes show full or parcial nudity all the time, which is very repetitive and a bit boring. 'Bailando por un sueño' ['Dancing with the stars'] is a good example of this, for it shows 'accidental' nudity when the female dancers wear tiny pieces of cloth instead of actual outfits. Those kind of shows aren't worth watching and they aren't very interesting either.

As well as this, gossip shows are very embarrassing, because you get to see pseudo famous people angrily quarrelling with each other 24 hours a day, and the hosts try to encourage these fights. The worst is that people watch these shows and even gossip about them, as if they don't have a personal life to worry about.

What these shows try to do is to win more money by showing things people are attracted to: sex, fights, violence, etc, so that people watch them and they get to put more of those shows on TV (indeed, there are, at least, twenty TV gossip shows, and they are very watched).

Nevertheless, not everything on TV is pure garbage, there are some shows that could be 'watchable'. These are a few soap operas, especially the late night ones, such as 'Vidas robadas' ['Stolen lives']. This might be worth watching because it is really intersting, it is about kidnappers and has a deep plot. Other soaps, especially the ones for teenagers, might be shown for two or three years in a row. These are a bit stupid (most of them have stupid plots) and they, too, fight for more audience by showing sex, violence and fights.

Rounding off, there is a lot of sex, violence and fights on Argentinian TV, which attracts people's attention, and, although some late night soaps might be good, most Argentinian TV programmes aren't worth watching.



Note from the author: This was a difficult essay to write, as I had so many opinions on the subject 'TV'. I should say I hate it (which is strange, at my 14 short years of life), and the only programmes I truly enjoy watching are the 'Animal Planet' ones. There are lot's of quotes about tv I like, and several nicknames for it, for example "the dreaded box" (Roald Dahl, "Matilda").
In this case, I should quote, for the second time, Groucho Marx: "I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book".

Day of the Dead

Task for September 24th:

Write a short essay summarizing the article 'Day of the Dead', compare practises in article with mourning pactises done in this country (Argentina) and give your personal opinion about both practises: Which do you like better? Why?

Teacher's answer: 9 One of your best!

Death is accepted in very different ways all over the world. Some contries process it in a dramatic, horrible way, while others throw parties and celebrate. I am going to comapre and contrast these cultural differences between countries and give my opinion about them.

In Mexico, people don't take death dramatically, they celebrate it! They have a festive day called 'Day of the Dead' in which they celebrate by honouring the dead. In rural Mexico, for example, people go to the cementery, decorate gravesites and take gifts for their loved ones. And in cities, people build altars in their homes, which are decorated with candles, flowers and pictures of the dead.

In Argentina, on the other hand, people take death in a more dramatic and pesimistic way. When somebody dies, they have sad funerals in which they dress all in black, while in Mexico there are a lot of colours. Argentinian ceremonies are more depressing than Mexican because they believe they lose someone when he or she dies, but Mexicans just honour and welcome the souls back to earth.

In my opinion, Mexican celebrations are the best ones, because they don't encourage people to be sad or cry about death but to be happy because their loved ones have reached the continuation of life, which death is believed to be. I am also against sad funerals because I believe it's no use crying over spilt milk; that what's done is done, and by crying we are not going to bring someone back.

As you can see, death is celebrated and honoured, and suffered and cried over as well. And although I was born here, I agree more with the Mexican belief. I think we'd better keep on living without worrying about that and, instead of being sad, honouring our loved people as Mexicans do. Death doesn't have to be a drastic thing, after all.

Note from the author: I just found this essay in a pile of disorganised papers while I was looking for something to post in this blog. It's funny I found particularly this one now, because three days ago (exactly Wednesday 24th of December, at about 2:30 PM) my beloved grandpa died. It's funny I found this essay about mournings and funerals right now, because I've attended to my first funeral-like ceremony two days ago, and I think crying and wasting time on the dead isn't worth it, that we have to honour the dead by living our lives and being happy, because if I died, I would want the people I love to be happy in spite of it, not to be sad and depressed. Nevertheless, I understand the pain of the loss.