Some People Think Movies Should Only be for Entertainment- IELTS Writing Task 2

Some people think movies should only be for entertainment. Others think that they should also have educational values. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Outline

Essay Type

Discussion Essay

Introduction

Sentences 1&2 – Paraphrase the topic with the help of synonyms to create an understanding of it.

Sentence 3 – Mention that the essay will elucidate how movies should be used to spread educational values.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraph 1 – Introduce the evolution of movies over the years. Take a specific industry to illustrate the context. Show how movies have come a long way from silent pictures to what they are today, and how a cinematic experience instills learning sometimes.

Paragraph 2 – With the use of some examples, talk about how movies have helped spread educational values.

Paragraph 3 – Acknowledge the arguments against this notion, that movies can be used to spread propaganda, can offend a section of people. But, mention that movies help in spreading good messages.

Conclusion

Restate your views.

Sample Essay

Movies have come a long way since the first illustrations and shorts in the early twentieth century. While some believe in the catapulting role a movie brings in stirring a change, others opine that a movie should recluse to just entertainment and nothing more. I opine with the prior, as I feel that movies possess the power to spread the voices of the unheard over mainstream channels, and this essay explains the same.

Ever since India witnessed its first full-length motion picture in the name of “Raja Harishchandra”, cinema has become both a love affair for the cinephiles and a testament to human emotions. Nothing can come close to encapsulating the grandiose of K. Asif’s “Mughal-e-Azam”, or the teary eyes toward the end of James Cameron’s “Titanic”. But, a cinematic experience has further evolved into inculcating educational values and spreading social messages. For instance, the Alia Bhatt – Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Dear Zindagi” gives us some important anecdotes on mental illnesses, especially depression, in a country where discussing psychological issues is still taboo. Apart from giving voice to topics that are neglected, movies possess the ability to give them a stage, relevance, everything culminating into an educating experience for the watcher. Further, they not only represent the age in which they are made but also encourage people to learn more about the historical events that are being shown on the screen, like in the period dramas and biographies.

On the other hand, an argument can be made against it. For instance, movies can be used to spread propaganda. World War II-era German films are often accused of this. Another argument suggests that movies can also go wrong in approaching a sensitive topic, thus drawing public ire. As a result, simply put, movies should focus on entertaining the masses. Moreover, movies don’t always explore the complete depth of a very important topic, portraying the skimmed portion of the top, thus risking the events wherein misinterpretation occurs.

Personally speaking, I am a proponent of freedom of speech. Hence I believe that unless they aren’t harming the sentiments of anyone, movies spreading educational values is indeed a positive thing that should be empowered and promoted.

Vocabulary

• Illustrations

Meaning – a picture illustrating a book, newspaper, etc.
Example – Pam’s illustrations of the company logo are really stunning.

• Catapulting 

Meaning – hurl or launch (something) in a specified direction with or as if with a catapult.
Example – I feel that space exploration is catapulting humans towards technological advancements.

• Stirring

Meaning – an initial sign of activity, movement, or emotion
Example – His resistance to the authority’s unlawful activities led the mineworkers support him and, ultimately stirring many corrective measures.

• Cinephile  

Meaning – a person who is fond of motion pictures.
Example – Ramesh is a cinephile.

• Inculcating  

Meaning – instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction.
Example – This New Year, I am inculcating a habit of exercising daily.

• Taboo 

Meaning – a social or religious custom prohibiting or forbidding discussion of a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.
Example – Even in the 21st century, talking about psychological issues is taboo in many parts of India.

• Culminating 

Meaning – reach a climax or point of highest development.
Example – The hastened partition has culminated in several conflicts between India and Pakistan.

• Propaganda  

Meaning – information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Example – The newspapers are so biased these days that readers are accusing them of spreading propaganda.

• Ire  

Meaning – anger.
Example – The crushing of protests by the government drew public ire.

• Proponent  

Meaning – a person who advocates a theory, proposal, or project.
Example – Mahatma Gandhi was a proponent of “Ahimsa” or non-violence.