FINAL ESSAY
Among
the articles written and presented by the students during the Current English
course for the Summer Semester 2014, the three articles that caught my
attention the most are firstly the “Artists’ Subsidies Are an Important Part of
France”, secondly the “Dutch Companies Hit by Saudi Retaliation for Wilders’
Anti-Islam Campaign” and thirdly the “Rising
Seas Wash Japanese War Dead from Marshall Islands Graves”. I chose the
first article from sujie11.blogspot.kr which is about the artists’ subsidies in France because I am into arts and
there is a very huge probability that I will abandon my engineering degree and work
in that field after graduating, but I am quite anxious about my future if I take
that path. I share the same opinion with the author about how other countries
should follow France’s footsteps in supporting their artists. The article from yuhyuk1990.blogspot.kr about the economic consequences faced by Netherlands after their politician
conducted an anti-Islam campaign was also selected because I am a Muslim and I
find it quite hard to practice my religion freely in the non-Muslim countries
because of the prejudice and racism. I am definitely agreed with the author’s
point of view on how inappropriate for a politician to be racist. I have also
selected an article from pig0420.blogspot.kr which is about the rising sea levels in Marshall Islands because I am an
environmentalist thus I feel that I need to do something to save the Mother
Nature, especially after the author discussed about the responsibility needed
to be taken by all people to solve this issue. These three articles caught my
attention the most because I feel very personally related to them.
I
chose the article of “Artists’ Subsidies Are an Important Part of France”
written by Kang Su Jie in her blog because I am into arts and there is a very
huge probability that I will abandon my engineering degree and work in that
field after graduating, but I am quite anxious about my future if I take that
path. According to the article, there is a special term of “intermittent du
spectacle” in France which referred to the arts and entertainment industry
worker who receives payments and benefits during periods of unemployment.
Through this awesome system, the artists there have sufficient time to create
new shows, practice their art or rest, resulting in longer involvement in their
career. The author is personally concerned about the difficulty faced by the
artists like her sister who do not supported by the Korean government. She
stated that France should be set as an example to the other countries to
preserve their culture and arts. I share the same opinion with her regarding
this issue because the awesome system is actually the main reason why France is
known worldwide as a hub when it comes to arts. If my country also has the
system, I will have no worries at all about my future anymore, so I can focus
on doing what I love wholeheartedly. The artists’ subsidies are important not
only to France, but to the whole world.
The
article of “Dutch Companies Hit by Saudi Retaliation for Wilders’ Anti-Islam
Campaign” written by Yu Hyuk was selected because I am a Muslim and I find it
quite hard to practice my religion freely in the non-Muslim countries because
of the prejudice and racism. As reported by the article, the Dutch companies
are currently facing problems doing business in Saudi Arabia after the Saudis
imposed sanctions in response to anti-Islamic stickers distributed by populist
politician Geert Wilders. The author stated that personal opinions of a
politician can prompt big political conflicts, worse if they are bad opinions.
He also added that people like Geert Wilders are not suitable to lead the
society. I could not agree more with him because it is never a wise thing for
the politicians to be racist because they should be a great role model for the
society. Saudi Arabia cannot be blamed in this issue for taking such action
because it is a Muslim country and even the birthplace of Islam itself. So it
is a normal thing for the country to be offended by Netherlands’ ignorance.
Personally, I am sick of those close minded people who view Muslims as a whole.
Yes, I cannot deny that the extremists messed up big time but the people who
view Muslims as a bunch of terrorists should not overlook billions of good
Muslims out there. I have experienced lots of double standards just because I’m
a Muslim. People are even scared of our beards and traditional clothes. Prejudice
towards Muslims should really stop in order to prevent conflicts between
countries like Saudi Arabia and Netherlands from happening again.
I
have also selected the article of “Rising
Seas Wash Japanese War Dead from Marshall Islands Graves” written by Jeong
Tae Jeong because I am an environmentalist thus I strongly feel that I need to
do my part as a human being to save the dying Mother Nature. According to the
original article from The Guardian, rising sea levels have washed the remains
of at least 26 Japanese Second World War soldiers,
together with unexploded bombs and other military equipment from their graves
on a low-lying Pacific archipelago. Climate scientists stated that the recent
climate change caused by the global warming is the main reason of the phenomena
and to make it worse, it is threatening the existence of the islands which are
only 2 meters above sea level at their highest. The author said that global warming
is a worldwide problem and all countries have equal responsibility to protect the
nature. He also added that this matter cannot be settled by only one country. He
has a really good point there. I also think that the countries in this world should
not be selfish by letting off their hands from this serious matter, thinking
that somebody will solve it. If this situation keeps happening, there will be
no one who will take the responsibility so in the end, the world will be
damaged in our own hands. Global warming which caused rising sea levels is an
extremely serious issue that cannot be neglected because it has an eerie power
to vanish certain countries from the earth map, and poor island countries like
the Marshall Islands are at the stake of disappearing. It is happening right
now, and even the dead are affected.
I
have selected these three articles about the artists’ subsidies in France, the economic
consequences faced by Netherlands after their politician conducted an
anti-Islam campaign and the rising sea levels in Marshall Islands because these
topics are connected to me the most among all of the articles written and
presented by the students throughout the whole semester. I am planning to have
a job in the art industry, I am a Muslim who encounters prejudice and double
standards almost every day, and I am an environmentalist who is against global
warming. I strongly feel that these old and long-discussed issues should be
solved as soon as possible.
Source:
1a. Kang, Su Jie. “Artists’ Subsidies
Are an Important Part of France.” Blog Project 1 [Europe: France], 28 June
2014. Web. 11 July 2014.
1b. “Artists’ Subsidies Are an Important
Part of France.” FRANCE 24, 13 June 2014. Web. 11 July 2014.
2a. Yu, Hyuk. “Dutch Companies Hit by
Saudi Retaliation for Wilders’ Anti-Islam Campaign.” Blog Project 2 [Europe:
Netherlands], 01 July 2014. Web. 11 July 2014.
2b. “Dutch Companies Hit by Saudi
Retaliation for Wilders’ Anti-Islam Campaign.” REUTERS, 20 June 2014. Web. 11
July 2014.
3a. Jeong, Tae Jeong. “Rising Seas Wash Japanese War Dead from Marshall Islands Graves.” Blog
Project 1 [Oceania: Marshall Islands], 25 June 2014. Web. 11 July 2014.
3b.
“Rising Seas Wash Japanese War Dead
from Marshall Islands Graves.” The Guardian, 6 June 2014. Web. 11 July 2014.
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