13781258 Modele de Eseuri

8/12/2019 13781258 Modele de Eseuri

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ESSAY

WRITING

L.

I{aruatizte

EssaY

Narrative essaysmay describe real or fictional events and canbe rendered in the

first

person

(I

/

'we)

ot

itt

th"

third

person

(he/she/1h"y).

It must

be

exciting,

strange

or

fuotty

in order

to stir

the

interest

of

the

reader

and

be successful.

Both

f"girfrit"rgr

and ends

are

important

parts

as the

former

stimulate

the

interest

of

the

reader

and

the

latter satisfy

i'ris

curiosity

and expectations.

Keep

in mind

that

a bor-

ing or even

too

predictable

ending

can

spoil

a

good story'

In

narratives

we use

a

wide

range

of

pist

tenses

as

well as

both

direct

and

report-

ed speech.

Descriptiors

of

people

and

places

can also

be

included

in

narrative

essays.

STRUCTURE

Introduction:

.

paraqraph

1

-

You

set

the scene

(describe

the

time,

place

weather,

atmos-

-

irnu.E,

people

involved,

possible

feelings)

Body:

.

paragraph

2 -

before

the

main

events

>incidents

leading

to

the

main,event

.

iru.u[ruirn

3

-

the

main

event

(s):

describe

the events,

the

people

involved

in,

give

details

Conclusion:

.

firrul

paragraph

-

end

the

story

referring

t9

the

resolution

of

the

conflict,

moodi, consequences,

people's

reactions,

feelings

etc'

LINK

WORDS

o

to show

time:

when,

hen,

after,

before,

uring,

meanwhile,

ssoon

s,

nou)

hat,

he

moment

hat,

as,

o'sooner...

hor-,

ardly...

when,

mmediately,

ince,

hile,

until,

by

the

ime,

as

ong

as

.

to order

or

list e'ients

points:

firstly,

irst

of

aII, n the

irst

place,

o start

with,

to

begin

with,

secondly,

hirdly,

inally

.

t;d

more

points,

what

i more,

moreoaer,

urthermore,

part

rom

this,

n addition

to

this,

besides,

ot

only...

but

also

. to conclud : inally,all in ati,on hewhole,akingeaerythingntoaccount, ll things

considered,

o sum

uP,

n

conclusion


2/25

EXAMPLES

OF

NARRATIVE

ESSAYS

Example

L.

Narrate

a scaring

event:

A

Dreadful

Experience'

. ., .,'

:

Essav bv SAnziana Finicd, graduate'student

of

'Mihai

Viteazul'

National

College,

int-ensive

English

class'

(Introduction)

Mr.

soames

woke

up

with

a

start

and

was

surprised

to

find

the

gailery

so

quiet

and

almost

Jark.'just

in

front

of

him,

on

the

wall,

there

was

a

forgotten

painting

uy

,o*"

orJ',Muster.

As

he

looked

at

it,

he

suddenly

remembered

where

he

was.

rt

dreadful

realisation

came

over

him

all

at once:

he

had

been

locked

uP

in

the

museum

tuoutit

,n

that

realisation

it

also

came

nto

his

mind

the

purpose

of

his

being-there:

thenewspaperhadsenthimtoinvestigateaseriesofincidentsthathadbeen

disturbing

th"

p";";f

the

town

for

sJme

time.

He

was

standing

now

in

the

middle

of

the

.oltia-

trying

to

figure

out

where

the

mysterious

perpekator

could

have

been-hiilg

T'he

aintinlg

in

front

of

him

reprejented

an

old

warlock

that

was

g.i*irfl""iiirt

ry

rt"*

t"enina

his

crystai

glole.

Mr.

soames'

tten-

tion

was

drawn

to

the

painting

that

aPPealed

to comeio

life,

steP

by

step.,

whiie

a

strange

*1tirpl,i"g'sot"td

i""o'^a"a

the

room;

'Thy'

thy'

deus'

baladeus'

bring

me

to

life''

Mr.SoameswasVeryaf'raid,hehadbeenofthedarkandthesupernaturalall

hisl i fe,butbeingarePorterwa.: l lswayofdealing-.withthisproblem.Sohe

pressed

the ,recoiding,'button of his tape'recorderas the-incantation grew loud-

er.

Come,

Master

of

ba*n,

free

me

from

my

prison'

d1u1' alad:":-}::I"t

of

the

painting

,iui

"a

to

glow-as

mist

was

covering

it.

Cold

sweat

was

runnlng

down

Mr.

Soames,

spine

and

his

pulse

starting

rislng..He

screamed:

No ',

just

as

he

felt

u

r,u"iio,iJi.rg

his

shoulder,

e

bJgan

o

fignt

it,

and"

{1k1e9s'

Soon

fter,

"

b;J

oi

*u "t

woke

him

up,

dotin

to

Eart"h'

n

the

middle

of

the

main

hall

of

the

museum

There

was

a

grouP

of

tourists

staring

at

him'

(Conclusion)

I twasnowmorningandMr'soameshadsleptthroug-Lth:n iSh1-l l |+e

gladly

left

the

,r,*"rr1rtl

when

he reached the newspaper office he saw that

thebatter iesofhistaperecorderwerelow;hechu'.gedthemandplayedthe

tape.

There

*u,

,rottiir.rg

but

a

continuous

'whoosi'.

In

the

end,

just as

he

hadgivenuphope,Mr.Soamescouldhearafadingbackground.. . ,deus,

baladeus'...

ExamPle

2.

Narrate

about

a

heroic

deed:

A

Heroic

Act''

Essay

by

Diana

Jdranu'

12th

F

Intensive

English

class


3/25


4/25

(Body)

When

I

woke

up,

apparently

not

after

a

long

sle-ep'

everything

3ro.11d

,""*ua

prt

u

tittffii

different.

At

first

I was

intrigued

as

I could

not

find

the

end

of

the

blanket.

I knew

it

must

have

been

becauie

of

my

feeblemindedness,

f"l

fn"

piece

of

fabric

covering

me

didn't

look

like

the

blanket

I used

to

put

over. It looked

more

like

a

paiiof

trousers...

my

trous-ers

didn't

have

much

time

to

understanJwhat

was

happening

because g-uide4y fgTd rnyself slip-

ping

through

a

never-ending

channel.

when

I f inally

reached

he

tloor,

wnlcn

";;r%;;;;lt

*ur*,

rt"uhz#

t had

been

ravelling

through

my

own

pants'

And

this

was

just

the

beginning

of

my

adventure

No sJor.e.

diJ i iand"on

the

cold

parquet ,

star ted

o

feel

cold'

And

the

.orlffi-"

t t*d

ieft

some

moments

Uifote

was too

high

for

me

to climb

back

io-'fuiy

problem

^o*

*u,

that

the

clothes

I

used

to

wear

before

had

become

ioo

ru".g",

so

I had

to

find

something

else

o put

on.

But

what

could

fit

a 5

cen-

timetres

tall

creature?

Maybe

a

hanikerchiei

grasped

with

a safety

pin

would

;;k"

lhe

perfect

outfit

f-or

me.

Luckily

for

me,

I came

across

my

cousin's

dolls, which were lying on the .utp"t, b"uutifully dressed'with great difficu-l-

ties

I'manag"a

to

"'"Jr""r,

orr"

of

them,

and

put

on-its

pink

blouse

and

purple

pants.

I felt"ridiculous

in

these

vivid

colours,

but

there

was

not

time

for

com-

;i;i;*

i;;Ji;l*d

the

way

to

talk

to

someone

who

could

get

me out

of

this

terrible

situation.

I headed

fo,

*y

room,

which

seemed

miles

away'

hgging

someone

would

run

into

me.

As soon

as

I

arrived

in

the

hallway,Iheard

the

key

turning

nolsl-

ly

and

th"

fror*-doorlrddenly

openecl

while

a harsh,

winter

draught

came

from

outside

almost

flo*i.rg

*".

Th"t-t,

my parents_

entered

the

house,

but

they

seemed

oo

absorbed

Ui

their

cor,rretsuiiot

and

did

not

notice

me'

Little

things

arenever important I couldn't give up, so I followed them to the kitchen'

what

before

seemed

some

stePs

away,now^took

me

a couple

o{

minutes

of

sustained

effort

to

reach.

when

i

finally

arrived

at

the

destination,

{Y

parents.

were

.rr,puckir,g

t

"

rmffig.

I tried

to

talk

to

them,

but

the

plastic

bag's

rustle

was

louder

than

mY

voice.

suddenly

i

r"rt

u

great

sadness

because

nobody

cared

about

me.

I

felt

so

alone

in

tnis

enormou"s

world.

There

was

nobody

to

protect

me

from

the

dan-

g",s

t

was

facirrg.

Euch

u'-'d

single

thing

in

my own

house

was

now

a threat.

I

lould

easily

get"stepped

on

by-the

cat,

or

thrown

out

by

mistake'

How

can

a

poor

little

.r"itor"

fui"

u

giant

when

he

is

so

vulnerable?

had

no

more

energy'

I leaned on a piece of furiiture,

but

as

I

was

barefoot

and

the

floor

was cold,

I

started

shivering'

,tt"tt#*:l',

*ou"

"n,

a

voice

was

er]ing

me:.,sweeti":.rlv

on,t

you

go

o

bed?

It,s

late

and

look

alyou,

you

must

be

iold '

I

was

still

drowsy,tut

when

I saw

her,

I started

to

glanie

ardund

and

I could

not

believe

my

eyes.

t

was

*"

lqu.t"

No

more

pink

c"l'othes,

o

more

dangers'.no

more

never-"iq1"q

l?:-:L:y:.:-:1"

kitchen.

But

that

little

world

definiteiy

exists

n

our

minds'

Haven't

youever

felt

miserable

compared

with

the

outstanding

beauty

of

a

mountain

or

helpless

n

this

enormous

world?

The

secret

is

to tiust

yolr

qualities

and

strength

and

never give uP'

11


5/25

Example

4.

Remember

one of your birthday

parties:

The

mysterious

gift'.

Essay

by Teodora

Beleagd

(Introduction)

The morningafter,I woke

up

and there

it was:

shinning as if

the suns rays

were reflecting

themselves of

the

surface of a lake. It was

the most

precious gift

I've

ever

received and it was all minel It's

still

fresh

in

my mind the felling

that

I

had

the

other

day

when

I got

it .

(Body)

My

family and I were preparing the celebration

of

my

eighteenth birthday. I

was

helping my mother in the kitchen

while

my father

was

out

shopping

for the

event that

was

about to take place that

night.

Out

of

the

blue, mom rushed

out

of the kitchen as if she

suddenly

remembered

to

check something

eise.

I fol-

lowed,

only to

find her

secretly

hiding

something

in the

drawer. I

was

very

intrigued, thinking that was a present for me. However, when she tumed and

faced me

she

gave me

that

look as f

everything was

just

in my mind.

The

party began at

9 o'clock

p.m. All

was

perfect

Everything

from the music,

that everyone enjoyed

even

though the DJ was

a bit young,

to the balloons

that

were in

place,

with

the big

jumbo

balloon ready

to gush

out confetti and

other

little

balloons.

After

the cake, it

was the

time for

opening presents. I was

so

excited I got

everything

a girl could ever dream

of, but still there was no

gift

from my

parents

which

let me to believe that

everything was

just

in my mind.

However,

I

couldn't

be more wrong My mother

took

me aside and

told

me a

short fascinating

story

about this

gift

I was about

to receive

on

their behalf. I was

blown away After the

party,

it was hard for

me to'sleep

that night,

constantly

thinking

about

what

a precious gift I have been

given.

(Conclusion)

And now it's morning

I find myself

looking

at it,

still mesmerized by both

its beauty

and the story behind

it.

Something

priceless,

hat has been passed

down

from generation to

generation,

linking

the

past with the present

and the

future,

still

looking

as

if it were

brand

new.

It's the

most beautiful ring

that

I've

ever

seen

2. Descriptizte Essay

STRUCTURE

Introduction:

.

paragraph

1- give general information about

the person

/

place

saying

when,

where

you saw them

for

the

first

time,

reasons

for

the

choice

Body:

.

paragraph

2-4: you describe the

physical

appearance, qualities,

hobbies/interest,

character,

behal'iour;

you

start a new paragraph for

each

new topic. When

you describe a place, you

should mention what

you can see

and do there, buildings details,historical factsetc.

12


6/25

Conclusion:

.

paragraph

5 -

includes

your

comments/feelings

about

the person

/

place.

EXAMPLES

OF DESCRIPTIVE

ESSAY

Example

1-.

Describe

a place

you visited

or you would

like

to: 'A

Spot of

Heaven'.

Essay by Alexandra

vlaicu, 12t1a

, intensive

English

class,

'Mihai

viteazul'

National

College

(Introduction)

This was

IT. Her perfect

place, where

no

one

ever disturbed

her

peace,where

she

could

relax

and have a

good time

ever

since

she discovered

t

years

before

while

she

was

still a child going

on holidays

at her

grands'.

(Body)

The

meadow was

sprinkled with

beautiful

multi-coloured

flowers

whose

petals felt so soft and friendly against the skin. There was white, and red, and

yellow, in

the trees and

on the ground

as well.

The

grass went

halfway

up to her

knees,

gently

stroking

her

feet as

she walked.

She

could feel

the

welioming

scent n the air, the

smell

of flowers and

trees

and

birds

and fresh air

combined-.

Further

away

there

were

trees full

of fruit:

apples,

plums,

cherries.

She

always

smelt

the

jam

that was to be

made

of the round,

luscious,

ripe fruit in

front

of her. The

trees

were

old

and

strong

-

she

could

relax

in

their big wood-

en arms,

where

she she felt safe and loved.

(Conclusion)

And

finally,

the birds

-

beautifully

coloured

birds

with light wings.

Their

songs were sweet, enchanting, spell-like, and that was, undoubtedly the best

thing about

that heavenly

place that almost

bewitched

her and

made her float

in

the world

of dreams.

Example

2.

Narrative-descriptive

essay

Describea

characterof a book/story

you

have read:

Deceiving

Appearance'

(the

portrait

of the killer

in'Tell-Thle

Heart'by

E.A. Poe).

Essayby Alexandra Ioan,

12thgrade

intensive

English

class

(Introduction)

Thick fog was

covering the

still

town

which

looked

almost frightening

in the

dim light of the cold moon. It was getting really quiet, as if life had

ceased o

visit

the

streets and

houses

of

this place,

as if

it refused

to

submit to the deep,

cruel night that

settled

in.

(Body)

Suddenly, the ripple

of

a

puddle broke

the

deaf

silence. More

confident,

loud

steps followed

and a tall man appeared

in

the

shivering light

of

a

tired street

lamp.

He was holding

a small suitcase

n

one hand and had

a

whitish

piece

of

paper in the

other.

Wearing

a long,

brown

raincoat

which

matched the

beige

suit, made his

slender figure stand

out. His face

was

covered

n

darkness,most-

ly because

of the khaki hat

on

his head.

He lifted

his round

chin

looking

around

13


7/25

and let

his angelic

ace be

caressed y the

shy light.

His

short, straight,

chestnut

hair

outlined the round,

clean shaven ace,

contrasting

with

his

fairiompiexion.

A

snubby nose

unveiled a well-shaped

mouth

settled in a

gentle

smile. But

maybe

his most

dominant feature were

his

big,

round

eyes.Their

strong hazel

colour made

the depth

of

his

stern

look

give

you

chills.

The young man crossed he street calmly, with no rush, looking carefully

around.

He was

a person

built for details,

you

could

see

with

how

much intei-

est he measured

everything he

encountered.

Paying

attention,

being

in a

con-

stant

state of tension,he was

secure

and

confident.

His

appearance

betraved

his

organized

style, the

order

he was

used

to, maybe

even tire

obsession or

it .

He

knocked

on

one of

the

old

wooden

doors

and an

old

man

let him

in. It

was

obvious from

their reactions

and

gestures

hey

didn't

know

each

other and

surprisin-gly

enough, the

old

man allowed

him

to

come n

quickly. The

mystery

surrounding

the

young

man was

dominant,

making

you wonder

who he

wai,

where

he

was

coming

from and most

of all what

was

he

planning

to do while

living

in

this

empty, dull town.

(Conclusion)

still, the whoie

perfection

he

was

showing

was

making

you wonder

if

maybe,

ustmaybe,

there was more

about

this

person.

His

certiinty

was intrigu-

ing

especially

since he was a

stranger.Those

eyes,

hat

sharp,

deep gaze

could-

n't have

been all

pure and innocent,

behind

the

hazel

vale

there waJsomething

more/

something that nobody

could name

precisely...

was

it

possible

that hii

appearance

was meant

only to

hide

something,

to

deceive?

Example

3.

_

Make the portrait of an imaginary character ntegrated in a story: 'The tod-

dler and her

apprentice'.

Essay

by

Oana Andreescu,

ltL grade

intensive

English

class

(Introduction)

{n lhe

foggy,

damp weather her

small onix

eyeswere

like

two

twinkling

coals

in

the hectic

city street. had

only seenher

for

a

second hat

I already

knew

that

those

eyes

were

there

to tell a

story.

(Body)

She

was

a tiny

creature

of

half

a metre

ost

in

the midst

of

the

passing

crowd.

11h9r

dingy

blue

clothes she resembled

a

big

unsteady

bubble.

Coming

out of

the far too long sleeves, ingers with a desperatedesire o

clutch the

air held

on

to

the unseen.

Surprisingly

enough, her

eyes were

not

dim with

tears

but

enlightened

by a

somehow inexplicable

ray

of hope:

she

was

hobbling

on

her

own towards

the

end of the grey alley.

Her

brown

hair

with

tight

curls framed

the

joyful

expression

of her face

as she hobbled

on the

grey pavement.

she was

2

years

old and was

now learning how

to

walk,

ail

on her

own

in

the middle

of

the

street. She knew

no

helping hand

nor

relied

on anyone's

encouragements:

she was

all aione

and needed no

support

in

tackling

life's

first tasks.

After

a fen'seconds

of staggering

she, all

of a

sudden,

coilapsed;

some man

had given her a slight push. Already unsteady,she found herself lying on the

T4


8/25


9/25

(Introduction)

One

indelible

memory of

that cold,

harsh, winter day stiil

lingers in

my

mind I

had been

asked, together

with

another

officer,

to make a short

visit

to that house

and check

whether or

not

everything

was

all

right.' There

had

been

snow

some

hours

before,

lying

not

particularly deep,

but frozen.

We

walked down the tranquil, narrow street in the suburbs of London as the

brisk

wind

was biting

it my

face.

The

place

we

had to reach

was the old

housri in the corner

of

the street,

with

gables and lattice-windows.

I knocked

gently at

the door and

a slender

woman,

apparently

scarcely

past

girlhood,

opened.

We explained

to

her that

what we

had

come

for

and she asked

us to

come

ln.

(Body)

I was

impressed by

her appearance,

hich

looked

even

more

delicate in the

comforting

glow spread

around

the

living room

by the

wooden lamps.,She

wore

a long green

dress and

a low,

black, silk

frock, with

short

sleeves. She

had an

admirable form and the most exquisite little face that I had ever had the pleas-

ure of

beholding.

Moreover,

her countenance

was

absorbing

due to the perma-

nent

smile

playing

on

her lips. On

the

other

hand, what

struck

rne was her

small,

piercing eyes,

and

thin,

hawk-like nose, which gave her an aura of

alert-

ness and decision.

Even

her chin

had a square-like prominence that

made her a

woman

of

distinction.

From the

moment

we

entered

the house

she

proved

to be

a very

welcoming,

qentle-pqzpu.

with a

very

considerate

way

of treating us. She

was

charming,

not

only because

of

her pleasant

look,,but

also because

of

her

soft

voice

and

her

polite

manners.

In

the

beginning,I

was

delighted to

have had the

opportunity

to meet such a brave,young woman.I even appreciated her for the courageous-

,

ness she

displayed

while staying

home

alone during the' old man's

absence.

.After

having conversed

with

her,

she

also proved to be a

sensible

person. Only

later did

I realize that she

had

started

to feel

nervous and

was no longer relaxed,

as

if

a strong

and

penetrating.imaginary

force was haunting her,

causing

her to

burst

out

and confess

her

crime.

(Conclusion)

.

I used

to think that

a person's

character could be known by

his

conversa-

tions, but

that

experience

made

me realize that there is an

enormous

discrepan-

cy

between

reality and

appearance.'The

angelic look

of

that'murderer

didn't

reveal the true demon shewas inside. I was shocked to seesomuch cruelty hid-

denbehind

her

immaculate

look.

Example 6.

Describe

a place you

liked

very much:

'Spain'.

Essay by

Ioana Niculescu,

12ft grade

intensive

English class

(Introduction)

I went to

Spain

in the summer

of

2005

and since then, all

kind

of

memo-

ries

corne

flashing

back,

reminding

me

of

the wonderftrl experience

that

I,

together

with my parents,

have

lived. Like the Arabs wisely said,

it was heav-

en on earth.

T6


10/25

(Body)

we

landed

in

Barcelona,

capital

of

the region

of Cataluniar

9re,

people

always

seem

to be

in

a

rush.

From

old

men

and

women,

to

little children,

every-

body'has

something

to

do.

Nonetheless,

its beauty

resides

in these

ever

busy

streets,

with

memoiable

Ettractions,

most of

them

art of

Antonio

Gaudi'

Both

Barcelona

and

Valencia

sebm

to attract

more and

more people,

mainly

because

of

the

ideal

position

next

to

the

Mediterranean Sea.But the breeze is best in

Palma

de

Millorca.

Here

there's

always

enough

inspiration

for everyone,

like

the

artists

and

writers

of

the

past

have

all

found out'

As

we

headed

south

we hoticed

quite

a few changes

in

temperature

and

atmosphere.In

this

area,

also

known

as the

province.of

Andalucia,

people

tend

to

be more

communicative

and

polite

towards

tourists.

Moreover,

Pe-oPle9l1

find

themselves

following

the

same

road

as Christopher

Columbus

did

in1492.

First comes

Granada,

at'to=ther

f

history's

most successful

piece

of

art.

The

gar-

dens of

Alhambra

rise

frombehind

the

hills, offering

a

splendid

view,

quite

sim-

ilar

to the

one

in

"1001 Arabian

nights".

Second

on

my

list of

favourite

places

comes the city of Tarifa, in the extreme south of Spain..Situated next to the

Gibraltar

Strait,

the

area

reunites

both

Spanish

and

North-African

influences,

mainly

because

of

the

Moroccan

shore

only

a

few kilometres

away.

Tuining

north,

Castilla-la

Mancha

welcomes

its

viewers

with

large

hills cov-

ered

in

riind-mills,

one

of

the

biggest

enelgy

resources

in

this

area'

Going

through

Toledo,

the

religious

centre

-of

the country,

we finally

reached

the capi-

tal,

M;drid.

It

is

famouifor

its old

neighbourhoods

and

the

perfect

blue

of

the

sky.

It

hosts

speakers

of

all

languag 9,

so

you

Tugt

not

be afraid

of

not

being

understood

h6re, even

if

you

speak

Chinese

or

Turkish'

Once

we got

out

of

itsiively

air,

we

turned our

eyes_towards

what

historians

call "the 8s ionder of the *oild", the EscorialPalace,30 m from Madrid' Built

by

phillip

II, the

palace

also

includes

large

inner courts,

_calle

11

onj\,

while

the

east

and'south

wing

offer

a great

panorimic

view

over

Madrid.

With

over

l'600

paintings,

it keeps

i"tssimpliiity

and

makes

you

want

to stay

forever

and

never

fly

back

home

again.

(Conclusion)

All

in all.

it

was one

great

trip

I

won't

forget

in the

near

future.

Be

sure

there

is a

person

out

there

wf,o

is

*itting

to shar-e

with you-his

own

experience

of

spain.

And

it sure

is

a place

where

you

want to be 365

days

per

year.

Example 7.

Describe

a character

of

a book

you've

recently

read or

a

movie

you've

seen:

'Jean Valjean

(Les

Miserables

y

Victor

Hugo)''

-

Essayby

Ioana

Nicolae,

12tt'

grade

intensive

English

class

(Introduction)

One

of

the

most

remarkable

characters

ever

to

leave

a

writer's

Pen/-

an

impressive

person

of

great

moral

virtue ull

u personality

which

has

marked

geierations'of

readers-and

other

writers

alike and

will continue

to

do s9

{9_.

u

iong

time still

to come,

is

Jean

Valjean,

the

main character

of

Victo-r

18o's

"Les

Miserables". From the point of view of

both

an accurate

portrayal

of

the

French

17


11/25

out that

Valjean

does not

participate

in the

battle,

but instead

helps

those who

have fallen,

culminating

in his rescue

of

Marius.

Valjean

does not have

the arro-

gance to participate in a fight, which would involve the imposition of his will

upon

others.

In

the

end,

unknown and

soon forgotten,

stepping for

a brief

moment

into the light,

and then quickly withdrawing

back into the

shadows

from

where he

came,like a

Specter of

divine forces,

he is

the

sole

hero

of the bat-

tle at the

barricades,

controversial,

yet

sublime, disputed

at first,

but

indebted

in

the

end, one that

is

beyond being mere human,

but

still

who

thinks,

feels and

suffers

just

like

a

mere

human.

The

tragedy is that Valjean does not

appear

to recognize

the merit

of his

own

actions,

or at least that they do not

compensate

for what

he

"nearly"

became.

He is driven by the

guilt

he felt

on

stealing

from

the

Bishop

and

the

chimney

sweep. He is ashamed not

so

much

of

the

19

years he

spent in prison,

but rather

that

on

his release he was willing

to prey

upon

those who were

weaker

than

him in

order to

survive.

He works

endlessly

to

compensate or

his

"misdeeds"

and shows himself little

of

the

sympathy

and understanding

he is willing

to bestow

on others.

While

he recognizes

that the

structure

of

society was

partly

responsible,

he has learned

the importance

of

humility

and

accepting

responsibility for

one's actions, learning

from it,

and then

setting

about

rectifying

the situation.

At

the

end of

his life Valjean

tells Cosette and

Marius

that

the

only

thing

that

really

matters is love. It is

tragic, then, that Valjean

appears

to have found

love

and forgiveness

in his heart for nearly

everyone

except

himself.

More

than a tragic romantic hero,

]ean

Valjean

stands throughout

the book

as a

symbol - a

symbol of salvation, of one's

ability

to liberate

one's soul

through

the sheer power

of one's

will and

of the innei

strength

that is in

each

man

to

choose the path that he will walk

and

overcome

all hardship

that he is

faced with, so that in the end, he can look back on his life and know that he has

made

the best

of

himself

that

he

could.

(Conclusion)

In

conclusion, I

can affirm that

]ean

Valjean

was

the voice

and means

of

what

Victor

Hugo

once stated:

"I

condemn slavery, I

banish

poverty,

I teach igno-

rance/

I

treat disease, lighten the night,

and I hate

hatred.

That

is what I

am,

and that is why I

have

written

Les

Miserables.


12/25

3

. Argurnentatio

e

EssaY

This type of

essay

are

also called 'for

and

against'

essays

as you

are to discuss

the advaniages

and

disadvantages

of

a specific topic. They should

be written

in for-

mal style,

therefore

you

should

avoid

using strong

language

(I

know,

I am sure),

colloquial or idiomatic expressions,

STRUCTURE

Introduction:

.

paragraph

1.-you

present

the topic,

making a general

remark

about it

without

giving

your opinion

about

it.

Body:

.

pa-ragraph2

&3

- the

number of

paragraphs

n the body

depends on

the

word

limlt

and

on

how

many

arguments

or/against you may

find to bring; each

argu-

ment or

counter

argument

has to

be

supported

by examples or

justifications.

Conclusion:

.

paragraph

4

-

includes

your

opinion

or a balanced summary

of the

topic.

LINK WORDS

.

to

generalise:

eopleay

hat,

t is common

cnowledgehnt,

t isa

act

hat,

t is con-

sidered

hat

.

to list points:y'rsf

ly,

to begin

with,

secondly,ast but not

least

.

to ad

more points:

what

is

more,

moreoTJer,n addition

to that, besides,

furthermore

r

to show cause

/

effect:

As,

becat$e,

ince, herefore,

hus, subsequently

. to give examples:/or example,or instance, uchas like,especially

o

to show

contrast:

hozaeaer,

ut,

although,

on the other hand,

n contradiction

o

.

to conclude:

to sum

up,

to conclude,

ll

in all, aII things considered

EXAMPLES

OF

ARGUMENTATIVE

ESSAY

Example

1.

Give

arguments

for

and

against

the statement:

'Fame

-

A Blessing

or

a

Curse?'

Adapted

after

Virginia

Evens &

]enny

Dooly

(Introduction)

At

some

point

in their

lives

most people

have daydreamed

about

the

joy

of

being famous.

One

must

wonder,

however,

if

being

famous

is an achievement

o,

uirrrre

-

as

Fred

Allan said,

'A

celebrity

is

somebne

who works

hard all

his

life to become

known,

then

wears

dark

glasses o avoid being

recognised

'.

(Body)

On

one

hand

fame tends

to

go

hand in hand

with

being

rich,

and despite

the

clich6

that

money

cannot

buy

happiness,

famous people can,

at

least be

miser-

able in comfort.

Moreover,

fame also

brings

adoration,

meaning that

famous

people

will

always be surrounded by people who want to be with and be seenwith them.

21.


13/25

This means

that they are welcomed wherever

they

go,

surrounded by the

best

things in life

and protected from

the bad.

However,

there are drawbacks

to being

famous,

the most

obvious being

a

complete lack

of

privacy.

Nowadays, celebrities

are followed

ever5rwhere

hey

go

by photographers, paparazzi,

and

their lives

are

scrutinised in detail

by

newspapers

and magazines. Furthermore,

a famous

person

can never

be

sure

whether

people like him/her

for the persons

they

are rather

than their fame.

Consequently, this

can

lead

to a sense

bf isolation.-

(Conclusion)

All

Jhings

qonsidered.

as appealing

as fame,

wealth

and

adoration may

seem, the

cost

that

one

has to pay is

too great

and

also involves

the

people

they

love.

Example

2.

Give arguments for

and against the

statement:

'Work

can be fun'.

'Work

and

Entertainment'

Essay

by Alexandra loan,

12thF intensive

English

class

(Introduction)

Work

and entertainment have

always

been

the

two

combined aspects

of

one's activity,yetthe

21,"t

entury

man is

being

forced

to

choose

between the

two

time

and time again. While

some

individuals

prefer

relaxing

and

derive pleas-

ure from simply taking a long walk, others might choose threading on the pres-

sure the

job

brings.

(Body)

To

begin

with. work

generates a

sense

of achievement

and fulfilment

which

motivates

one to keep on developing,

both

on a personal

level

and

on a

professional

one. This

eagerness o become

more

accurate

in the

field leads

to

an

immense

satisfaction when

succeeding.

For instance.

Bill

Gates is

one of the

few

businessmen who

have managed

to

remain

on the market

permanently.

Not

only is windows

the most widely

used

system

of

operation, but

it is also

improved regularly

introducing

revolutionary

technology.

secondly.

one's employment involves

a great

deal

of imagination

most

of

the

times, if not for

the

job

itself, at least

for

tackling

problems

that

might occur.

Unexpected situations

occur all the time

and

these

are what

keep

employees

on

the

edge. A

good

example

of

innovation

might

be Madonna,

an

artist who

keeps,reinventing

herself in

the most

unpredictable

ways. This

is what

makes

her

go on and what makes

fans ask for

more.

However,

from

a psychological

standpoint,

people also

need

some time-off

in

order to avoid

exhaustion. As much

as they

enjoy their

professional ventures,

everything has

a limit. This was

the case

of Celine Dion,

another well-known

singer who decided

to have a

two-year

break

from

show

business

so

that

she

could rejoice

among her family

and friends

whom

she has missed

over the

years.

Furthermore,

one cannot

objectively

compare

the

amount

of energy and

involvement invested in the profession to the time spent in off-work

environments. As rewarding

as the

job

might

be,

one must

not

overlook the fact

22


14/25

that

it is

equally

stressful,

whereas free

time activities

are not. For example,

Macaulay

Culkin

is much more

in the

public

eye at the moment due to his

eccentric lifestyle

rather than to his on-screen performances

and he

seems

to

persevere in indulging himself.

(Conclusion)

All

in all,

job-related

activities cannot make

up or replace the free time one

justifiably

needs

and

vice-versa. Although fun and

work may appear as

serving

two different

purposes,

the

known

fact is

that

one cannot

separate

hem

entirely,

nor

can one simply disregard

one of them. Each individual

has the possibility

though to

establish

his

or

her

own

limits

and

decide where the work

ends

and

where the fun begins.

Example

3.

Give

arguments

for and against Romania's

joining

the NATO group.

'Romania-NATO Relationship'

Essay by Alina Cirstescu, l"1thF intensive English class, member of the

Romanian team

in

NAIO competition

2006

(Introduction)

The North

Atlantic Treaty

Organisation

(NATO)

embodies

the transatlantic

link that binds Europe

and North

America

in a unique

defence and security

alliance. NATO's essential

and enduring purpose,

set out

in

the

Washington

Tieaty, is to safeguard

the freedom

and

security

of

all its members by political

and military

means. To this end, NATO

has

provided for the

collective

defence

of its members since

its foundation

in 7949.1t

has also acted as an essential

forum for

consultation

on security

issues

of

interest

to its members,

and as an

essentialpillar of peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.

(Body)

Romania

oined

the

Alliance

on

March 29,2004, ollowing

the decision

taken

during the Prague Summit,

in November 2002. For Romania, this has

represented a major step

forward,

with

decisive influence

on

the foreign and

domestic policy of

the counky.

Euro-Atlantic integration has represented an

objective of the

Romanian foreign

policy, which has

been pursued steadily

by all

the governments succeeding

as of

1990. In

order to become a NATO

member

state-,

Romania

joined

the Pirtnership

for Peace

(a

programme aimed

at Euro-

Atlantic

co-operation

on security

matters, with

a major

role in the process

of including new members of NATO), drafted its own national annual Planfor

preparation

of

accession

PNA)

and cooperated with

other candidate

states

for

accession.

An

outstanding

element of

the

integration was

the series of

accelerated

reforms that Romania

has undergone

in the following

aspects:

Firstly.

the political and economic

spects:Romania

continued

the

fight against

corruption, ensuring

the sufficient

administrative

capacity

to sustain

reforms.

The pbfiUcal

aspect focused on

taking

measures

o

solve

community

issues and

also

on

ensuring

that public

opinion

is

sufficiently

well informed

and

supportive

of NATO

membership

and

the

Objectives

of

the

Alliance;

23


15/25

Secondly,

the military

and defense ssueszRomania has

undergone

military

reform and

restructuring,

improving the interoperability

of

the Romanian

forces

participating

in NATO or coalition-led operations.

Furthermore, resourcesi

Romania

ensured a constant percentage

(2.

38%) ot

the GDP

for defence

until

2007 and is

also

committed

to and interested

in

contributing

and participating

in

the NATO Investment

Security

Program

(NSIP)

Moreovel, security

of information:

Romania

focused

on

making operational

a

specialised

institution managing

NAIO

classified information

Last but

not least. the egal

aspects: omania

adopted by

referendum the Law

on

revising the Constitution

The successful

ntegration

of

Romania

in

NATO

was facilitated by aCalendar

for finalization

of reforms.

Another aspect

of the

topic is

represented

by the

BENEFITS FOR ROMANIA

To begin

with. NATO

membership represents

he guarantee

for

security and

external stability,

which is vital for ensuring

the prosperous development of

the

country;

Secondly.

it

confirms

the place of

the Romanian

state

within

the

westem family;

Thirdly. it

ensures

the

Romanian access

o the process of

reaching major

decision on

European and Euro-Atlantic security;

Moreover.

it

gives

Romania

the

opportunity to demonstrate the capacity of

coping

with

the demands

required by the member

status

and to

contribute

to

promoting the values and

the

objectives of the Alliance by both

participating in

the operations

nd missionsof

the Alliance and

involving in lfs conceptual

nitiatiaes

and eoolutions;

Furthermore, NAIO


an exercise of

democratic

values;

Last

but

not least.

NATO

membership also represents an

economic

boast as

it

contributes

to the development of

the Romanian

inJrastructure

and to the

progress

and advancement in the

technological

field.

The last aspect hat

must be mentioned

are BENEFITS

FOR THE WORLD

Firstly. The guarantee

for national

security also represents the guarantee

for

the security of

the neighbouring countries and therefore

stability

in the

world;

Seco4dly, Romania, due to its geographical position and improved

capabilities

plays a

major role in establishing

stability

at

the

Eastern borders

of

Europe contributing

to the

world's

security;

Thirdly. NATO


sharing common

values,

cooperation

and

joint

future plans;

Moreover. Romanian

prosperity, as a

NATO

member, may

contribute

to the

prosperity of

the neighbouring countries;

Furthermore, NATO

membership

contributes to the spread of

democratic

values.

(Conclusion)

Tir sum up. I believe that

at the beginning

of the 21"t

century,

Romania is part

of an Alliance

that

sustains

the fundamental

mission

of collective

defence,

permanently

improving its capabilities in

order

to face

the

new threats of the

24


16/25

security

environment.

Being a

member

of the

Alliance represents

he

guarantee

of security

and

external

stability,

n a

world

where

national security

is backed

by cooperation,

common

values

and

active involvement. NATO

membership

represents

a

major

step

forward

considering

the complex

reform

process hat

Romania

has

undergone

and

also

an

important role

on

the

Euro-Atlantic

political scene.

Romania,

due

to

its geographical position

and

improved

iapabilities

plays

a major

role

in establishing

stability at the

Eastern

borders of

Europe

contributing

to

the

world's security.

Example

4.

Comment

about

the statement:

If

this

world is

full of

beauty -

bad,

or

ugly

the

man himself

will

make

it so.'

(William

Saroyan)

-

give

arguments

for/against.

Essay

by

Georgia

Ciobdnescu

7/th

$

(Introduction)

We

can

comment

upon

William Saroyan's

quotation

by observing

the

relationsbetween man and nature and among people.

(Body)

First

of

all

lhe man

has

changed

nsture

in a bad

way

causing

the

disappearance

of some

species

of

plants

and animals and

putting others_

n

danger

of

extinction.

Species

have

become extinct or

endangered

or a-number

of

reasons:

he destruition

of

the habitat

(ex.:

cutting

and

clearing

of

forests,

especially

n

the

Tropics),

urbanization

and subr.rrbanization.

nother

reason

s

the humln

actions:

he commercial

exploitation of

animals

for food

and other

products

(ex.;

the slaughter

of

great

whales for

oil

and

meat,

the African

ihinoceros, killed

for

their

horns

are in

danger

of extinction;

the

great

auk

becameextinct in the lgtL century becauseof over huniing).

Nevertheless,

man has

also tried

to

keep the beauty of

nature by

the

naming

national parks

and

nature

reserves.

Theseare areasselected

by governments

or

private organizations

for

special

protection

against

damage or

degradation.

They

are ihosen

for their

butstanding

natural beauty, as areas

of scientific

inteiest, or

as

forming part of

a

country's

cultural

heritage, and

often

also

to

provide

facilities

for public

recreation.

n

addition to

the original

purp.oses

of

iandscapeconservation

and

public

recreationmany parks

have

been established

to protect endangered

species

of

animals or

plants and

to promote

scierrtific

research.

Hunting

and other

disruptive

activities are

limited or

banned

and

public

access

s oiten strictly

controlled

or even

forbidden. Ex.:

Kanha

National

i'ark, northern India, in Amazon the National Park, Brazil, Retezat Park in

Romania.

Secondly

man transformed

the

world into a negative

way by

polluting

it .

Pollutionis the

contamination

of

air,

water,

or soil

by

materials

that

interfere

with human health,

the

quality of

life,

or

the natural

functioning

of ecosystems.

For

examole

air Pollution

is the contamination

of

the

atmosphere

by

gaseous,

iquid, or

solid

wastes. Each

year industrially

developed

countries

generatebi[lions

of

tons of

pollutants.

Sourcesof

major

air pollutants

inciude

individual

actions, such

as

driving

a car, and

industrial

activities,

such

as

25


17/25

manufacturing products or generating electricity.

The major

effect of

air

pollutants

are, lie

acid

rain

(because

f

it the

entire

fish populations

have

been

destroyed

in different

lakes

from

Britain in Norway

and Sweden)

and

"greenhouse

effect"

(which

allows

solar energy

to enter

the

atmosphere

but

reduces

he

reemission

of

infrared

radiation from the earth).

Water

Pollution

is the

contamination

of

water by

substances

uch

as

micro-

organisms,

chemicals,

ndustrial

or other

wastes,

or sewage.

Notable

effects of

witer pollution

include

those

involved in

human health. Chemical

polluting

elements

n drinking

water or

food can

cause

diseases

hat sometimes

esults n

death.

Inorganic substances

have

also a harmful

impact on

human

health

and

nature.

Lakes are

especially

vulnerable

to pollution

(when

lake

water

becomes

artificially

enriched

with nutrients,

causing

abnormal

plant

growth).

Another causeof pollution is the nuclear energy.The principal issue s not so

much

the present

danger

as

the

danger to generations

ar

in the

future.

Many

nuclear

wistes remain

radioactive

for thousands of

years,

beyond

the span of

any human

institution.

(Chernobyl)

Solid

wastes

also

affect

human

life and nature.

They

may

be

classified

as

follows:

garbage,

rubbish,

ashes, dead

animals, sewage-treatment

solids,

industrial

wastes,

mining

wastes and

agricultural

wastes.

Thirdly

regarding

the

relationships

between peoples

another

negative

thing

except

pollution

would

be

the conflicts.

The

most dramatic

conflict

is the

war

(arrned-

conflict

between

two

or

more governments or

states).

Wars

can

be

unleashed

rom

a

various

number of

reasons: olitical,

religious,

civil,

etc.

When

such

conflicts

expand

to global

proportions, they

are

known

as

world

wars:

World

War I (1914-1918) nd War world lI (7939-7945). xcept the people from

the army,

civilians

had also suffered.

Civilians

in the

vast war

zonesbecame

Part

of

the

fighting

fronts,

and suffered

from disease,

malnutrition,

and often

actual

starvation,

destruction

of

their towns

and cities,

and appalling

injuries

and

death.

Furthermore,

good

things

for people made by

people

are the

rewards

and

prizes

granted

bylaw

for their

performance.

These

are giving

people-trust

and

make them

huppy

and

more

determined

to persevere

n their

work.

Ex.: an

important

re*Lid

is

the Nobel

prize. Noble

prizes

are

the awards

granted

annually

to people

or

institutions

for

outstanding

contributions

during

the

previou

year

in the

fields of

physics, chemistry,

physiology

or

medicine,

iiterature,- international peace, and economic sciences.

(Alfred

Bernhard

Nobel-1901).

]V[ore.@,

another

noble

attitude of

some people

is the philanthropy,

spirit

of

goodwill

towards

humanity,

usually

expressed

n activities

that promote.

huian

welfare.

In

this spirit

there

has

been

founded

an elaborate

network

of

almshouses,

hospitals,

and

orphanages

or

supporting

and

aiding

the

infirm,

the

poor,

and

the

disadvantaged.

Also there have

been established

different

institutions

like

International

Red Cross

and Red Crescent

Movement.

In time

of

war

these

are alleviating

the sufferings of

wounded soldiers,

civilians,

and

prisoners

of

war and

in time of

peace

hey are

rendering

medical

aid

and other

irelp to

people

afflicted

by

major disasters such

as

floods,

earthquakes,

epidemici,

and

famines,

and performs

other

public service

functions.

Another

26


18/25

institution

is

the

United

Nations

Educational,

Scientific,

and

Cultural

Organization (UNESCO).

(Conclusion)

-

All

thing

considered.

ven though

at

the beginning

man

did

a positive

thing

for

him

by

the induskialization

he

didn't

thinl

aboit

effects

hat

this woulX

cause

so t ended

n

alegative

way.

But

now

he

has

realized

and is

finally

taking

care o maintain

a balance

between

human

life

and

nature.

Example

5.

Talk about

the advantages

and disadvantages

of being

A

prime

Minister.

Essay

by Ioana

Niculescu, 12th

grade intenJive

Englisi

class

(Introduction)

Studying politics offers people the chance to understand the mechanism

around

and behind

the powerful

leaders

of a

country

and

one day

even

become

one

of them. But

do we-really

feel

up to

it? Is

it

realiy

worth

trying

to apply

for

a

job

such as

the Prime

Minister?

(Body)

Tq

begin

with.

the best

advantage

of being

a Prime

Minister

is

the financial

one.

No more

unpaid

bills

or parking

tickets.

You

can afford

buying

a new

car

from

your first

salary and

even

face

with

major

help

requests

froniall

of your

neighbours.

Furthermore,

9i.g

the Prime

Minister

automatically

means

that

you are

known

to the public

and

to major

institutions

Therefore,

it

can deprive

ylu

o

"sticky"

situations,

such as waiting

fir

line

or entering restricted areas.Also, the connections you establish are seitled for

life

and

come in

handy whenever

you

need

to

have

something

done

before

somebody

else.

However,

the

feeling

of. being

on_ op

of everybody

else can have

negative

repercussions

on a person's

state of

mind.

Power

attracts

even more

power,

which

often

leads

o^insanity

or

a

society

ull

of

chaosand

anarchy.The

opposite

Tgnt

happen

too.

Some might

back

off and

resign,

due

to lack

bf contrbi

over

the

situation.

(Conclusion)

Tb

conclude,

being a Prime

Minister

takes

a lot

of talent and

leadership,

combined

with

confidence in

one's own

actions,

health

of mind and

bodv

and

the

will

to

stay

on track no matter

what.

\


19/25

4.

Opinion

Essays

They are

a

variant of

the

argumentative

ones

n

which you

can

apProach

he

topic

fiom

a personal

(not

general)

angle,

being allowed

to use

from

the

start

expressions

ike:

I

think,I

cansider,l

trohgly

belieae

hnt,my

opinion

s,

as

or

myse,If,

fro*

*V point of ttiew etc.Your atgumentscan ncline towards the 'for' or the

''againsi''side

as ong

as

they

are suPported

by examples

or

justifications.

t's a

personal

argumentation

of

a statement.

JJ


20/25

EXAMPLES OF OPINION ESSAYS

Example

1.

-

fTpt"l-r

your

opinion

about

the

staternent:

Things

go wrong

because

people

build

walls

instead

of bridses'.

Essay

by

Georgia

Ciobinescu.

12thB

grade

(Introduction)

we

can comment

upon

this

,quotation

by

observing

the diplomatic

relationships

between

countries

and

personal

relationships

b"etween

eople.

(Body)

Firstly, I conside{ that the diplomatic relationshipsare among presidentsof

various

countries,

between

governments,

ministers,

senatori

or different

members

of parliaments.

These

are important

for

all peoples

because

hey are

influencing

their

future

in

different

ways

from

standard

of life

to

a man

freedom.

or

jhe.wly

that

dipiomatic

relationships

affected

people

lives

is Beriin

wall.

The

Berlin

Wall was

a

between

and

East

Germanv.^which

closed

he border

between

and West

Berlin

for

28

years. t

was

built

during

the

post-

period

of

.

The

purpose was

to

stop

the

drain

of labor

and

econ6mic

output

associated

with

the daily

migration

of huge

numbers

of

professionals

and

skilled workers

from

East

o West Berlin,

and

the

attendant,

*hi"h

hurt

the

economicallyand politically.It decreased migration.By the end of 20tL entury

Germany was

reunited

and

the wall was

pulled

down.

9eeonaty,

another

reason

I believe

people

had

to

suffer from

was

the

difference

made

by

the leaders

who

believed

that

their races,

heir

religions,

their

ethnic differences

are the

most important

factors.

For

example

in Arierica

until

the l$th

6gnls1y

black

people were

considered

inferior

6"curs"

of the

colour

of

their

skin.'They

were

disadvantaged,

hey

had

no

and they

were

hold

against

heir will.

Also

they

had no

individual

freedom

and

they

weie

exploited

for

their labor.

In

the

end, slaverv in

the

United

States

was

ab'olished

aiter

the

at

a cost

of millions

of lives.

Also another

discrimination

in

the

past

was

made

especially

by the

Germans. They

thought

that

|ewish

people

were

inferior

to

them

becauseof their race.The Holocaust is the most ho.iifylr,g event which

ended with

the

deliberate

murder

of millions

of

]ewish

men,

women,

and

children.

.

I am

slrgngllr

coqvincg-dthat,

f peopie

weren't

so selfish,

proud

and ignorant

they

would

realize

hat

all these

actions

have

negative

effects

on themseives

and

on their

habit. Ali

this things

make

people

to

suifer frorn

diseases,

malnutrition,

and

often actual

starvation,

destruction

of their

towns

and

cities,

and appalling

injur ies

and

death.

Thudly,

as

Joseph

F.

Newton

said

"People

are

lonely

because

hey

build

walls

instead

of bridges."

Eor

exatnplg

f

somlone

is

demanding,

criticaljneedy,

ungratefui,

boastful,

nosy,

hurtful,

spiteful,

stingy,

and

selfish,

s it

any wonder

that

he

hasn't friends?

oftgn

people

blame

pbverty, lack of educaiion, age,

illness,

and

other

whims

of

fate for

their

lack

oi friends.

From

m)'

point

of

vilw

this

is a false

charge.Regardless

f one's

disadvantages

and handicaps,

h;re

are

34


21/25

always others

that are

worse

off,

yet

successful. So,

it is not people

circumstances,

ut their

attitude

that decides heir fate. And it is always

within

their power,

rich

or

poor, young

or old

to

change heir attitude.

If

you

are good

and do good than

you will

feel good.

And

feeling good is

just

a

way

towards

happiness and self-contentment.

For exampie

volunteering

is a

wonderful way

to

end

loneliness.

There are a

lot

of

lonely people n hospitals

and old

age homes

that would be delighted to spend time with someone. Besides offering the

opportunity of

making

new

friends and learning new

things,

volunteering

makes

you

feel good about

yourself.

(Conclusion)

All

things

considered

I can'

but agree

with

the wise

saying

the

English

Mathematician and

Physicist

IsaacNewton who

said

that

"We

build too mantl

walls and

not enough bridges."

Example 2 on the same

topic.

'Things go wrong becausepeople tend to build walls instead of bridges'.

Essayby Cristina

Coman,

12tLgrade

intensive English

class

(Introduction)

Ever

since

the

world began,

people

have

been living together, sharing

both

huppy and sad

moments

with each other,

laying

bridges, setting

up

walls,

constructing

shelters or

houses, establishing

family

ties and

building their

future together.

Man

was

created

as

a

social being that can only evolve

by

coexisting

with the

others

and basing all

his

actions on

relating to

his

neighbours.

(Body)

First of all. the key to every success man has ever achieved is

communication.

Magnificent

and

grand things are

carried out

with talent and

team work. It is the

law

of

nature that made man

start

building bridges

and

reach

out

for help. It

is the

same

common sense

hat made

others

hold

his hand

and respond to

his

calling

by offering

their help.

Moreover,

we all know

that a

good and healthy social

life is based on our own connections

with the

world

outside and that

is why people

lay bridges

in

their

surroundings

-

because

he

only

way they can

reach success

s by

building

their own

ways towards

it.

Second

of all.

we

can

see

or ourselves hat problems tend

to

occur

when,

instead

of

building

bridges,

people

keep back

behind

high walls and

have the

wrong belief that isolation canbe the answer to whatever is bothering them. By

hiding

of our

problems

we hide of

ourselves, by

building

walls

we

automatically

break

every

single

foot bridge that

can

be built

to save

us. The

higher is the

wall, the harder

it

can

be

climbed and the thicker

is its structure

the

harder it

can

be pulled

down.

Besides,we

must remember hat people

are often

selfish

when it comes

o

critical

conditions and,

just

like an

innocent child

may

have

an egotistic conduct

that can

be improved

by means of educafiorl,

*urlts

native

selfishness

can

be held

under control by interacting

with other

people

and leaming the

value

of

sharing.

You

can set up

a

wall

by

yourself,

while

building a bridge

is a

bilateral

agreement:

t implies

piecework

and also other

person's assenting,

35


22/25

]Ioweve.t, we should take into consideration the fact that walking on a

bridge

can

be

done both

ways:

if you

are

oo willing

to help

others and reach or

their hands,

they might

just

invade

your

privacy.

People

build bridges,

but they

don't necessarily walk

on

their

owns...

Another

aspect is

that thin

or

weak

bridges

can be easily flooded by angry

waters,

that is why

our projects and

plans involving

the

future

should be as

strong

as

we

can make

them, especially

if

there are also

other people depending

on

our help.

(Conclusion)

In

conclusion. building

bridges

or

walls

is a free

choice

or

every single

one

of us. As moral individuals,

we

are supposed

o look

for a

certain

social stability,

we

are

supposed to

combine our forces

and

build these

bridges in

order fo

establish a better communication among us. what should we do if we are

already

surrounded by walls?...

Some

of them may

be very

difficult

to be dealt

with; we

can't always

start laying bridges

above

them.

"But

we

do

have

the

opportunity to build

some door

ways

for

thesewalls...

Example

3.

Thinking

of cultural stereotypes.

which,

in

your

opinion, would

be three

stereotypical features

attributed

to the Romanians?

Give reasons.

Essay

by Piha Zoia

Alexandra, 12tL

S

(Introduction)

During

the time, Romanians

have

created

different

images

among

the

other

nations.Nowadays, at the path between an ex-communistcountry toa member

of

European

Union, Romania

has

collected

both

positive

and negative

opinions

regarding

us.

(Body)

First

of all,

it

is important

to

reveal

the approach

of foreigners

on the

process

of emigration from

Romania to West-European

countries

or USA. This

process

causedby the

poverty in

our country involved

incidents

and

crimes,

especially

theft. These crimes

took place in

several

countries-

like France

or

Italy-

and

certain

categoriesof

people stained this

way

the image

of

Romanians.

n

some

newspapers

Romanians

are

even called "thieves".

Moreover.

a newspaper

from italy

had

an

article in

October 2006

which

presented Romanians like "the most violent and dangerous race, capable of

mrrrdering

for

a

handful

of change". Romanians

monopolize

even the cloning

of credit

cards,

among

other

crimes. In

France were

also registered

a few

incidents

which

causeda negative mage:

Romanians

are again

called

"thieves".

But

major

parts

of

the thefts were

made

by

gipsy-people

from Romania

who

were identified

with Romanians.

Therefore.

despite

of

the fact

that Romanian

people

stole

too, I

consider there

shouldn't

exist this bad

image at

such a big

level.

Unfortunately, this

stereotypical feature

exists.

On the other hand, Romanians

are

considered

ntelligentpeople.

Romanians

are

known for their

abilities

in informatics

and also

for their

great results

at

international

contests

n

general. Not

only at

this level

is the intelligence

of our

people known,

but also the intelligence

of our people

known,

but also n

jobs

of

the ones who emigrated in West and are living and working there, where their

36


23/25

work is rewarded

properly.

The

ability

in informatics

is used

both in a positive

and negative

way.

Some

of

the

most known hackers are

Romanians.

For

example,

in February

2006 some

hackers

-who

were proved to be

from

Romania- got

into all

Apple

Macintosh computers

rom

Arizona University,

and

this

is

just

one small

example.

But

2006

is also the 4th year

when a team of

Romanian

students

wins

1't prize

at a NASA project-contest.

Moreover, Romanians who emigrate in West of Europe are quickly

promoted

in important

jobs

also

for

their

intelligence

and

perseverance.

Therefore,I

can say

this

is another

important feature attributed to

Romanians

and mostly

a positive one.

Last but

not

least, Romanians

are known for

their

hospitality. Each year,

tourists come

in

Romania being

attracted to the beauties of our

country.

Although

in

some

hotels,

motels

and houses

there is rough

accommodation,

tourists

are

happy about

the

hospitality and kindness of

Romanians.

They

always said

we are

friendly

and

warm

people.

(Conclusion)

To sum up, in my opinion, there are three major stereotypical features

attributed

to

Romanians:on

one

hand, theft

-

regarding people from

the lower

lairs

of society,

and, on

the other

hand, intelligence and hospitality.

But,

it

depends

on

each of

us the

way we prove our affiliation

or

not to

this features,

which are

ust

stereotypical

ones.

Example

4.

Expressyour opinion

on

juvenile

delinquency.

Essayby

Adrian

Baciu,

lth

p

infsnsive

English

class

(Introduction)

Juvenile

delinquency

is a massive

and

growing problem

all

over

the

world.

A

multitude of

factors

exist

thai contribute

to the

understanding of

what leads

someone

o

engage

n delinquent

behaviour. While

biological

and psychological

factors

hold their own

merit

when explaining

crime

and delinquency,

perhaps

social

actors can

best explain

juvenile

delinquency.

(Body)

To

begin

with, most

adolescent

delinquents are

extremely

dependent

upon

their peer

groups,

primarily

because

hey have no functioning families, effective

parenting,

nurturing,

or

positive

adult role models to rely on.

These young

people come from all ethnic backgrounds and live in middle- and

upper-class

neighbourhoods

as well

as in ghettos.

We

hear most about black,

gipsies, and

homeless

people

running

drugs, stealing,

and mugging; but there are also

white

gangs, such

as

neo-Nazis

and skin-heads,

that for adults may take on

the

functions of

surv

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