In this post, I will write down my short essays that I write every week for practice. I hope this record of essays can document improvements in my writing skills. I will update this every week, and I will also add the question of the essay from week 38 for clarification.

Week 42
Should professional athletes, movie and TV stars, and other celebrities speak out on or get involved in social and political issues?

Professional athletes, movie and TV stars, and other celebrities should not speak out on or get involved in social and political issues for three reasons.

Firstly, celebrities often have an enormous influence on their supporters, and how they perceive certain opinions and matters. It is incredibly easy for a mass audience of celebrities to turn into an army-like group, where they possess a fixed opinion about a matter led by the celebrity. This can negatively impact how the world perceives a matter, as they could be heavily biassed from the celebrities.

Secondly, getting involved in social and political issues often causes controversy among the celebrities. Stating opinions about a certain matter requires heavy responsibility, and being a celebrity, it is much easier for them to get judged on negatively. This can lead to losing supporters and sponsors, and cause a general negative reputation.

Finally, stating opinions on social and political matters could distract the celebrities of their identity, and going off-track from their expertise. As these statements create controversy, celebrities could end up in a situation where they must use more time and resources to the controversy, rather than their profession. This will downgrade their status as a celebrity.

In conclusion, professional athletes, movie and TV stars, and other celebrities should not speak out on or get involved in social and political issues, as it can turn a huge group of people into a biassed army, can cause the celebrities to lose supporters, and can downgrade their status as a celebrity.

Week 41
Do you think valuable cultural objects held in museums should be returned to their places of origin?

I don't think valuable cultural objects held in museums should be returned to their places of origin for three reasons.

Firstly, valuable cultural objects have the power to teach and inspire the world, as it represents a unique culture we humans have created over time. It is a source of numerous valuable ideas and systems we have made in the past, and can be utilised effectively if we dedicate ourselves to learning it. A museum is an excellent place for learning such unique cultures, as it is displayed for everyone to acknowledge the brilliance these valuable objects can offer.

Secondly, museums can maintain the valuable cultural objects in good form, and keep them safely away from any potential harm such as robbery, terrorism, or natural disasters. Museums are a place where many valuable objects are displayed, and therefore possess advanced defence and coping mechanisms against these harm threats.

Finally, valuable cultural objects should be withheld by museums, as they own excellent equipment to perform research on the object. It has the ability to find numerous ground-breaking discoveries related to the object, which can further develop our understanding of cultures that we have never even imagined before.

In conclusion, I don’t think valuable cultural objects held in museums should be returned to their places of origin, as being placed in a museum can teach and inspire more people, keep it safe from harmful attacks or disasters, and allow the world to find a significant discovery from the object.

Week 40

How can disputes over territorial rights between countries be best resolved?

I believe disputes over territorial rights between countries can be best resolved by three ways.

Firstly, the countries in question must arrange multiple meetings in which they can express their opinions of the dispute. Many country-scale problems, such as territorial disputes are formed by uncertainty or misunderstanding behaviours made by the enemy country. Therefore, meetings in which the countries can communicate without any uncertainty is key for recovering disputes.

However, direct meetings with the countries in enemyship can become heated and biassed rather quickly. If no legitimate and fair resolution is formed, the countries in dispute should ask other countries who are least affected by the ordeal to vote for a solution, in order to lessen the bias. Moreover, this vote must be kept anonymous, to not spark another altercation.

Furthermore, it is important to prevent actions which may cause increased tension between the countries in dispute. For example, increased military actions between borders, and unagreed changes to sensitive areas like the borders should be discouraged. Behaviours like this may add on to the dispute, and escalate the situation negatively.

In conclusion, I believe disputes over territorial rights between countries can be best resolved by arranging multiple meetings for better means of communication, anonymous votes from other countries for possible solutions, and preventing actions which may escalate the situation.

Week39

Vaccinations against all childhood infectious diseases, such as polio, measles, and the mumps, should be made mandatory. Agree or Disagree

I believe vaccinations against all childhood infectious diseases, such as polio, measles, and the mumps, should be made mandatory for three reasons.

Firstly, mandatory vaccination has the ability to prevent major outbreaks or unexpected spread of the targeted disease. If we were to start vaccinating the youth population, they can create a new era of humans who are immune to the targeted disease, rendering the disease incapacitated to us humans.

Secondly, mandatory vaccination can provide protection to the most important generation in society: the youth. Infants and toddlers are often victims to harmful diseases, as their immune system is not fully matured. Consequently, mandatory vaccinations can protect these high-risk generations from harm.

Finally, mandatory vaccination may cause development in science and medical research, and even spark some new innovations. The increase in demand for vaccinations will raise attention to many companies and organisations, as this is a great business opportunity. As more and more organisations are attempting to create the best version of vaccines, the rate of development and innovation will see a dramatic acceleration.

In conclusion, I believe vaccinations against all childhood infectious diseases should be mandatory, as they can prevent major pandemics, provide protection to the youth, and accelerate the development and innovation in the field of science and medicine.

Week 38
As the winter holiday season draws closer, we start to hear the occasional “happy holidays!” or “Merry Christmas!” more frequently. They both set a great mood to get us ready for the upcoming break, but an incorrect use of these phrases can spark a controversial debate: Should we say “happy holidays”, instead of “merry Christmas”, as it is a non-religious greeting that anyone can enjoy without being offended? I believe using the term “happy holidays” is more appropriate for two reasons.

Firstly, we must acknowledge that Christmas is an event held for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is a religious event that the select group of people only attend. Believers of different religions may find it offensive that they are being forced to contribute to an event from a religion in competition.

Secondly, we must understand that the winter break is not solely for Christmas. It is a holiday for our busy society to rest for the upcoming year transition. Christmas may be one of the biggest events during winter break, but I believe it is more logical to use the term “happy holidays”, as it sums up every event that takes place.

In conclusion, I believe the term “happy holidays” is more appropriate compared to using the term “merry Christmas”. Christmas is an event not everybody finds it enjoyable to attend, which makes “happy holidays” a more widely accepted term. Furthermore, as the winter break holds many more events rather than just Christmas, it is more logical to say “Happy holidays”, as it sums up every event that takes place.

Week37

I believe vaccinations against all childhood infectious diseases, such as polio, measles, and the mumps, should be made mandatory for three reasons.

Firstly, mandatory vaccination has the ability to prevent major outbreaks or unexpected spread of the targeted disease. If we were to start vaccinating the youth population, they can create a new era of humans who are immune to the targeted disease, rendering the disease incapacitated to us humans.

Week 36
The streets of the largest cities in the world are often accompanied by many talented musicians. Each and every musician portrays a differing emotion from each other, crafting a unique and enjoyable atmosphere around them. On most occasions, these street players are welcomed by the public, and sometimes are tipped due to the positivity they produce. However, some people question if these musicians are righteous to be expected to be tipped. I believe it is fair for these buskers to ask for a tip for two reasons.

(I couldn’t manage to introduce the question very well in the introduction. How could I have done it better?)

Firstly, it's fair for street musicians to expect tips, as everyone deserves a choice to ask. For most instances, the audience has full authority over the choice of keeping the money, or giving a generous tip. The musicians are simply asking for the tip, not forcefully stripping away money from the audience.

Secondly, these musicians are not just average people who play these instruments in their free time. They are professionals who are strong enough to endure the harsh training in order to acquire permits to play on the streets. Tips can be a great way to message the love musicians deserve from the public for their hard work, and enlightenment they produce to the busy and hustling society.

In conclusion, it is fair for street musicians to expect a tip from their audience. They have all the right to ask for generosity, and they respect the audience’s choice, whether they tip or not. Moreover, tips are a great way to send love from the audience to the musicians, as these buskers support the busy society we live in.

Week 35

As our technology continues to rapidly develop, at-home DNA kits have been introduced to the world as an accessible tool to discover the ancient past of our ancestors for a small price. Since then, DNA information grew into a large subject in which it is used for countless ways to assist society. A lot of people still use DNA kits for the sake of curiosity, but it could display much more utilisation.

Firstly, DNA information can assist doctors and hospitals diagnose and treat a patient quickly, and accurately. Numerous diseases and medical conditions are passed down from the parents to the child. DNA information can then be used to see how the disease impacted the child, leading to a faster diagnostic, and a more effective remedy.

Furthermore, DNA kits can teach the customer how certain events linked and impacted their ancestral past. This can make learning about the event more effective and interactive, as there is real life example and evidence which are very closely related to the students.

Lastly, it can help families with destroyed or missing records of their ancestral past. For example, rapid globalisation resulted in a lot of families spreading out to the massive world, and eventually losing touch. DNA kits can provide information as to where their ancestors were originally from, which can restore family history which were thought to never have been found.

In conclusion, DNA kits were a revolutionary tool that assisted society in countless ways. From supporting doctors by providing important DNA information, to restoring destroyed or lost family history, it is an instrument we would find it difficult to live without.

can help reshape the destroyed records of

Interactive
Record

It was a revolutionary tool that assisted society in countless ways

Week 34
The rapid spread of COVID-19, also known as the CoronaVirus had an immeasurable impact on the world, affecting many lives, business, and even education. In order to combat the contagious nature of COVID-19, we adopted the idea of meeting each other online. It resulted in schools all over the world shifting its educational tactics to online classes. It was a unique way to teach that no one ever seriously utilised, which forced teachers and students to embrace both advantages and disadvantages of using online classes.

First of all, online classes were employed in order to reduce infections, and sure was an advantage from that standpoint. As there was no physical contact within students and teachers, it successfully made a positive impact regarding infection rates. Furthermore, online classes are still used today to give students an opportunity to learn, even if they lack the resources to travel for education.

However, by using online classes, the social aspect of schools would be completely taken down.
Students using online classes are often already comfortable in their warm, cosy bedroom’s environment at home, and deem that socialising is not necessary. Moreover, the lack of physical interaction within students and teachers makes it difficult for them to socialise. Without some degree of social skills, students could end up as socially awkward or lonely when they grow up, resulting in mental diseases like depression and anxiety.

In conclusion, the rapid spread of COVID-19 introduced the unique concept of online learning to the world, which had a both positive and negative impact. By using online learning courses, students could keep learning without getting exposed to dangerous and contagious diseases like the CoronaVirus, and allowed students who aren’t as resource rich to get an opportunity to learn from anywhere in the world. On the other hand, online learning can negatively impact students by the lack of socialisation.

Week 33
What do you think can be done to solve the problem of animal trafficking?

We humans have hunted animals for food, resources, and for entertainment since the start of time. The number of killings were limited, and had little to no visible impact on the local environment. However, due to our rapid colonisation, that number has skyrocketed and is causing destruction everywhere we look on the globe. In some instances, endangered animals are being illegally poached for profit.

In order to prevent illegal wildlife smuggling, we must start by something simple yet effective to combat it in the short-term. Increasing wildlife ranger patrols around national parks with endangered or popularly hunted animals could drastically lower the numbers of illegal smuggling. Moreover, stricter regulations in transportation stations and ports could prevent the transport of innocent animals, reducing the hunting of them overall.

Secondly, we can prevent animal trafficking in the long-term by educating kids in the area of how illegal wildlife hunting can negatively affect their local environment. Most hunters aren’t educated enough to understand the impact they are causing, so they never see a reason to stop.

In conclusion, animal trafficking and illegal poaching of endangered wildlife could be prevented by stricter rules regarding hunting, smuggling, and transporting the animal, and to teach the younger generation of the negative impact it can cause. It is important to respect the resources the animal’s gave us, and not to exploit the power we humans can have.

Week 32
Would you ever consider seeking advice from a medium or psychic? Why or why not?

It becomes easy for us to feel vulnerable when we experience difficult and stressful times. With a damaged and weak mentality these hard times create, we often turn to seek any answers that comfort us, whether they are true or not. Visiting a psychic is a great example. No one knows if the psychic’s “visions” are true, but a lot of people visit them for their comfort. Despite all this, can psychics affect customers in a negative way?

Psychics tell the most bizarre and extreme things they “see”, in order to keep their customer interested and satisfied from the visit. Whether true or not, this may create false hope for the customer. The false hope can make the customer’s life more miserable, as they could be relying on something very unrealistic.

Furthermore, psychic visits can cause numerous distractions that could take the customer off track from their goals. With the bizarre predictions psychics tell, customers may either get too excited, nervous, scared or anxious, just for the prediction to never happen. It bugs their mind and puts their brain to a constant thought of when and how the prediction would take place. Whether the predictions turn out to be true or not, it definitely will distract the customer.

In conclusion, psychic’s predictions can negatively affect their customers in numerous ways. It could create false hope within the customers by the bizarre “visions”, and may be a cause of distraction that would haunt them for many months, if not years. It is important to have a proper mindset when visiting a psychic, because after all, it’s a way to spice up your life a little, not to create more misery.

Week 31
The process of transferring wealth as inheritance is oftenly complicated and stressful. It is important to be able to acquire our parents and ancestors possessions easily and without complication, but it feels like it's only getting more and more difficult as the world progresses. Now, it has become such an emotional and complex work that TV series can turn them into dramas and series. How did something supposed to be tranquil become so laborious?

First of all, emotional suffering could be a major factor in complexing the procedure of transferring inheritance. Transferring inheritance is mostly done shortly after a loved one’s unfortunate death, and so the heir must complete the gruelling process while enduring the pain of losing a special person in their life.

Secondly, as the world developed, the idea of globalisation took over the world, and migrating to a different country for a better environment became a trend within the young adult’s era. The legal transfer of inheritance became much more difficult, as families became more and more separated. Spread out families can cause complications such as currency changes, transportation of goods, and inequality throughout some of the countries.

In conclusion, the immense complexity of transfers of inheritance can be caused by many factors, such as emotional suffering and globalisation. It's a painful procedure that should be done how difficult it may be, to pay respect to our ancestors.

Week 30
What do you think schools should be doing to recognize, prevent and stop bullying, both online and in real life?

School bullying has been a worldwide topic over the years, certainly not entirely fixed in today’s society. It is appropriate to give each student responsibility for the harm they caused in the course of their actions, but it's important for the school to recognise, prevent, and stop bullying before anything.

First of all, in order to prevent bullying, schools must create a subject for all students to take part in, which teaches the students how devastating bullying can be. In fact, many public Japanese schools are already implementing a similar style by creating a subject called Doutoku. It allows for students to mentally mature and develop self awareness from an early age. In order to eliminate all bullying, prevention is a difficult but important task schools must complete.

Next, schools must work on their recognising ability. Teachers should be taught during their training to perceive distress a student could be feeling, so that the school can take measures quickly before any large incident. It’s important to recognise and eliminate bullying before anything serious occurs, as they can leave long lasting trauma to the victims.

In conclusion, preventing, recognising and stopping bullying can be completed by numerous different measures. Introducing a new subject to educate kids, and frequent checkups of possible distress from a victim must be done to successfully create a safe environment for everyone. It is not an easy task for the school to implement such large changes, but they have the responsibility to keep each of their students secured and protected.

Week 29
Students should seriously start thinking about their future careers while in junior high school for two reasons.

In order to be able to meet new opportunities for success, we must acquire or build skills and aptitude from early on in our lives. During childhood and teenager years, there is more time and resources to master or practice a set of skills. These unique abilities and capabilities can build character, and can open up more opportunities.

Furthermore, it is important to receive good quality education from an early age. Good education can let us learn about a variety of new and unique information and concepts that we would never even think about. It will allow us to think and see things from a different angle and perspective, which is a skill that the rapidly developing world desperately needs.

For those two reasons, students should seriously start thinking about their future careers while in junior high school.

Week 28
World leaders and heads of state should not be active on social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram for two reasons.

Firstly, social media makes it dangerously easy for powerful and influential political leaders to state any kind of opinion, whether true or not. Since social media accounts like these are mostly owned and operated by the leaders themselves, they can technically start a war, or create a controversial argument by posting something from the mood they were in that day.

Furthermore, social media platforms can expose the daily life of an important leader to the public. As this information is often posted live, it makes it easier for terrorists and enemy groups to attack the leader. There would be a devastating effect on society if such a powerful and influential person gets harmed so suddenly, similar to the unfortunate assassinations of John. F Kennedy and Abe Shinzo.

In conclusion, being active on social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram as world leaders and heads of state is dangerous. It can cause arguments and spark tension between groups, just because of a tweet made from a leader not responsible enough to control their personal opinions. Location of world leaders can be leaked just from a tweet or post in instagram, which makes it an easy source of information for assassins and terrorists.

Week 27
Is paleontology (the study of dinosaurs and fossils) a waste of public money?

We can learn the process of the formation of the modern world, and how we can sustainably develop our world
We can learn how ancient animals coped with the different environment from now
Find differences between the ancient animals and us, to prove certain changes the earth might have gone through over the millenia.

Palaeontology is not a waste of public money for three reasons.

First of all, palaeontology can teach us the fascinating process of how creative nature formed the modern world from ancient times. Learning about fossils and traces of creatures that roamed the past can drastically change and improve our knowledge of evolution. We will have a clearer vision of who we were and what made us, which were some of the most prevalent questions of the past.

Secondly, we can learn how ancient creatures coped and adapted to the contrasting environment from now. As we humans colonise and devour natural resources for our own development, the environment of our planet is rapidly changing. Palaeontology can teach us how creatures of the past adapted to similar environments, which can buy us more time and knowledge to improve our environment.

Finally, Palaeontology will allow us to prove certain theories of how the earth and its environment changed over the millenia. It will give us a sight to what Earth’s ancient times were like, which allows us to compare the environment now to prove how certain events shaped the future of our planet.

In conclusion, palaeontology can help us humans in many ways. It can teach us how the earth was formed, how ancient creatures adapted and evolved to the environment, and can prove the change major events caused to our planet.

Week 26
Today’s top professional athletes often have salaries and bonuses in the tens of millions of dollars. Do you think these athletes deserve such high compensation?

Athletes has the power to inspire many people to follow their dreams, and that hardwork is good
Athletes makes it possible for successful advertisements of numerous companies
Becoming an athlete that makes millions and billions takes an unimaginable amount of effort and hardwork. It's not an easy job to have, so they deserve it.

Today’s top professional athletes deserve salaries and bonuses which exceed tens of millions of dollars for three reasons.

Firstly, athletes have the power to inspire many people, regardless of age or social status. They went through numerous difficulties and problems, and must have tons of experiences that can inspire others to do the same.

Secondly, athletes make it possible for major companies to advertise their products and ideas to a large audience. For example, the FIFA World Cup drew some 3.5billion people to watch. It created one of the most widely watched events in the world, and so allowed for mass advertisement. Without sports, the economy will find it much harder to advertise to a large number of people on a single go.

Finally, athletes deserve their high salary and fame, as they worked at an unimaginable level to become who they are. All athletes had to go through intense training, both physically and mentally. Only those who had the strong ambition to become their dream athlete were able to compete in the fierce world. They deserve all the respect and fame.

In conclusion, today’s top professional athletes deserve salaries and bonuses that exceed tens of millions of dollars. They have the power to influence and inspire people positively, they make mass advertisements possible, and they put in commitment and determination to what they love, to become an athlete of that level.

Week 25
It is not a secret that our Earth is slowly plunging into an unhealable crisis of environmental destruction. Scientists and ecologists present numerous amounts of data and information every day to the world, yet we seem to always be hesitant to act against environmental pollution. Some individuals take it one step further by protesting against environmental change. Then a question arises; why are these people protesting against environmental change, if there is data backed up by science to prove the seriousness of the environment’s situation?

One possible answer could be that they didn’t receive appropriate education, or they didn’t have access to legitimate data. Most of these protesting individuals use an argument that is already proven to be incorrect or misunderstood. For example, President Trump once argued when America was experiencing a particularly cold winter in 2019, that it should be impossible for global warming to be real. However, scientists argued back that it was caused by a phenomenon called Polar Vortex, which is becoming more extreme by global warming itself.

Moreover, it is possible that people who deny environmental problems are just trying to avoid the hassle of changing their easy and comfortable lifestyle to combat environmental change. It is very true that initiating sustainable practices is a very laborious and difficult challenge. It is the main reason the world is always hesitant on commencing changes to combat environmental change.

There are countless people that still are in doubt of environmental change. Most of them are either uneducated or uninformed of data and information gathered from new scientific research, or that they are avoiding the hard work of accepting environmental change, and acting to combat it. It is important to have our own opinions and ideas, but we must have legitimate and appropriate arguments to protest against something so serious, such as environmental change.

Week 24
Most people agree that it is unfair to judge someone based on their gender or skin colour, but what about intelligence? Is it justifiable to look down on someone who is not smart?

As we entered the modern era of the 2000s, us humans started to realise just how unequal the world is. Having a specific skin colour, gender, and even an unhealable medical condition like autism can result in unfair discrimination, and less opportunities for success. This inequality in society raised many questions that are yet to be answered, which led to confusion and uncertainty. For example, should intelligence be used as a test to either fail or succeed?

If a person has a medical disorder or condition that limits their intelligence, it is unfair to judge if they are capable of succeeding in this society built for “normal” people. If a person has limited accessibility to information and knowledge by their government or culture, it won’t be fair to rule them out and make them be considered as “failures”. If they have the capability to consume knowledge and increase their intelligence, but money is limiting their opportunity, it won’t be fair to only let the rich succeed. As you can see, judging on intelligence is quite unequal. It is made for the resource-rich to win.

However, it becomes a whole different story if a person is deliberately staying unintelligent, though having a capable body, being in the right environment, and having a wide budget for education. For example, many teenage kids in developed countries are more focused on video games rather than actual experience of the real world and education. Of course, not all of them are like that. Some use their time and resources efficiently to create the road to reach their goals. Only in this condition where you can CHOOSE whether to be intelligent or not, should intelligence be used as a test to fail or succeed.

In conclusion, unfair discrimination or limitation to resources can impact one’s life greatly. It is unfair to judge a person’s capability by their intelligence, if they are encountering a disadvantage that’s out of control. Intelligence should only be used as a test to see one’s capability if they are in an environment where they can choose to become intelligent or not.

In the unfair society we live in where “normal” people win and succeed, it is hard for people with disadvantages such as special medical conditions or

Week 23
In recent years, life expectancy continuously increases in developed countries such as Japan. It is causing a lot of changes in society and infrastructure, and even is causing significant reformation of culture. An Aging society is one of the biggest problems developed countries face, thus we must acknowledge the exact cause of it.

Firstly, developed countries are able to supply their citizens with plenty of nutrient-rich food. Their infrastructure allows for quick transportation of food with numerous transportation systems. This includes roads connecting every city of the country, planes connecting major hubs efficiently, and trains being able to carry a vast amount of load. Moreover, their economy promotes healthy options when selling food, which makes citizens more accessible to a balanced diet.

Furthermore, many of the infrastructures built in these countries are designed for keeping citizens as safe and healthy as possible. Transportation systems are becoming safer than ever, energy sources are becoming more eco-friendly thus creating a safe environment for the citizens to live in, and buildings such as homes or offices are made rigid and strong.

Finally, increasing life expectancy could be affected by the rapid growth in medicine. There are treatments and medicine for virtually all diseases. For those unlucky few who caught a rare illness, advanced technology and life support is available to increase the chance of survival.

In conclusion, developed countries such as Japan suffer from an ageing society caused by their excellent infrastructures. It proved that convenience on absolutely everything ranging from food, transportation and medicine increases even the most ordinary citizen’s life expectancy. Ageing society is a crucial yet difficult problem to solve, which the world all must cooperate to overcome.

Week 22
In the growing society we live in, it is common to see a large group of people believing in a truly bewildering argument. Many of these occasions are backed up with scientific proof that it is totally a myth, yet countless people still choose to set their mind on the matter. For example, the infamous “Faking of the moon landing” is believed by a large portion of Britons, Russians, and even Americans. I cannot stop to wonder, why would the US and NASA fake the moon landing? What would be its purpose?

One of the reasons the US would have faked the lunar landing could have been to promote technological dominance. Back in the 60s, the US and the Soviet Union were in a fierce battle of the space race. The Soviets were at the lead by sending the first man and woman to space, so the US had to reply with an enormous accomplishment, which turned out to be the lunar landing. A lot of people assumed that it was impossible to successfully bring humans to the moon and back with the technology of the 60s. It was suspected that the US faked the landing to display technological dominance over other countries, including their rival: Soviet Union.

Secondly, the lunar landing could have been faked by distracting society from political issues such as war. Interestingly, the Apollo program which sent astronauts to the moon overlapped the crucial years of the Vietnam war. For example, the infamous war crime; My Lai Massacre committed by the US military was committed in 1968, when the Apollo program was reaching its peak.

In conclusion, the faking of the lunar landing could have been a solution for the US government to win the space race and display technological dominance over other countries, and to divert the public attention from political issues such as war crimes. Although there is sufficient evidence to postulate the moon landing was real, and not staged, we must take into account the numerous benefits the US could have gained with faking it.

Week 21
Harry Potter is a remarkable fantasy novel written by J.K.Rowling. Its considerable amounts of unexpected plots and twists the story contains makes it one of the most entertaining pieces of writing to read. These curveballs occur very often in the story, and some of them are crucial for the plot of the whole series. Among all plots, the sudden change of character of Sirius Black is the most unexpected and bewildering twist.

Sirius Black was originally introduced to the story as an evil, unloyal and powerful wizard who was in power of the dark lord, Voldemort. He had no effect on the wizarding society while Harry was at Hogwarts, as Sirius was imprisoned behind the bars of the most guarded and protected prison of the wizarding world, Azkaban. He was thrown into jail for accusation of betraying his best friend, James Potter (Harry’s father), and creating the worst slaughter in wizarding history by killing 13 people in one spell.

However, as the story continues, it reveals that Sirius is not an unloyal psycho who killed his best friend, and 13 innocent people. Instead, it was another friend of James and Sirius, named Pettigrew. Pettigrew was a follower of Voldemort, and used his unique ability of turning into an animal to leak crucial information about James, killing him. He then proceeded to fake his own death, so that all the betrayal and killings would be framed to Sirius.

In conclusion, Sirius never betrayed anyone, and was the most loyal friend of James. Pettigrew’s plan worked, which kept Sirius in prison for 12 years even if he was innocent all along. When Harry first was introduced to Sirius, Sirius was described in a biassed way by the ministry of magic. It made Harry hate Sirius, as a betrayer of his dad. However, as the story continued and we learnt more about Sirius, Harry’s thoughts on Sirius changed drastically.

Week 20
In the modernised and developed world we live in, fast and easy internet access is essential to gain information, knowledge, and skills. The internet holds a vast variety of information on practically every subject. It is extremely easy to use, as well as accessible from all over the globe. Therefore, many people can’t even imagine how hard life would be without the internet, let alone write a whole scientific paper without it.

Firstly, we must figure out a way to gather information. Writing a scientific research assignment requires a lot of trustworthy and accurate data. It will be hard to collect such information, but it isn’t impossible. Although it is more time consuming compared to a quick search on the internet, a trip or two to a library or a laboratory can allow us to gather a necessary amount of information.

Secondly, we must adapt and familiarise ourselves with handwriting. A majority of us students prefer writing in sentence processing softwares such as google docs and microsoft word, as they are easier to write on, and sometimes even correct minor errors such as spelling and grammar. However, without internet connections, they won’t function. Therefore, we will have to resort on handwriting. Similar to gathering information, it will be much more time consuming.

In conclusion, it's evident that the internet is used in many genres and subjects we humans very often use, such as gathering information, and writing them down in a more understandable way. Without the internet, activities as simple as writing down an assignment can be a costly, laborious, and time consuming project. We must always be grateful for our easy access to the internet, and pay respect to those who maintain and run such a complex system.

Week 19
Mystery is considered as one of the most difficult literary genres to write. Characteristics of mystery include a good hook to engage the reader into reading more, or to have descriptive language to narrate the story. However, I believe a well written structure is the most important as it covers numerous literacy techniques including those shown above.

Firstly, a good story structure has the ability to engage the audience into reading more. A well structured story links even the smallest detail together. It makes the audience more curious about the ending, which engages the reader into reading more. Without any connection of events that occur during the story, the reader will eventually get disinterested as they may feel there won’t be a satisfying ending.

As briefly explained in the last paragraph, a good and satisfying plot is necessary for a great story, especially for mystery genres. Mystery lets the reader imagine their own scenarios based on the description given. However, the most amusing part of reading a mystery book lies in the unexpected and satisfactory ending. It connects all the mysterious and confusing hints the author gave us audiences, and sums them up together. This kind of ending is essential for good mystery writing.

Although all characteristics of a mystery writing is important, a well planned and cleverly throughout structure is necessary for a good piece of writing. It engages the audience to read more, as they have the ability to spark curiosity within the readers. It also lets the author create an unexpected and satisfactory ending, which is crucial for a quality work.

Week 18
Food poverty is rapidly becoming a world-wide problem affecting billions of people’s lives. Underdeveloped countries and areas are the most common victims of food poverty, and it is not rare to see children and pregnant mothers being underfed and nutritionally imbalanced. However, in the current state of society, it is extremely challenging for financially unstable citizens of these underdeveloped communities to obtain a healthy amount of nutrition, as they are suffering constantly in poverty. Therefore, it is important to understand how they can sustain themselves.

Firstly, citizens must identify any unique advantages their local community possesses. It could be anything ranging from tourism, oil and mineral mining, or agriculture capability. It is important to acknowledge the existence of these resources, as it could have a significant impact on the economy in the local area.

Secondly, they must take full advantage of the resources they discovered to develop the local community. If the materials found there are rare and useful, it can be bought by rich countries, or traded with other useful resources. This will ultimately result in further development of the local economy, as they start to obtain useful resources and goods that are necessary when growing an economy.

As the local community’s strength and resources start to acquire attention from the world, citizens of the area will find new jobs they can work for. Accompanied from all the trade of resources incoming from different countries, the improvement of employment percentage will develop the country even more.

Once the community is developed with new infrastructures, transportation lines, and a higher percentage of employment, it will naturally make it easier for the citizens to obtain a healthy amount of nutrition. It is challenging to develop an area to this level, but it is not impossible, as many other leading nations have used a similar strategy, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

Week 17

Modernisation and world development caused an abrupt change in society, whether culturally or environmentally. As the world population soars beyond 8 billion, demands for resources skyrocketed. It is reaching the limit of what our Earth can produce, which leaves us with no choice but to explore and find a new, suitable home we can thrive on. Therefore, it is crucial for us to know factors that are important for a future human habitat.

Our new home must provide us with enough capacity for all the human population. Although small planets and interstellar objects such as Mars or Moon might be great for temporary stay, it will not be suitable to hold an entire species for millions of years. Humans will eventually run out of resources, and will have to find another home.

Aside from capacity, the new planet must have enough resources to keep human civilisation thriving. Oxygen, water, and food is important for our survival, but metals and certain elements will boost the development and modernisation of us humans, as rare materials are often useful in technology.

In conclusion, us humans require our new home to have many precise factors to keep us surviving and thriving, at least in today’s level of technology. The capacity of all of our population, and possibly the future generations, is crucial for long-term stays. Resources such as water, oxygen, and food are also important for our survival. Although scientists from all over the globe are searching for the perfect planet for our future, the first mission to those distant lands will be a long one with many difficult challenges.

Week 16
Road accidents are some of the most frequent causes of death and a severe or long-term injury. As the world develops, travel and transportation become more and more important. People started to invest their time on travelling with transportation devices such as cars, and as a result, accidents became more prone and progressive. Therefore, a safer and a reliable way of driving is necessary to avoid a toxic society.

Firstly, countries must upgrade their driving school’s education capability, so that graduating students are appropriately trained and ready for the real world. Inexperienced and improperly trained drivers cover a large proportion of the total number of accidents, therefore satisfactory training is essential to reduce accident counts.

Furthermore, use of safe and functioning car parts will significantly reduce car accidents. On top of reckless and undertrained driving, damaged car parts cover a great percentage of car crashes. A simple dysfunction of brakes, accelerators, lights, steering, and tyre placements can lead to a severe injury or even death.

In addition, frequent checkups and maintenance will greatly affect the numbers of accidents, and its fatality rate. Roads that are in good conditions prevent unexpected skidding, and provide more control of the vehicle. It will reduce accidental/unintentional collision, as well as the overall percentage of crashes.

In conclusion, there are many actions we can commit to reduce car accidents. A safe and reliable driving environment and condition provides a positive effect on society and its economy, as travel and transportation become more and more essential to our daily lives.

Week 15
As the world rapidly develops and modernises the world, it is expected that computers and technologies would take over many jobs that humans had to deal with. Self-driving cars are no exception. Some leading car companies such as Tesla, Audi, and Honda have already started production of self-driving cars. Now we have to ask ourselves, how will self-driving cars affect society?

Firstly, it could drastically reduce the overall amount of car accidents. In order for a self-driving car to sell, it must be programmed precisely so that it can drive safely for the customers to find comfort in. So, companies would invent new ways to further develop safety of the vehicle. Moreover, coded and programmed intelligence makes far less mistakes compared to a human.

However, precise programming could turn into a major threat to inconvenience or deadly accidents. In order for the computers to run properly, it would always require accurate information, such as road closure, construction, or proximity with other cars. Even the slightest inaccurate information could result in major traffic jams and fatal accidents.

Furthermore, the computers implemented in self-driving cars must be extremely powerful in order to properly run a car. It would cost a tremendous amount for production, and even more for maintenance. These powerful computers will need an immense supply of energy, and it will damage the environment significantly.

In conclusion, self-driving cars have their own pros, as well as an equal amount of cons. Although it could reduce the general amount of car accidents, it could generate inconvenience and major accidents if used improperly. It could also affect the environment negatively, which will be a tough challenge to beat for us humans.

Week 14
Bilinguals often experience a lot of advantages, either in business, relationships, or sometimes even social status. They are seen by others as people that can communicate well with an international and diverse variety of people. However, being bilingual can result in a few disadvantages.

Firstly, we have to acknowledge that the term “bilingual” means to be able to use more than one language, and that it does not mean to be perfect at every language they know of. Sometimes, we bilinguals struggle to communicate because we might not be as fluent in some languages, but nevertheless society still perceives us as “fluent”.

Moreover, it is hard for us to switch the use of between two or more languages. A great amount of concentration is needed to use two or more languages simultaneously, and a new skill has to be learnt and mastered to casually communicate in that way. Furthermore, the human brain is known to be not capable of performing this level of multitasking where we have to mix two or more language’s grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation very rapidly to produce a clear sentence.

Finally, being bilingual makes socialising slightly more complicated. Society has a stereotype towards bilinguals, that they are more “intelligent” than others because they can speak many more languages other than their home country’s. This makes us bilinguals seem more intimidating, because we seem to have a better social status. It subconsciously creates a sort of barrier between the bilinguals and monolinguals, and makes it harder for us to socialise.

In conclusion, we bilinguals experience disadvantages as much as we experience advantages. It makes us more vulnerable to mistakes and misunderstanding through difficulty of communication, frequent struggle to switch languages, and unfair strain of socialisation because of certain stereotypes.

Week 13
What can people
gain from knowing who their ancestors are or from knowing more about their grandparents’ or parents’ lives when they were young?

We all have our own ancestors. They were the source of who you are, your personality, your physical looks, and your habits. Without them, you wouldn’t have existed. Nonetheless, many people around the world don't have access to the history of their bloodline. They were lost from disasters, wars, or just that no history was ever recorded. However, with research being more accessible with DNA sampling, we should know that having access to the past history of our ancestors can positively affect us in many ways.

Firstly, it can help us understand our civilisation’s past and its history. Many of the records which we use to discover the past were written by leaders, or those in power, which could have displayed misinformation for propaganda. Learning about our ancestors will let us visualise how certain events affected their lifestyle unbiasedly, which could turn out more accurate than the beliefs we currently have.

Furthermore, knowing more about our ancestors makes it easier for us to understand ourselves. Our ancestors and us had the same genes, so it is bound for us to be similar to them. Physical looks, habits, and personalities from our ancestors pass through the genes to the future generations, so studying our ancestors could also mean studying ourselves.

Finally, our ancestors can inspire us to do much greater and better things with courage. Many of our ancestors lived in a much poorer condition than what we live in now. It is important to know that they survived through the tough environment, and it is not fair for us to be weeping and whining in the relatively impartial society we live in now.

In conclusion, it is important for us to learn about our ancestors, because they possess a lot of useful and interesting information, such as unbiased opinions on certain events, or similarity that passed through the genes to make us. They can also inspire us from their tough actions and choices they were forced to make in the harsh environment they lived in.

Week 12
Technology will benefit the most from the research carried out as space exploration for three reasons.

Firstly, accessibility to a massive amount of information from any subject makes it capable of a more efficient way of educating the younger generations. The higher quality of education that they receive will boost society, as many people are ready to rule the world with high amounts of knowledge and skills.

Furthermore, technology makes it possible for anyone to communicate over great distances, or over different cultures and language barriers. Social media, translators and AI lets us open up new opportunities that could develop society to a greater future. Cooperation between nations and groups is key to expanding humanity into an advanced civilization.

Finally, technology enables us to further improve many different subjects such as industry, medicine, and exploration. For example, without technology, there won’t be machines that assist the industrialisation community, and the science used in medicine and exploration won’t have been created without technology.

In conclusion, technology can boost human civilization to a more developed and advanced community by allowing for a higher quality education, ability for a more intelligent way of communication, and to be able to stretch the capabilities of other subjects to further improve/develop them.

Week 11
Pet owners shouldn’t be required by law to undergo a background check for two reasons.

Firstly, everyone should have the right to own a pet, regardless of their situation. It’s their responsibility to take care of their pets, and it shouldn’t be the authorities making decisions for them. However, it should be illegal for pet owners to take careless actions that could harm the pet or disturb others.

Secondly, pet owners shouldn’t be judged as bad owners only from their backgrounds. For example, many homeless people with little financial stability and poor home environment own a loving pet. Their backgrounds show only little of the real person they are, and it is unfair.

In conclusion, pet owners should not be required by law to undergo a background check because the authority shouldn’t have the rights to decide their capability, and it is unreliable and unfair to judge from their backgrounds.

I agree that NASA’s annual budget of 20 Billion dollars is worth it. NASA, as well as other space exploration/administration organisations have enough intelligence to send probes to find answers to questions we can’t solve on Earth. With the 20 billion dollars, this could be possible. The new findings by the organisations are capable of propelling us humans into further development, which will have a bigger impact on us rather than just 20 billion dollars in money.

Week 10
I believe that high schools should do more to prepare their students for their future careers for 3 reasons.

Firstly, high schools should focus more on developing communication skills, creativity, and leadership skills in their students. Most Japanese schools tend to stick with the system where the teacher lists out information in the blackboard, and the students are tested to see if they remembered them. This style of teaching will not benefit the students for the future, as they won’t teach the necessary skills required for their career.

Secondly, they should work on giving the students a chance to experience real world problems. Instead of limiting the education space only in the classroom, they should let the students see how it really works in the real world.

Finally, high schools should rework their education system. The teaching style implemented now “brainwashes” the students into thinking better grades mean better life, even if it certainly isn't the case. They are forced to learn things that they don’t have the slightest interest in. This limits the student’s real capability, thus narrowing the path of their career, instead of “getting them ready for the future”.

In conclusion, I believe that high schools should do more to prepare their students for their future careers, because the students are lacking important skills needed for the future, they aren’t experiencing the real world problems, and the education system is limiting the career.

Week 9
I believe that elderly drivers over 70 years old should be required by law to take practical driving and vision tests every two to three years for 3 reasons.

Firstly, these tests will make it a requirement to drive for the elderly. Many elderly car accidents occur from those who don’t want to give up their driving ability, even if their eyesights and brain function worsened, because for elderly people, the privilege to drive is useful and important in their life. The tests will make a requirement to drive, which will prevent people like these from endangering others.

Secondly, the tests will prevent diseases that are toxic to driving, such as eye problems or dementia. If the tests detect those diseases, authorities can stop them before they cause an accident. Moreover, it could assist the doctors to cure the disease, as it could find the disorder before it is too late for cure. Even better, the elders could be able to drive again if the disease healed.

In conclusion, I believe that elderly drivers over 70 years old should be required by law to take practical driving and vision tests every two to three years because it makes requirements to drive, and it can prevent accidents from happening.

Week 8
So many young people in Korea turn to plastic surgery as a way to modify their appearance to fit the “image” employers are looking for. Is this trend acceptable in your opinion?

Many people in the modern world see themselves as “imperfect” and do whatever they can to become “perfect” from the other’s perspective. This includes acting a personality, hiding their uniqueness, and sometimes even using plastic surgery to look more appealing to others. This must stop, as it impacts the world more negatively than positively.

Firstly, we shouldn’t have the mindset to forcefully change our values by using artificial technology such as plastic surgery just to have a better status in the society. The most important factor of ourselves is what we truly are, not how we look from the outside. More importantly, society should stop using outward appearance as their qualification for jobs or education, because it will only promote the mindset.

Secondly, I believe acting a good life or personality just to fit into the trend is ridiculous. It completely removes uniqueness from ourselves, and we will all be living someone else’s life by being judged so often. Furthermore, without uniqueness and the will to be different from others, the world would find it more and more difficult to invent and develop new technologies.

In conclusion, we should never forcefully change ourselves just to look “perfect” to other people. Our uniqueness is way more important than changing our appearance just to fit into the others. If this trend continues, the world will face a difficult time developing as there is less opportunity to think uniquely, which will result in less new inventions to push us forward.

Week 7
As the world develops, traditions and culture fade away from many people’s perspective so that they can focus on the modern and new world. Sometimes, it is severe enough that some trashes their own tradition so that they could fit into a more popular type of culture that people in their environment take part in. This is a catastrophic mistake. Traditions and cultures have a variety of ways to positively develop the world, and trashing them is a waste of an opportunity.

Firstly, traditions and cultures could build better relationships between countries from all sorts of regions of the world. For example, America and Japan have great relationships with each other both politically and economically even if they are separated in the vast pacific ocean. This is because both country’s citizens love each other’s culture, such as Anime, Fast food, politeness and freedom.

Secondly, cultures and traditions can let us see things from different angles and perspectives. If we have a good understanding of other nation’s cultures, it becomes easier to communicate with them. Good communication between countries and governments means good relationships and a good economy.

In conclusion, cultures and traditions should always be kept and respected. If all cultures and traditions could take part in the global society today, it would influence many new unique things which could be a source of the invention of new technologies. They can be an opportunity to further develop the world, and it is a waste to trash them for something else.

Week 6
Everyone wants to have a good life. A life where you could live in freedom with plenty of money, where you love your job, and where the environment is easy and convenient to live in. The simplest and the most assuring way to achieve these goals is to live in a city. Many jobs are there for various kinds of interest, you are free to go and try many new things, and the infrastructure makes it very easy to live in. However, if too much percentage of the country’s population lived in a concentrated area, the government could suffer from many problems and challenges. How can they even out the population of the cities, and what could be the benefits of it?

First, the government must get the younger generation’s attention and interest to reduce the population of overcrowded cities. For example, they could teach students in school about agriculture and tradition of the country, so that they could have the motivation to start a life in the countryside. This could benefit the government in spreading the traditional culture of the country, and could fix or improve the situation of food poverty.

Secondly, the government should work on improving the lifestyle of countryside cities by providing basic resources such as water, electricity, and warm food to consume. If the government succeeded and could supply the citizens of rural areas with resources, people would naturally want to live there because the clean environment of the countryside is so much better than the polluted environment of the metropolitan areas.

In conclusion, the government should educate the younger generations on the benefits of living in the countryside so that the kids could have a dream and motivation to live there. Furthermore, basic supplies such as water, electricity, and warm food should be provided so that anyone who plans to live there can access goods to thrive in the environment.

Week 5
As the world developed, the birth rate of babies from all around the world rapidly declined. Comparing the world average of 1.9 children per family of 2023 with the average of five of the 1950s, it is clear that the world is losing its ability to produce more children over the years. This can cause loss of human population, ageing society, thus resulting in a catastrophic impact on the global economy.

First, we have to acknowledge the fact that modern society drastically changed compared to the 1950s. It was difficult for children to properly grow into a strong adult in the past, because the medication, education, and food supply was notoriously poor. Families had to have more children so that at least one of them could survive and succeed, and carry their family name for the next generations. Now, medication and education, as well as the food supply became more advanced and accessible, which meant that most children born could live a happy and a healthy life more easily compared to the ones in the past.

However, the recently developed technologies are the main reason why there are less children being born in the modern world. Children are simply getting more and more expensive to have. It is costly to properly educate a person, or to maintain their health. An average family can’t afford more babies even if they wanted to, because they don’t have enough money to make them successful in life.

In conclusion, the change in society has a great impact on the birth rate. If it's easier to grow and parent a child, there will naturally be more babies, as it is all organisms’ instinct to produce more of itself. However, this could be limited by the cost of properly parenting a child, or the environment they live in. Although it will be complex to manage the problem, we humans must overcome this difficult situation to thrive in the universe we live in.

Week 4
All living organisms on earth consume food to convert them into usable energy, whether it's plants, meats or even sunlight. However, in the world today, not everyone can afford sufficient, safe, or nutritious food that is required to have a healthy life. This is a disaster. Not only does it impact each person that is facing the problem, but also greatly affects the world’s economy.

In order for a human being to live healthily, they require availability, accessibility, utilisation, and stable income of food resources. Citizens in developed countries such as Singapore or Canada can access nutritious goods through local stores easily, and most of them are safe to consume. However, citizens in developing countries are treated unequally. Local shops and markets are often far away, and those lucky enough to be near those shops must face poor food conditions, and unbelievably high prices.

Developing countries receive the most opportunity and chances to make the world a better place as it develops. However, the current condition of poor food security prevents them from successfully utilising the opportunities given to them, which restricts their ability to develop. This is a disaster for the global economy, as it is the developing countries that feed the world new information and resources which the modern society desperately looks for.

In conclusion, in order for a human being and the global society to stay healthy, it is important that sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods are equally provided to everyone in the world. Without proper food provision, the world prevents itself from developing, which leads to the society becoming a problematic and an unfriendly environment to live in.

Week 3
Jeannette Pickering Rankin, an American politician as well as a women’s right advocate once quoted; “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake”. And I completely agree with that. Wars and earthquakes share many similarities, and by comparing them, it makes a great example of how pointless and destructive war is from all sorts of points of view.

Earthquakes are fatal, as they can destroy a great amount of infrastructure, nature and lives in minutes. Wars are alike with earthquakes, as they always cause mass amounts of damage to the combat environment. As there are no benefits for either of the events happening, we can understand why the quote from Jeannette described how War is as destructive and vain as earthquakes are.

On the other hand, this quote doesn’t only describe the negativity of war. It could be indicating that wars can be studied and taught to younger generations of how toxic and ineffectual it is, just like how Japan teaches its population on how to react to major earthquakes. These positive acts could prevent the next generations to start war and potentially risk many innocent lives and property while doing so.

In conclusion, Jeannette’s quote contains various meanings that mentions how destructive wars are, and how to prevent them from happening again. Other influential people are making similar kinds of quotes and mentions, so that the citizens of the world can all understand the cruelty of war, and not to ever start it again.