The Picture of Dorian Gray 1976 - Oscar Wilde - Part 2 - 10

An example of essay, created putting together the different essays written by the students in the fifth class

SHOULD THERE BE ANY LIMITS TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH?

INTRODUCTION

In the last few years, science has reached tremendous results, incredibly helping mankind in many fields of everyday life. Today, everyone knows that science is the base for modern technology- new materials, tools, techniques and power sources make our life more comfortable and easier.

However, at the same time, science has also been able to create new objects and inventions that have had a very strong negative impact on human history.

Therefore, our question is as follows: is it right not to affect and bias science or is it necessary to set any limits to scientific development? 

FIRST PARAGRAPH

In the first place, it is obvious that our life has benefited greatly from scientific progress.

The main positive aspects can be found in medical research, in fact, thanks to science today we have discovered how to cure certain diseases and we have created machines and electronic devices  helping human beings at work.

Without science, we would not have any kind of penicillin, we would not have any blood transfusions or we could not treat any types of cancer.

Likewise, without science we could not travel so often and fast- buses, trains, planes have changed our way to move at long distances in a dramatic way.

What's more, can we imagine our life without a computer, a smartphone  or the Internet? They are  key elements for all of our activities. From this point of view, it seems to be all peaches and cream. How could we suppose  that scientific research may have any limits?

SECOND PARAGRAPH

However, not all scientific research may be considered positive. Without scientific progress, the nuclear bomb would not exist, If we consider that aspect, we realize that because of the discoveries applied to military conflicts, science has caused the death of millions of people. The creation of drones has also recently raised  moral questions- they may be used in a wide range of civilian roles for helping people in need, for example  for search and rescue, but they may be used for military reasons, as well.
Besides, more and more people are constantly being replaced by robots working faster and not requiring any wage. Conspiracy theories have been figured out by some people who think that one day in the future, robots will be so intelligent that they will be able to dominate human beings.
In addition, science is criticized for being immoral, above all regarding all those studies and research related to human integrity, such as human cloning. Many people are in fact afraid of genetic modification.

THIRD PARAGRAPH

Due to cloning it is nowadays possible to make beings having some characteristics to the giver of the stem cells. With regard to this aspect, science has now so advanced that living robots have been lately invented. These machines, called xenobots, are  made from frog stem cell and will be  able to do lots of things by their own, for example releasing medicines in the body. In my view, some limits are necessary to avoid  the abuse that may be done through science. Cloning and artificial intelligence are not bad in themselves, but they could if they are used carelessly, for disreputable, immoral aims. The limits should be given by ethics, a set of moral obligations that establish what is right and what is wrong. Some ethical standards should guide scientific research and ensure that it is carried out by respecting the rights of all human beings and animal subjects, by complying with the environment, not providing any harm and bad effects to human life or causing  disasters everywhere in the world.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, every day we are totally immersed in the effects of science, we can travel, we can socialize, we can study, we can cook, we can work, we can do whatever we want, thanks to science. However, science has also given us the potential for nuclear holocaust and the destruction of the environment through overpopulation and consumerism, as well.

Science is a tool meant to serve us but it may become a thing serving itself instead. It is highly recommended that it is in the right and good hands. Science is progress and improvement but only if it is used providing benefits to all human beings and not only to some of them, always being aware of the possible negative results associated with new scientific inventions. 

THEMES 
Dr JEKYLL and MR HYDE

Keeping Up Appearances (The importance of reputation)

Scientific Development

The Duality of Human Nature

Violence

The Female

Lack of Communication

The Rational vs. The Irrational (Nature vs The Supernatural)

The City of London

USEFUL LINKS

THEMES

Essay: Should there be any limits to scientific research?

The title of the essay for the students in class 5 is Should there be any limits to scientific research?

This is an article they're expected to read. It's about the first Living Robots: machines made from frog stem cells

What's a xenobot?

How to Write an argumentative Essay

An essay is an opinion writing with which we analyse a topic, a situation or an issue from different points of view, providing different arguments and expressing our opinion about it. For this reason, an essay must have the following features:

• Purpose: What we usually do with an essay is to analyse and assess a topic, situation or issue which, in some way, is interesting or controversial. It is normally set as a writing task after a class debate. In the exam, you have to imagine the debate, obviously.
• Tone and style: Given that you’re writing about a serious or controversial issue, an essay is written in a formal style, so we must stick to an objective tone and style. Our language must be formal, thus avoiding words that are simply too common or generic (E.g.: things, stuff, get, etc.) and contractions (E.g.: can’t, don’t, won’t, etc.).
• Structure: Like every piece of writing, an essay must present a defined structure. For starters, we can choose either to give it a title or not. Personally, I would say that it is more appropriate to have an essay with title. Then, the body must be divided into introduction, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 and conclusion. This means that, in general, essays must have 5 paragraphs, although it is not entirely necessary.
• Opinion: There are countless ways of expressing your opinion in an essay, so you must choose the one that suits you best. However, it is advisable to remain impartial throughout your writing and give your opinion only in the last paragraph, as a conclusion. But, as I say, it is optional. The most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your essay.
• Coherence: Coherence is essential in every type of writing, but especially in an essay. As it tends to be an argumentative text, you must avoid writing incoherent paragraphs that have nothing to do with one another. Your ideas must follow a logical order and be well connected with appropriate linkers.

The essay must have a title and 5 paragraphs (introduction + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusion). And if we stop to read the essay more carefully, we’ll notice the following things:

• The paragraphs must be visual and well defined, which is very important.
• Each paragraph must have a clear purpose:
• Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea).
• Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1.
• Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2.
• Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3.
• Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.
• It uses connectors to define the development of the essay: firstly, second, finally, etc.
• It doesn’t use many contractions.
• Among the useful expressions, we can highlight the following:
• One of the things that
• In the last few decades,
• For this reason,
• First, / Second, / Third,
• Finally,
• By doing so,
• For example,
• In conclusion,

ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING - Connectors

Addition: Also, as well as, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly.

Consequence: Accordingly, as a result, for this reason, therefore, consequently.

Exemplifying: including, in particular, such as.

Illustration: for instance, for example,

Emphasis: Above all, with attention to, as regards.

Similarity: comparatively, likewise, moreover.

Restatement: in other words, that is to say, in short, in brief, in a nutshell, to put it differently.

Contrast and comparison: conversely, instead, on the one hand... on the other hand, on the contrary, however, nevertheless, despite, although, in spite of

Sequence: at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, later on, next, then, soon, later.

Summarizing: after all, all in all, all things considered, in any case, on the whole, in short, on balance, to sum up, finally-

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS about fashion and shopping

The Uk and London

The UK video

Answer the questions

1. How many countries are there in the UK?
2. What's the capital of England?
3. What's the capital of Scotland?
4. What's the capital of Northern Ireland?
5. What's the capital of Wales?
6. How many people live in the UK?
7. Who's the present Head of State in the UK?
8. What's Buckingam Palace?
9. What's a detached house?
10. What's a semi-detached house?
11. What's a terraced house?
12. What's the word for apartment in the UK?
13. What's a cottage?
14. What's a bungalow?

London

Answer the questions

Where's London?
How many people live in London?
Do Londoners speak different languages?
What are the most famous shopping areas?
What's the other word to name the underground?
How many visitors go to London each year?
What can you see opposite the Houses of Parliament?
What can you see from the Millenium Bridge?
What can you see in Madame Tussauds museum?

A day in London

'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson: ultimate revision gui...

Collegamenti Hard Times e Mastro Don Gesualdo

HARD TIMES

In addition to Mr Gradgrind, the other main character is the ruthless banker Mr Bounderby, also targeted by Dickens' sarcasm. Mr Bounderby is even worse than Mr Gradgrind, as an expression of the idea about the supposed moral superiority of the rich.

Mr. Bounderby keeps on saying, throughout the novel, that he comes from a lower class and that he is a self-made man.

It is not really so, finally his mother will disgrace him publicly; anyway, he tries to advocate the idea that "the poor are poor because of them". But the Castle of the Facts will collapse eventually and it will overwhelm its designers. 

Mr. Grandgrind will experience the failure of his theories as his son Tom will rob from Mr Bounderby's bank, where he worked, and will have to flee abroad, while his daughter Louisa who had accepted to marry Bounderby because of her upbringing( he is much older than her but it could be a good marriage for financial reasons, in doing so she can help her brother!) will fall into a deep depression: Mr. Bounderby will remain alone and will die of a heart attack.

 The only character who will have a happy life will be Sissy who, after being abandoned as a child, from her father, she has been raised in Mr. Grandgrind’s family to do a social experiment- that is to see if, once educated in“Facts”, she would give up her childhood dreams.

But Sissy will immediately show her lack of bond with the“Facts” and, without ever openly opposing the way things work in Coketown, but being meekly carried away by life, in the end she will be right. She will prove that there is no happiness without imagination and without compassion.

Started out of nowhere Gesualdo Motta fights to accumulate wealth, land, real estate, to assert himself against the big “players” of his town.

The higher he rises in the social scale, the more human beings in theory closer to him–; the father, Master Nunzio, the incapable brothers, the noble and penniless relatives–try to snatch his "stuff".

MASTRO DON GESUALDO

Mastro-don Gesualdo is a story about the difficulties of mobility between social classes.

Mastro-don can be translated as “Sir-Workman,” a title that embodies the story’s central dilemma. The protagonist, Gesualdo Motta, is a peasant, a former bricklayer, who becomes a wealthy landowner through hard work and judicious business practices. Therefore, after a lot of effort he has become rich.

The problem is that he cannot rise socially, although his marriage to the noble Bianca Trao. In addition, despite the Trao family is itself impoverished, its members cannot regard Gesualdo as anything but a peasant. The decadence of the unbending Trao family is repeatedly contrasted with the honesty, strength, vitality, ingenuity, and ambition of Gesualdo. His lack of understanding concerning his isolated social position is the source of his tragedy.

SIMILARITIES

Mastro Don Gesualdo’s brother is lazy and  in Hard Times Tom is a sluggish boy.

Mastro Don Gesualdo doesn’t want to marry Diodata who has given him two children. He gets married to a woman Bianca Teao he is not in love with.

Mr Bounderby gets married to a very young girl that he probably doesn’t love, as well.

Louisa consents to marriage with Bounderby because her brother Tom encourages it. In essence, this is just another decision she makes based upon the love and protection she feels for her brother.

She also feels the strong influence of the father, who has made plans for her and her future.

Bianca Trao also doesn’t love Mastro Don Gesualdo and she marries him because she is made to do that.

The marriage to Bianca follows the principle of a utilitarian logic (What is useful is good!)

Bianca despises Mastro Don Gesualdo and she treats him in a detached way.

Louisa can’t stand Mr Bounderby at all.

Louisa and Bianca Trao are sacrificed to money; there’s no room for real feelings and emotions, which  are experienced just in a completely hysterical and self-destructive way. Louisa has a nervous breakdown, Bianca Trao is always sad and depressed.

A common clear point could be the problem of arranged marriages in the 19^th century in Italy as well as in England.

People at the  time did not think of marriage as a work of love but as a business. Mrs. Sparsit herself  does not love Mr. Bounderby yet she wishes to marry him for his money and rank.

However, a marriage arranged for profit and convenience end in disaster.

Another common point is the problem of social climbing.

The logic of the stuff prevails in Mastro Don Gesualdo.

The new values of the new middle class utilitarianism are stated.

The law of existence becomes that of a merciless Darwinism, so only the strongest and the most suitable survive.

Josiah Bounderby proudly, loudly, and frequently proclaims to have been born in a ditch, abandoned there by his mother, and rescued by an abusive grandmother who raised him. He also claims to have ascended to his position of wealth and respect in Coketown by means of his own cunning and enterprise, overcoming abuse and hardship every step of the way. After his marriage collapses, the truth about his family—he was raised by a loving, middle-class widowed mother Mrs Pegler—emerges, and his status diminishes.

Finally, we understand that he is not a real  self-made man – he  had a decent, loving childhood and a good education, and he was not abandoned, after all.

 Mastro Don Gesualdo shows to be a real self-made man, but finally he is completely defeated. He feels constantly isolated and  lonely and his loneliness is at the centre of the novel. He is a loser like many other characters created by Verga.

He is unable to reconstruct any relationship with his daughter Isabella and finally he turns into a  passive spectator of the collapse of his little empire by his son-in-law (the Duke of Leyra).When Gesualdo dies he is completely alone.