GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 164
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Today, advanced science and technology have made great changes to people’s lives, but artists such as musicians, painters, and writers are still highly valued.
What can the arts tell us about life that science and technology cannot?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
Nowadays, developments in science and technology have brought about a revolutionary transformation in every aspect of our daily life. Nonetheless, artists are still greatly valued. The essay will delve deep into what the arts can tell us about life where science does not venture.
To commence with, science and technology is an instrument. It is in fact the greatest ever. Science is a type of approach of investigation that provides us with explanations, theories, and predictions. With science and technology, we can forecast weather, develop vaccines, explain the motions of the planets, improve living standards and so forth. It provides us with what we want. So handy is science and technology and so good can it be used to attain our goals that an individual might be enticed to deem it is all we want. But what watching a movie, or reading a novel or poetry really has for us! And what about the rationale of music, painting, or even philosophy in our life if they fail to produce some meaningful effects that humans could relate to or enjoy?
Like all other things, however, we have to determine what we want to do with “arts” in our life. Science and technology help humankind get what they want but does not dictate what we want. It does not help us determine the use to which it ought to be put. If science and technology cannot tell us the code of ethics, where does mankind find that out? In the case, arts can yield the answer. We can find values in literature and movies, in music, in poetry, and even in sculpture. These things tell us what is right and what is wrong, how fellow human beings are to be related, how to appreciate from different perspectives, how to be reflective and self-critical, and even what beauty is. Arts give us pure joy and let us express ourselves without being formal artists. Art is a part of life, not like science which is something to enhance our life.
It seems reasonable to draw the conclusion that while science and technology alone cannot solve the mystery of the universe, arts teach us how to communicate with it.
Some people nowadays value arts more than science, despite the emphasis of the current world’s fascination with modern technologies and recent breakthroughs in science. This is because only art has the ability of self-expression coupled with the opportunity of art to create neurological bonds and enhance an individual’s creativity.
To begin with, the fact that only art can guarantee an individual’s self-expression and true senses of the human. Modern individuals nowadays suffer from the opportunity to express themselves, this explains the popularity of the modern art classes like singing the songs in the group or dancing with the opposite sexes. Such kind of expression allows humans to better understand their inner world and allow them to meet people who belong to a different culture. This reduces the tension between people who belong to different cultures and religious affiliations and also enriches society as a whole.
Moreover, it has been proved by many studies that art aids cognitive development and creates new links among brain cells. These enduring links are the main power force of any human development, which not only expands their horizons but also enhances their creativity. Such benefits can not be achieved by advanced technologies and science. In addition to this, art, classic music, and paintings require great mental effort and patient, which other subjects often do not need. In an era of short clips and immediate gratifications, art plays the role of counterbalance and teaches people how to persuade their aims regardless of external circumstances.
In conclusion, although, in this modern cutting-edge era, digital devices bring more benefit to society and many admire them, art is more admired by many. Arts allow them to express themselves in a certain way and expand their ability to think broadly.