New unique discursive essay ideas?

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Is there perhaps something you could do about the riots? Like just off the top of my head, are Labour to blame for the recent riots in England?

I have a feeling that this might not be very unique this academic year. After being shifted from higher english class to higher english class (timetable confusion as per every year) two of three teachers mentioned that it would be a good thing to do... Although it would be interesting, and many good essays could be produced, you might be forced to compete with a lot of other high quality essays if many people choose the same topic. :smile:

Reply 21

chr1stopher11

Original post by TheUnbeliever

Yes of course I know it isn't a "holiday" and they are actually working and I do realise the possible benefits that the visit must have brought but I still don't agree with paying for it. There is being friendly and allowing them to come to the UK and do what they want and then there is then taking advantage of our hospitality. But yes I do see the possible benefits. :smile:

Reply 22

Lil2wkd

Original post by kirstyhr

Oh this made me laugh so much. I don't know if you're serious or not though... :smile:

I'm not sure if its controversial enough for a discursive essay but if it is, then yes, I am being serious. Whilst I personally find the quality of the writing mediocre, I think Twilight offers a lot of things to write about. Heck, for one of my essays this year in English I submitted an essay about female oppression and the incest evident in chapter one.

Reply 23

Bookface

I did something along the lines of "Are e-Readers and eBooks detrimental to literature?". I talked mostly about how many bookstores are going out of business and the ease of self-publication, along with a more 'emotional' argument of technology being damaging to the aesthetic and artistic appeal of a physical book. I got an A overall and it got a 25/25 in class, so it's an idea. I was kind of reaching for something that hadn't been done a million times.

Reply 24

Belaruce

Original post by animelover123

Hi, I am in 5th year and researching on topics for a dscursive essay for English? I am wondering if anyone has some unique and different ideas that is not too overused or too clichéd, preferably something fresh, something unexpected. I heard that the scarcer the topic , the more chance that you will achieve a higher grade. I am stuck and have ran out of ideas.

Oh and also: if you can please avoid anything too philosophical, i want something more topical

I am writing my discursive essay at the moment on whether there should be tighter restrictions on the media. like the way violence affects children and how sexual lyrics can impact their lives :smile:

Reply 25

Kerrias

Some pretty good ideas here. . .
I like the Papal Visit one especially.

Ive just started mine on who/what were to blame for the England riots and if they were at all justified. But personally, whilst there are lots of material to use at the moment and plenty to write about, I think it was a bit of a silly topic as I know it wont be at all unique and would start to get quite boring. ..

Good luck finding a good one :smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 26

KateF95

Do you think it would be bad to write an essay about why we shouldnt write essays??

Reply 27

TheUnbeliever

Original post by KateF95

Do you think it would be bad to write an essay about why we shouldnt write essays??

I think you'd run the risk of looking like you're trying to be a smartarse. Aggravating the marker isn't usually a great plan.

Reply 28

KateF95

Original post by TheUnbeliever

I think you'd run the risk of looking like you're trying to be a smartarse. Aggravating the marker isn't usually a great plan.

yeah ok, thought it would be a bad idea. was just looking for something original and i read a book where this girl did it.

Reply 29

Hype en Ecosse

Original post by KateF95

yeah ok, thought it would be a bad idea. was just looking for something original and i read a book where this girl did it.

"Are English teachers these days ****?"

Do it. I'm throwing money at the computer. Just please do it.

Reply 30

darker611

Original post by christielovesyou

I did "are TV talent shows destroying the music business?" or something to that effect. I basically covered how I think The X Factor damges voices, teaches children that they can get fame very easily and that they don't have to work hard to get a job as a singer.

I got an A overall, but I haven't seen the breakdown so wouldn't be able to tell you what the examiner gave it, but in class it got a 23.

What sort of pros and cons did you use in this essay?

Reply 31

Quick-use

I tried to go for a unique and uncommon essay title, and it was as so. However, it was just that: unique and uncommon. I really didn't enjoy it, and I didn't have strong opinions on it: it doesn't even affect me. It was INCREDIBLY hard for me to write something sufficient as it wasn't something I was interested in nor have strong opinions on. Unless you're prepared to strangle yourself over something which may seem cool but uninteresting, or you're just plain awesome at writing essays, I'd recommend something you have an interest in, a strong opinion on. :smile:

And steer clear of very common topics like whether or not the death penalty should be brought back. If you do, however, have a strong opinion on this particular theme, you may want to play around with the essay title, and choose an interesting, and different, aspect of the topic to do your essay on.

Good luck. :fluffy:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 32

christielovesyou

Original post by darker611

What sort of pros and cons did you use in this essay?

I didn't have any pros because it was persuasive, but here were my cons:

- A lot is faked e.g. autotune
- It teaches younger viewers that fame can easily be obtained, rather than worked for
- Improper singing technique is used, which can lead to vocal health problems and short careers
- Lower employability for music degree graduates
- Harder for people genuinely struggling to break into music e.g. those who sent demos to radio stations, share music online etc.
- This kind of ties in with the last point - there are plenty of people up and down the country with amazing musical talent who are often overlooked because they have enough self-respect not to go and audition for a show which is just really overdramatic and not really about music, but money
- Magic of Christmas No. 1 lost as it's guaranteed to The X Factor winner.

Reply 33

wavve

I did mine and got quite a good mark on ''Is it morally right to build the mosque at ground zero?'' basically arguing whether it's a good idea or not to build a 'mosque' near the 9/11 grounds. had a lot of good for/against arguments and loads of research to use too.

Reply 34

addz32

Original post by christielovesyou

hi, i am very interested in this topic and was wondering how you did the essay such as points and layout. sound like a very good topic to discuss.

Reply 35

Simarilli

I think my topic came from a list of questions from our English teacher; it was "Is Environmentalism a religion?". I ended up writing quite a dry essay, but this was what I was planning for - it gave me a great opportunity to discuss tenets of science and religion and how they can be compared.

Reply 36

Lovefist

I did "Should wolves be reintroduced to Scotland?" - it was one of the easiest essays I've ever written, and one that I was genuinely interested in.

Reply 37

ladymarshmallow

Hello everyone,
I'm doing an essay on why there needs to be a greater emphasis placed on language learning in schools across Britain. I've mostly finished my essay, although I'm afraid that my arguments are too "fluffy" and not substansial enough. I've written about how the way languages are taught today is uninspiring, the relevance and importance of being able to speak more than one language isn't conveyed to pupipls, the need for more specialist foreign language teachers and assistants, career prospects, the fact that it's easier for children to learn languages at a younger age (gave example of countries e.g. the Netherlands where most of the population is highly proficient in English) and how it broadens the mind and gives you a unique inisght into other cultures.

Seeing as my essay is focused on languages in the UK as a whole, I've given Scottish statistics but also talked about the decision to make language learning at GCSE level compulsory in England.

On the whole, I'm worried that I haven't fully addressed the essay question and that my arguments are too "wishy-washy."

What do you think?

Reply 38

Bonzo10

I saw an example of a burka one; it was absolutely exemplary!

Last year, I did it on the theory that sex sells. Cons, justifications. I THINK it was pretty unique and I thought it was an excellent piece. PM if you're interested!

Reply 39

christielovesyou

Original post by addz32

hi, i am very interested in this topic and was wondering how you did the essay such as points and layout. sound like a very good topic to discuss.

If you look back a few posts in this thread, I wrote a list of points I made. I'm afraid that's the only help I can give you, as I don't seem to have a copy of the essay anymore (which I'm gutted about - it's probably on my old desktop, but that's in a drawer under my bed at home, 60 miles away!) so I can't look over it to give you more details. :frown: