IELTS essay sample: Children now know less about their culture

Essay

Sample response

Cultural alienation is one of the major problems that youngsters face. They know hardly anything about their culture and values. Consequently they have little respect for their customs or traditions. For many of these people, culture is what they see in Hollywood movies. This is a dangerous situation. Youngsters need to be rooted in their culture to be able to contribute anything meaningful to their society.

Culture and patriotism always go hand in hand. People who love their culture also tend to love their country. They will want to work for the betterment of their community. Such people are the greatest asset any nation can have.

Less interaction between children and parents/grandparents is one of the main reasons that distance children from their culture. In many families now both parents work. Children are often sent to day care centers where they spend much of their time watching cartoon channels or foreign television programs. Earlier children used to spend a lot of time with their grandparents who would tell them stories from mythology. Such stories not only entertained the kids, but also taught them important things about their culture. Media has also played an important role in this. In a bid to project itself as ‘cool’ and modern, media often eulogizes foreign cultures and create the impression that one’s own culture isn’t good enough.

Parents and teachers need to make a concerted effort to fight this menace. Parents need to make a conscious effort to familiarize their children about their culture and civilization. Most of them are only concerned about academic grades. This has to change. The government can also play an important role. Culture should be taught in schools. Just because a society is secular, it doesn’t mean that it should eliminate all references to culture and religion from textbooks.

To conclude, exposure to foreign cultures through television from a very young age and little interaction with one’s parents and grandparents are the main reasons that make young people ignorant of their own cultures. However, solving this problem is not all that difficult. It just requires the concerted efforts of parents, teachers and the government.