‘The sea will always win, despite the actions of people.’ How far do you agree with this view of coastal protection?

(Westminster 2009)

            The small island of Japan has seen several terrible tsunamis in the past twenty years. This includes one that moved the country 3 meters closer to China, and knocked the Earth out of its usual orbit for a day.  This all occurred despite a forty meter high seawall protecting the coast of Tokyo.  In this case, the sea defeated the Japanese governments greatest effort, but will this always be the case?

            On the one hand, the sea can always erode any seawall or blockade we place in its way.  It can, after many long centuries, even wear its way through the thickest of seawalls. Even rivers can overcome dredging after a long time. The Thames could actually overcome its embankments in a century. If a mere river, with minimal wave power, can overcome a multibillionaire defense, then the sea has much greater potential.  It has the power of abrasion, attrition, corrosion and hydraulic action as well as the tide.

            Furthermore, the sea will remain where it is for much longer than any seawall can stand. For all geographers can tell us, the sea and oceans may not change general position for another million years. Even if we were to build a seawall that could withstand erosion, it would be weathered away by other processes, including plant growth or acid rain.  Thus, even with minimal wave power, the sea could potentially get past even the thickest of barriers.

            However, it is entirely plausible that humans may be able to devise a way of blockading the sea efficiently and effectively.  For example, groynes tend to be located along beaches to prevent an excess of longshore drift so that the beach remains. Also, another form of protection is boulder armor.  This is very effective against small waves but not so much against a tsunami.

            On balance, it seems to be the case that the sea will always win, as it can overcome any seawall ever built, but it is still possible that humans will find a new form of coastal protection from the sea.

Competitive sports are becoming very popular among schools and their pupils, as can be seen through the rise in fixtures of all different sports between schools. Those same schools organize these fixtures— they are team sports, of course-- but the academies may only see half of the debate over the value of competitive sports.  The schools seem to miss the negative side of competitive sports for children.

            On the one hand, competitive sports are fun, exciting, and generate a feeling of pride in the children who participate.  They are also healthy and allow the players to become fitter. These are extremely important benefits, since children are very energetic and need to have fun sometimes after a long school day. They need the pride that comes with being in a team in order to create more self-esteem, which is beneficial for their future lives and careers.

            On the other hand, children can easily run the risk of injuries, or can be placed under stress by their teammates for poor performance. This stress may lead to drops in performance at school or failure to complete homework to a high standard.  Furthermore, children may be rejected by their peers because they let the team down. This can be very hurtful and friendships may end as a result.

            On balance, it seems that competitive sports for children are an effective way to release their youthful energy, but it is plausible that schools have overlooked the stress or exclusion which students integrated in competitive sports face.

The Violin

The violin rests safely in its case of fine leather.  It has many reasons to feel smug: its strings are of silvery steel; they can sing and dance at concert time, as its rigid bow of oak slides by on supple horsehairs.  This violin is very old, one of the first of his kind.  The f-holes at either side of the beautifully manufactured bridge allow him to sing like a bird in the early morning on the first day of spring as it flies over grassy green fields.

                       The songs he can sing, however, are beyond compare. When the man first picks him up, he is very beautiful. But when the musician starts to play him, the audience is stunned.  The bow glides gracefully over the glossy strings, and the resonant box releases the music.  Music fills the air like a summer’s day, as the other instruments join in, but the violin can be heard well above them all.

                       The audience, however, says nothing of the violin, while heartily praising the violinist, who did nothing but let his fingers dance on the strings and swing his right arm upon a perpendicular axis to that of the strings.  However, he never complains, he still sings, as beautifully as ever, but he now feels worthless pointless, as if all his efforts were completely futile. His heart becomes cold as his soul withers away.