2008 English Essay Contest
This year is the 40th anniversary of the foundation of Chonnam Tribune which published the first issue on July 15, 1968. To celebrating it, Chonnam Tribune hosted the 2008 English Essay Contest over a period of four hours on November 1, 2008. In following the format of previous years, the applicants had first to register from October 1 to October 25 and then they chose one topic amid three, which were posted on the CNU Press Center official website at 2 p.m. on November 1, 2008. The award ceremony was held at 11 a.m. on November 15.
The topics were as follows: “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Internet Portals should not block online postings to protect the rights of a person whose posting is blocked. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”, “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The collection of criminal DNA in the national database is clearly a violation of human rights and an invasion of privacy.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.” and “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The adultery law is justifiable because it limits individual’s sexual right and freedom but it is intended to safeguard marriage. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”
The Official List of Winners Is as Follows:
* In University Division
Grand Prize: No Prize-winning Essay
Gold Prize: Cho Eun-hee (Senior, School of Business Administration)
Silver Prize: Seo Min-jung (Junior, College of Medicne)
Bronze Prize: Kim Young-mi (Senior, Department of French Language Education)
*In the High School Division
Grand Prize: Kim Dyne (Second Year, CNU High School)
Gold Prize: Chae Ree (Second Year, Sungduk High School)
Silver Prize: Yang So-yeon (Second Year, Daesung Girls’ High School)
Bronze Prize: Park Jae-seung (Second Year, Mokpo High School)
Lee Jong-min (Second Year, Gwangju High School)
Lim Yeon-jin (Second Year, Gwangju Jungang Girls’ High School)
Judges’ Remarks
on the 2008 English Essay Contest
Having worked for years as judges of the “English Essay Contest” hosted by the Chonnam Tribune, we are pleased to see that the writing ability of the participants is gradually getting better and better as the years go by. While we, the judges, carefully read the submitted works to decide which to select as the winning essays, we clearly felt that each of the participants had earnestly attempted to find a proper thesis for the assigned topic, to reflect upon it, to find appropriate English expressions for it, and to organize it into a coherent essay.
This year, most of the participants showed English proficiency in effectively discussing such controversial issues as whether it is ethically acceptable to punish adultery within the criminal law, whether it is justifiable for portal sites to block messages posted by netizens, and whether it is legitimate for a government to create and use a DNA database for convicted criminals.
This year, high school students in particular have made remarkable improvements in arguing for their positions, logically weaving their ideas as well as expressing them in proficient English. By contrast, we were not as satisfied with those essays composed by university students. Consequently, we could not select a candidate for the grand prize within the university category. We urge university students to put forth more effort toward improving their English skills.
Of course, we fully understand what a painstaking experience it is for students to try to compose a convincing essay in English. While they are sitting in front of a blank computer monitor with a chosen topic in mind, at first it might seem embarrassing, or even frustrating. All of a sudden, the intellectual monitor in their brain might turn white, with no clear strand of an idea popping up. The clock continues to tick-tock, while all the time the mental pressure keeps increasing. It is almost a scary moment.
However, we are also convinced that the process of writing is one of the most rewarding experiences for our students, in that it is none other than the process of cultivating their intellectual wilderness. Our consciousness, if uncultivated, remains as deserted as any wasteland. Our thoughts, if not trained, continue to be as disorderly and confusing as the babble of any muddle-head.
While we struggle to present our thoughts in writing, we cut and whet our intellectual ore into a bright gem of an idea. Therefore, we strongly encourage more and more students to participate in the painful but rewarding challenge to compose lucid, convincing, and touching essays; that is, to join in the highly fulfilling process of self-development.