2. argumentative essay-first draft ESRA UZEL

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ESRA UZEL

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY 2

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               07.05.2014

                          

                      IS COMPETITION GOOD FOR CHILDREN?

    Competition is defined as a contest for some prize, honor or advantage. Competition comes out when teachers want to motivate students. Also, parents create a competitive environment for their children by comparing them with others. Even though the perception of competition makes children motivate in the short-term, it has many harmful effects on children in the long-term. A competition which is seen as a good thing prevents personal development, creates a feeling of insignificance and makes life difficult.

    Firstly, because competition prevents children’s personal developments, it is not good and it should not be used to enhance success. According to one research on children, children are presented games with different degree of difficulty and they are wanted to choose one of them which they want. Most of the children choose games which are one or two upper units in terms of difficulty level of their skill. As you can see, a child can determine his/her development standard. However, when a child is involved in a competition, this development standard is determined by the most hardworking students, so a child is taken with a feeling of despair.

    Secondly, because competition creates a sense of insignificance, it is not good and it should not be used to enhance success. Since the value of a child is determined according to his/her success and other children in a competitive environment, it makes a child have a feeling of insignificance. Nevertheless, the value of a child should be determined considering his/her own values and identity. In a competitive environment, while the same children always become successful, the others always feel insignificant. As a result of this, children who are always successful become stressful to keep their statue.

    Finally, because competition makes life difficult to live, it is not good and it should not be used to enhance success. Any child who is a competitive environment sees the others as a rival, so she/he has a difficulty to build trust based relationship and perceives life as an unreliable environment. Because a child gives attention to what she/he will gain, she/ he cannot learn the things which benefit for the future. A child cannot live life freely for fear of losing the success or with effort of capturing success in a competitive environment. Because a child wants to be remembered with his/her success due to a competition, this child cannot spare time for social activities.

    In sum, a competition which is preferred to enhance success among children is not a good thing and it should not be used. As I mentioned above, competition prevents children’s personal development, engenders a sense of insignificance in children and makes life difficult for them. Therefore, ıf parents and teachers want children to be accomplished and prosperous, they should apply to competition. However, ıf they want children to be happy and also successful, they should not compare them with others. They should accept them as they are.