You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
The government spends about £220 million a year supporting museums and galleries in the UK, and a similar amount subsiding the visual and performing arts. This is a huge sum to spend on minority interests and the money would be better spent on more important things. It should be up to the people who enjoy cultural attractions to pay for them. What are your views on this issue?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
The overwhelming budget for arts, museums and galleries is often criticised by a group of people and they advocate the need of this money on more pressing issues like hunger, poor health care, and terrorism. They also opine that people who have enthusiasm for such arts should bear the expenses. I believe that arts and museums are part of the enlightened world and they reflect the identity of a country. Hence the spending by the government in arts is quite logical.
To begin with, museums preserve the history and they have great educational values. They attract a huge number of foreign visitors and bring foreign currency for a country. For instance, the British Museum in London alone attracts more than 6.8 million visitors annually and this brings a lot of foreigners in London as well. Furthermore, a large number of art galleries and theatres are the reason people find visiting the UK a unique experience. They would not have been here if the UK did not have these attractions. On top of that, visual arts, performing arts and other art forms reflect the unique heritage and culture the United Kingdom has. They convey our strength, tell our history and preserve our culture.
Human minds crave for arts and without arts, science would become too technical to the mass people to enjoy. For instance, the incredible powers of computers do not only solve complex mathematical equations, but also create animations, graphics and other forms of arts for people to enjoy.
In summary, people need arts as much as they need science. Only food cannot ensure better living as we need to get engages in creative activities and yield artworks. In my opinion, the works of Thomas Hudson are no less important than the works of any scientists. So the government’s funding for different forms of arts and museums is totally justified.