GRE Analyse an Issue article assesses the critical thought process of the candidate and how well one can express it through writing. In GRE Analyze an issue essay on an issue you need to write around 500-600 words. The common topics are of general interest which can be discussed from various perspectives.

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Contemporary Culture-GRE Sample for Issue Task

Sample Answer

The most effective method to understand contemporary culture is to research the trends of its youth. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or afflict the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you're taking.

This prompt points to a general perception that the youth is on the frontline of contemporary culture. Indeed, the youths are the creative and energetic part of the society, which makes it inevitable to research the trends of the youth for understanding contemporary culture. However, as I will be able to elaborate, they're not capable of emblematizing contemporary culture if we contextualize the discussion in heavily aging societies.

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We can't be negligent of what proportion the trends of youth can tell about contemporary culture. Due to their age, they become the foremost creative and energetic people, and their requirements partly determine the consumption of their parents, the most labor of the society. For instance, contemporary internet-famous culture is raised and supported firstly by children. So does Hip-hop. It originated from movements formed by African-American and Latino youths, then became popular outside of the African-American community. From these cases, the study of the trends of youths offers a sneak peek into the orientation of contemporary cultural development.

However, apart from the younger generation, other generations that structure 60% of the population even have their own distinctive trends that are indispensable to the larger cultural scene. As an example, in contemporary Chinese society, middle-aged and retired women are starting a trend of square dancing. Organized groups of girls would begin within the evening publicly in squares and parks to bop as a way of exercising and socializing. Though often despised by children, this trend may be a unique scene in contemporary Chinese culture. Therefore, focusing one’s analysis on youth trends would end in ignorance of trends within the older generations that also are a part of the cultural environment.

Moreover, different social norms and mores among different generations often pose a powerful cultural dichotomy, which is another important aspect of the larger contemporary culture. Let’s take contemporary Japanese society as an example. The older generation often features a more traditional value of labor ethics. They are usually dedicated to one company for the whole work-life, employ methodical working habits, and are willing to figure overtime for the sake of the corporate. The younger generation, on the opposite hand, adopts a completely different view. They do not see the aim of their work as a contribution to the corporate and society. They work for his or her own sakes and are unwilling to sacrifice private time to end their work. Moreover, children are less likely to remain in one company for the remainder of their lives. Rather, they're more inclined to explore different fields to seek out their passion. The disparaging work ethics between the older and therefore the younger generation is thus a singular scene in contemporary Japanese society that can't be overlooked.

However, culture is very suffering from the constitution of the population. It’ll be reductionist to argue that the study of youths is sufficient to capture the contemporary culture, since a variety of cultures among other ages speaks volumes about the society’s atmosphere, especially in an aging society. Additionally, middle-aged adults who occupy the main positions in the working market have enough money, resources, and forces to influence the mainstream culture in the whole society. In a nutshell, we should always incorporate the study of ages besides youths, to raise and more fully appreciate a society’s culture.

For instance, “Cuihun '', which suggests the older generation pushing children into marriage, is becoming a replacement routine during Chinese New Year. This new trend apparently relates to people around parents’ ages instead of the youths’. A careful study of “Cuihun culture” will contribute to our understanding of Chinese contemporary culture.

If we were to start an attempt to explore and understand a society’s culture, we could start by gathering knowledge about its youth. But it’s not necessarily the foremost efficient way of understanding a society’s contemporary culture.

In conclusion, although the statement might sound true initially because children exert a large influence on contemporary popular culture, an in-depth examination of the opposite population would reveal how problematic the assertion is. Other generations not only have their own unique cultural trends but also pose intriguing dichotomy with the youth, both of which are indispensable to the examination of up-to-date culture.