Raise a Glass (Ivan Xu Hantian)
I have been told not to smoke or drink by my parents and other adults since I was a kid. “What else is
a man supposed to do?” I ask myself. It is true that if I talk about drinking with females, most say that
that they hate it. Drinking probably has a bad reputation with females because of the behaviours of
males after they drink. It also they’re increases the crime rate because people stop thinking when
drinking. This is why people often forget---or try to forget--- what they did after drinking. All of the
above are disadvantages of drinking. But philosophy teaches us that everything in this world is a twosided sword. hyphen
Intro is effective:
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Introduces the topic: drinking
Uses rhetorical devices: repetition, colloquialism, analogy
My father wouldn’t let me drink any kind of alcohol when I was younger because, he said, “You are
too young, and alcohol is not good for you.” Then, one day, I saw my father drinking ‘white juice.” I
was curious, so I tried some when he wasn’t looking. My face turned red, and I started to cough. My
father just laughed at me. This shows that drinking can bring happiness to others, which is one of the
benefits.
Anecdote: engages the reader; example of one of the advantages of drinking
white juice: colloquialism; analogy
Drinking is essential for communicating in China, and friendships are often established by having a few
drinks together. People make friends faster by drinking at a dinner rather than in any other way, since
drinkers always talk about their personal experiences with others---even complete strangers. So if
you want to have a lot of friends, you need to drink.
Drinking can enhance your health, as scientific evidence shows. For example, heart disease is a
common, serious disease that kills countless people every day. Researchers have proven that
moderate drinking decreases the risk of heart disease. The researchers concluded that, “Compared
to teetotalers, moderate drinkers decrease their chances of getting heart disease by 40-60%.”
Besides, the Journal of the American Medical Association states that old people who drink one to six
cups of alcohol a day significantly reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s. Imagine the benefits of 7 to
12 cups a day!
I have to point out the serious contributions made by drinkers to the economy. First, there’s the
money that bars and restaurants make from drinkers. Then, if people want to go home safely after a
night on the town, they should take a taxi, which boosts the income of taxi drivers (and those who
pretend to be). Those who choose to drive after drinking run the risk of being caught by the traffic
police. What happens if they get caught? They have to not only pay a fine, but they are also detained
for fifteen days (unless they pay a really large “fine”). As well, the tax on beer is 10%, while the tax on
spirits is 20%. The total amount of taxes on smoking and drinking is obviously a huge boost to the
economy.
In short, drinking benefits society in many ways. It’s been a part of human life for a long time, and
it’ll continue to be that for a long time.
Classify the essay: refer to subject, tone, style to support.