| Topic:
In some parts of the world it is increasingly popular to research the history of one’s own family. Why do people want to do this? Is it a positive or negative development? |
Band 8 Sample
People nowadays are becoming increasingly keen to learn about their family history. There are some compelling reasons for this; and I strongly feel that this is a positive development.
Most people do research on their family history to find out whether their ancestors had similar personality traits and to have deeper understanding about their family roots and heritage. Others study their family history background for less significant reasons, one of which is curiosity. For example, my uncle used to spend a great deal of time and effort tracing my family tree back to the 18th century just out of curiosity. Also, I think that news media have a major part to play in this trend. There are a lot of news articles and advertisements these days that encourage genealogy and convince people that it is necessary to know about their ancestry.
In my view, this is a good way to teach children about history and how their ancestors lived, which is linked in part to family traditions. And it is even more important for children to carry on such valuable and unique traditions, given that this fast changing world is somehow making young generations ignore the spiritual legacy that their ancestors left. On top of that, family history can be a fascinating topic of discussion whenever there is a family meeting. How my grandparents struggled to raise their offspring during the Vietnam War, for example, has become my father’s favorite subject when all my relatives gather for a traditional holiday feast.
In conclusion, people like to study their family history for a variety of reasons as I have discussed, and personally, I consider this a positive modern trend.
Vocabulary highlights:
- Have a deeper understanding about their family roots and heritage
- Tracing my family tree
- Geneolagy
- Ignore the spiritual legacy that their ancestors left
