O/L - English - A Model Essay on Vandalism

Vandalism

Vandalism is wilful and deliberate destruction of public property by anti-social and irresponsible citizens. It can be of various forms. It is not uncommon to see that the walls of buildings are defaced with scratches or ugly marks. Another target of vandalism is the bus shelter. Scratches on the newly painted seats or even broken seats at these shelters hardly escape the attention of those who wait there for the bus. If we travel by bus we will find that seats are often ripped open and the foam pulled out or vulgar writing on the back of seats.

What causes this kind of behavior? The reasons are many. Some youths show hatred for the society and its values. These irresponsible citizens out of frustrations in life are tempted to do these undesirable acts of vandalism. They do not have a sense of belonging or loyalty towards their society or nation. In some cases it could be for drawing attention to themselves or just a desire to see their names written in prominent places.
Vandalism is not exclusive in our society in Sri Lanka, it could be a social ill in other countries too. Although there are strict laws to prevent vandalism in every country it is rather impossible to enforce the laws strictly. One way to eradicate or reduce the rate of vandalism is to instill civic sense into the citizens, besides of course, the introduction of compulsory education up to the age of sixteen. Vandalism can be curbed to some extent if the government law imposes severe penalty on those caught in the act. But the permanent solution is inculcating the right values including respect for public property in all the young citizens. If people start regarding that public property is their property, they will not want to spoil it. Schools can provide a healthy atmosphere for children to form healthy attitudes and this in turn would make them realise the values of discipline in life.
All of us should realize that we deprive our children of their heritage if we deface beautiful things and damage public property