Sample Outline

‘The arts serve no useful purpose.’ Discuss.

Analysis of key terms

The arts - a broad term referring to various creative endeavours that encompass visual arts,
literary arts and the performing arts.
Purpose – function
Useful – to be regarded as important/necessary/applicable to our lives. Uses ≠ Usefulness

Approach
Part 1: The arts are perceived as having no useful purpose
Part 2: However, the arts actually serve useful purposes

Possible Points (with relevant examples)

Part 1: The arts are perceived as having no useful purpose BECAUSE …

1) The arts do not offer tangible or concrete solutions to our problems / the problems the
world faces today
- The arts fail to offer concrete solutions to the problems that we face today: terrorism,
fundamentalism, poverty, social cohesion, tension over foreign talent etc
- They offer only perspectives and ideas that may come across as being very idealistic /
impractical.

2) Artists are sometimes far more keen on creating artworks that are provocative for no
real reason and which do not serve to do anything useful.
- Some have claimed that certain types of modern art are “trivial” or “rubbish” (according to
the late eminent art critic Brian Sewell) – serving merely to titillate the audience or provide
a momentary thrill. Often, artists have been criticised for producing such mediocre art for
the sake of making money or to garner public attention. Such art risks being reduced to mere
sensationalism or perceived as meaningless entertainment when it fails to engage the
audience on a deeper level or exercise a more concrete, significant impact on their lives.

- E.g. Plasticination – Gunther Von Hagens – controversial artist who uses real corpses and
turns them into art exhibits. Damien Hirst –controversial artist who slices animals and puts
them on display “Mother & Child” (sliced cow and calf), notorious for making art out of
pickled sharks and rotting cow heads

3) The arts may be perceived as promoting inappropriate / taboo ideas or values and do
not serve to benefit society in any useful manner.
- For the arts to be considered useful, we expect the arts to serve a function that has a positive
impact on our lives or society in some way (i.e. has a clearly beneficial result). However,
modern/popular art frequently contains sexually explicit images, and music lyrics often
 glorify violence and a criminal life. These may be seen as being useless or worse, be
perceived as detrimental to the young and the values/norms of societies.

- E.g. controversy of renowned Australian artist Bill Henson - 21 photos of naked children
were seized from Henson’s exhibition and the artist faced obscenity charges after claims
that his exhibition promoted paedophilia

Part 2: However, the arts actually serve useful purposes BECAUSE …

1) The arts enable us to understand the complexities of human behaviour and human
nature which helps us in our relationships with people around us
- Artists feel the need to convey what they see in human interaction with society. They try to
capture the full range of nuances in human emotion and human thought to let us see
ourselves in a clearer light.
- These are lessons that are applicable to daily life as through the arts we can then gain a
better understanding of human motivations and learn to interact better with people around
us whether it is with friends, family members or even colleagues.

- Eg: Shakespeare’s tragedies – Othello (evil of human jealousy) & Macbeth (depths of
human greed and ambition & guilt)

2) The arts challenge existing socio-political norms and push the boundaries of the status
quo. This helps society to be more broad-minded and bring about progress.
- Artists provoke us to look at things differently and make us question social norms. The arts
often act as a medium presenting multiple viewpoints instead of just that of the majority or
that endorsed by the official government. In doing so, we are prompted to reflect and
hopefully take action to correct social ills thus bringing about much needed change in
society.

E.g.
- Alfian Saat’s Eat a pot of curry questions apparent Singapore’s social cohesiveness and was
even seen as politically controversial – S’pore flag falls to the ground at the end of the play.
- George Orwell’s Animal Farm challenges concepts of leadership and 1984 makes us
consider how much control the state has over our lives.
- Chinese literature during the Cultural Revolution – Farewell My Concubine, Raise the Red
Lantern and Red Sorghum contained covert messages that encouraged readers to look deeper
and examine the problems within the communist system.

3) Practising or enjoying the arts also benefits our psychological and emotional well-
being.
- Engaging in the creation of art is beneficial to those who struggle with emotional issues –
grief, depression, turmoil etc.
- E.g. art therapy is a way to help those suffering from emotional trauma, depression to tap
into their inner thoughts, feelings and experiences through creative expression. It can help
people deal with strong emotions, increase self-awareness and self-worth, and decrease
stress and anxiety.
- Far from being trivial or frivolous, the entertainment value offered by the arts is actually
useful and important given the high stress lifestyles we lead today. When we immerse
ourselves in the theatrical or musical world, we obtain gratification and a temporary respite
from our troubles.

4) The arts are also increasingly recognised for their ability to foster creativity, an
important trait in today’s world.
- Engaging in the arts is akin to participating in a mental exercise that enables us to push our
mental and emotional barriers, and stretch the limits of our imagination. When applied to
education, the arts teach that there are multiple perspectives and multiple solutions to
problems. In turn, it reinforces the idea that questioning and possibilities are endless. This
is how creativity is nurtured. In today’s world of global competition and complex problems,
creative intelligence and innovative capacity are fast becoming requirements for personal
and professional success.

5) The arts are also an area of economic opportunities for countries and their economies.
- The arts help to stimulate growth in the areas of tourism, retail & manufacturing. Developed
countries and mature economies have realised the growth potential of the arts industry. In
the past, there was much reliance on manufacturing but now there is growing recognition
of the need to diversify the economy of countries and to gain profits from this
diversification.
- Eg: South Africa is increasingly beginning to focus on cultural and creative industries as
potential contributors to economic growth and job creation.
- UK: A study carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, found that
arts and culture make up 0.4 percent of Britain's GDP, a strong return on less than 0.1
percent of government spending. The cultural sector was also seen to have increased its
contribution to the U.K.'s GDP since 2008, even as the wider economy contracted over this
period.