TOPIC 139

TOPIC 139: Some items (such as clothes or furniture) can be made by hand or by machine. Which do you prefer - items made by hand or items made by machine? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your choice.

Essay 1

Basically, the production of items can be divided into two groups: one is made by hand and the other is made by machine. Some people always ask which one is better, by hand or by machine? For me, both of them have advantages and disadvantages.

Items made by hand are delicate and beautiful in an appearance. For example, most of people like Chinese silk made by hand. The reason is that not only the silk is too delicate to use machine to sew, but also a good piece of hand-made silk will make customers feel it likes a master piece in a degree. In addition, when hand-makers do their jobs, they usually devote more energy and time in them, which allows the possibility of pursuing the accuracy to come true. As we know, there still have many ladies to prefer the tailor-made clothes. Why? The reason is very simple because they think only tailors can meet their needs. We can imagine after the tailor sews the piece stitch by stitch, how it is marvelous to be!

On the other hand, items made by machine have been widely accepted around the world because of the introduction of the machine. It is highly appraised of fastness and durability. Actually, these two characteristics are basic criterion for products. Suppose that the washing machine is out of work only after one-month use, I believe a user definitely feels angry and irritating about the bad quality of this washing machine. In some degrees, we can make sure of the quality made by machine. Furthermore, by machine, people can save time. I don't believer any manufacturers will make furniture by hand at most time. Although this does happen in some cases, they are very special. Furniture made by machine can be sold to customers as soon as possible, which increases company's profit through fast moving.

However, I agree some advantages about items made by hand and made by machine, there are still have some disadvantages we cannot ignore as well. For items made by hand, it usually takes a quite long time to finish and the cost is accompanied to be very high; for items made by machine, it sometimes is quite rough and not ideal as what users expect.

In view of advantages and disadvantages I mentioned above, I suggest we should see what items we are going to buy first, then decide to choose them made by hand or by machine. If I were a customer, I would prefer choosing clothes made by hand and some furniture by machine. In a short, it is unwise to say which one is better in an arbitrary way.

(Essay ID: 14 )

Essay 2

From my point of view, there are many factors affecting whether to choose an item made by hand or by machine. The main factor to make a judgment is whether we use the item for our daily life or for collection and decoration purposes.

For items used in our daily life, the choices we make depend on the following factors: function, form, and price. Function is the most important thing for us. If a product is beautiful, but it is not able to perform the function, it can only be called a decoration, or a piece of garbage. For example, when we buy a TV, what we really care about first it is the quality of the picture and sound, how many stations it can receive, and whether it can be connected easily to the VCR and DVD player at home. The second factor which affects our choice of a product for daily use is its form. Is the TV too big, too small, or too ugly? Will it fit into the living room? Will it be compatible with the colors of other appliances and the furniture? The third factor we may consider is the price. Even if we are very happy with the item, there is no meaning if we cannot afford it.

So, in our daily life, there is really no difference whether our clothes or furniture are made by hand or made by machine. It just doesn’t matter as long as they can perform their function. For items for collection and decoration, it is a completely different story. Ancient tools and historical artifacts have more market and educational value than modern day massively produced products, and traditional handicrafts make good tourist souvenirs and beautiful decoration for the house. Therefore, when it comes to items for collection and decoration, I would definitely choose items made by hand, because they are just so special.

In conclusion, depending on different items and different uses, I will make different choices.

(Essay ID: 15 )