Name: Date: Pd:<\/p>\n
Some people believe that museums must return cultural treasures to their country <\/p>\n
of origin if that country requests them, while other people believe that museums do <\/p>\n
sometimes have a right to deny those requests.<\/p>\n
Consider the claims on BOTH sides of the debate. Write an argumentative essay in <\/p>\n
your own words supporting either side.<\/p>\n
Be sure to use information from BOTH passages in your argumentative essay.<\/p>\n
Bring Them Home<\/p>\n
The magic of museums is that they transport visitors both back in time and across continents.<\/p>\n
Museums preserve some of the most priceless treasures in the world and give many people an <\/p>\n
opportunity to view wonders they would never otherwise have seen. However, take a moment to <\/p>\n
ponder how often these artifacts from around the globe come to reside in a museum far away from <\/p>\n
the country of their origin. Most often, museums acquire objects with full cooperation from the <\/p>\n
originating country, either accepting them as donations or purchasing them outright. In addition, <\/p>\n
many museums sponsor \u201ctraveling exhibits,\u201d which means that they share their exhibits with other <\/p>\n
museums located all over the world. Unfortunately, however, there are a number of examples where <\/p>\n
museums acquired artifacts and other treasures that belong to another culture or country.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that the museums intentionally stole these precious artifacts. In many cases, <\/p>\n
protecting the artifacts motivated the acquisition. For example, the stunning marble sculptures <\/p>\n
that once adorned the Parthenon temple in Greece were removed in the 1800s and transported <\/p>\n
to the British Museum to preserve them from further damage. The Turkish government, which then <\/p>\n
controlled Greece, gave permission for this undertaking. However, Greece has long since regained its <\/p>\n
independence and now has urgently petitioned the British Museum to return this historic art. Greece <\/p>\n
is eager to undertake the preservation of these priceless marble sculptures. In fact, a new Greek <\/p>\n
museum has a special room designed to house these statues in the hope that the country\u2019s wishes <\/p>\n
and rights will be honored.<\/p>\n
Like Greece, Egypt also wants to recover its historical treasures. The country is negotiating with <\/p>\n
France, England, Germany, the United States, and other countries for the return of priceless pieces <\/p>\n
of its history. In some cases, the archaeologists who discovered these treasures brought them to the <\/p>\n
museums. However, in many cases thieves looted tombs and warehouses, later selling their goods to <\/p>\n
museums. Egypt claims this happened, for example, to a historically priceless burial mask purchased <\/p>\n
by a museum in St. Louis.<\/p>\n
Greece and Egypt are not alone in their quests. Many other countries, including China, Iran, India, <\/p>\n
and Turkey, are seeking the return of objects important to their cultures and histories. Since they now <\/p>\n
have the desire and capability to preserve their treasures, they argue that it is only right that they <\/p>\n
have the treasures themselves. It is impossible to ignore the power of these arguments. Whether <\/p>\n
these relics were taken for noble reasons, such as preserving them, or taken as spoils of war or <\/p>\n
colonialism, those countries currently in possession must make the moral decision to return these <\/p>\n
pieces of history to their rightful homes.<\/p>\n
Museums Preserve the Cultures of the World<\/p>\n
Nations petition museums regularly to return artifacts that once came from their lands. Sometimes <\/p>\n
museums agree that it is appropriate to return these items, but sometimes they do not agree. While <\/p>\n
right of ownership might seem always to belong to the country of origin, there are many legitimate <\/p>\n
reasons that a museum may decline such requests. Perhaps museum funds were used in the past <\/p>\n
to legally purchase an exhibit with the full cooperation of the native country at that time. A change <\/p>\n
in political power can motivate a \u201cgive me that back\u201d attitude in a donor country. Perhaps the <\/p>\n
museum that houses ancient treasures is far better equipped to preserve them from destruction and <\/p>\n
deterioration. Most importantly, an excellent argument can be made that some treasures truly belong <\/p>\n
to all citizens of the world, not just to those in their country of origin.<\/p>\n
Throughout the centuries, many priceless antiquities have been lost or severely damaged. The <\/p>\n
reasons for this often include the ravages of war, downright carelessness, and the erosion of time. For <\/p>\n
example, of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only one, the Pyramids of Giza, survives today.<\/p>\n
Museums protect items of historical and cultural significance. Museum professionals are experts, <\/p>\n
trained in the best ways to preserve and restore ancient art and other relics, and they are dedicated <\/p>\n
to this mission. In the 1940s, one museum curator even risked his life as part of a World War II task <\/p>\n
force charged with the mission to protect historical monuments and works of art from the war.<\/p>\n
It is this need to preserve these irreplaceable objects that most often prevents museums from <\/p>\n
returning them. For example, Germany still refuses to return the bust of Queen Nefertiti to Egypt <\/p>\n
because such a long trip could cause irreversible damage to the ancient treasure. In other cases, the <\/p>\n
stability of the original country calls into question its ability to protect artifacts.<\/p>\n
Imagine a world where every country kept to itself all its ancient artifacts. The only way to experience <\/p>\n
these wonders would be to travel to each country. Most people do not have the money to do this.<\/p>\n
However, many national museums are free and others are relatively low cost. By housing important <\/p>\n
artifacts from a variety of cultures, museums around the world allow people everywhere to experience <\/p>\n
a taste of the history and art that helped to mold the world they live in today.<\/p>\n
In order to promote this experience of a world culture, museums should be supported in their desire <\/p>\n
to retain treasures that they have gathered over time. Their curators and boards of directors can <\/p>\n
be trusted to make wise decisions about which artifacts to return and which ones to keep. These <\/p>\n
antiquities are part of a shared history that spans many countries. They should be placed where they <\/p>\n
will be safe, cared for, and enjoyed by millions.<\/p>\n
Topic:<\/p>\n
Claim 1:<\/p>\n
Claim 2:<\/p>\n
Bring them Home Argument 1:<\/p>\n
Bring them Home Evidence 1:<\/p>\n
Bring them Home Argument 2:<\/p>\n
Bring them Home Evidence 2:<\/p>\n
Museums Preserve the Cultures of the World Argument 1:<\/p>\n
Museums Preserve the Cultures of the World Evidence 1:<\/p>\n
Museums Preserve the Cultures of the World Argument 2:<\/p>\n
Museums Preserve the Cultures of the World Evidence 2:<\/p>\n
Hook:<\/p>\n
Bridge:<\/p>\n
Claim\/Thesis:<\/p>\n
Introduction (entire paragraph)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Name: Date: Pd: Some people believe that museums must return cultural treasures to their country of origin if that country requests them, while other people believe that museums do sometimes have a right to deny those requests. Consider the claims on BOTH sides of the debate. Write an argumentative essay in your own words supporting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-93317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-paper-writing","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93317\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}