Essay on “Life in a Big City” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Life in a Big City

Or

A Big City

Or

Urban City

                                “God made the country, man made the town,

                                What wonder then that health and virtue should most abound

                                And least be threatened in the fields and groves.”                                          

— William Cowper

                                How right William Cowper was! Life in a village is simple and peaceful.  It is free from the hurries and worries of life.  In contrast, life in a city is artificial.  It is full of hypocrisy, cut-throat competition and vulgarity. The pleasure-seeking men and women, however, keep on moving to the cities in search of artificial recreation and modern facilities of life.  As a result, the number of city-dwellers is increasing day by day. Increasing urbanization is playing havoc with natural beauty and life is becoming more and more artificial every day.

                                City life has its own advantages and disadvantages.  Pleasures, entertainments and recreations are available more in cities than in villages.  Cinemas, telephone, television, video corners, health clubs, stereophones and refrigerators are some of the important facilities to be found in cities.

                                In big cities, there are good and useful arrangements for education.  A person with a moderate income can get good education for his sons and daughters.  There are various kinds of schools in big cities.  A person can educate his wards according to his taste, attitude and economic resources.  There are many schools for boys and girls.  They have well equipped libraries and reading rooms.  We cannot avail ourselves of these facilities in small towns and villages.

                                Cities provide many kinds of recreations.  There are cinema houses where we can enjoy ourselves.  We can easily get food to our taste and according to our means.  We can enjoy natural beauty in many parks and gardens.  Even the markets in a big city are better than fairs and exhibitions in small towns.

                                The presence of more avenues of employment is the most important advantage in a big city.  People of different qualifications can get employment according to their taste, ability and aptitude.  There are many other advantages of city life.  People there are refined and cultured.  We can find people from every corner of our country.  People from foreign countries with different natures, different ways of living and cultures can be seen there.  We mix with them and our mind is broadened and our outlook is enlarged.

                                Cities have many disadvantages also.  Life in a city is unhealthy.  People get no fresh or pure air to breathe.  They cannot enjoy sunshine.  Food in cities is dirty.  Pure milk and ghee and not available.

                                There are other difficulties also. Cities are overcrowded.  People get accommodation at very high rates.  Much time is wasted by the people in going to their places of employment.

                                People in a city do not mix with one another.  There is no sympathy or fellow-feeling in them.  Even next door neighbours do not know each other.  Life in the cities has, in most of the industrially advanced countries, become dull, monotonous, insipid, mechanical and dry.  T.S. Eliot draws a very depressing picture of the modern city life:

                                “The reminiscence comes

                                Of sunless dry geraniums

                                And dust in crevices,

                                Smells of chestnuts in the streets,

                                And female swells in shuttered rooms

                                And cigarette in corridors

                                And cocktail smell in bars.”

                                So many people do not like city life at all.  They continue to live far away from the maddening life of noise, pollution, machines and artificiality.

                                The city life or the life in a countryside, have both their advantages as well as disadvantages.  Therefore, I prefer to live in a village situated near a city.  Thus I can enjoy the pleasures of both the city and the country life.