Some museums charge visitors for admission while others are free. What is your opinion? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Museums should feel free to charge admission so as not to entirely count on government funding, particularly in a climate of austerity. Nowadays, museums are increasingly becoming entertainment, with some good museums mixing with education, of course. Analogically, a museum sounds like a public library for the purpose of education; and for that of entertainment, it is similar to a theater. Bur for financial reasons, it would be a great idea to have free museums like public libraries that are available to all who are interested in gaining knowledge. Museums may be comparable to libraries in the sense that both are repositories of knowledge. Like books in the libraries, pieces of arts and other objects of cultural, scientific, or historical importance in the museums are tools for life-long education because it is through them that we discover and explore various aspects of humanity. In view of this claim, museums should be free for the good of the individual and society as a whole. Besides, free access will not only encourage more people to find out about their country but also promote feelings of national unity and identity and lead to greater understanding of foreign cultures and histories. Indeed, many people would be appalled, should public libraries charge entrance fees, so why museums should be any different? |