Do you think graffiti should be:

Conclusion

Graffiti is not a simple phenomenon. There is still debate over its place in society, with advocates claiming it is an art form and opponents seeing it as vandalism. Still there is a line between graffiti and vandalism. The difference is visible through characteristics of the graffiti the writers produce. There are distinctions which are important to understand in order to develop appropriate attitude to graffiti as a social phenomenon.

Finding ways to effectively address graffiti is a long-standing issue. Although further research is needed, existing research suggests that graffiti has its positive and negative sides. It depends on the motivation of graffiti writers and the characteristics of the graffiti they produce. What is clear is that responses should be based on information relating to the precise nature of the problem in the local context. This includes the types of graffiti being produced, the extent or incidence of graffiti, methods of graffiti writing, locations targeted by graffiti writers, when it occurs, who is affected by graffiti and the nature of their objection, who is involved and their motivation for participating in the production of graffiti.

It is difficult to predict the future of graffiti but an undeniable fact is that graffiti, graffiti vandalism and graffiti art will continue to be part of future adolescents’ indulgence.

Glossary of terms

• engulfed - to cover or surround something in a way that harms or destroys it;

• implement - to make something such as an idea, plan, system, or law start to work and be used;

• to sort out - the process of getting rid of things that you do not need and arranging things that you do need tidily;

• ridicule - to try to make someone or something seem silly by making fun of them in an unkind way;

• admiration - a feeling of respect and approval;

• emphasize - to give particular importance or attention to something;

• accomplishment - something difficult that you succeed in doing, especially after working hard over a period of time;

• vigorously - full of energy, enthusiasm, or determination;

• assert - to state firmly that something is true;

• merit - an advantage or good quality that someone or something has;

• detractor - someone who publicly criticizes someone or something;

• prosecution

• depict - the process or act of accusing someone of a crime and asking a court of law to judge them

• quotations - words from a book, play, film etc that you mention when you are speaking or writing;

• stenciling - a piece of card or plastic with a shape or letters cut out of it. You place it on a surface and paint over it to make a design on something;

• renown - the state of being famous and admired for a special skill or achievement;

• stigmatized - to treat a particular type of behaviour as wrong or embarrassing and to try to make people who behave in this way feel ashamed;

• discernible - able to be seen, noticed, or understood;

• distinctive - easy to recognize because of being different from other people or things of the same type;

• distinguishable - clearly different from other people or things of the same type;

• intricate - very complicated and difficult to understand or learn;

• rebellious - opposing authority or accepted ways of doing things;

• outlet - a shop or place where a particular product is sold;

• involved - affected by or included in an activity, event, or situation;

• horrifying - extremely shocking; extremely unpleasant;

• unwillingness - if you are unwilling to do something, you do not want to do it or you refuse to do it;

• emancipation - the process of giving freedom and rights to someone;

• declarative - a declarative sentence is expressed as a statement;

• bland - not having a strong taste and therefore not very interesting to eat;

• scenery - natural things such as trees, hills, and lakes that you can see in a particular place;

• acknowledge - to accept or admit that something exists, is true, or is real;

• prosecution - the process or act of accusing someone of a crime and asking a court of law to judge them;

• aggravation - the process of making a situation or medical condition worse;

• annoyance - a slightly angry or impatient feeling;

• worship - the activity of showing respect and love for a god, for example by singing or praying;

• devalue - to treat someone or something as if they are not important;

• precarious - likely to change or become dangerous without warning;

• gravitated - to be attracted to someone and go to be with them;

• revealing - providing new, surprising, or important information;

• connoisseur - someone who knows a lot about a particular thing and enjoys it a lot;

• legislators - someone who has the power and authority to create new laws.