The theme of the essay was “Perspectives on aging in Brazilian society”
The first day of the National High School Exam () 2025, held this Sunday, the 9th, was marked by social and cultural themes. The Languages, Codes and their Technologies and Human Sciences tests presented questions that discussed linguistic variation, black representation, Greek mythology and aesthetic pressure on women. The theme of the essay was “Perspectives on aging in Brazilian society”, according to the Ministry of Education (MEC). More than 4.8 million students are registered for this edition, which will also be held next Sunday, the 16th.
Aesthetic pressure and representation
Among the most talked about questions in the Language test, one drew attention when dealing with aesthetic pressure on women, citing comments made to the actress and the Brazilian woman. “The issue brought to light an important debate about the social control exercised over female bodies,” said Language teacher at Elite Rede de Ensino, Thatiane Hecht.
The test also highlighted the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity, with a question about the use of the word “canjica” in different regions of Brazil. “This theme, by its nature, can arouse the interest of students”, assessed Arturo Chiong, Languages teacher at the Anglo Course.
According to him, the exam maintained the profile of discussing social issues and valuing the plurality of Brazilian Portuguese.
Another item explored the work of artist Dalton Paula, exhibited at the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), which depicts black people. “Paula’s paintings portray named black people, giving them protagonism and identity, in contrast to previous representations that omitted them or portrayed them in a generic way,” noted Chiong.
Still in the Languages test, one question compared the twelve labors of Hercules, from Greek mythology, to the reality of the contemporary Brazilian worker, who often needs to juggle multiple activities to survive. “This analogy, which compares the difficulties faced by the hero with the socioeconomic situation of many Brazilians, can sensitize the student to social issues”, added the professor.
Chiong also highlighted that the level of difficulty met expectations. “The Portuguese Language section included 11 questions that explored verbal and non-verbal texts, with an emphasis on the chronicle genre. In addition, symbolism, characteristics of Romanticism and the use of sonnets were addressed”, he assessed.
“The themes proposed in this edition were relevant and current, encompassing issues of gender, ethnic prejudice and emotional health, an aspect of great importance for contemporary youth”, he concluded.
Humanities stood out for History and Sociology
In the area of Human Sciences, the perception was of a test with predominant text interpretation, but with more demanding questions in History and Sociology.
“Very interesting, but also very fragile, looking now at the Humanities test”, said Raphael Kapa, pedagogical advisor at Colégio Andrews. “You literally had some questions there that would fit much more into the full interpretation of the text, typical of the Languages test, than the Humanities test. Some by Paulinho da Viola, some by Clarice Lispector, whose design was more structured for Languages.”
Still, according to him, History once again demanded classroom content. “It was necessary to have a really good base. In fact, there were some questions that students might think are ‘gotchas’, but they are not. I highlight one about Getúlio Vargas and Carlos Lacerda”, he said.
Kapa also highlighted the appearance of classic themes, such as great navigations. “In addition, themes of great navigations appeared, without appearing to be great navigations, and some authors about whom people tend to have a superficial view, which they shouldn’t have. For example, Adam Smith talking about empathy, right? So, it was more robust evidence in the area of History.”
According to the History teacher at SEB Lafaiete School, Pedro Zonta, this year’s edition had a “greater presence of History than last year”, with a strong interdisciplinarity between History, Sociology, Philosophy and Geography. He highlighted the approach to racial, cultural and religious themes, pointing out that Enem “brought up a certain subject that doesn’t appear much, which is religion”, with three questions that dealt with Christianity, Judaism and Islam, in addition to one on African-based religions and their relations with racism in Brazil.
According to Camila Feitosa, professor and coordinator of History at Elite Rede de Ensino, the item required a more elaborate interpretation “This was a slightly more complex issue to work on. It comes very much from the perspective of knowledge, bringing a process of building skills from this – the connection between sacred texts, the religious dimension, science and power”, he explained.
The teacher also highlighted that the proposal “works not only on knowledge itself, but also on its use as a form of control.” According to her, “there are three texts: the last one is from the Quran, there is a mention of Moses and also another biblical character. The central idea is precisely this relationship between religion, science and power.”
Zonta also noted that, although the content was diverse, “it is not a test with much new”. According to the professor, History of Brazil had little presence, with just one question about the transition from monarchy to republic, a few about colonial history and one about the Vargas Era, with no mention of the military dictatorship.
For Kapa, the Philosophy test maintained the tradition of relating classical thinkers to current dilemmas. “The classical thinkers continued, bringing some contemporary parallels, always a very dialogic test”, he observed.
Geography had “a lot of weight in physical geography, with very technical and good questions”, and Sociology was the subject “that appeared the most, compared to the rest of the year”, added Kapa.
Among the most commented items of Enem 2025, a Human Sciences question generated debate when dealing with the expropriation of the Cabaceiras farm, in the south of Pará, due to cases of work analogous to slavery, environmental crimes and for violating the social function of private property, provided for in the 1988 Constitution.
For the Philosophy and Sociology teacher at Elite Rede de Ensino, Larissa Vitória, the topic “is a little controversial”. “We could also say that the issue of the expropriation of the Cabaceiras farm in the south of Pará due to situations of work similar to slavery, added to environmental crimes and for violating the social function of private property guaranteed in the 1988 constitution is a bit controversial”, he assessed.
The Geography coordinator at Elite Rede de Ensino, Juliana Przybysz, added that the subject often generates disagreements. “This issue brings up something that we always talk about in class: expropriation is a legal issue, as it is related to the social function of the land. It becomes controversial because it involves an entire agrarian issue”, he stated.
The professor also highlighted that the test was contextualized with COP30, bringing “many questions related to energy sources, environmental impacts and sustainability”. According to her, the exam presented “a very strong aspect of energy sources and environmental impacts, sustainability, very linked to the concept that we are working on now of having this whole issue related to COP30”.
The essay proposal, “Perspectives on aging in Brazilian society”, led candidates to discuss topics such as quality of life, public policies and ageism. The second day of Enem tests will be administered next Sunday, the 16th, with questions from Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
