Argument Essay. Chinese Testing.

Thousands upon thousands of high school students sit in small chairs in the same, extraordinarily large room each with piles of books on their small desks studying for what will most likely be not only the hardest, but the most important test of their lives. The Gaokao is the college acceptance test. However that’s the only aspect colleges look at to determine who is accepted and who isn’t. This is seen as a great issue by all the students even those who do considerably well and all their parents. An upfront magazine article entitled, “China’s Cram Schools” shows why this test and what this test causes is worse than just unfair. Overall, because the gaokao has such high stakes, this test takes away from people’s education and lives, is putting far too much pressure on relatively young students and gives wealthier students an advantage not seen in the lower class citizens, therefore making this an unfair and unwarranted test.

One main aspect that makes people dislike this test is how it affects people even before but also after the test is taken. The article “China’s Cram Schools” shows that not only students, but their parents are negatively affected because of this test. For example the text states, “Even with all the nonstop practice, Yang’s scores were slipping. That worried his mother, who moved near the school to be with Yang. The rent on their tiny room was high, rivaling rates in downtown Beijing. But that represented only part of the sacrifice Yang’s parents made to help him become the first in his family to attend college.” This quote shows how this test effects parents. They go through all the trouble of quitting a job, therefore losing a money, then renting a house just to support their child. Parents shouldn’t have to do this, and lose money because so much is riding on the single test. This also ends up putting more pressure on the kids as they have a constant reminder to do well from their parents or they’ll end up having a job like them. Additionally, the kids are obviously negatively affected as well. Besides all the stress and studying they also miss out on their education. The author writes, “Maotanchang has harsher rules and longer hours than typical Chinese high schools. But its curriculum is essentially the same. All 10th- and 11th-graders in China study Chinese language, math, foreign language (usually English), and either social studies and literature or sciences—subjects on the gaokao exam. In 12th grade, students typically just review and memorize what they’ve already learned.” This suggests that not just the harshest and most expensive schools, but even the average chinese school only focuses on gaokao subjects for two years straight. While they are subjects people in most other countries take they don’t get to have a few interesting subjects many other high school students are allowed to have. In addition, the quote shows that they practically miss out on learning anything in all of 12th grade because they simply review subjects they already learned. Basically, this test limits what kids learn, but still determines if they learned enough to get into a college, which is fairly counterproductive. But in no way is it the high schools’ fault, because if they don’t teach it and review it many times, their students won’t get into good schools, will worsen their families’ current situations and won’t have many people try to attend their high school if not many people get into college from it. It’s also not fair to the students because they are only getting to learn a smaller amount of things than many other countries’ students but can’t spend time after school or on weekends to learn anything new because they need to specifically study for that test even three years before at every opportunity on which they can get their hands. This test has the ability to greatly hurt families in many ways and practically keeps them in a loop in which their families have a much harder time getting a good college education or life. If they don’t get into a college, they make less money in their job, making their kids go to a worse school to study with more distractions and worse teachers, because of that they will have a harder time getting into a college, and if they don’t it will continue on and on for that family. An idea which practically everybody finds unjust in a large amount of ways.

Another reason this test is seen as very unfair, is because it puts far too much pressure on children, which obviously negatively affects the students in many ways. This test is all they have been studying for in their last three years or more for every hour of every day taking away from anything else they could’ve done in that time, it’s what their parents have been working to make money for, and what will ultimately determine their lives, and possibly the next couple generations of their families lives.Many people cannot even attempt to imagine the pressure the students must feel every of their lives even possibly years before the test itself. They are reminded of this and pressured constantly by friends, family and teachers. The article states, “ Teenage suicide rates tend to rise as the gaokao nears.” and “‘I only knew that the school was very strict, to the point that some students had supposedly committed suicide,’ he says. ‘That convinced me.’” These are astonishing and important quotes. They demonstrate just how stressful this test is. Not only do we learn that kids commit suicide, but the second portion of the quote shows that it’s a relatively regular thing, even a good thing when picking which school to study at. The text later states that the school mentioned wasn’t strict enough for that particular student who was ordinarily at troublemaker, meaning that this test results in deaths that kids are aware of, kids even base their high schools off of that. But as a kid knowing that many kids commit suicide in this situation, and still have to go right into it requires a certain amount of bravery, something seen by kids in movies maybe, but should never be expected of high school students in real life. The stress puts people's’ lives on the line, which is absolutely, unquestionably absurd. Moreover, the text further explains this as it demonstrates how they are constantly reminded that they must do well, and what is at stake, which is basically the rest of their lives. For instance, ““It’s a lot of pressure,” said Cao. “My mother constantly reminds me that I have to study hard, because my father is out working construction far from home to pay my school fees.” (Even public schools in China charge fees, but Maotanchang’s are higher.) The boys knew that manual labor would be their fate too, if they failed to do well on the gaokao.” They are- as you can see- completely knowledgeable of what will happen if they fail and who is counting on them not to do so. Having a test is one thing, but when you have others who have sacrificed a lot for you to get where you are and are still there to support you living with you, many people would feel they were letting them down, or taking their support and sacrifices for granted. This may not be the intentions of the parents, however kids still feel the pressure and unfairly have to deal with it.

Lastly, the gaokao shows unfair advantages dependant on the wealth of a specific family. More wealthy families are more likely to do well for unfair reasons as stated in the article. The text states, “Wealthy urban families can hire private tutors, pay for test-prep courses, or bribe their way into the best city schools. And there are far fewer college-admissions spots set aside for rural students than for students from cities.” It would be more justifiable if colleges looked at grades along with the test or if families didn’t cheat/bribe their way to success, however this one test is easily biased towards wealth which has nothing to do with knowledge, or skill at general school related tasks. There’s not much to say here- families get more benefits because they can pay for more extra ways to prepare for the test. If colleges looked at school performance, which has nothing to do with wealth it would be much less biased. Furthermore, the article shows that because so much rides on the test, wealthy families resort to doing sensible things like opting out that poorer families can’t afford to do. The article states, “ Many wealthy families are simply opting out of the system, placing their children in private international schools in China or sending them abroad for an education.” which is unfair because they can still eventually make it to universities, but avoid the test and have the same results. If there were more to base college acceptance on, that idea would not work as well, making it less based on wealth.

However, a few people see all this stress being applied on the children as a positive. That this idea of everything being dependant on this one exam helps the students on the exam. For example, the article states, “The government is pushing reforms to reduce student workloads and allow universities to consider factors other than gaokao scores.” and  “But these efforts have met resistance from many parents, who fear that easing the pressure could hurt their children’s exam results and threaten their futures.” These two quotes show that these parents think it is fine to put all this pressure on the kids. That it’s more than fair- it’s helpful. But if you take a step back you can realize this idea doesn’t work too well. They want to keep a test the same, so the same amount of pressure is put on students, so they can do well on the test. But if you count more than the test and make less work required as the government is trying to do, their score won’t be noticeably affected, but even if the scores go down the test won’t count for as much because the government would have colleges look at other aspects of a student's academic career. Overall, no matter how you look at it, the gaokao test and all its pressure it puts on students is still unfair.

In conclusion, the gaokao exam is incredibly unfair and dangerous to the students, their

parents and many other people involved in a great variety of ways. Benefits are given to certain groups, too much is expected of the relatively young students putting too much pressure on them, and  the test that tests what you learn, takes away from what you can learn for at the very least three years of the students’ lives. All of which could be easily avoidable by simply altering the test in a few ways. But as it remains many people cannot handle these incredibly difficult conditions and while they cannot help it, these students may unintentionally end up ruining families all over China.

Literary Essay. "Coraline" Book Response.

People- regardless of age- generally want something. However many people show these feelings of want in their own distinct ways ways, especially at a younger age. This idea is explored in Neil Gaiman’s book “Coraline” in which the beginning shows a young english girl named Coraline lives with her parents in a new house and has a few odd neighbors above and below her large apartment like house. Her journey begins as she explores her house as she loves to do and comes across a very strange door. When she enters through a long hallway she sees a somewhat identical house except for some minor aspects. Her ‘other parents’ as she calls them have the same look as her real parents except that they have black buttons instead of eyes. She talks with them and explores the world until her other parents ask for her to stay if she would only replace her eyes with buttons. She runs away but is forced to return when she finds her other parents have stolen her real parents and embarks on an adventure of bravery and strength. Throught the story she is tempted by many things and many people. The ways in which the author makes Coraline act and react reveals what she wants, and in some cases this results in bringing out what she keeps to herself.

By making Coraline react in the way she did, we see her different feelings about her other parents, but for whatever reason she might have, doesn’t tell people. The author shows this when Coraline has recently explored the new world. On pages 44-45 the author writes, “‘Did you have a nice time?’ asked her other mother. ‘It was interesting,’said Coraline. The three of them walked back up to Coraline’s other house together. Coraline’s other mother stroked Coraline’s hair with her long white fingers. Coraline shook her head. ‘Don’t do that,’ said Coraline...’Because we’d like to think that this is your home. You can stay here for ever and always. If you want to.’ ‘Hmm,’ said Coraline. She put her hand in her pockets” Both these quotes show that Coraline dislikes her other mother through her actions/reactions. When her other mother asks her questions such as “Did you have a nice time?” and (while it isn’t a question, it implies one) “You can stay here for ever and always. If you want to.” She gives very short answers and seems relatively distant as if she would rather be away from her, but doesn’t just obviously show it by walking away or saying it out loud. She also doesn’t reply with a yes or no when she is asked if she would like to stay forever and just says “Hmm” as if she knew she definitely didn’t want to stay, but tried to express it in a non-offensive way. It shows us that she dislikes her despite her relatively casual attitude. Furthermore, the author shows this once more as he this time subtly shows what Coraline thinks of her other father. On page 112-113 the text states, “‘Run, child. Leave this place. She wants me to hurt you, to keep you here forever, so that you can never finish the game and she will win. She is pushing me so hard to hurt you. I cannot fight her.’ ‘You can,’ said Coraine. ‘Be brave.’... ‘Alas,’ it said, ‘I cannot.’ And it lunged across the cellar toward her then, its toothless mouth opened wide. Coraline had a single heatbeat in which to react. She could only think of two things to do. … As the thing reached her, Coraline put out her hand and closed it around the thing’s remaining button eye, and she tugged as hard as she knew how.” This scene is fairly significant as far as their relationship is concerned. At first, because Coraline doesn’t just abandon her other father in his apparent struggle against her other mother even after he urges her to leave for she is in danger. She instead tries to help him and break free from her other mother’s control. And even after he begins to attack her she doesn’t do anything more serious than pull out his eye, which in the world they are in comes without pain. It shows that she still cares for him and empathizes with him. The actions of her trying her best to help him, and not being able to bring herself to hurt him are the authors ways to express Coraline's inner thoughts without giving it away so easily. Something we see still further in the book.

In addition, many of her actions show what wants she has that drive her to stay determined and brave. Staring directly into the face of danger the author makes her act in a way that reveals what she wants so badly that keeps her going. Page 123 states, “‘She has lied to you. She will never give you up, now she has you. She will no more give any of us up than change her nature.’ The hairs on the back of Coraline’s neck prickled, and Coraline knew that the girl’s voice told the truth. She put the marble in her dressing-gown pocket with the others. She had all three marbles, now. All she needed to do was find her parents.” This quote shows that although she is informed that all her work has been in vain, that she will not be allowed access home, Coraline is undeterred. She is just as confident as always to proceed and find her parents. These actions tell us that she greatly wants her parents back. So much, in fact, that she is willing to face whatever the scary creator of this new world can make. We see this again in her actions on page 56-58 just after she became sure her parents weren’t coming back without her interference and decides to return to the world from which she escaped. The text states, “‘When I was a little girl,’ said Coraline to the cat, ‘when we lived in our old house, a long, long time ago, my dad took me for a walk on the wasteland between our house and the shops. ‘It wasn’t the best place to go for a walk, really. There were all these things that people had thrown away back there- old cookers and broken dishes and dolls with no arms and no legs and empty cans and broken bottles. Mum and Dad made me promise not to go exploring back there, because there were too many sharp things, and tetanus and such. ‘But I kept telling them I wanted to explore it. So one day my dad put on his big brown boots and his gloves and put my boots on me and my jeans and sweater, and we went for a walk. ‘We must have walked for about twenty minutes. We went down this hill, to the bottom of a gully where a stream was, when my dad suddenly said to me, “Coraline- run away. Up the hill. Now!’ He said it in a tight sort of way, urgently, so I did. I ran away up the hill. Something hurt me on the back of my arm as I ran, but I kept running. ‘As I got to the top of the hill I heard somebody thundering up the hill behind me. It was my dad, charging like a rhino. When he reached me he picked me up in his arms and swept me over the edge of the hill. ‘And then we stopped and we puffed and we panted, and we looked back down the gully. ‘The air was alive with yellow wasps. We must have stepped on a wasps’ nest in a rotten branch as we walked. And while I was running up the hill, my dad stayed and got stung, to give me time to run away. His glasses had fallen off when he ran. ‘I only had the one sting on the back of my arm. He had thirty-nine stings, all over him. We counted later, in the bath.’... This long quote shows that her actions, which in this case is her recalling the story show that she wants to repay her dad for what he did and prove she is just as brave, which keeps her going. She retells this story because her father is doing something brave for her when she needed it and now she will return the favor. Just like most kids, Coraline doesn’t just tell her parents she wants to be appreciated and treated equally, but instead she knows she wants this herself and only feels secure to tell the cat. She decides she should do this as a sort of debt and that idea of wanting to be appreciated keeps her brave and strong.

In conclusion, Neil Gaiman uses Coraline’s actions and reactions to show what she wanted in a more sophisticated way, and let the reader infer things that Coraline never said aloud. By doing so Coraline became a deeper and more interesting main character enhancing the story itself. It was made much more realistic and therefore easier to empathize with her as she embarked on her remarkable journey.

Poem Essay. Compare and Contrast.

People of different nationalities, beliefs, cultures and experiences express themselves in many different ways. This view is demonstrated in poems as well- for example in examining both “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, a poem of a selfless, hardworking father who gets no thanks and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke in which the speaker also retells a story of how his father treated him, you can find how differently the speaker of the poem relates to his father because of the way the father expresses himself. While both poems show a caring father trying to make their kid happy, these fathers express their love in different ways ultimately resulting in the speakers perceiving their fathers differently.

In the poem “Those Winter Sundays”, Robert Hayden creates a father who shows his care in a fairly un-obvious and formal way, especially for a child resulting in the speaker not appreciating their father and treating them as any normal person for the majority of the poem. He doesn’t make it easy for the reader or the speaker to identify why he may be doing the things he does. For instance the first stanza states, “Sundays too my father go up early\ and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,\ then with cracked hands that ached\from labor in the weekday weather made\banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.” This is the first stanza of the poem, which immediately give you an idea of what the father does for his kid. By stating that he had cracked hands that ached from labor, we can see that the father is already a hard working person doing work hard enough to crack his hands to keep his family in good condition. But then we see that even on sundays, which are supposed to be a day of relaxation and rest, he got up early despite the cold and dark weather to set up a fire. This shows the reader that the father cares for his child but shows that by doing things many people may not have done after a long week of tiring work. He shows his love by doing something he must be good at, which is working. He uses his experience of hard work to show how he cares for his child rather than doing something people might imagine such as playing with their kid or just sitting down and talking to them. The father also may have realized how serious of a person his work made him and how hard he had to work because of it. Being the caring father he was and not wanting the same fate to be brought upon his son he did the work for him so he could enjoy his childhood worry free of such things. The speaker, however doesn’t recognize this at all and carries on as usual: “Speaking indifferently to him,\ who had driven out the cold\ and polished my good shoes as well.” This shoes that the way in which the father shows his affection for his son is not obvious and is very formal because the speaker doesn’t express gratitude or thank his father, but rather speaks the same to him as he would to anyone else. Now in the future telling this poem and realizing his mistake, the speaker seems to mention all of the things his father had done that would normally result in thanks like polishing his shoes and warming the house because the speaker feels guilty for his actions and finds it unfair that he was unable to enjoy a relationship with such a caring father- that he now must reflect on the things that his father did to contribute to the relationship he was never able to have all because of the way in which his father expressed his love.

In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, the father in the poem is much more obvious allowing the speaker to have a positive attitude of their father throughout the whole poem. In this case, the father shows how he cares for his child by roughly playing around with his kid. It is more of a normal relationship as far as how the father expresses himself toward his kid. For example, the last stanza states “You beat time on my head\ With a palm caked hard by dirt,\Then waltzed me off to bed\ still clinging to your shirt.” This is a very nice, happy tone and image provided. It suggests the father- once again being shown as a hard worker through the state of his hands- is using his free time to play and dance with his child. It shows that in contrast to “Those Winter Sundays” this is a father that will obviously show his emotions by simply playing with his kid and having a good time. Overall, this father is very nice- he puts his family first before his own wants and doesn’t just show his love for his kid by making sure he doesn’t have to do work, but by making sure in that free time his kid should have they have fun. He shows no sign that he wouldn’t do that any time if he could and seems to treasure the moments he shares with his child. The speaker therefore shows his father in a good light as he retells stories hinting as to what their relationship was like because he was able to understand that his father cared for him. Secondly, the speaker also says, “We romped until the pans\ Slid from the kitchen shelf;\ My mother’s countenance\ Could not unfrown itself.” This quote describes one of the times the speaker was with his father. In this instance the father is playing roughly with his kid even though he knows his wife may not be happy about it, showing once again that the father is expressing how he loves his kid having a good time with them. The tone of this stanza is not sad or violent as if the father were hurting the speaker in their rough play, but more of a happy and free one. That with his kid the father is able to act like a kid and do things he knows a responsible adult would never do because he has to worry about other things. As if he set aside a whole personality for when he had time to play around with his kid. You can quite obviously see this change and difference between how he treated his child versus how he would treat someone else, by the way the father expressed how important being with his kid was to him.

These poems both explore the stories of a father and their relationships with the speaker of the poem who in both instances is their son/daughter. The way in which the father of each speaker expressed themselves was the main difference maker and greatly changed the manner in which the speaker saw their father as a person. The speaker in “Those Winter Sundays” was unable to see their father as the great person he was because he showed his love in a very subtle way. The very last two lines of the poem state, “What did I know, what did I know\ of love’s austere and lonely offices?” This shows that only now in the present and as a more grown up person was the speaker able to identify his/her father’s actions as love- but that because in his relationship with his father the love he received was so formal and “austere” that he didn’t know that that was love at all. He now understands that his father did more than many parents to show how much he cared for his kid, however through the great majority of the poem the speaker told of his time as a younger less mature and knowledgeable kid who saw his father's actions as just plain and simple actions. Consequently, the speaker’s attitude towards his father was unappreciative. The speaker in “My Papa’s Waltz” was able to easily identify how his father showed his affection towards his son/daughter which is why he thought (and wrote about) his father in such a good light. The quote previously mentioned, stating, “You beat time on my head\ With a palm caked hard by dirt, \ Then waltzed me off to bed\ Still clinging to your shirt.” This quote shows quite a bit. First of all, unlike the first poem, the father shows his love for his child by physically being with him/her and interacting with them. He tries to have a large and positive effect on his kid’s life. Additionally, it shows us that because the father showed his caring for his child in such an obvious way the speaker was able to respond and recognize it, by speaking to the father in that stanza and retelling the nice things the father did for him/her as if to remind and thank him of how he affected his life. In the other poem, the father was so indirect that the speaker rarely seemed to talk to him and on those rare occasions they spoke to one another the speaker showed no gratitude for the way in which he was being treated. Therefore, because the speaker of “My Papa’s Waltz” had an easy time understanding how that his father sacrificed a lot for him and treated him well his attitude towards his father was appreciative and thankful with nothing to feel guilty about.

In conclusion, due to the way in which the father of each speaker in both “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke expressed their care for their sun/daughter, the speaker held a different perspective of their father. These poems similarly demonstrate an important aspect of life: understanding and interpreting peoples’ actions. Not only that but each poem individually has this idea directly affect the speaker and therefore the tone, vocabulary, and plot of the poem. Knowing how to do something such as understanding peoples actions, and realizing what they mean is important because it can change the plot of your life and affect you in many other ways no matter who you are.

Literary Essay. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Book Response.

Alice in Wonderland (written by Lewis Carroll) is a very interesting book- not only for the odd adventures and characters used throughout the plot but for reasons most likely overlooked by many readers. In the book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” the main character (a young girl named Alice) living in the Victorian era plunges into a world of adventure as she catches a glimpse of an irregular rabbit and follows it down a large hole in the earth without a second thought thus beginning her adventures in wonderland. She is an impulsive character in an unpredictable world and along the way meets many interesting and influential characters never seen in the real world. This book at first glance may not seem as if it were in any way related to history, let alone more than a couple aspects of real life, however it is. Through a little girl’s journey in an imaginary land, the book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” challenges the Victorian era, and its values in multiple ways.
"Alice in Wonderland" challenges and satires the Victorian era by creating a character based of a caricature of queen Victoria (whom the era was named after). Queen Victoria was represented in caricature as the character the Queen of Hearts who is part of a pack of personified playing cards including the queen, the king and the rest of the playing cards who are generally soldiers. Overall, many people believe Queen Victoria was a harsh and rude person, even in her attitude towards children and cared very little for people-at times even for her husband (Prince Albert). This trait is shown in exaggeration just before a game of croquet which Alice was not invited to, but had heard about and came across on page 84: “‘How should I know?’ said Alice, surprised at her own courage. ‘It’s no business of mine.’ The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, after glaring at her for a moment like a wild beast screamed ‘Off with her head! Off -’’Nonsense!’ said Alice, very loudly and decidedly, and the Queen was silent.The king laid his hand upon her arm, and timidly said, ‘Consider, my dear: she is only a child!’ The Queen turned angrily away from him…” This quote informs the reader of many things, and allows you to easily see a comparison between queen Victoria and the Queen of Hearts, provided you know the traits Queen Victoria had, and that were being exaggerated. Queen Victoria, despite having many children despised them. According to weebly.com, Queen Victoria explained, “‘An ugly baby is a very nasty object- and the prettiest is frightful.’” This is an awful thing to say in any circumstances, but especially as a mother of nine children. This quote shows us that she cared so little about not only children but her own kids she wouldn’t necessarily be proud of them according to their appearance as a young child. While this does seem fairly extreme, this is not the exaggeration, but is exaggerated on as shown in the first quote. In the book, rather than not caring too much for children she is shown as wanting to behead them, for no reason at all. This shows the author suggested queen Victoria’s rudeness and unappreciative personality through an exaggeration.  The author also satires Queen Victoria by exaggerating the fact that she not only wanted power, but wasn’t always able to obtain and keep all the power she could have. The article entitled “Queen Victoria: The Real Story of Her `Domestic Bliss`.” on BBC news pointed out, “Albert took over more and more of Victoria's work as queen as her pregnancies forced her to step aside. Victoria was conflicted: she admired her "angel" for his talents and ability but she deeply resented being robbed of her powers as queen.” Not only does this continue to support the fact that she was at times even rude to her husband by demonstrating the fact that she disliked him for helping her, but it also shows us that she was not always - on the contrary, fairly often - not in full control over her government and did not always have the same amount of power she could’ve had due to her pregnancies (which may also be a factor in her disliking children). Knowing this, the satire of this was easily identifiable on page 99 after the Queen had sentenced every croquet player, apart from herself, Alice and the King to a beheading. “As they walked off together, Alice heard the King say in a low voice, to the company generally, ‘You are all pardoned.’ ‘Come, that’s a good thing!’ she said to herself, for she had felt quite unhappy at the number of executions the Queen had ordered.” This quote shows us that while The Queen of Hearts was still the real ruler prince Albert, represented by the King still took away some of her plans, and substituted them with his own which he thought better of, which is practically how it happened in real life. This is less of an exaggeration and more of a way to make fun of this, as the Queen seems to be oblivious to her being undermined by her husband and the King seems to say it in a tone as if he thought the whole idea of the Queen beheading anyone at all seemed ridiculous. Overall, one main idea the author used to challenge the victorian era was to satire and exaggerate the flaws of Queen Victoria, who was the head of the movement itself.
Another manner in which the author challenged the Victorian era was by bringing into question the era’s main concept. One of the main ideas held in the Victorian era, and one of the reasons people stereotypically associate english people and being “proper” is because there was a desire for middle class people to be among the nobles and upper class citizens. This desire for a more respectable social class sometimes involved money or education or many other things, but above all the main step in doing so was to act “properly”. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) had an article on their website entitled “The Victorian Period” This article spoke about many of the values and ideas held in such a time. It stated,  “The drive for social advancement frequently appears in literature.  This drive may take many forms.  It may be primarily financial, as in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations.  It may involve marrying above one’s station, as in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.  It may also be intellectual or education-based.  Typically, any such attempt to improve one’s social standing must be accompanied by “proper” behavior (thus helping to provide the period with its stereotype).” This article presents the idea that because everyone wanted to develop socially they tried many things, typically including acting properly, which is why this period is thought of strict people (such as the Queen) with strict rules. In the story, the author once again uses a character - this time Alice - to question and challenge this belief. On page 98-99, the author writes, “‘Thinking again?’ the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin. ‘I’ve a right to think,’ said Alice sharply, for she was beginning to feel a little worried. ‘Just about as much right,’ said the Duchess, ‘as pigs have to fly;...” This quote advocates the idea that in such a time, the rules were strict - so strict in fact, that a young girl wouldn’t have the right to think. The very idea of this happening often is about as absurd to the adults of the time as pigs flying. Secondly, the author brings into question the very same idea of victorianism. On page 65 Alice is engaged in a conversation with a talking cat and wishes to know more about this magical world she has arrived in, “‘What sort of people live about her?’ ‘In that direction,’ the Cat said, waving its right paw round, ‘lives a Hatter: and in that direction,’ waving the other paw, ‘lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.’ ‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked. ‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’” This quote suggests that the idea of Alice being in such a bizarre place even though she happens to be a little girl with an imagination, makes them mad. Which makes the reader question the idea of Victorianism, and realize how it affected the people living in that era, for good reason. This era came along with certain required traits of people greatly limiting others from expressing themselves.
In conclusion, the author of the story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”  used the story’s plot and characters to challenge and make the reader question not only the Victorian era itself, but its values and the traits associated with it. This combination of fiction and historical reality not only gets a significant point across but made the book more interesting overall, additionally creating an interesting and encouraging manner in which the author makes the reader want to learn more. This unique aspect along with the books other fantastic attributes makes “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” an amazing book.
Bibliography:
"The Victorian Period." The Victorian Period. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015. <https://faculty.unlv.edu/kirschen/handouts/victorian.html>.

"The Real Story of Queen Victoria's 'domestic Bliss'" BBC News. N.p., 31 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20782442>.

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Argumentative Essay. Should Teens Play Competitive Sports?

Dedication, effort, determination. All of these are critically necessary mental skills to have that prepare you for the essentials of life. Another similarity held by these traits and others is that each and every one of them can be taught and learned through practicing and playing competitive sports. It has been a long and controversial issue over whether or not it’s a good idea for teens to play competitive sports, and with all the statistics it has become a hard debate to conclude. Studies have revealed not only are sports good for fitness, but the playing of sports improve mental health as well and even make teens more satisfied with their lives. If you look closely at both sides of this argument you can see how correct of a statement it is: Teens should play competitive sports. They are excellent option to improve teens’ health and fitness and additionally prepares teens for their lives ahead of them by teaching life lessons in a way few other things can.

            One major reason demonstrating why teens should play competitive sports is because it helps kids’ health and fitness. America has a large percentage of obesity in teens and younger kids. People belonging to these age groups have the option to change their health for the better through sports, as shown in the article entitled Kobe Bryant Says Competition Key in Youth Sports, in which a panel discussion on an ESPN radio show was quoted. The article highlighted the minute as former NFL star and Olympian Herschel Walker explained how playing sports benefitted his life. He said “What changed my life is, at the end of eighth grade I ended up getting beat up real bad. I went home crying. But I got home and decided enough is enough. That summer every day I started working out. Pushups, sit-ups, I climbed trees and did chin-ups on the tree limbs I started developing and losing weight” This quote shows us that sports are an essential way to lose weight and therefore become healthier. Walker’s life was completely turned around. He became fit and healthy, the result of these exercises was fame and money and overall a good life. And while the article does say exercise and not sports themselves gave him this motivation and fitness, a main requirement and necessity in sports is exercise, and to maintain fitness in whatever sport(s) you play, good athletes  should be doing the same pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups and exercises as mentioned in the quote. Additionally sports offer you an incentive to exercise, knowing that if you continue to stay fit you can maintain and improve your skill in the sport. Without his exercising none of this would have happened. And “none of this” doesn’t just mean Walker becoming famous, but other kids could be inspired to follow in his footsteps, or adults inspired to create and run organizations or spread awareness about the major health issues kids and teens have. One person trying hard and doing well in sports could create an unimaginably large amount of opportunity-so much in fact; that it’s hard to imagine if this did happen, if more teens acted like Walker, improving their lives and inspiring others.  So to conclude on this story-as the article put it- “Walker told of how sports helped to transform him from an overweight kid with a speech impediment to one of the greatest athletes of his time.” But that’s not all. Teens playing competitive sports can benefit their health in multitudes of other way as well, such as their mental health. This article, Young teens who play competitive sports feel healthier and happier about life is self-explanatory. It states (speaking of the benefits to be obtained in sports aside from physical health) “Playing on a sports team was linked to higher life satisfaction in both boys and girls. In addition, boys were five times more likely, girls 30 times more likely to describe their life as fair/poor when not playing on a sports team.” This was referring to a study described earlier in the article in which the purpose was to see how sports affected teen’s opinions of their lives. Ultimately, to produce this statement people looked for 1. If the teens played on a competitive sports team, and 2. How they rated their life. Conclusively, this data retrieved from this study shows us that playing competitive sports is directly linked to higher life satisfaction amongst these teens. There isn’t any way to refute this evidence. Kids who played on sports teams rated their life better. Mental health is just as important as physical health and sports can improve both. In fact some might say mental health could be more important in some aspects than physical health. Feeling good about your life lets you focus more in school and in your personal life overall leading to better choices which ultimately leads to a successful career and life. So even if you don’t plan on or even want to be a professional athlete, playing competitive sports can still help you with your mental health, be an important factor in you getting a fine-if not above average- career and stay healthy and fit throughout your life.

            Another important fact to consider as you look at this debate is that playing sports prepares teens for the life by teaching them life lessons efficiently and effectively. For example in the article entitled Crave Competition, It’s Good For You,   focused on how the competitive aspect of sports made a large difference. It explained how unhealthy and incorrect it is to teach kids and teens that like in uncompetitive sports everyone wins and life is always fair with a referee making sure no one cheats, gets a head start or is disobedient of “life’s rules” in any way. The truth is all of this does happen and dealing with these behaviors is a part of everyone’s lives helping people develop. And by explaining how incorrect the teachings and lessons pulled from non-competitive sports are it simultaneously showed how important the lessons you can learn from competitive sports are. It stated “The self-esteem mantra has built a handholding fantasy culture that is leaving our children woefully unprepared for the ups and downs of life.” This quote stated that the lack of competition in youth sports were leaving these kids unprepared for life expecting someone to hold their hand and be their guide through life. While on the other hand, competitive sports lead to kids understanding failure and how to rebound from it. How to be self-sufficient and work on your own to compete against others just similar to how in life you compete for a number of things such as a job with any number of people- weather its five or five thousand, each of whom may or may not have had more experience than you. These sports give you an advantage as to how life will work seeing as it is a competition just as competitive sports are. Secondly in the same article -while a little repetitive- it states more life lessons to be learned from teens playing sports, such as the fact that life has no regulations and failure is an option. It says “Our fun run approach to life is weaning future generations off of guts fortitude, discipline, risk taking, confidence and other critically important ingredients for achievement. No wonder the United States ranks 25th and 17th...out of 34 countries in math and science.” This quote accurately ties up the article. It descriptively explains how life lessons are not only being taken away but that that is an awful thing to have happen. The part of the quote explaining how the United States is rated among other countries demonstrates how competition affects not only people in their lives, but entire nations. Once you fall behind you stay behind until you work harder and better than everyone else because once again: life is a competition. This also relates well with not just sports but academics showing that competition teaches you to do well in every aspect of your life allowing you to succeed. None of the 24 or 16 countries ahead of us in math and science are just going to let us become what we once were ranked because firstly, you need to work hard in order to earn a spot (another lesson taught by sports) and secondly, those countries worked hard and now don’t want to give up a spot they worked hard for. Just like someone competing against you for a job, a promotion, or an actual sport; they need whatever might come along with winning that competition just as much as you do and will do their best to compete and beat you. There’s no escaping that fact no matter how you look at it. Overall, competition teaches you to do well in life in so many good ways. But learning competition through sports give you an incentive, lets you develop a skill, prepares you for the essentials of life and keeps you healthy and fit for your whole life all in one series of activities.

            Despite all the facts and statistics pointing as to why sports are physically and mentally beneficial, there are those who believe otherwise. That teens should not play competitive sports, they are a dangerous activity leading to both short and long term injuries greatly effecting your life in a very negative way. For example, the article How Children and Teens can Avoid Sports Injuries, it gave multiple statistics showing why teens really shouldn’t be playing competitive sports. This article stated “1.24 million children/teens had to go to the emergency room due to sports injuries in 2013.” and “The greatest number of injuries are for people ages 13, 14, and 15.” These show that not only are teens at risk of getting injured, but a very great amount of teens go to the emergency room every year. That could be anything from someone simply breaking their arm to an injury so serious it could lead to brain damage, figuratively scarring these people affecting virtually every aspect of their life, their academic grades, their lives at home and just simply making friends which is an essential part of life. These injuries could really badly damage a person not only for a short period of time, but greatly for all their lives in very drastic ways. Now, while this is a just argument that isn’t completely crazy, it is quite a distance from being flawless. For instance, 1.24 million people is a lot especially just for sports injuries. And going to the emergency room isn’t exactly a laughing matter, but it doesn’t necessarily mean brain damage. In a few rare cases a very serious injury could lead to brain damage and while it seem like that is more often than just something as simple as breaking an arm it’s not. It’s just that most news articles and/or documentaries won't be featuring a kid who broke his bone because breaking your bone doesn’t affect you for more than the few months more at most that for however long you have a cast on to get used to not having a cast on anymore. But even then the difficulties you face are that it’s hard to write because the cast is in the way or you are used to having a cast there and now it feels weird to hold a pencil correctly. With injuries like brain damage, you are effected your whole life and then they are shown on the new and featured in the news and articles more often because people find those stories more interesting. People can break their arm walking down the street, but the only reason people show more serious injuries more often making it seem more common is because people care more seeing as it’s less likely to happen. People most likely at least break a bone once in their lives, but very few people have brain damage. It’s not that common, it’s just made to seem more common than it is. When it really shouldn’t be, considering the fact that sports are a wonderful opportunity to improve almost every aspect of your life. A few cases like these are almost scaring people out of playing sports because they are more scary than people find the benefits in sports beneficial. Benefits come through sports constantly no matter who plays them, however very serious injuries happen rarely. Additionally, for the serious injuries that do happen, many of those aren’t because of the sports being played, but rather something happening in the sports that doesn’t belong there, whether it’s a foul on the field or actions off the field. For example in the same article entitled How Children and Teens can Avoid Sports Injuries, it stated “Kids are being pressured to play because they need to win the game and coaches are being pressured by parents to play inured players.” This shows us how even though lots of injuries do happen, they reach a level where they can actually affect you because parents are putting their kids in the game injuries. The kids want to play and win and it’s the parent’s responsibility to tell them it’s not the right thing to do as their children are their responsibility. So the solution to this isn’t to not play sports, but for parents and coaches to take a step back and have some self-control and awareness. No matter how important this lap, game or quarter might be is it worth having an injury. So as you can see, the evidence doesn’t really prove that sports cause injuries and to stop these injuries teens need to stop playing competitive sports. It proves that lots of injuries happen, but that’s not the debate. Just because injuries happen, not playing sports doesn’t solve anything.

           

In conclusion, teens should play competitive sports. The benefits greatly outweigh the very few and two dimensional reasons that oppose this. Playing competitive sports allows you to be prepared for life and be ready to rebound yourself from failure to become the best you possibly can, knowing how many people are competing to steal your spot in whatever career you embark on or sports team you play on. Sports teach these lessons very well giving you an idea of what life will be like in a low-stakes situation and improve not only your physical; but your mental health and fitness which is just as important in becoming the best you can be.

"Building Bridges" Response.

        There are all kinds of relationships, most of which, just like in the short story “Building Bridges” are complicated, having more to them than what meets the eye. In the short story “Building Bridges” by Andrea Pinkney, the main character who we know only as Bebe, living with her grandmother in roughly the 1980’s undergo a difficult, stress-filled week or so when Bebe is informed she is qualified to be the only girl working on the Brooklyn Bridge reconstruction project. But her grandmother can’t seem to let her go just yet and refuses to sign her permission slip. We as readers explore further into Bebe’s struggle against her controlling grandmother to state her independence and follow her dreams. In this story, the author shows us that peoples’ relationships change when they are put through tough decisions through Bebe and her grandmother’s argumentative relationship.

            In the beginning of the story as the characters are introduced Bebe and her grandmother who she lives with and calls “Mama Lil” were always at odds, and constantly calling out one another’s flaws. For example, on page 18 Bebe is introducing her and her grandmothers’ relationship to the reader and says “Mama Lil hated the six studs I wore in my left ear; I hated the tacky red wig she pulled down close to her eye brows whenever her hair wasn’t done.” This quote highlights that fact that they fight a lot by mentioning that the two of them have found flaws in one another and use them frequently in arguments. This is because Bebe probably wouldn’t care too much if Mama Lil insulted her earrings once, but since she uses them so frequently she remembers Mama Lil’s opinion. This quote also shows that even though they know what the other one of them dislikes about themselves, they clearly don’t try and alter things about themselves in any way to please the other one of them. Additionally, on the same page and general conversation/idea, Mama Lil says “’How you ever gonna land a decent man with them chunky arms and those hoochie-cut T-shirts? No self-respecting seventeen-year old should let it hang out like that.” And Bebe responds by saying more to the reader than anyone else “Whenever Mama Lil got on her “self-respecting seventeen-year old” sermon, I came back with warning under my breath.” These two pieces of evidence also support the claim that the state of their relationship during the beginning of the short story was not the best in any way. It tells us that Bebe’s grandmother, who is her guardian and lives in the same house as her doesn’t support her or her ambitions, but to add to it, all Bebe does is retaliate rather than try to solve anything. From this I’m sure it has been made obvious that the characters’ relationship was very bad in the beginning of the short story, but as you read further into the book, if you pay attention you can see change as they undergo more difficulties and stress.

            As the reader journeys further into these characters’ stories, you begin to be hinted towards what the story will be about, and can see that their relationship changes only from bad to worse. For example, on page 20 to 21, as Bebe is in another paragraph of dialogue explaining what Mama Lil dislikes about her, she explains, “But the biggest obstacle of all, the thing that made Mama Lil the most stubborn, was my dream of becoming an engineer.” This demonstrates the fact that their relationship is getting worse simply by showing that they now have yet another thing to argue about. And seeing how frequently they argued, and how nothing in these arguments was even attempted to be resolved, that they just blatantly threw insults at one another, clearly, nothing positive can come from this. Moving on, on page 27 as the time until the permission slip is due shortens and Bebe becomes sick of Mama Lil’s attitude of not wanting anything to do with it, the author writes “Mama Lil did something that got me real mad. She brought home a summer job application from Rimley’s Beauty Parlor.” This quote shows that another reason their relationship is only getting worse is because Mama Lil seems to not care how much she wants to work on the bridge. It also shows that another reason Mama Lil doesn’t want Bebe working on the bridge is because she thinks women should have what she stereotypically thinks are women’s jobs. Having a stereotype like this stuck in your head would be very hard to undo and would make it seem very difficult for Bebe to ever convince her grandmother otherwise. However, to add more fuel to the fire, on page 28 the author shows us that Bebe simply won’t give up without a fight. The text states “Mama Lil, your eyes are always closed. Closed to seeing me.”…”I don’t want to spend my summer sweeping hair. The bridge is where my heart is at, Mama Lil.” These last two quotes put together show that Mama Lil is completely ignoring Bebe. Rather than even try to see her side of the argument, she just blinds herself to all the issues arising to her through her stereotypical view of the world. It shows just how stubborn Mama Lil can be, which is about ten times more than enough Bebe needs to get angry. Therefore, from observing this evidence you can easily conclude that their relationship starts as a bad one and only gets worse.

            As the story begins to slow down we come to a point at which there is less than a day left until the due date for the permission slip. Here it may surprise the reader to realize their relationship starts off as it was in the middle, but slowly rebuilds as a resolution comes into view. To support this, on page 29 when Bebe finally decides she really has no choice or alternative to confronting Mama Lil and not letting her use any excuses to leave the text states, “Mama Lil let out a heavy breath. Then she admitted what we’d both known all along. ‘Your dream are the kind that’ll take away from Bebe- away from your Mama Lil.’” This quote shows that Mama Lil is finally opening up to Bebe and giving calm, un-argumentative reasons for Bebe not to work on the bridge or become an engineer, which is a step in the right direction. Additionally it explains :she admitted what they’d known all along” which really is that Bebe is going to be taken away from her, but only to follow her dreams, which shows she finally begins to look at Bebe’s side of the argument. Also on page 29 the author writes “Mama Lil was right. My dreams would take me away from her.” This also shows their relationship is getting better because Bebe is finally attempting to see Mama Lil’s side of the argument. These pieces of evidence support the fact that their relationship is becoming better, because their opening up to one another and having the kind of talks or arguments that have reasoning behind them and aren’t just yelling insults at one another. These pieces of evidence show that they decided to calm down and practically start anew, knowing they would need to rebuild their relationship. Acknowledging the fact that they must respect one another along with their opinions and ambitions as they are a family.

In conclusion, through this you can see that Bebe and Mama Lil’s relationship went from bad, to worse and at the very end to an improved version compared to anything they’ve ever had. When they were put through these hardships after a while they finally opened up to one another and were able to almost restart their relationship in a completely new and changed way. Which goes to show that when relationships go through hard times, no matter who or what kind of people are involved, the outcome changes the characters’ true feelings and therefore their relationship as a whole- a concept the author (Andrea Pinkney) very successfully wove into a short, entertaining story without taking away the importance of the topic. She gave multiple descriptive examples of this idea that happens in many relationships helping make this the well written book with an essential message that is.

My Name Piece.

My name is Oliver. When naming me, my parents debated between about six different Spanish names, and ended up with Oliver. As I understand it, my parents chose the name Oliver because it fit well with my brother’s also-American name “Miles”. As if we were identical twins that would constantly be attached to each other. Like our names had to fit together like Legos, and stay put that way. It’s not that I am completely against the name Oliver, but when I compare it to a name I could’ve had, -for example, “Xavi”- I feel Oliver isn't the best thing to suit me. Having a name from a different culture and country that few people had would be something setting me apart in a positive way. Reflecting the part of me that enjoys being different and unique. While having a commonly used name simply blends e into my surroundings, having me become something more missed and overlooked.

My nickname, Oli, is special and just as important as any other part of my name. It reflects who I am in ways that I think all names should. In one short and quick name it identifies my personality and me. It adapts throughout the languages of my family without losing any of its content. When I’m at home, no matter which language it’s in, to me my nickname says like pink; optimistic and energetic, ready to stretch out without any limits or boundaries. However, when I reach school, it eventually goes back to being the blue shade of deep water it always will have a hint of. Unknown, unexplored and holding its own way of life like in the deep ocean, becoming the name Oliver again. Mirroring my efforts to be a more formal and educated person during the school day. In school it becomes something else, contained and inventive. But there’ll still be some happy, optimistic pink, hidden and covered up by my real name, ready to reappear.

On a more positive note, given the choice I wouldn't be able to persuade myself to change my name. I might’ve when I was younger, but the name Oliver means something to me and about me that I couldn't replace. If I could pile up all my achievements and experiences, my name would be the tape holding it all together, labeling each and every one, because I can’t escape something I use every day, over and over again Out of the hundreds of thousands of words in the English language the one I'm connected to more than any other is my name. That’s not something you can just walk away from. It’s become a part of me. It’s a way to describe me. It is me overall. Whether I like it or not, I’m stuck to my name like my head is stuck on my neck. And if you don’t like the shape of our head, I’m pretty sure no one in their right mind would cut their head off. My name is just as much a part of me as my eyes, my nose and my mouth. And I wouldn't try and separate myself from my name under any circumstances that aren’t completely out of the question and/or ridiculous.

No matter how I look at it, my name will always be what and who I am, whether I would prefer some other name or not. My name won’t ever change even if I’m given the choice because as I said, it’s who and what I am as a person and I wouldn't like to change a single thing about me.