Response to Why Chinese Mothers are Superior by Amy Chua

Here is a paragraph from the article "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" by Amy Chua:

"There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that." - Amy Chua

After reading the article, I think that parents owe time and money for their children. I believe that parents need to donate time from their time and lives to motivate their children. It doesn't have to be in just studies though it tends to be favored by Chinese parents. It could be in sports or extracurricular activities. I think that the parents shouldn't give up on their children just because they say no or fuss around being stubborn. I believe that the parents should perservere and use any means necessary to make consequences if parents encounter difficulties. 

After reading the article, I think that the children should respect the time that their parents put in to teach them or be with them. Children should not argue and just go with the flow but based on my personal experience, they are mostly stubborn and don't really care for it. Nevertheless, they do enjoy recieving rewards that raises their self-esteem. I think that children should owe their success to their parents. They should thank them for giving up most of their time to make them who they are when they grow up.

Although my Chinese parents treat me rather differently compared to Amy Chua, they still donate their time to help me.

Current Egypt in Condition Similar to Animal Farm.

Currently, Egypt has now been free from Mubarak for about five days now. The military declares that it is only "temporarily" holding office until the next election. The plan is to establish a democratic government that is controlled by the people. --- Egypt Daily News

Even though Mubarak has gone away, it is only the beginning of the new Egypt. There is a long way before the government becomes perfect. Currently, Egypt could go both ways. It can become what it was like before, a dictatorship or it can become democratic, where all citizens rule the government. There was also the rebellion of Honduras but the nation became Communist. The current setting is similar to the beginning what had happened to the government system in Animal Farm, a novel written by George Orwell. In his book, he tells a story where the animals over throw Mr. Jones or the tyrant. They are successful and establish a government system where animals are treated equally. Unfortunately, that doesn't last. The ways that the current setting in Egypt and/ or other countries is similar to Animal Farm is that it began with social gathering, ending in failure, and organization for future protests/ outbreaks.

One connection is that social gathering was involved in the rebellions for both Animal Farm, Egypt, and Tunisia. In Animal Farm, the animals gathered in a meeting in the barn and discussed how the future would be like after the rebellion. They also discussed about how the rebellion would work out. In Egypt and Tunisia, people went on Twitter and Facebook to organize protests against their Tyrant.

Another connection is that the government becomes corrupt in Animal Farm and in the Honduran government. In Animal Farm, it was a democracy when Snowball was still there but it had become a dictatorship after Napoleon took over when Napoleon drove Snowball out of the farm with the use of dogs in an election. In Honduras, a few political leaders decided to make the nation communist and succeed after the revolution.

As the last one, other countries were preparing for uprising like Animal Farm. In Animal Farm, the farmers began to prepare themselves after they learned that the animals had rebelled Mr. Jones out of the farm. Currently, nearby countries such as Iran are preparing to defend themselves from protests.

Chapter 11 of Animal Farm

As the years progressed, the animals had only looked older. The only exception would be Clover who had the same fate of Boxer. Moses had never returned to the farm again for he was to never speak of Sugarcandy Mountain. Benjamin was the only animal that was able to read and write besides the pigs. He remembered the details of his life, especially how his best friends Boxer and Clover, had died. From the point where Clover was sent to be slaughtered, Benjamin had changed significantly.

The animals continued to work under the hard labor and the poor rations that Napoleon had placed upon them. When one of the animals were working poorly, the animal would be whipped, killed, or taken off their rations. As a result, no animal ever complained for they did not wish to die or to be tortured.

After the workday -- which was now every day of the week as announced by Napoleon -- Benjamin had returned tired with a few streaks of blood from his back. He arrived at his stall and sat quietly. The other animals quietly entered the barn staggering across the hallway looking for a place to rest. Dogs followed, growling every time the animals steered away from the line. The animals settled down quickly and the dogs locked the barn door when they checked that all the lower animals were inside.

All was silent until one of the ducklings whispered out, “Are they gone yet?” The crowd of animals stayed still and listened for any steps or noises.

“Comrades, do not worry, we may resume with our meetings,” Benjamin replied. With these words, a sigh of relief had come upon the animals. “I understand your pains. Your pains are my pains. Even I too am suffering. There will be a time when we will take down our tyrant. Our dream of equality will come true and our hard work will be worth while. A long time ago… ”

“But when will that time be?” one of the hens interrupted. The animals murmured in agreement.

“Do not worry comrades, we will know when the time is right. A long time ago, an honorable boar once said that there would be a day where all animals would be equal. A time where no animals can tell another animal what to do. On that day, we will fight to achieve his dream.” The animals were confused and curious. “Do not worry about that matter. I will tell you when the time is right. For now, continue to work even though it is of great pain. But with each day, work a little less. Now comrades, sleep and rest for tomorrow is a new day.” The crowd of animals hummed the Beasts of England and went to sleep silently.

The following day, the unlocking of the doors alerted the animals to jump up from their bed. The dogs marched inward surrounding the new pig who had replaced Squealer. Squealer gave them their orders to what to do and gave the animals their daily rations. The meal never filled up any of the animals but they didn‘t complain. The animals quickly finished their meal and headed outside to work.

Weeks passed and Benjamin continued to make the same inspiring statement in each meeting. The animals continued working a little less everyday just like what Benjamin had told them to do. Nevertheless, the dogs and the pigs did not notice the change in their work except for Napoleon. He noticed that there was not enough food produced but the pigs supervising the animals believed that it was because of the insects and the drought this year. Nevertheless, Napoleon continued to suspect that this was the animal’s plan to sabotage Manor Farm.

After the workday was over, the animals returned to the barn. The black cockerel crowed and Napoleon entered into the barn guarded by three dogs. The animals stood still as the upper animals passed by. Napoleon announced to the lower animals, “Starting tomorrow, there shall be dogs guard at the barn door overnight. It seems that there has been a threat in this farm and someone has been stealing our food. Any animal caught in the farm stealing will be executed immediately.” The speech ended with the sheep’s bleating of

“Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better!”

After his statement, the lower animals were fed with their typical ration of food and the upper animals left the scene to enjoy the night in another party with Mr. Pilkington and other farmers.

As soon as the animals had finished their rations and settled down, Benjamin called an emergency meeting. The animals one by one gathered around him and waited patiently. Benjamin spoke in a firm tone, “I am well aware that we have all heard what Napoleon said, comrades. Hence forward, dogs will be guarding the barn every night starting the next day. Tonight, comrades, may just be the last day in which there will be a meeting. This is the sign that we are waiting for that we, comrades must strike together. Tomorrow will be the day in which we will attack and overthrow the wicked Napoleon.”

The animals were shocked and amazed to hear. One of the horses asked, “How do we fight them? Some of us are afraid. The dogs are ferocious and the pigs have humans to help them.” The crowd of animals murmured in agreement but Benjamin was not surprised by the question.

“I understand your fear. I lived through the rebellion of Mr. Jones and witnessed many deaths on the battlefield. What the pigs have told you about the rebellion are false. I used to have a great friend and he was a great warrior in the rebellion. He was a brave stallion, strong but gentle. In the rebellion, he charged without falling back and continued attacking the opponent. He was shot at a few times but continued to fight as if he had received no pain. He never wanted to kill anyone, only to drive the enemy away. I wish that at tomorrow‘s battle, all of us would be like that. I believe that it is better to die free than to spend the rest of our lives living as slaves. I will risk my life tomorrow and if something were to happen to me, tell the future generations of animals what happened in the battle tomorrow.” At the moment, the animals were inspired to fight. They were ready and didn’t care whether they lived. All they want to do is end Napoleon’s rule.

The following morning, the barn animals were ready. They stood in line, waiting for that door to open. At the signal of the click that meant that the barn was unlocked, the sheep, horses, and cows rushed towards the door with Benjamin the donkey leading them in action while the rest of the animals followed. Outside the barn, the door was flung out with a stampede of animals rushing out. The dogs and pigs sent to deliver orders were caught off guard and as a result, trampled on. The ambush then turned towards the farm.

Rushing out, Napoleon, other fellow pigs, and the rest of the dogs gathered outside of the farmhouse as the stampede could be heard through the war cries of Benjamin and the other animals. The dogs and several of the pigs had rushed towards the ambush to fight. Napoleon had stayed behind to call Mr. Pilkington to gather his men to help.

On the battlefield, blood was shed everywhere. Dogs were chewing and biting the animals that were in their way. The horses used their hooves to forcefully kick the dogs away. The cows stepped on and gored the dogs. The chickens were scratching the pigs using their claws. The sheep were butting their heads at the pigs making them fall. The pigs used their whips to hit the animals and gnawed and bit into the animals as a backup. Benjamin kicked the pigs away and helped his fellow animals. Many of the animals that had fallen to the ground was crushed by the heavier animals.

A few minutes later, Napoleon’s reinforcements, Pilkington’s men had come to Manor Farm with guns. A few shots ran into the air. The bullets alarmed the animals for a second for the bullets had killed fighters on both sides. The lower animals immediately continued fighting as Benjamin kicked and crushed a dog to its death. The bullets continue to fire until it finally hit Benjamin. He fell head first towards the floor and died. The lower animals stopped once more as they saw their leader fall. His long life had finally come to an end as he laid on the grass, still and silent. Nonetheless, the lower animals continued to fight because they knew that they must continue fighting for: their equality.

In the end, the army of the lower animals had fallen apart due to the guns of Pilkington‘s men. Some ran away while others surrendered in front of Napoleon. The battlefield which was once a field of full-grown crops became a pile of dead animals that fought for what they had believed in. The remaining lower animals that had surrendered were executed. The dead bodies of the lower animals were sold to make a profit and were replaced with other farm animals that was donated from Pilkington’s farm. The pigs and dogs that died were given a proper funeral funded by Napoleon. From that point on, there were not anymore protests and outbreaks of violence. The pigs continued to rule for the rest of the existence of Manor Farm.

Rebuttal to Rahni (not really)

After looking at Rahni's Post , I would like to say that it was a good post but there are a lot of problems with her evidence. Here is what I have to say:

On the second paragraph to her opening statement, how does she know that teenagers are all influenced by others? There are teenagers that do not listen to their parents and like to make decisions by themselves. Also, not all teenagers live with their parents their whole lives. That is merely a false statement. She even contradicted herself when she writes that teenagers are influenced by everything, everyday. How about when you agree with something you hear one day, and then you disagree about the same topic the next because you were influenced by the media. After that you would be confused so you are bound to make your own decision to whether you agree with it or not. 

On the third and final paragraph to her opening statement, she states that the maturity level of teenagers are not yet full because she saw some freshman fool around in her Physical Education class. First, just because a few teenagers were messing around, doesn't mean that every teenager in the United States are like that. There are those that are well behaved and pay attention. Second, the quote states that the brain has not fully matured until the age of 25. The maturity of a student does not relate to the maturity of the brain. Where is the proof for that. No one is the same so that quote might not actually be true for everyone. There could be those where their brain develops completely and those that have brains that develop a little bit slower. 

Note:  I had also done the topic of whether teen's should be able to vote and also said no. 

Animal Farm In-Class Mini-Essay Chapters 1-5

Leadership is a role that many desire. Some abuse the power while others use it to help those in need. In George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, he creates a few characters that are displayed as leaders. Even though the leaders are pigs, they show different aspects of politics. Each of the pigs are different in the way they show leadership but there are some ways in which they are similar.

A boar named Major was the leader of the animals in the farm before the rebellion happened. He was old and he passed away rather early in the book after his great speech. In his speech, he discusses about how animals must get rid of man and that all animals will be friends. He states, “And remember comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that man and the animals have a common interest… It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades” (Orwell 30-31). In Major’s speech, he includes all animals. He believes that all animals should be equal and that to rid of man should be the main goal of animals. He tends to use the word “comrades” in his speech when talking about animals; meaning that all animals should be friends. In his speech, he chooses words that creates a powerful tone that influences his audience. He uses words such as falter, astray, interest, unity, and struggle to create this tone.  His language is effective when communicating with the “lower” animals because he includes them all in his speech.

Another pig named Snowball was a co-leader in a beginning section of the book after Major had died. He created the seven commandments that he believe to be what major would have wanted. In one of the commandments, it states that all those that goes on two legs is an enemy. The birds didn’t want to believe in the commandments because of that rule. Nevertheless, he had a different meaning for that rule. He says, “A bird’s wing, comrades… is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. It should therefore be regarded as a leg. The distinguishing mark of man is the hand, the instrument with which he does all his mischief” (Orwell 50-51). Like Major, Snowball tries to include the animals even though they are different. The tone of Snowball’s words seem pleasant because he is explaining thoroughly to the birds why the birds are not enemies. Snowball is talking to the birds as comrades not as an enemy. The birds are influenced to pay attention to him because he seems to be a leader that cares for them. His speech is effective in a way that brought the birds to acknowledge that they are comrades with Snowball. On the other hand, his speech is not that effective because the pig tend to use big words that the birds do not understand.

Both of the pigs spoke greatly. They both include all the animals and consider them to that they are equal. Nevertheless, Major spoke in a language that animals are able to understand and to be able to convince them to abolish man to make the world become a better place. Snowball used longer words so that he would seem smarter and that everyone would then trust him as a result. Snowball does include as many animals as possible and tries to continue Major’s goal where all animals would be equal.

Opening Statement: Teens should not be able to vote

The debate of whether teenagers should vote has been common in American Society. Many of the teenagers believe that they should be able to vote because they believe that the right to vote should be for everyone. They believe that they can make a change. For what do I say, if you don't even understand the concept for voting. Therefore, I believe that teenagers should not vote not because they shouldn't have a say in our government, but because they are not at the right age yet.

Many teenagers don't have true knowledge of what politics is truly about. Although they can get some information about politics in classrooms or from their parents, the information they receive can be one sided. So, it is the parents and teachers that are influencing the teenagers' votes, not themselves. When a person votes, it should be his or her own opinion, not anyone else's. 

Teenagers already have enough responsibilities for them so why should they vote. Teenagers should probably worry more about what their goal is in life and how they should achieve it. Teenagers should have school to worry about and don't need to get caught in politics at an early stage. The parents are probably voting while they are at home doing homework, texting to their friends, or doing some else. They are just busy doing their own activities than worrying about politics.

Some teenagers are not mature enough to vote. They would choose the president they think would suit themselves rather than suit the nation and its citizens. Some teenagers vote for a politician because he or she sounds smart or because of her race. Just because someone is of a white ethnicity, doesn't mean that they are smart and a great leader. One recent example would be President George W. Bush. On the other hand, the fact that someone is African American doesn't mean that they are in a gang and poor. Our current president, President Barack Obama, is the first African American and is one of the greatest leaders of America.

Many teenagers do not understand what they are voting for. The taxes and laws that the government wants to enact are not always truly understood by teenagers. Yes, some of these taxes and/ or laws are shown in ads but they can lie to people and only a few would realize that they are lying.


Finally, not many young people between the ages 18-25 vote. According to 2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS, only 51% of that certain age group voted in the 2008 election. Why should teenagers vote when only a little more than half the young adults vote at all. Thank You.

References:

http://www.teenink.com/opinion/current_events_politics/article/203884/Allowing-Teenagers-To-Vote-Is/

Political Power

Writing Prompt: In your opinion, does political power corrupt the people who attain it? Also, how do you think George Orwell would answer this question?

In your opinion, people who attain political power does not corrupt them. The people abuse political power because they chose to. For example, George Washington had many followers because he was a famous general in the America Revolution. He became the first presidents of the United States. He could have abused his power as a leader but chose to not to.

I think that George Orwell would have written a different opinion to this question. He had come from a time where Communism was on the rose. He also expresses his opinion in his book, Animal Farm. Although Orwell uses talking animals, it is still about political power. In the end of the first chapter, Mr. Jones used terror to silence the animals. In Animal Farm Orwell wrote, "He seized the gun... and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness... the pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly... and the whole farm was asleep in a moment" (Orwell 34). This quote describes the power in which Mr. Jones has on the farm. He plainly fires and the rebellious animals retreat in terror. Like Communism, Mr. Jones symbolizes the tyrant and the gun in which he fires is the army that terrorizes the animals, which symbolize the citizens. Another quote also describes George Orwell's opinion. After the animals had completed their rebellion, they decided to set their own government system and agreed that all animals would be equal. A little bit later, the equality tips over to the pig's favor. In Animal Farm, the pigs argued that the milk and the apples should be for them only because they are necessary for a pigs health (Orwell 52). The pigs win their debate and could have all the apples and milk for themselves (Orwell 53). This showed that step by step, the pigs are getting more "fortune" for themselves. They are slowly able to manipulate the animals and bring them under their control because they believe that they are the heart of the farm. The opinion of George Orwell here is that political power slowly corrupts the people who attain them because the pigs were originally rather nice but as they acquired more power, they are becoming meaner.