Personal Statement

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Gathered around the dinner table, new and old faces brought back to memory, the ancient languages of Cantonese and Mandarin fill the room with many conversations of how each relative and families’ year went. That’s how I feel like a normal family gathering should be like. My family is unlike the normal Chinese family though; ever since I was young, my family faced many complications with our relatives, and even closest relations.

My mother came to America with very little; she had her father’s support by her side, and some family scattered around California, and a few families on the East coast. She studied English with the help of a free tutor, and eventually, attended classes in the Alameda community college.

She lived with my dad and his parents, and they despised her. My father was unwilling to fight against his parents to change their views and act differently toward her. My mother was powerless for years, she had me to take care of on her own, her education, and she was still juggling a job to bring some income into the household.

My grandparents wanted a grandson to be able to carry on their name, but instead, they got me. They would cook nice foods, and have a feast, just my grandma, grandpa, and father. They made it obvious, and never invited my mother, or allowed us to have any of the food. My mother spent her own hard-earned money to feed me, even when she had such a busy schedule. She made sure that she would still sing and read to me at night before tucking me into bed, and waited for me to fall asleep before beginning to study. She slept at absurdly late hours, and woke up early, to have enough time to send me to day care before going off to class and work.

Before I started elementary school, when she had finally saved up some, and had enough of it, and refused to continue to put up with it. She told my father that they were either going to move out of the house, or else she would take me and go raise me on her own without him. She stood strong and confident of herself, and my father couldn’t bear to see her walk away from him, so he grudgingly agreed, and they bought a house together.

When we finally moved into the house and settled down, life seemed good, but my mother wasn’t done yet. She knew that there was more she could accomplish, and whenever she puts her mind onto something, she does it. She worked at different offices over the years, learning to stand up for herself more, and she found herself. She’s confident in what she does, and if she’s unhappy with something, she won’t stand for it. If anything the office doesn’t suit her, she quits and finds a new job that suits her tastes better, and is willing to cooperate with her personal ways and schedule . At one office, her supervisor was fired and replaced, and the new supervisor wasn’t as fair and hard-working as the last one was, she she quit, and now, that business isn’t as successful as it was.

Since then, my mother has constantly seeked self-improvement, even in the tiniest aspects of her life. She does everything in her power to make sure that both my brother and I are happy and deserve what we get. She’s worked hard for everything she has today, and deserves all that she has and more. Her consistent perseverance through the difficult times, and her commitment to raising my brother and I in a safe and healthy environment inspire me. They are a reminder to me that no matter how bad things seem, as long as I keep trying and do my personal best, things will get better. I’ve been raised in much better conditions that my mother has, but she’s accomplished so much. I know that if I continue to persevere, do my personal best, and think positively, I will be able to accomplish as much as she has and more. Then, I would be able to repay her for everything she’s done for me, and let her live the rest of her life happily, and stress-free, unlike she had in the past.

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

For most of my life, I had hated roller coasters. They scared me terribly, and I was unable to even get on the little kid roller coasters without being scared gutless and thinking it was the end of my life. I would get onto the ride, hoping it would finally be the time I would get over my fear, and with my heart beating rapidly, and adrenaline rushing, I’d lower the bar, and sit nervously with my feet firmly planted on the floor, pushing against it to slightly calm my nerves. I silently watched as they warned us to keep our hands and feet in the ride, and hid my nervousness as the ride began its journey to scare me gutless. The bottom of the cart connected with the chain, and we gradually made our way up, several feet up from the ground. The tip of the first cart reached the top, and made its graceful start to leading the rest of the carts’ descent. The fall felt like eternity - me pushing against the side, clinging on for dear life, feet pushing harder against the floor, fingers clenching tighter around the bar. Once I got off the ride, my world was finally put back together again. I was alive, and still afraid of roller coasters.

Before I graduated eight grade, we had a trip to Great America, an amusement park with huge roller coasters. I decided to give the rides a try, and surprisingly, did not find it so life-risking. I convinced my family to go back over the summer, and slowly began going on more and more extreme rides. I learned to love the adrenaline rush and fear I had before getting onto a new ride more extreme than the last.

After I developed my liking for roller coasters, my personality took an unexpected turn. I became more risky, testing people more, making sure that they would be there for me through the thick and thin, and that they were honest true friends. At school, I began to speak out more, and made my voice heard, and myself seen, unlike before when I only observed in silence. I made new friends, lost old friends, and made new leaps and bounds with my relationships with others, and in the things I did. Instead of backing down in an argument like I once had, I would stand up for myself, and make sure that my opinion was acknowledged and made clear. I would gladly take on a debate with a friend, and would stand my ground with one of the more intimidating students at my school.

Thanks to roller coasters, I’ve been able to define myself more clearly, and can now stand up for myself without being as fearful as I once was. I have become a stronger, more confident person.

Peer Review Comments

For David:
The introduction seems choppy with your constant short sentences, you should combine them to make them flow better. Clarify the relationship between Katniss and Peeta; you should tell of their past before they were picked as tributes, and make it a bit clearer what their relationship was like in the arena, if you're going to mention how they acted as lovers. You should explain more about the Greek myth of Theseus, and specifically how it inspired Suzanne Collins and how it relates to Katniss. You should take out "currently" in "The Greek myth of Theseus also inspired her book and that is what Katniss, the main character is currently similar to." It doesn't really work. When you start talking about the Vietnam War, it's confusing, and sudden, it's not clear what you're talking about, and it doesn't relate to much, seems like it was just put there randomly. You should explore the reason why Collins wrote the book clearer, you're explanation is really brief, and kind of awkward, to be honest. I personally disagree with how you think the book was slow, I think the way she spent time with the details really helped visualize it clearly for readers, and she didn't explain what the reaping was to keep readers curious to find out what it was, and to be able to build some climax around it.

For Jay:
You need to tell readers what the title, author, genre, and subject of your book is in your introduction. You also need to summarize your book briefly and write a thesis statement for what you're going to write about. Your current introduction or start to introduce and answer the first question could start by being more clear, it's repetitive at the beginning, and there's a lot of clutter. Try to explain a bit more about tracker jackers, and how it shows why too much genetic engineering is bad. Is there seriously debate now about whether animals should be used as weapons of mass destruction in wars??? I've never heard of it. Reorganize your essay, so you talk about her purpose to write the book being the future if government had too much power first, instead of jumping back and forth between the subject. The end is a bit repetitive, you should try to answer another question, and be more creative and cut the clutter with it.

For Peter:
When you start off, tell readers the title, author, genre, and subject of the book. Summarize the book briefly and write a thesis statement about what you're going to write about in the rest of the essay. Don't give too many details on Kristina's youth and past, it's unnecessary. What question are you answering in your essay? You summarize the book more than really answering any question about it, and it really focuses on specific details in the book rather than the general idea and message, and it gives a lot away to readers who have never read the book; you told them that Kristina was pregnant. Instead of leaving your explanation of what is talked about in the book in the last paragraph, put it in the introduction.

Reincarnation Essay Rough Draft~~

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn is about a love that spans the lengths of years, generations, and centuries. In prehistory, a young man and women fought over a jewel, and although the time they had together was short, the attraction is lasting and eternal. Over time, fate continues draw them together, and they feel a strange connection and attraction each time, although it's unexplainable. The novel tells about their love over the centuries, and in the different settings, situations, and relationships.It's a story of two souls that always find their way back to each other each cycle they are reincarnated. There are multiple characters in a sense, they have somewhat similar yet different personalities, but either of them always have a fear of fire, many times when they were reincarnated, several times, one of them had a weak ankle, but always, in each cycle, they come across some type of green gem, which is what they both fought over and died over when they first met.

Each time they are reincarnated, they often are already married, or engaged, or there is some obstacle that keeps them from being able to be together. In one cycle, the father disapproved of it, and she was already set to be engaged to someone else. Many times, they fall for each other through their meeting, and they feel a strong bond and odd connection to each other, one that makes them feel as if they have known each other before, although in their lifetime, they never remembered the other. They instantly grow close and form a strong bond with the other, but most times, one of them is killed by someone who sees their love and is jealous of it, so they try to get rid of the other, or in one case, the girl died because of a misunderstanding between her and the boy because of a jealous girl that loved the boy, and didn't understand their relationship, and why she was unwilling to give up her current life in praise of Athena, for the suitable mate instead.
I've read a lot of romance novels, but they can often seem cliché afterwards, when I review the story in my mind and realize the overall story of what basically happened: guy and girl fall in love, but it's an impossible love, they go through all these hardships just to stay together, or sometimes the guy falls for girl, but the girl doesn't love him, and he fights his way through to woo her, or some other ones, but it's still generally cliché.

Reincarnation is different, it talks about a love that is accepted and encouraged, but because of a wrong turn of events, each generation and rebirth of their soul in which they meet, they are unable to stay together. Their parents and society disapprove of it, they're formerly married before they meet, or the most common, the other dies. They face multiple experiences, each different from the next, allowing readers some variety in the love story between the two. But through each time they meet, something other that the odd connection they both feel to each other is common. There's always a green jewel, a beautiful earring, a stone, and other forms.

The first time, they encounter, it is a stone/rock.
Still he held on to her, unwilling to release his grip. He would not let go of her or the green prize. (24)
In this story, the two souls die time and time again, but still, they still have a story. They fight over the rock, and both are connected for eternity.

Unlike the often perchance meeting and falling in love in many romance novels I come across, the two souls in Reincarnation come across each other coincidentally often, but when they meet, there's still that instant attraction, but they get a feeling of déjà vu that I've never read from any other romance novels.
As she sipped the water she studied his hazel eyes and brown curly hair. "Have I met you before?" she asked.
"I don't believe so. I'm not from around here."
"I just experienced the most overwhelming déjà vu. Do you know that expression?" (pg.249-250)
Their strong bond is also shown when they meet each other, in one of the first times they met each other as Samantha and Jake:
He smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Every time I look at you I feel like I'm trying to remember something that I can't get a hold of."
"Me, too," she said.
"Really?"
"Really." When she looked at him she felt it, too. It was something she felt was just out of reach, like trying to recall someone's name that she once knew but could no longer quite call to mind. (pg. 288-289)
Because it is always the same two souls meeting time and time again over the centuries, they have a stronger connection with each other than couples from other romance stories. They feel some odd connection between them when they first meet, but because it was in a past life, they are unable to point out exactly from what they recognize the other.


Although the book was very interesting, there were still a few weaknesses, in my opinion. The book seemed to have a structure to it, but it was inconsistent. It started with a small introduction to the reincarnation of the life, then the death, which is narrated by the one that passed away, then there's a transition, sometimes about the transition between the time they are reincarnated again at the same time, before they go back into the actual reincarnated life between the two souls again. Sometimes though, the introduction is omitted, or the transition from the time between the death and the time both of the two souls are reincarnated again at the same time. There was always the actual story of when they were both reincarnated, and the part immediately following it, telling readers of how all the soul left the body, and the feelings behind their death and parting from their love.

Reincarnation (After I Finished the Book)

If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?


Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn is a story of two souls that always find their way back to each other each cycle they are reincarnated. There are multiple characters in a sense, they have somewhat similar yet different personalities, but either of them always have a fear of fire, many times when they were reincarnated, several times, one of them had a weak ankle, but always, in each cycle, they come across some type of green gem, which is what they both fought over and died over when they first met. 


Each time they are reincarnated, they often are already married, or engaged, or there is some obstacle that keeps them from being able to be together. In one cycle, the father disapproved of it, and she was already set to be engaged to someone else. Many times, they fall for each other through their meeting, and they feel a strong bond and odd connection to each other, one that makes them feel as if they have known each other before, although in their lifetime, they never remembered the other. They instantly grow close and form a strong bond with the other, but most times, one of them is killed by someone who sees their love and is jealous of it, so they try to get rid of the other, or in one case, the girl died because of a misunderstanding between her and the boy because of a jealous girl that loved the boy, and didn't understand their relationship, and why she was unwilling to give up her current life in praise of Athena, for the suitable mate instead.


Unlike the often perchance meeting and falling in love in many romance novels I come across, the two souls in Reincarnation come across each other coincidentally often, but when they meet, there's still that instant attraction, but they get a feeling of déjà vu that I've never read from any other romance novels. 

As she sipped the water she studied his hazel eyes and brown curly hair. "Have I met you before?" she asked.

"I don't believe so. I'm not from around here."

"I just experienced the most overwhelming déjà vu. Do you know that expression?" (pg.249-250)

Their strong bond is also shown when they meet each other, in one of the first times they met each other as Samantha and Jake:

He smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Every time I look at you I feel like I'm trying to remember something that I can't get a hold of."

"Me, too," she said.

"Really?"

"Really." When she looked at him she felt it, too. It was something she felt was just out of reach, like trying to recall someone's name that she once knew but could no longer quite call to mind. (pg. 288-289)

Because it is always the same two souls meeting time and time again over the centuries, they have a stronger connection with each other than couples from other romance stories. They feel some odd connection between them when they first meet, but because it was in a past life, they are unable to point out exactly from what they recognize the other.

Reincarnation

Answering: If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?

The novel, Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn had been sitting in my bookshelf for years, but even though it was a book I wanted to read, I would often forget about it whenever I went to the library to borrow ten more books. So Sutherland tells us we can pick any book we want to read, so I searched my bookshelves, and decided that this would be the perfect chance to finally get to read this romance novel.

Reincarnation is about a love that spans the lengths of years, generations, and centuries. In prehistory, a young man and women fought over a jewel, and although the time they had together was short, the attraction is lasting and eternal. Over time, fate continues draw them together, and they feel a strange connection and attraction each time, although it's unexplainable. The novel tells about their love over the centuries, and in the different settings, situations, and relationships.

I've read a lot of romance novels, but they can often seem cliché afterwards, when I review the story in my mind and realize the overall story of what basically happened: guy and girl fall in love, but it's an impossible love, they go through all these hardships just to stay together, or sometimes the guy falls for girl, but the girl doesn't love him, and he fights his way through to woo her, or some other ones, but it's still generally cliché. 


Reincarnation is different, it talks about a love that is accepted and encouraged, but because of a wrong turn of events, each generation and rebirth of their soul in which they meet, they are unable to stay together. Their parents and society disapprove of it, they're formerly married before they meet, or the most common, the other dies. They face multiple experiences, each different from the next, allowing readers some variety in the love story between the two. But through each time they meet, something other that the odd connection they both feel to each other is common. There's always a green jewel, a beautiful earring, a stone, and other forms. 


The first time, they encounter, it is a stone/rock. 

Still he held on to her, unwilling to release his grip. He would not let g of her or the green prize. (24)

In this story, the two souls die time and time again, but still, they still have a story. They fight over the rock, and both are connected for eternity.

Family History Connections

After reading numerous stories of my classmates, I found that the social and educational ways and conditions of different families were quite similar in the past, regardless of the country. From Carly's family history about many of her relatives, John's story about his great-grandparents, and Camal's history about his parents, I noticed that the neighborhoods of their elders did not have high education, were poor, and/or the children had to become responsible and take on jobs at a young age.

She gave herself the responsibility of raising her siblings, from when they were babies to adults..."Everyone was equally poor.” The entire country suffered from poverty...the children in the family mostly had elementary school education. (Carly)

Carly's grandma had to take the responsibility of raising her younger siblings at a young age, and as a result, became more like a motherly figure in her family. During the Mao period, everyone was poor, and the entire country suffered from poverty. They didn't have much to eat for meals, and the main meal everyday was always dinner. The children there also did not have a high education, with most children having an elementary school education.

My grandmother's grandparents...where two school teachers who had about a 12th grade education. At that time in Texas for African American people that was considered to be rather high. (John)

John's great-grandparents were different from others in their neighborhood, and had an education around twelfth grade, which was considered to be high. Many of the African Americans in Texas then did not have an education as high as their's.

Not a lot of money flowed in and out of this area so the income level was real low. As a kid, my dad was already given huge responsibilities. (Camal)

Camal's parents lived in poverty in Yemen, and his father had to take on large responsibilities as a child. He would take on many tasks on the family farm to make sure thieves didn't steal and that the farm and cattle were fine by watering and watching them.

Cycle of Jewelry

In The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, she incorporated many cyclical elements into the novel. There's other hidden cyclical elements in the story that don't involve the structure of the book, how it is written from the view point of the mothers, then from the daughters views, their views again, then the mothers again, or how the daughters had difficulties with their mothers, or how most of them married a white husband (eg. Ted, Harold, Rich, and one of the mothers married Clifford, also white).

The mothers in The Joy Luck Club gave their daughters jewelry, ranging from gems to gold to jade. When they gave their daughters the jewelry, it was often as a symbol of love, to prove to them that they were special, and worthy and mature enough to receive the precious keepsakes.

In The Red Candle, told from Lindo Jong, a mother's point of view, her mother gave her a necklace before she left her with Huang Taitai.

"The dowry was enough, more than enough, said my father. But he could not stop my mother from giving me her chang, a necklace made out of a tablet of red jade" (53).

Lindo's mother left her the necklace as a last token and symbol of her love for her, and to give her the necklace, somewhat as a placeholder for her mother's presence in her life, even though she had to leave her.

Rose Hsu Jordan watched her mother give away her ring to Bing in Half and Half, when he drowned in the sea, and she could not find him. After hours of searching, the mother slowly came to the realization that they would not be able to find Bing, and threw the ring into the water.

"...she opened her fist. In her palm was a ring of watery blue sapphire, a gift from her mother, who had died many years before...She threw the ring into the water" (129).

 After Bing fell and drowned in the water, never to be found, An-Mei Hsu threw the sapphires as an offering, believing that the ring would make the Coiling Dragon forget Bing.

In Best Quality, Jing-Mei Woo tells of the time when her mother gave her a jade pendant on a gold chain after a crab dinner celebrating Chinese New Year. The meal had not gone as well as expected, and after, when Jing-Mei was talking to her mother, Suyan, when she gave her the jade necklace.

"...she unhooked the clasp of her gold necklace and took it off, wadding the chain and the jade pendant in her palm. She grabbed my hand and put the necklace in my palm, then shut my fingers around it...I looked at the necklace, the pendant with the light green jade" (208).

Suyan wanted to give the necklace to Jing-Mei, because she had waited a long time before she gave her the necklace, wanting to give it to her for a long time, and when she gave it to her, she understood that Jing-Mei wound understand her meaning, as the necklace was her "life's importance." She wanted to show Jing-Mei that she loved her, and supported her, regardless of the mean, degrading and insulting comments that Waverly said.

In the last story, A Pair of Tickets, told from Jing-Mei Woo's point of view again, but speaking namely about her mothers past experience with her first two daughters, she speaks of the recollection of her father telling her  the story of how her mother left her two daughters along the road with jewelry, money, and photos.

"When the road grew quiet, she tore open the lining of her dress, and stuffed jewelry under the shirt of one baby, and money under the other" (282).

Suyan Woo, the mother, put jewelry into the shirt of one baby, because she loved them, and although she had to leave them since she had lost all strength to carry them any farther, she left the money and jewelry as a symbol of her love, and for whoever who found the two daughters to use to raise them, and hopefully cover some costs.

Family Stories: My Grandparents, things even I never knew about them

This family story is about my grandparents on my mom's side (her parents), and how they met.(:


My grandpa was an energetic, clever and smart person, who risked things occasionally.  For college final exams, he studied the night before the exams, and still managed to pass.  He was an engineer who never took no for an answer if he believed it. He loved to go out and socialize with friends. My grandma was his opposite; she was quiet, knew manners, raised her family with family values, and cared about her family all the time, and gave her full effort to her two children. Her children were her whole world. She was a outstanding, diligent, hard-working woman, who worked her hardest, to be able to get a job at a pretty good hospital, as a nurse.  


She worked there with my mom's aunt, who thought that my grandma and grandpa were worth introducing to each other, since she felt like she was a woman who was special and seemed compatible with her brother, so she talked to my grandpa about it. He walked there, and as my mom says, "he must've worked on something very hard that morning..." and he pretended to visit my grandaunt, and met my grandma while he was there. They chatted for a while, and decided to leave to go back to work. As soon as he walked to the gates of the hospital, he felt something wrong with his lungs, and his lung collapsed.

He managed to calmly walk back to the hospital, and as soon as he got to the room where my grandma treated patients, he collapsed right in front of her door. "Of course, the hero saved the beauty, but in this case, she saved him"(my mom:). She saved him from many situations, even after they married.

When he was caught trying to escape from China, he was forced to an isolated area, with hopes that isolation and hard work would be the way to correct his thinking. She moved there with him, and became doctor in the village, and acted as a midwife to a lot of families.  Because she was the nurse, and the people of the village highly appreciated her, they gave my grandpa not as intensive labor, and he managed to stay inside of the house most of the time. She therefore "saved" him from all the hard work, that was forced on the many people that were forced to work in difficult jobs in crops.

After all the experiences that they had with each other, they learned to understand the other better, and when their children were born, they continued to pass on their cunning and clever genes to the next generation, and built a strong family together, despite hardships they had (many people lived on a small food supply, food was distributed strictly, and if they finished the amount they received, they wouldn't get anymore, and starved.).



My mom has told me this story a few times, well only parts of it. Mostly just the part about my grandpa meeting my mom at the hospital, calmly walking back, collapsing at her door (I actually thought it was at her feet, but I stand corrected), and her saving his life. Other details, like my great-aunt working there (one of my favorite cousin's grandma), and about my grandpa being exiled for trying to escape China, and what my grandma did, to join him in the village as a doctor and midwife. I never knew that my grandpa was an engineer (even though I grew up with him under the same roof), and never known my grandmother, but I knew she was a nurse. I never forgot about my grandpa procrastinating his studying for his finals, and still managing to pass, and my mom tells me not to follow his example, and to actually study for college finals, instead of procrastinating, because if I procrastinate, I most definitely wouldn't do as well as my grandpa did.


From this, I realize that my personality is like my grandma and grandpa. I like to risk things sometimes, but in the past, I used to not be as big of a risk taker as I am now. It probably isn't that good that I take risks so much, since I won't be very likely to succeed at taking a risk like studying for college finals, or any finals for that matter the night before the final. And like my grandpa, I can be stubborn, and stick firmly to whatever I believe in, but oftentimes, it's not necessarily something that I believe in, but if I see something that I think looks nice or I like, even if I am presented with other options, I most often do not change my mind, and stick with whatever caught my eye first. I like my grandpa too, like to socialize, but at times, I am also like my grandma, and prefer being alone, in silence (with a book or quiet music). If I want to, I work my hardest like my grandma was known to do, and am able to succeed if I really do try hard enough, and put my full, honest effort into it. 


In some ways, I can kind of see my brother and I both reflected as my grandparents. Some characteristics, he  is like my grandpa, others like my grandma.  Others, the opposites, connect me to my grandparents. My brother, if he's really willing to learn about something, or to try to do something, he can do it, like my grandma, and me at times. My brother can also be very clever and social at times, always getting into a group, often becoming the center of attention, while I prefer standing along the sidelines, watching and observing. 


When I was younger, I went to these after school programs, and all the people who worked there to watch the children remembered me for my energy and outgoingness, but after my brother started going there, they no longer knew me as Amber. I became "Robert's sister." If he ever saw me when he was at the program, he would always yell to me, bragging to the people around him how I was his sister. Now that I think about it, I feel like after my brother was born, I became less "out there" with my defiant attitude, and stopped arguing with others to get what I wanted, I just let things slide, and go as they did, whether I liked it or not, and didn't do much to change it. I became more like my grandma, thoughtful and quiet.

Mother-Daughter Relationships (Amy Chua & Amy Tan)

In Amy Chua's "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," excerpted from "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," she compares and contrasts the different way Chinese parents raise and restrict their children from the way Western parents do.  

 I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years.(Chua).

To make sure that her daughter learned a piece for a piano recital, Chua threatened her daughter with no food, presents, or parties.  Her daughter wanted to give up on the piano piece and stomped off, but Chua still ordered and forced her to get back to the piano and practice the piece until it was perfect by the next day.  Her parenting technique was to threaten and order her daughter to do what she wanted her to do, or else there would be a consequence that the daughter would not want.  She uses words to make her daughter do things, rather than physical force.

In Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, in the second section, "The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates," she explores the topic of mother-daughter relationships, and the way they raise their daughters and things they often do to influence them.  In "Rules of the Game," written from Waverly Jong's perspective, her mother tells her family, 

"We not concerning this girl.  This girl not have concerning for us."

 after Waverly came home at night after running away from her mother because she was angry at her mother for always using her to show off.  Her mother understood it differently, and thought that she was embarrassed to be her mother.  When she got home, her family was sitting at the dinner table, with the remains of a fish on the table, and the mother spoke these words to make Waverly feel guilt through her words, and she chose her words to strike Waverly's emotions, to ensure that something similar wouldn't be likely to happen again.  Because Waverly's mother felt like Waverly didn't care for her family, she told her family to ignore her, since Waverly was so careless towards them, and did not care about them as she should.

The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates Purpose

In the introductory piece to the second section of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, "The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates" a mother told her daughter to not ride her bicycle around the corner, since it was outside the protection of their house, and in a book, The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates, all the bad things that could happen out of the protection of the house is written.  The girl doesn't believe her mom and requests to see it, but her mom tells her she cannot read it, since it is in Chinese, and the mom does not tell her daughter the bad things, so she bikes off, and fell before she reached the corner.  The story portrays a complex mother-daughter relationship, and the cultural differences they had between them.

In "Rules of the Game," written from Waverly Jong's character, she encounters a large cultural gap between her and her mother, and both have a strained relationship, the mother having different opinions from her daughter, and trouble communicating with each other clearly.   Waverly's "mother's eyes turned into dangerous black slits.  She had no words for me, just sharp silence" (pg.99) when Waverly told her mother that if she wanted to show off, then she should learn to play chess herself.  Their relationship becomes more difficult when Waverly runs away from her mother, and comes back home late at night.  Her mother tells the family, ""We not concerning this girl.  This girl not have concerning for us'" (pg.100).  Because Waverly did not show that she considered her family and her mother's feelings as much as she cared about her own feelings and opinions, Lindo (her mother) tells her family to not show concern for her, like she did to them.

In "The Voice from the Wall," written by Lena St. Clair, the mother and daughter have cultural differences that divide them.  Lena "could understand the words [her mother said] perfectly, but not the meanings" (pg.106).  Because Lena's mother, Ying-Ying, spoke Mandarin and a little bit of English, she had trouble communicating with her, since she grew up in an American environment with her father, "who spoke only a few canned Chinese expressions" (pg.106)

Quickwrite: Family Honor

Although An-mei's grandma, Popo would agree that "Family and honor should take priority over the rights of the individual family member."  I think that An-mei and her mother would both somewhat agree.  It really depends on the situation, but they probably lean more toward the side that agrees with the statement.

An-mei grew up under the care of her Popo, and Popo's opinion of family and honor being priority greatly shaped the way she grew up.  She grew up learning to not talk about her mother, since it was forbidden.  An-mei's father passed away, and her mother became a widow, but she still chose to marry, and even so, she married a man with a wife, two concubines, and other children.  By speaking her mother's name, she would be shaming her family, and not preserve the honor they still have.  The "big painting [of her father] that hung in the main hall" always showed him as "a large, unsmiling man, unhappy to be so still on the wall" (p.43).  Popo raised An-mei, telling her that the painting of her father watched her for any signs of disrespect, making sure that she was respectful to her family, and upholding their honor.  Family and honor was always emphasized over an individual family member.  When she was young though, she wasn't as educated about her mother's poor choices in her relative's eyes, and chose to (try) to go to her mother, but the soup spilled onto her neck, stopping her.  An-mei understands that even though her mother did not make the best choices, she still held family traditions strong in her heart, and would probably only put her individual needs over her family and honor if it was necessary.

An-mei's mother was considered a traitor to her ancestors to An-mei's Auntie, because she chose to remarry.  Auntie says that An-mei's mother "'...is so beneath others that even the devil must look down to see her'" (p.44).  An-mei's mother broke family tradition, and shamed her family, dishonoring them, when she married the man with another wife, concubines, and other children.  She still upheld her family traditions at the end of the story though, when her mother was dying.  She willingly cut a piece of meat from her arm and put it into the soup.  An-mei's mother "cooked magic in the ancient tradition to try to cure her mother this one last time" (p.48).  She kept the ancient tradition, honoring her mother, and put her mother's needs above her own.

Infuriating Aznness...

In Amy Chua's article, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior, she claims that:

Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn't get them, the Chinese parent assumes it's because the child didn't work hard enough. That's why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it. (And when Chinese kids do excel, there is plenty of ego-inflating parental praise lavished in the privacy of the home.)

 Chua makes the relationship between Chinese parents and their children seem very tense and strict.  She doesn't talk about any happy aspects of their relationship as a family, as if them being together as a family is actually enjoyable and fun, but rather as if it is completely strict and there is no space for mistakes or any time to have fun and enjoy life.  She portrays a Chinese life as very strict and enforcing, and as if Chinese children are not allowed to enjoy life or gain friends.  Chua is very strict on her two daughters, and does not allow them to do many things that many "Western" families would have their children do, like having a sleepover, being in a school play, or watching TV. 

Chinese parents may demand perfect grades because they believe that their children can get them, but Western parents probably still believe the same thing, but they just don't necessarily push their children as hard as Chinese parents may.  Getting good grades in high school often demands hard work and dedication to studying.  Whenever I get mediocre grades(like a B), I do get criticized and my mom used to punish me, but not severely.  She doesn't criticize or shame me for my grades as much anymore, since she trusts me to do my best, and knows that it's my life, and my future I'm shaping right now.  She doesn't push me, but if I want the help, she's willing.


As a Chinese child, I feel that I do owe my parents a lot for everything that they've done to get me where I am now, and for supporting me through my entire life.  I disagree with Chua's opinion that their children owe them everything, but children do owe their parents a lot.  I think that my mom's expectations for me is more just that I try my best, and don't make my mom's time and effort spent on me is a waste of  time.  Parent's don't owe their children anything in my opinion, because they've already done so much to raise their children and support them throughout their childhood.

Connections Between Revolution in Animal Farm and in Egypt Etc.

In Animal Farm, the animals spoke with each other beforehand and planned a rebellion before they actually acted.  They didn't have a set time for the rebellion, but they rebelled when they felt like it was the right time, when their oppressors went to far and crossed the line, angering them, so they all worked together to rebel, and to rid the farm of their human oppressors.  In the events in Egypt, Tunisia, Honduras, etc., they also communicated with one another beforehand, spreading words of contempt and unease about Mubarak being president, and oppressing them.  They used other forms of communication though, like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, so the Egyptian government shut down their internet and forms of communication with one another, including mobile phone access. (Shutdown of Internet Access) The humans of Manor Farm did not know they were planning a rebellion, so they were unable to do anything to prevent it.  The Egyptian government went to extremes to prevent the spread of word about rebellion against Mubarak throughout Egypt, but the rebellion still went on nonetheless, because of the communication they had prior with the internet communication, and the idea spread throughout Egypt that Mubarak should not be president.  Soon, many people were convinced, and a rebellion began.  When the people of Egypt were finally successful with their goal and Mubarak quited and surrendered power to the military, they chanted "Egypt is free!" as many people danced, wept and prayed in joyful pandemonium.  In the Animal Farm, after the humans left the farm, the animals sang "Beasts of England" and celebrated too, but in a different way, with their singing.

Chapter 11 Link(:

http://missholycao.blogspot.com/2011/02/chapter-11-animal-farm.html

Rebuttal: Child Actor Role Models

Rebuttal to Kimchi's opening statement:
Child actors should be seen as role models to both people their age and to the younger audiences that look up to them.  People change, over time, but as actors, it is part of their job to play good role models to all of their audiences.  You can't just tell a child that someone they admire cannot be a role model, because they won't listen to you, if they admire someone, unless they find out something they dislike about them, they will continue to look up to them as role models.  If a child actor takes some inappropriate action, children are likely to do something similar, or consider what they are doing as fine, and may do something similar when they grow older.  If someone their age likes them a lot, then they might do the same to increase their self esteem, or to make themselves feel cooler.

Miley Cyrus's behavior and style drastically changed for a while, but for a while, it seems, she has gone back to the innocent(ish) Miley Cyrus that we all first knew.  True, there are many things out there that spark controversy about her, but since she is an actor, she should be considered a role model to all her audiences, and be required to watch her actions, to make sure that the actions she takes are proper and make her a good role model.  When people see the pictures Miley Cyrus with Avan Jogia on her birthday, she created a poor role model to her audiences, and gave them the message that it is perfectly fine to hook up with someone on a birthday, wearing a skimpy outfit at a club, and getting "hot and heavy."

What exactly is wrong with an actor playing a role that is younger than their actual age?  When people watch the show, they don't always compare how well the actor is playing the role in relation to how old they actually are.  People watch it to see how convincing their acting is, and for the drama and story line in the movie or TV show.

When child actors are role models to their audience, their audiences are younger, and have much more energy to make a change if they want to.  Disney channel had all their major stars of their shows and movies participate in Friends for Change (info here).  Friends for Change has done a lot to help the planet with the help of their fans, who view them as role models.  Because they are role models, and people follow their actions, when they see actors tell them to do something, like take a particular action to help make a change for the better health of the planet, they are more likely to do it, and it makes it possible for "hundreds of Disney VoluntEARS [to] Team Up to Scour the shorelines and Clean Up" county beaches.

Child actors should be role models to all audiences, because if they are good role models, in encourages their fans to do better things, that have more positive results, than if they weren't role models, and they would not be as likely to have positive results.

Strategical Speaking.

In The Animal Farm, by George Orwell, he writes about a farm over-running the humans working at the farm, and surviving on their own.  They set up their own government, and the pigs are supposedly the most intelligent, so they run the farm for the most part.  Napoleon and Snowball both had an equal amount of power at the beginning of the book, but both had two very different approaches to different things.  Snowball’s approach to convincing the animals if his point is most interesting, especially considering what happened to him later in the book.  Squealer is the younger pig that plays a role as the messenger between Napoleon’s ideas and actions, and he explains to the other “lower” farm animals why the things Napoleon does and choices he makes is all for the better, and although they doubt him at first, after he finishes talking, they are convinced.

Snowball is constantly in disagreement with Napoleon, and they are constantly arguing about different matters, from what to plant in a field, to what to do with their organization system with the food and other matters.  Orwell describes Snowball as “a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech, and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character” (p.35).  Snowball is much more energetic than Napoleon, and speaks clearly and to the point, and is more creative and invents things, but his personality is not as difficult to undermine and understand; it’s pretty simple and clear, and easy to understand.  One of Napoleon and Snowball’s biggest arguments was over the windmill, and whether they should build it or not.  Napoleon claimed the point that it was nonsense, while Snowball is much more dramatic in response.  He immediately sprang to his feet, and “broke into a passionate appeal in favour of the windmill...Snowball’s eloquence had carried them away.  In glowing sentences he painted a picture of Animal Farm as it might be when sordid labour was lifted from the animals’ backs” (p.64).  Snowball’s way of convincing the animals to support him by voting in favor of making the windmill, was to describe in detail the things that could happen, and the kind of life they would live if the windmill was built.  He was very emotional about the windmill, and grabbed the farm animal’s attention, and made them want a the life that he was describing.  

Squealer sees everything in ways very similar to Napoleon.  He supports all of Napoleon’s ideas, and has his own unique way of communicating with the “lower” animals and to convince them that what Napoleon is doing is right.  Squealer is “a small fat pig...with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice.  He was a brilliant , and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive” (p.36).  Squealer is one of the smaller pigs, full of energy, and very good at convincing the “lower” animals.  Squealer, being younger, gives a seemingly innocent appearance to the other animals on the farm, and has an odd way of convincing the animals of anything, and they claim that Squealer could argue and turn black into white.  Whenever Squealer argues a point, he skips from side to side, and whisks his tail, which somehow convinces the animals to support whatever Squealer is arguing for.  Many times, the animals become doubtful, and start to believe that the things the pigs are doing is not for their benefit, but because they are trying to take advantage of them, since the pigs are smarter.  When settling the issue of the milk disappearing, Squealer was sent out to talk to the other animals.  After telling them what happened and the reason why the pigs took the milk, the animals were still not fully convinced, so he emphasized the purpose of why they took the milk by saying, “Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty?  Jones would come back!  yes, Jones would come back!  Surely, comrades, surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?” (p.52).  He knows that the animals don’t want Jones to come back, so as an excuse for why the pigs took the milk for themselves, he says that their main goal to just keep Jones away from the farm.  Whenever he tries to convince the “lower” animals that the pig’s main and true purpose at heart is to keep Jones and his men away from the farm, and to keep the animals free from human hands and unfair power.  

Should child actors be expected to be role models? I say YES.

Child actors in shows marketed for young audiences should be expected to serve as role models for their young audiences.  Some people claim that child actors should have the right to make mistakes and to do whatever they want and not be judged so harshly by society by it, but the mistakes that they make are still seen by their younger audiences, and oftentimes, they don't understand that they are making a mistake, but that they are doing it since they are "cool" or something.  When a Disney star like David Henrie for example goes out drinking when he is 19, even if it is in Puerto Rico, where the legal drinking age is 18, younger audiences don't understand that concept.  They don't look up the legal drinking age in Puerto Rico.  They just take it as a 19 year old American actor is drinking, and that it is perfectly fine to drink alcohol.  


Even though Lindsay Lohan isn't portrayed as a Disney actor as much anymore, she first launched her career in the Disney movie, the Parent Trap.  Lohan has been in many scandals recently, including multiple DUIs and drug charges.  She was sentenced to 90 days in jail in July, 2010, 30 days for her first DUI arrest, another 30 days for her second arrest, and 30 more days for reckless driving, but in the end, she only had to serve 13 days in jail before being released and sent directly to drug rehabilitation.  Teenagers or younger audiences may absorb these events in a different manner than people who understand the situation differently will.  Younger audiences might think that driving under the influence, using drugs (like cocaine, which Lohan uses), or reckless driving is perfectly fine, because even if they do it and get arrested for it, they won't get into much trouble, since they may think that they won't need to serve the full sentence like Lohan did.  


Child actors are often seen as role models to younger audiences, and if they are constantly exposed to the actors they look up to doing things that aren't viewed as "proper" to society, they won't understand that, since they are often too young to decipher between the wrong and the right.  Child actors should act as role models to their audiences, and act in a way that won't harm others if imitated or followed.


Resources:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/comments_blog/2010/07/free-lindsay-lohan-ordered-to-jail-but-for-how-long-.html
http://backseatcuddler.com/2009/03/05/latest-disney-star-scandal-booze-skanks/ (I read a lot of the comments for opinions and some ideas.)

Political Power --> Corruption?

In my opinion, political power often corrupts the people who attain it.  Even though Hitler may be an extreme example, Hitler became corrupted after he gained so much power and began to go kill many Jews and other races, because he was trying to find the people he finds most ideal: the people with blonde hair and blue eyes, or at least agreed with what he was trying to do.  I think that George Orwell would respond to this question similarly; I believe that he thinks that political power tends to corrupt the people who attain it too.  In the book, The Animal Farm, on page 37, he writes, "The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did no work, but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place." Moses, the crow, has much power (in a way), since the humans favor him above the other animals, and he is well fed and gets special treatment.  He is somewhat corrupt, because he tells lies to the animals and makes it difficult for the pigs to convince the animals that there is an actual purpose in rebelling, and that they're rebellion won't be completely pointless, because their descendants will be able to live in a different world without the humans, and that the rebellion may come sooner than they think, and they will need to be prepared if that is the case.  On page 38, Orwell writes, "his men were idle and dishonest, the fields were full of weeds, the buildings wanted rooting, the hedges were neglected, and the animals were underfed...he and his four men were in the stone-shed with whips in their hands, lashing out in all directions."  The people had power, and became corrupt and careless, drinking, and not doing their duties and taking care of the animals and feeding them, and when the animals get and start to rebel, they punish they with whips.

Food. YUM.

I hate writer's block, so I'm just going to write about something that I, like I bet many other people really enjoy.  Food. With some of a narrative in it.

The sound of my alarm - a song blasting from my iPod headphones - wakes me up.  I stretch, yawn, and rub my eyes, then get up to find something I can make to eat.  I walk to the fridge and shiver in the cold.  I miss the comfort of my bed.  I grab the milk and pour it into a cup.  The milk splashes into the cup, but I quickly put milk carton upright before the milk spills over.  I return the milk to its spot on the the fridge door, and put the cup into the microwave.  "Beep.  Beep.  Beep." One.  One.  Five.  One minute and fifteen seconds.  I run to complete my morning routine before running back to the kitchen to take the milk out.  I scan the kitchen for something else to eat.  Cereal, no.  Not enough time.  Graham crackers?  Nope, too sugary.  Noodles? Not enough time to cook or eat either.  I glance at the clock.  The bright green light tells me "7:18."  Crap! Late again.  I take a few large gulps of milk, wipe my mouth, grab a bag or Ritz, and run out of the house, stumble to put my shoes one, then grab my bike as I run out and start biking to school.  I brace myself for the long morning ahead, and eagerly wait for lunch.

Every Monday, Tiffany and I walk to Togo's to buy the daily special: the pastrami sandwich.  We order our sandwiches the same way every week: "Two pastrami sandwiches, on Parmesan bread, with everything but onions."  The Togo's sandwich has lettuce, mustard, tomatoes, pepperonicini, and pastrami.  The mustard is somewhat bitter, but it adds to the Togo's sandwich taste that I love.  It adds just just the right amount of bitterness to balance out the taste of the sweet tomato, the bland but cold lettuce, the spicy pepperonicini, and the pastrami.  Occasionally, I get the meal with a bag of jalapeño chips and a wild cherry pepsi. YUM. :D

CRANK. the book.

After looking through several blogs when there weren't as many this afternoon, I saw a blog post by Nawara on her winter break, and decided to read it.  She started to talk about Crank, so I couldn't help, but to respond to it.

I read Crank and Glass, by Ellen Hopkins. These books are very well structured and written. I recommend the Crank series to everyone in the whole world. It is so good-- I cannot stress it enough. I literally could not stop reading it. Although I had to use the bathroom a few times, I just held it in because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Every page became more tempting to know the next.

Before break, Nawara and I started talking about books after she saw me reading Fallout by Ellen Hopkins.  It is the third book in her series, with Crank and Glass as the first two books.  I showed her a few pages from the book, and told her to read it.  She thought it was kind of strange, but interesting how the book was written.  The book looks big, but it isn't that long, because the books written in somewhat of a poem format.  Whenever anyone looks inside the book, they always ask me if its written in poems, and even though it looks like its a poem, its basically just a story with regular sentences just like any other book, but instead of the sentence being complete and written to completely fill a line up, Ellen Hopkins breaks apart her sentences to create images at times, or some pattern.  It takes a while to get used to, but it's not confusing or anything like that.

The book talks about a girl, Kristina, and what happens to her life after she visits her father and gets a taste of crank with him.  Her life seems better at first, but then it starts to go downhill after she loses her grasp and gets high too much, and she loses control of her life and her body too.  It's really dramatic, and like Nawara says, once you start to read about her life and find it interesting, the book is sooooooo hard to put down.  When I read the book, I would normally read it during times I was busy and had a ton of stuff to do still, but I needed to know what happened to Katrina.  I would continuously tell myself, "One more section, then that's it," but still, I kept on reading, until thirty or fifty pages later, I'd actually put down the book because I had things to finish or I had to go sleep because it was so late (after midnight :).  I highly suggest this book, it is an amazing book, and Ellen Hopkins has become one of my favorite authors.

Psst!!! Nawara! Read Impulse asap. (all you other people too :D) its sooooooo gooood. My favorite book by her so far.

So Many Choices for College!

From class, Sutherland had us read seven pieces that answered the question: "Will you have a better life if you graduate from an elite school?"  Some of the pieces claimed that by going to an elite school, the salary of the student would be higher than one who went to a non-elite college, while others claim just the opposite.

The piece that most convinced me of its point was the piece, "Graduate School Matters More" by David W. Breneman.  This piece was particularly convincing, since it considered and talked about most of the more important aspects of colleges and universities, like attention for students, whether they put more attention and effort to undergrad students or to research and graduate education.  The piece also discusses how a person can consider what university or college to go to based on whether they are planning to attend a graduate or professional school after the undergraduate degree.  Depending on the undergraduate school a student chooses, some schools give them a better chance of getting into the graduate or professional school of their choice.  Breneman realizes how people all have different personalities and ways of learning, and explains how it is better for a student to perform very well in a not as distinguished and well known than in a school where they are lost and confused in "a highly selective institution."  He talks about finance as well, which helped to convince me of his point, which is to just choose a school that fits your personality, and you feel like you'd be able to learn in, rather than one where it would be hard to be successful in.

The piece that confused me the most and answered the question the most poorly in my opinion, was titled, "The Specialization Trade-Off" and is written by James Shulman.  To me, this was the worst piece because Shulman didn't even answer the question.  He focuses on sports, and sport scholarships for athletes at elite colleges, but for someone like me who isn't the least bit interested in getting a sports scholarship, or in getting into an elite school with mediocre grades, but instead with really good sports skills, it doesn't appeal to me, and I can't connect to it.  After reading Shulman's answer to the question, it just made me question whether it's really worth it or not to get into an elite college, because there will be students who aren't at the college for the good education to get a good business job or whatever, but to play sports.  So I'm now concerned about how good the education at an elite college with a strong focus on sports teams will be.