Final

     With both my parents in the design industry, art has always been a part of life. As an infant, I scribbled on my Leapfrog Doodle Pad. As a child, I sketched my mind. As a teenager, I was exposed to the world of photoshop. But although I had always knew art to be my career, I never gave it a serious thought until I entered the ninth grade.
    My cousin, Christy, and I always had a distant relationship. I was raised to embrace people and she was raised to be a more conservative person. As a result, she never reciprocated my desires to bond with her.
    Of course, she wasn’t my only cousin. In fact, out of all my relatives, the two of us might have been the most different. But there was one thing about her that made her stand out above the rest to me. She had a talent that many of them lacked; a talent that I strove for.
    She loved to draw, and she was good at it. She was capable of sketching anything she saw. I loved to watch her, too. She would sketch, color, and occasionally frame her work. And sometimes, I would just stare at the wall filled with her artwork, speechless and amazed. But aside from art, we didn’t have much else in common. She was a loud, rebellious teenager and I was just an innocent little child. But I longed for her to see past our differences and accept me.

    “Andy...Andy, wake up. We’re here.” said Dad. I had been riding in the car for the past two hours, and though I was only awake for about fifteen minutes worth of the ride.
    My family hurriedly walked out of the car. My mother handed me a cardboard box. Inside was a pot of steaming hot soup. I needed to be careful.
    They speed walked up to the front porch with excitement. I trotted behind like a penguin. After three knocks and about ten seconds, Uncle Jack opened up the front door and welcomed us in. As I waddled in, he relieved me of the cardboard box, placing it onto the counter, so that I could take off my shoes and jacket. After my parents and I finished, we formed a circle in the living room, with inevitable family discussion up ahead.
    “Merry Christmas!” announced my mother. She was shy around strangers, but she was quite a talker to those who knew her.
    “And to you, too!” responeded my Aunt Polly, who sat between Uncle Jack and their son, Derek.
    “So how’s school, Andy!” he asked. I didn’t respond. Actually, I didn’t hear him. There was something wrong; something missing. The treadmill looked the same as last year. The furniture hadn’t budged since the very first time I was here. And Wesley was barking outside.
    But then I noticed what was missing, or rather who.
    “Where’s Christy?” I asked with my innocent eight-year-old voice. Suddenly, my uncle’s smile shifted into a slight frown. His shoulder’s began to slump. But after a quick pause, he reverted to his original position and said with his usual glee,
    “She’s just out hanging with her friends.” He responded. My father nudged me a bit and gave me a slight look telling me not to bring it up again. And so, obediently, I didn’t, but I knew something was wrong.

    Because I have not been given permission, I must leave out the details, but Christy had used her right as an adult, as she was now nineteen, and left home. And I wouldn’t see her again for another five years.

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    When I saw  her again, at age thirteen, she had been living a relatively unpleasant life prior, and was getting short or resources. So when she stood at
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From the summer afternoon that I, now thirteen, saw her again, our relationship changed. She had been living a relatively unpleasant life prior, and was getting short on resources. So when she stood at my family’s doors, we openly welcomed her in and housed her. From there, we slowly grew closer to one another.

“Hey Christy. Can you help me with this?” I asked as politely as an oblivious boy could.

“Errr” she made a small pause. “Sure. What do you need help with?”
    “I can’t seem to draw this guy right. I just don’t know what’s wrong with him.

“I see.Well, for starters, his head is way too big and his legs are way too short.”

“Oh?” I said. “I hadn’t noticed.

“Well that’s because your eyes are too used to the drawing already. Try looking at it backwards” Obediently, I flipped the paper to its backside.

“You’re right!” I exclaimed. “Thank you so much.”

Merely one of our many new experiences. Christy was my role model in the past because of her amazing art. However, our different personalities made it difficult for me to connect with her. But this dramatic event in her life allowed me to strengthen the bond we had, and in time, strengthen me.

8: 56 PM. Christy, my mother, and I formed a triangle around our living room; making small talk before Christy would leave for Japan. She was to join her on-duty husband in Okinawa. This would be the last time we would see each other for quite a while, even though it was only two weeks prior that she had announced it.

8: 57. Her phone rang. Her cab was waiting for her outside the house. The three of us had our final goodbyes. Then she stepped off the front porch and onto the overgrown pathway; the cab awaiting at the end.

8: 58. My mother had already gone back inside. I stood at the door watching her pack her luggages into the trunk when she signaled me over to help.

8:59. The luggages were packed. The two of us were facing each other right outside the open car door. She had ordered me not to hug her. I did so anyways.

9:00. All was silent. The cab had left. I stood alone on the curb in front of my house. There were many things I was going to miss about having her around. Her help with chores, help with homework, and help with friends, occasionally, were gone. There are times to be independent, but there is nothing wrong about asking for help. That was her unintended lesson to me.

9:01. My mother signaled me back inside, and I obediently came back in.

Comments

Rough Draft

Book Post 2

In America, families receive money from the government as compensation for when an immediate family member passes away. However, although life has been granted a cash value, one must keep in mind that this is only compensation to a family for the income of the deceased. It is not an actual calculation of their worth. In reality, it is immeasurable. The value of life is too potent and influencial to be assigned a dollar value.

Several sources attempt to produce a number representing your life value, such as The Human Life Calculator (www.lifehappens.org). However, these generators are inaccurate for several reasons. The first is that the information they give only regards financial worth. This cuts out their social and even political value from its calculations, making it an unreliable form of information. For example, according to The Human Life Calculator, I am worth just a bit over 2,000,000 (keep in mind this is supposed to equal out a life). However, the questions given only asked about my job and my family. It asked nothing of my friends and nothing of my dreams. It is, in essence, wrong. Furthermore, it lacks accuracy. According to the site’s disclaimer, “This human life value calculator should not be viewed as a comprehensive assessment...[as]...it does not account for the specific occupation and education of you or your spouse”. It assumes that your spouse has the same job with the same pay. However, in a majority of families, this is not the case. Life cannot be calculated technically, because there are so many factors that can alter one’s overall life value.

 Therefore, there are too many nuts and bolts in life to calculate. Amanda Ripley comments on this statement in her article “What is a Life Worth?”. She states, “The concept of assigning a price tag to a life has always made people intensely squeamish...but until now, the public at large has not had to reckon with the process and its imperfections” (para 1). Here, she remarks that the people have misconceived the idea of government compensation as a determination of someones life worth, and that this is due to the sheltered lives Americans live every day. Furthermore, it lacks accuracy. According to the site’s disclaimer, “This human life value calculator should not be viewed as a comprehensive assessment...[as]...it does not account for the specific occupation and education of you or your spouse”. It assumes that your spouse has the same job with the same pay. However, in a majority of families, this is not the case. Life cannot be calculated technically, because there are so many factors that can alter one’s overall life value.

Book Post 1

In America, families receive money from the government as compensation for when an immediate family member passes away. However, although life has been granted a cash value, one must keep in mind that this is only compensation to a family for the income of the deceased. It is not an actual calculation of their worth. In reality, it is immeasurable. The value of life is too potent and influencial to be assigned a dollar value.

Several sources attempt to produce a number representing your life value, such as The Human Life Calculator (www.lifehappens.org). However, these generators are inaccurate for several reasons. The first is that the information they give only regards financial worth. This cuts out their social and even political value from its calculations, making it an unreliable form of information. For example, according to The Human Life Calculator, I am worth just a bit over 2,000,000 (keep in mind this is supposed to equal out a life). However, the questions given only asked about my job and my family. It asked nothing of my friends and nothing of my dreams. It is, in essence, wrong. Furthermore, it lacks accuracy. According to the site’s disclaimer, “This human life value calculator should not be viewed as a comprehensive assessment...[as]...it does not account for the specific occupation and education of you or your spouse”. It assumes that your spouse has the same job with the same pay. However, in a majority of families, this is not the case. Life cannot be calculated technically, because there are so many factors that can alter one’s overall life value.

 Therefore, there are too many nuts and bolts in life to calculate. Amanda Ripley comments on this statement in her article “What is a Life Worth?”. She states, “The concept of assigning a price tag to a life has always made people intensely squeamish...but until now, the public at large has not had to reckon with the process and its imperfections” (para 1). Here, she remarks that the people have misconceived the idea of government compensation as a determination of someones life worth, and that this is due to the sheltered lives Americans live every day. Furthermore, it lacks accuracy. According to the site’s disclaimer, “This human life value calculator should not be viewed as a comprehensive assessment...[as]...it does not account for the specific occupation and education of you or your spouse”. It assumes that your spouse has the same job with the same pay. However, in a majority of families, this is not the case. Life cannot be calculated technically, because there are so many factors that can alter one’s overall life value.

Family History Project Connection - The American Dream

A pattern that can be observed from many of these stories are immigration and westernization. I found in various of these stories the tale of a family living in a foreign country, often very or mildly poor, moving to the United States. In three stories specifically, three families were all trying to manage and get by with what little they had, including mine. They then figured on trying the American dream and venturing out to the States. Those families had a child or more and so that child then became the first generation American in their family. This leads to various instances both good and bad.
        In all three stories, the family of the student has to go through some experience or various experiences that lead them to go to the US. In John Hamilton's family story, he didn't necessarily move to the states from a foreign country but rather from Texas to California. But the principle is still the same. His family was living in a difficult environment and as a result moved to California to seek out better opportunities.
       In Andy Lau's family story, he talks about how his mother lived in China  and had to endure many grueling experiences which lead her to move to the states to raise her child; Andy.

"My mom described how their family had to go to the local public shower rooms that were created for people who did not have showers or toilets in their houses. She described these as dirty and filthy places that she hated going to."

 we can see hear from one of the experiences his mother had to go through. That it not only gave her character but influenced her to come to America in hope of seeking the "American Dream". Another similar story, Jackson's, tells the story of his grandfather who came back to America from war to protest. He knew that across the Atlantic ocean the US would not do much so he instead came back to the States and became a protester and "hippie".

"After leaving, he, along with many of his friends, etc. began to protest the war. I guess you could say at one point he became the classic image of a “hippie."

In all these stories it's important to notice how most if not all of them tell the story of coming to the states to seek out something better. It shows what promises and ideas that were thought while creating America. That many if not almost everyone comes to America for work, safety, etc.
       In these three stories and other ones I have read, the story of how their parents came to America for saftey or better opportunities intrigues me and how they are now the first generation of their family. These patterns are not coincidence, but Westernization in a way. The goal of America was to make this land for the free where anythings are possible as long as you can dream it. That is why there are these emerging patterns.

Amy Tan and Amy Chua

In the current day and age, different styles of traditional parenting can be seen very typically by ethnicity. The “Chinese” method, dubbed by Amy Chua as “Tiger Mom” parenting, revolves around the usage of strict, rule-based tactics to instill a constant obedience in the child. Another writer, Amy Tan, shows agreement in her book, The Joy Luck Club.

In “Two Kinds”, a chapter in the book, the character Jing-Mei describes her childhood, in which her mother stressed very strongly about her desire for Jing-Mei to become a piano prodigy. She kept complaining that the song played by a young girl on the television did not sound good, but could not state a reason. When Jing-Mei defends the girl by saying she’s trying her best, the mother changes her focus and starts comparing her to the girl on TV.

    Similarly, Amy Chua would not give her daughters positive feedback. In fact she was totally against it. In her article, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, she states,

“What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children...never want to work, which is why it is crucial...This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist...which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle.”(para. 5)

    As one can see here, Chua believes that if a child is praised, they will become spoiled. This agrees with the actions of Jing-Mei’s mother as she immediately bad-mouthed her when she spoke against her mother’s opinion. Furthermore, Amy Chua not only states that not providing positive feedback to a child will make them more obedient, but that doing so will create a resistant and lazy one.
    In Tan’s, “Without Wood”, another character, Rose Hsu, is having marital issues and chose to see a psychiatrist. Her mother, An-mei, is confused and slightly hurt by her daughter, who chose to see a complete stranger rather than her own mother. The book states,

“A mother knows what is inside you,’ she said. . . . ‘A [psychiatrist] will only make you [confused], make you see [a dark fog].’ Back home, I thought about what she said. . . . [These] were words I had never thought about in English terms. Maybe they can’t be easily translated because they refer to a sensation that only Chinese people have.”

    Here, not only has Rose chosen to talk to someone else about her issues rather than her mother, but she also has shown difficulty translating her mothers word, showing that she is more Americanized than the other daughters who range from attending Joy Luck with their parents to actually participating in the games they play. This may seem irrelevant at first. However, if one takes into consideration that An Mei, the mother, raised her daughter more loosely to the Chinese traditions, we can see an obvious connection between what Rose is experiencing and what Amy Chua believes.
    In summarization, the philosophy of Amy Chua and those mentioned in The Joy Luck Club reflect a similar ideology. Both state that children will abuse a loose parenting method, while holding a strict standard to them will instill obedience.

JLC Blog Post 4

In Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club”, many cyclical elements can be seen within the chapters. For example, in the beginning of the book, Jing-Mei Woo, an Americanized Chinese daughter whose mother is a Chinese immigrant, is resistant to the Chinese influence in her life. She disliked attending Joy Luck Club, a regular gathering of Chinese families established by her mother, and hated playing as the forth corner of the Mah Jong table after her mother pases away. However, as the book progresses, she discovers more about her deceased mother’s past. As a child, Jing-Mei was always told a story about her mother’s history in China, especially about the “Kweilin Story”. In it, she talks about her joyous life in the city of Kweilin and the Joy Luck Club there. But as the years went on, the story became darker. The Japanese invaded. She had to leave Kweilin with everything she had in a barrel. And then, she mentioned two baby daughters, both of which she had to abandon when she lost all her strength. Jing-Mei discovers that the two daughters are still alive, and she sets out to find them. During her journey, she discovers more about what it means to actually be Chinese. And by the end, after meeting her two sisters, Jing-Mei knows what it truly means to be Chinese. By the end of the book, she realizes what it is that makes her Chinese. It is not the color of her skin, not the way she talks. It is her family. Her family makes her Chinese.    

Family History Project

Even though no one was there, I watched my step as I crept into his office. He had been my mentor, my friend. If he found out what I was doing, years of friendship would have been sacrificed. But I didn’t care. There was always something he never taught me - something I needed to know. And I was going to find out.

I’d wanted to be a doctor ever since I was just a child. There I sat - at his office holding the book open with one hand and copying it down with the other. It was already long past midnight, so I quickly jotted down the characters and diagrams. After I finished, I sat back, relaxed my shoulders, and skimmed through my copy to make sure everything was perfect. Then I took out two more small notepads I brought with me and made another pair of copies, with my two brothers in mind...

In my village, the doctors were scarce, but the sick were many. When I was growing up, there were at least eight of us - eight that I can remember that is. But most of my siblings didn’t survive. Being the second oldest, I always felt it was my duty to take care of my younger brothers, and when my older brother died, I knew I couldn’t fail with the other two remaining. That’s why I strove to cure my village. That’s why I became a doctor.

But in that day and age, it was difficult to become one. There were no colleges and no hospitals. If someone wanted to be a doctor, they would have to find someone to teach them. Luckily, someone found him for me.

My father was good friends with a renowned doctor in the village. When I became a teenager, he taught me almost everything he knew about curing people for years to come; from basic medicine to secret soup recipes. But when I became of age, I discovered that he hidden some information from me, for it was a secret only passed down within the doctor’s family.

Most others would simply ignore that missing information and feel blessed for what they had already been taught. But for me, I had strove far too long to be a doctor to not learn everything I needed to. So one night, I hatched a plan: I would sneak into his office, find his secret, and copy it down into three books; one for me and a copy for each of my brothers...

As I finished the final copy, I put the original book back in its place, making sure I put it precisely the way I found it. After which I swiftly snatched the three copies and made my way out of the building.

---

When I first heard this story, some five years prior to writing this, I had begged my father to tell me a story of family history. I had heard myths about my ancestors all my life. But I wanted something solid. This story was his response. Fast forward a couple of years: I asked him again for the sake of the this piece.

I tried to keep the main character as true to the original as possible, so he lacks much description. The three books mentioned in the story were distributed between the main character and his brothers, the youngest of which was my great grandfather. Over the generations, his copy was passed down to my grandfather and from him to my father. My grandfather was raised illiterate because of the actions in World War 2. As a result, information about the story has been forgotten over the years, making elaboration of it impossible.

However, despite my grandfather’s illiteracy, the book was used by his literate colleagues to cure the village, which he was now the chief of, fulfilling my great great uncles dream.

Although my father possesses the book, it is viewed by my family more as a sacred treasure of our ancestor than a medical journal. The characters use a form of Cantonese similar to comparing Old English to its modern day counterpart. In addition, it references to many medical terms he does not recognize.

To me, the book, being generations beyond its origin, is a reminder of the struggles my ancestors endured to create the family I have today. I eagerly await the day that the book can be passed down to me, too. It is more than just a family heirloom. It is a family treasure.

QuickWrite: The Spark of Revolution

Very early in the year, revolution has spread all over the Middle East; Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria. But this series of revolt differs from history. The revolutionaries strive for their goal without violence. They strive to change their nation without destroying it. They strive for a new brand of brand of revolution.

But why would so many minor nations suddenly be filled with protest for change? There is no proof that all the revolts are organized. There is no proof that there is any direct connection at all. The cause for all these revolutions lie in the ashes of an individual who gave their lives to speak out: The Burning Man.

On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit seller from Tunisia, set himself alight in protest of the Tunisian government, who had just confiscated his goods. He did not survive the incident. However his act catalyzed the 2010-2011 Tunisian Revolution, which resulted in a change of government without civil war or military involvement.

Over the course of thirty days after “the burning man” incident, others had become inspired to revolutionize their country. The “burning man” became the “burning men” as others followed Bouazizi’s act to reach their voices to their own countries. On Febuary 11, 2011, Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt for 30 years, stepped out of power after weeks of rioting in the streets. Third World countries all over the Middle East are in the process of protesting. A mere fruit seller from Tunisia has become a hero all over the region, the “spark of revolution”, if you will.

Amazingly though, this process was analyzed almost twenty years before this period by George Orwell; documented in his book “Animal Farm”. Mohamed, “the burning man”, bears a large resemblance to Major, the boar at the beginning of the book who gave a speech that inspired the animals to revolt. Both Mohamed and Major spoke out against the system, and gave a vision to their audience of the future. Major gave a speech that inspired the animals to revolt in the view of a brighter future. Meanwhile, Mohamed set himself aflame to bring attention to his treatment, allowing the citizens to see the result if the system stayed the same. Either way, both revolutionized their nation through their actions.

AF Chapter 11: Andy Tsang - Pedro Vargas

XI

OVER the next month, rebellion was on the tip of the animals’ tongue. Riots had broken out. Secret meetings were held. Some even believed that the dogs had become convinced to join their cause. Although the animals only knew of this as a rumor, from hen to hen, from cow to cow, one thing was clear: The pigs must be thrown out.

     One morning, Clover had woken up from a protest held outside the barn. The animals walked in an organized fashion, taking identical steps and singing Beast of England. As she observed quietly from her stall, she noticed Benjamin marching in front of the others, apparently leading them.

     Then, he stopped, and all the animals behind him halted. “Comrades”, he shouted, “we have endured the pain of enslavement for too long. Our farm is a hollow shell of the one it sought to become.”

     “Years ago, to prized boar known as Major gave his speech of a vision where all animals were equal; where all animals could eat as much as they worked and would in turn joyously work as much as they ate. But look at us now. Look at our farm.”

     “Comrades, we rebelled against the humans to fulfill that vision. But instead, we now work for the pigs; maybe even harder than we had to for the humans. They have merely enslaved us with a false sense of freedom. Comrades, this is not true freedom! This is not what we fought for at the Battle of Cowshed! This is not Animal Farm.”

     At that, all the animals sang Beast of England at the top of their lungs, and then another three times. When the finished, they charged towards the windmill, where the dogs joined in on the riot. “This cursed monument was formed from the blood and sweat of us animals”, shouted Benjamin. “Yet it has not ever been used for us! Let it now be used to overthrow the pigs! We will destroy it and use its shattered pieces to attack the oppressors.” The animals charged towards the windmill, knocking it down from the base. Tumbled and smashed on the ground, each animal gathered their share of debris and threw it at Mr. Jones’ house, where the pigs had been hiding during the revolt.

     After all the debris was thrown at the house, the animals could only stare at the broken windows. Some began to remember the commandment “No animal shall kill any other animal”. None of the animals were brave enough to enter the farm and finally eradicate the pigs. But then, one of the dogs took a step towards it, and then another. Soon enough, all the animals followed the dogs into the farmhouse. But there were no pigs to be found. As they investigated, the animals noted that the backdoor to the house was open, along with a gaping hole along the fence behind it.

     Throughout the next couple of days, new foundations were laid in remembrance of Major’s dream. The seven commandments were revived, along with an eight

     8. No animal shall rule over any other animal.

     The leader of the dogs, Maxito, had been placed in charge of the farm for the dog’s bravery during The Battle of the Pighunt, as it was now named. Benjamin and Clover became advisors to enforce the new commandment. The farm was re-named Animal Farm, in respect for Major’s vision. Everyone could sense that there was a bright future for Animal Farm.

     Not long after the new system was put into place, The Sunday meetings were recreated. Every Sunday, Maxito announced new regulations to adopt and the animals would vote for them. Almost every week, the laws were unanimously passed because they were usually supportive of the other animals. During the first meeting, he had announced that Animals would get food rations based on their product output, which most saw as a benefit to the farm. The next week, Maxito announced that the previous one had motivated the animals so much that they would receive double their original ration, which was obviously passed. Not long after, votes were routinely not taken, because nearly every animal would have voted for the law to be passed anyways.

     One Sunday, Maxito announced that he felt more dogs should be put into power, because they were the ones who led to rest of the animals. Almost all the animals agreed; all but Benjamin and Clover. The next day, the three of them had a meeting in barn, where the two advisors made clear their point. “Comrade”, Benjamin started, “the law just passed is in violation of the Eighth Commandment. If more dogs are in power, then during the council they will make up a majority, and will surely pass and veto any law the dogs please.”

     “If this happens”, Clover joined in, “then surely the dogs will be ruling over the other animals”.

     “Comrades”, said Maxito, “I understand your concern. But let me show you the truth! Come with me and I will show you why this law must be passed.” He led them out through the gate of the farm, and past the horizon, where the more secretive meetings were held. The other animals waited at the farm. Hours later, Maxito returned alone. He told the curious animals that, “I have sent them on a mission to spy on Mr. Pilkington. We believe that he is attempting to restore the power of the pigs.” Most of the animals believed him, especially the other dogs.

     The next day, more dogs were placed into power as temporary regents until Benjamin and Clover returned, in respect for the newly passed law. Maxito appointed Polo, a furry dog with untrimmed black hair, and Camilla, a female dog who was rumored to be his Maxito’s sweetheart when they were younger. He stated that he needed advisors who were experienced in the wrongs of the pigs, and those two were the closest to it with Benjamin and Clover gone.

     Then, on a particularly foggy morning, the animals awoke to the sound of squawking beyond from outside the barn. Moses was outside flying in a circular motion. They were familiar with his formation; he had big news. Once all the animals finished gathering around, he swooped down. “I have news!” he exclaimed, “You must see for yourself! Follow me!” He led the animals outside the farm. As the animals followed him, they noticed two shadows at the horizon. As the animals got closer, the shadows began to make out shapes. Soon, some of the animals gasped, followed by others. Soon all the animals could make out the shapes. It was Benjamin and Clover, apparently mauled by dogs.

     At that sight, all the animals realized the true intentions of the dogs - nothing more than that of the pigs. And Moses, with a changed expression on his face, stood in front of the dead bodies.

     "We must revolt!" he said...

Animal Farm Mini-Essay

In each of the animials in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, there lies a person or type of person in Russian Communism. Boxer represents the people who unconditionally supported Stalin, later assasinated because he was a safety risk to the pigs. Clover represents the educated people who were putting the puzzle together. However, the pigs are some of the most predominant symbols in the story.

Major, a boar in the beginning of the book, represents Marx. Karl Marx was a European philosopher who set the basis for Communism. Similarly, Major gave a speech of a wonderful society without humans, where everyone was equal. His speech inspired all the animals in the farm. He states, “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing...yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself." With this quote, he incites that all humans are evil. Later, when the farmer’s family is overthrown, the phrase “Four legs good, Two legs bad” is formed. The lesser animals in the farm have been completely misguided by the speech that all humans are horrible and selfish people. In reality, this is not the case.

Some time after Major dies, a revolt by the farm animals occurs.They are led by Snowball and Napoleon, the successive boars after Major. Although their cause is the same, they have a different view on the future of the farm animals. Snowball desires to fulfill the dream Major had. He creates a set of seven laws fashioned after the ideals of Major. Snowball states, “All animals are equal”. He creates this law based on Major’s speech. Essentially, Snowball is the creature that goes through thick and thin with the other farm animals. All of the animals are amazed by his dedication to them through his words

Napoleon, on the other hand, resembles more of a serpent. Sometime later, the two enter a fight, and Napoleon is projected to lose the election. In response, Napoleon uses his own secret police to get rid of Snowball, the same way Stalin did to Trotsky. Then, he begins to change up Snowball’s laws. Referring to the one above, it newly stated, “All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.” He utilizes the lower intellect of the animals against them. And the animals don’t notice the changes he’s made.

In conclusion, Napoleon and Snowball had completely different views of Major’s ideal, and the way they convinced the other animals were completely different as well.

Rebuttal

Recently, Wikileaks has become a huge topic as, although it benefits American society and follows the American ideal, it can be very harmful to useful propoganda by the government. According to Camal Saleh:

“What was unique about the site was that it allowed for anyone an “innovative, secure and anonymous way for independent sources around the world to leak information to [its] journalists”. So, the question arises: is Wikileaks overall more harmful or more beneficial to society?”

In his post, Saleh believes that Wikileaks is beneficial to society because American’s deserve to know whats happening in their country. I, on the other hand, believe that Wikileaks is a threat to the nation.

The American ideal was made by men who wanted a free nation not a progressive nation. Our first president was merely a military leader before he rose to office. I have no sour feelings to our founding fathers, but it is the truth. As such, the American ideal cannot be deemed as a vital political tool. During the Second World War, heavy propaganda was used to increase the military population and support. Had American government decided to follow the ideal and release the gory truth of war, the Allies may not have won.

The current situation may not be as extreme as a world war. However, Saleh does use the wars in the Middle East as a few of his examples. Getting 600,000 troops out of a country that will fire at them at first sight is not a particularly easy task. When Wikileaks releases the number of troops currently still in Iraq, protest erupts. However, the people to do riot do so at Obama who, according to the New York Times, has left less than 100,000 thousand troops there.

Wikileaks is an example of the American ideal misused by its citizens. The site has given distrust between the people and their governmen. As a result, the government can not raise enough money through funds and donations to get those troops out of the Middle East. It’s a cycle that the government is trying to stop but the people are trying to continue.

Opening Statement

Many people dislike the view of population control. Some people even fear it. It is seen as a issue of humanity. Many books, such as “Among the Hidden”, are about the distressed lives of a third-born child, the target of most stories regarding population control. Population police run wild, catching and shooting any of them found. However, these books have completely misguided the methods of population control. They do not need to be violent and forbidden. Most people state that population control is a wrong to humanity. However, in reality they have merely become insensitive of the idea to limit their sexual desires for the sake of the planet.

The overwhelming human population in the earth is of two things: extended lives and babies every six seconds. Although neither are remarkably taboo, they have effects. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, human life was capable of living past their 30’s. This is a blessing in many ways. However, it has become an overaddressed issue, to the point where people are looking into stem cell research to find ways to live forever. Death is a natural part of life, and if this planet is to survive, having a never lowering population of humans will be an extreme overuse of resources. Although stem cells are a renownable medical procedure, I feel that using it to prolong a person’s life forever could cause major problems Imagine if Hitler lived forever.

In the same way, with the Baby Boom in the 30’s and the sex revolution in the 60’s, the rate of babies being born has increased dramatically over the past century. The saddest part of the huge sexual activity in modern times is that most people don’t even want a baby. They just want sex.

My solution is simple. We don’t need population police or strict population laws to fix this problem in America. Simply put, we just make the lives of those who go beyond the limit, whether it be being a third-born child or a man over 200. more difficult. For example, if someone has a child beyond the limit for offsprings, they recieve a minor fee that they pay once a year. This could be in addition to their taxes, or some other method. Furthermore, that child will recieve minor disbenefits such as being on the top of the draft list in wars when they turn 18. Simply, create laws that give minor rare requirements of these children. If the laws could not be abided, they can be fought in court like with all cases.

Population Control does not have to be violent or strict. It can be achieved through small steps.

Does Power Corrupt?

In my opinion, when a group rebels against their institution, they do not see the responsibility that comes with the freedom. Furthermore, the leaders of the newfound institution have never dealt with these responsibilities. They thought of a free nation - equality for all. But they fail to think how. How can such a moral be sustained? They realize sooner or later that the solution lies in selfishness. They do not deal with these responsibilities. They ignore the immediate crisis and instead focus on their own goals or the goals of their party. This is known as corruption.

None of the leaders believed they were corrupted. For example, a new leader has been elected. The country is in great debt. The unemployment rate is through the roof. Crime has increased over the past decade (essentially, a situation not too different from right now). How would this person get their nation out of debt? Well, the nations money comes only through one way: taxes. The obvious solution to get out of debt then would be to raise taxes. But wait! The poor people don’t have any money. The upper class can afford lawyers instead. Then the middle class claims that the government is giving an unequal jurisdiction and riot in the streets. Attempting to raise taxes has only allowed the nation to hate this person even more.

How would this person react? Would they try to further benefit their nation? Their last attempt resulted in riots in the street, unemployment increase, and being sued for even more money. In most historical cases, they decide that the people are an unneeded commodity to their goals. Essentially, they kick the people out of their roles in the government. Without the people’s selfish needs in this leader’s way, they can further their personally believed goals for the country’s benefit. However, without the people, they no longer have any input on the best direction for the nation, so they go with their own. Usually, this is desires of expansion and greater wealth. They act on their own decisions, not that of the people.

My Overall Easiest Subject

Probably not as passionately, but math is also one of my favorite subjects. It may have been the fact that the answers are so direct, or that my past teachers could teach it very well, but I have always had a strong sense of mathematics, ever since sixth grade. At that time, I was doing extremely poorly in math, barely holding up a D. But then, after one parent teacher conference, I realized that had to change. I spent all my free time trying to make up my work and studying for test, and before I knew it, I ended the year with a solid B. It was that very day that I told myself, “If I applied myself like this for 2 months, and bumped my grade up 2 grades, then what could I could I accomplish if I had just done this from the beginning”. After that day, I never struggled with math, whether it’s Algebra, or Geometry, because if I was stuck, I just had to try harder, and I would get through it.
The reason why Math doesn’t threaten me is because of my logic. As a child, I always tried to view life in a fair and just manner, because fair is the only logical way of life. In my head, everything always had to be symmetrical or follow a pattern. And around the time that I figured this out, I was enrolled into the GATE program, but for some reason, I was never taught with the GATE system. And with that said, I can state that my strengths in math are my logical reasoning, since math is essentially, a numbers game.
So as long as I don’t over think my answers, I should have no problems learning the materials. In current times, I can grasp information very quickly, as long as I understand why. Teachers in the past who have taught in this way are some of my favorite teachers. They helped me learn my materials quickly and didn’t need to micro manage me. In other words, the best way to teach me the information is to teach me why. This stimulates my brain to remember the information, and if I forget, I have yet another method to remind me what it was.

Elite Colleges Debate Post

Throughout all of the seven pieces referring to the effect attending an elite university has over community college, I notice a relatively higher number of writers believing in the power of higher education, yet their evidence pales in comparison with those who support community college. For example, Anthony P. Carnevale's Access to Money and Power expresses that one can get more money if they invest more in elite education. He states that "those who score 1200 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT -- 96 percent of those who go to the selective colleges graduate, while those who go to the least selective four-year colleges graduate at a rate of 78 percent." While this statement shows an eighteen percent increase, he performs a logical fallacy. The SAT is taken before the students even enter college. He is comparing the top scoring individuals who enter the best colleges to the lower scorers who go to their last resort. In addition, he also does not cite the source for the statistic, which further questions`his credibility.

In comparison, Martha O’Connel’s What you do VS. Where you go, the statistics are quite different. In her piece, she states that, “A long-term study of 6,335 college graduates published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that graduating from a college where entering students have higher SAT scores -- one marker of elite colleges -- didn't pay off in higher post-graduation income.” In addition to providing evidence that counterattacks Carnevale’s, she has also provided a source, with credibility by a nationally recognized organization.

However, out of all the pieces, I see David W. Brenman’s piece to be the most distinguished. Unlike the other one-sided views, Breneman supports individuality, in which the college that best suites you, appropriately, is up to you. As he states, “students must think long and hard about they type of education setting that will best fit the student. An Industrial Design major doesn’t want to go to Oxford. and a Medical Doctor wouldn’t want to go to Academy of Art. And such a close to home statement can be easily accepted without a source, because it comes from the heart. And honestly, a statement that goes without question provides the best arguement.