Gaokao Testing

            Every June in China high school students take a college entry exam called the gaokao. The gaokao test is the only way into a Chinese university. Students can do nothing else because they have to study so hard for the test. The test puts an insane amount of pressure and stress on the students because getting into a university and getting a good job relies solely on this exam.  Therefore, it is not fair that so much is riding on one single test for these students.

            The gaokao test puts too much pressure and stress on students. For instance in the article “China’s Cram Schools” by Brook Larmer it states that “the gaokao is like the SAT or ACT, but it’s more than twice as long and the stakes are much higher… the test is the only thing that matters for admission to Chinese universities.” The test is so important and students want to do well on it, but it causes them so much stress and makes them work super hard. The exam is the only thing that matters for getting into a university, so if students fail or don’t get a good grade on them they can’t go to college; because of that they won’t get a good job. Another example of the stress the gaokao puts on kids is, “teenage suicide rates tend to rise as the gaokao nears.” Students can get so stressed and overwhelmed by the exam that they commit suicide because they can’t handle it. The test causes students to do so much work and put so much pressure on them that they can’t handle it. The work is overwhelming and obviously doesn’t have a positive affect on the students.  Students should not get to the point where they take their own lives because of a test to get into universities.

The gaokao is the only way that students can get into universities in China. For instance in Larmer’s article it states, “manual labor would be their fate too, if they failed to do well on the gaokao. Yang and Cao would have to join the ranks of China’s 260 million migrant workers, who have left their homes in rural china in search of construction or factory jobs.” Students know what will happen to them if they don’t pass the test, and they don’t want to have to work in factories or on construction. Because of this the students also stress themselves out and put too much pressure on themselves. If the students don’t do well on the test they can’t get into a good university, and if they don’t get into a good university then they can’t get good jobs and they will have to work in factories or construction, traveling from place to place for work. Another point the article makes is, “there is no alternative to the gaokao; a few points either way could determine whether he qualifies for a degree that could change his life—or nothing.” If your test result is a few points off from a passing grade you fail and you can’t get the same opportunities that people with a result of one or two points higher. People who pass get the opportunity to get a degree and have a good job, but if you don’t pass you have to do manual labor for the rest of your life. Parents don’t want that for their kids.

On the other hand, these tests give students from rural backgrounds opportunities that were never an option for them before.  For example the article says, “the students at Maotanchang, most of whom come from rural areas, the gaokao offers the promise of a life beyond the fields and the factories.” By taking the test people from rural places can have jobs other that farmers or factory or construction workers. Another more positive example from the article is, “in 2013, more than 9,000 Maotanchang students—about 80 percent of those who took the exam—scored high enough to enter a university.” That shows that student’s hard work does pay off and that they can succeed when they take the test. But, the gaokao test puts too much unwanted stress and pressure on the students.

Overall, it isn’t fair that so much rides on a single test for many Chinese students because it puts too much pressure and stress on them and it is the only way for teens to be accepted into universities and for them to get a degree and succeed at a job of their choice. If the students fail the test they will not get into universities and then they can’t get a good job. If you don’t go to university you have to become a migrant worker. These tests aren’t fair and students’ admission into university shouldn’t be based off of a grade on one single test.

"Between Shades of Grey" book club essay

            In 1941 the Germans and the Soviets in Russia went to war. The book “Between Shades of Grey” by Ruta Sepetys shows the story of a girl in Lithuania named Lina who was taken along with hundreds of other people to various work camps in Europe by the Soviet’s. In the book Lina’s mother stays strong in tough situations for her children and has hope that one day their family will return home.

            Throughout book Lina’s mother tries not to seem worried that the NKVD are taking them away. For example when the NKVD come to their house the mother says to Lina, “It’s a misunderstanding. Lina, are you listening?” (Page 6) The mother doesn’t seem worried about what is going to happen. Or at least she is trying to keep her children from being worried. Another example is when the bald man says, “We’re all going to die” the mother says “Nonsense!” (Page 14). She is trying to make her children feel better about their situation and what they are experiencing. The mother doesn’t want them to think that they are going to die or that something bad will happen to them. The mother may also be reassuring herself that they are not going to die and that her children will be ok.

           In the book Lina’s mother always wishes and hopes to return home to their house. For instance when the NKVD come to take them away the mother smashes all of their beautiful dishes, “We found our mother in the dining room, smashing all of her best crystal and china on the floor… ‘Don’t cry, darling. We’ll get much nicer things.” The mother wants to come home and have nicer things than before. But she doesn’t want to leave her old stuff behind to get ruined by people. Another example is after the mother died Mrs. Rimas asks Lina if there is anything left in the mother’s suitcase that she brought with her “I pulled Mother’s suitcase from under the board she lay on. I was wrong. Inside were fresh, clean clothes. A light dress, silk stockings, shoes without scuffs, her tube of lipstick… Mrs. Rimas brought a hand to her mouth. ‘She really intended to return home’… She kept them, to return to Lithuania in a clean set of clothes.” (Page 320). The mother got really sick and she was freezing. She could have put the clothes that were in her suitcase on anytime, but she chose not to because she wanted to have clean clothes to return home in. This also shows how strong the mother was because she kept believing that she was going to go home after all this was over.

            Overall, throughout “Between Shades of Grey” by Ruta Sepetys Lina’s mother stays strong and keeps believing that they will return home. The mother keeps her emotions hidden so she doesn’t worry her children and gives them hope that they will all get out of this together. The mother also tries to give her children hope in that they will return home and be riunited with their father. She stays strong for her family and for herself.

            

Poem Essay

            Relationships between parents and children can be complex.  The poems “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke are both poems about children and their relationships with their fathers. “My Papa’s Waltz” is about a child and his father’s fun, joyful relationship and “Those Winter Sundays” is about the child and his father’s complicated relationship.

           

            The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is about how the child and his father have a playful, happy relationship. For instance the father comes home from work and plays with his son: “you beat time on my head/ with a palm caked hard by dirt/ then waltzed me off to bed/ still clinging to your shirt.” A “palm caked hard by dirt” implies that the father works really hard. But when he gets home he puts his son first and plays with him before taking care of himself. Another example is “But I hung on like death:/ such waltzing was not easy/ we romped until the pans/ slid from the kitchen shelf.” The boy and his father are knocking things around and messing up the kitchen. They are playing and having a good time together. The father and his son have a good relationship and enjoy each other’s company.

            The poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden is about a child and his father’s complex relationship. For example the line “speaking indifferently to him/ who had driven out the cold/ and polished my good shoes as well.” The child’s father does so much for him but the child acts like it doesn’t matter.  The child speaks “indifferently” to him, which means without interest or concern. The child acts like he doesn’t really care what his father does for him. He has no appreciation for his father. Another example is “Sundays too my father got up early/ and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold/ then with cracked hands that ached/ from labor in the weekday weather made/ banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.” The father does all these things for his child but no one thanks him. The fact that he has “cracked hands that ached” means that the father works hard during the week. And even though the father doesn’t have to, he still goes home and does everything he can for his child. His son takes what his dad does for granted and he doesn’t appreciate what the dad has done. The father does all these things out of love, but the child doesn’t recognize it and he doesn’t thank his father. This indicates a bad relationship because the father does so much but he is not appreciated.  

In conclusion, “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke are both about father-child relationships. In “Those Winter Sundays” the father and the child don’t have a good relationship and the child takes what his father does for granted. In “My Papa’s Waltz” the father and the child play around and goof off with each other so they have a great relationship. Children should appreciate what their parents do for them and not take it for granted.

 Book Club Essay: “Night” 

The Holocaust was a terrible time in Europe. Around 6 million Jewish people were killed. The book “Night” by Elie Wiesel is about Elie’s experience in the Holocaust. Throughout the book Elie’s view on religion changes. In the beginning Elie is very focused on his religion and believes very strongly in it. Towards the end of the book he hears lots of other people questioning their faith in religion and he isn’t sure if he still wants to believe in God.

Before Elie goes to the concentration camps he practices his religion frequently and believes strongly in what he does. For instance, “Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” Elie is saying that praying is just as important as breathing and living, which shows how focused and concentrated he is on religion. Another example is, “By day I studied Talmud and by night I would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple.” Elie cares so much about his religion he cries about it. This shows how committed he is to practicing his religion.

While Elie is at the concentration camps he hears people around him questioning God and their belief in religion. For instance on p. 64 when a young boy is going to be hanged someone says, “Where is merciful God, where is He?” Elie is listening to people saying things like that, which makes him question his religion. The people who were so faithful to God are wondering why God is letting such horrible things happen to them. Another example is on p. 67 when Elie is listening to people pray he says, “Blessed by God’s name? Why, but why would I bless him?... How could I say to him: Blessed be thou, almighty, master of the universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured.” Elie almost seems mad that people are praying to God even after what he has “done” to them. He has gone from praying very faithfully to questioning why he should even pray at all.

Overall Elie’s perspective on religion changes throughout the text. He goes from taking it very seriously to questioning why he even should believe in God. The experience that he had to go through definitely changed his life and made his perspective on a lot of things change.

Argument Essay

            The “Time For Kids” debate article states that, “as many as 3.8 million concussions happened each year in sports and recreational activities.” Tons of kids play contact sports, and many of them experience injuries like concussions. Concussions can lead into other more serious injuries. When teens play contact sports they can push themselves over the limit and get severe injuries. Therefore teens shouldn’t play contact sports because they are dangerous.

Contact sports result in teens pushing themselves too hard. For instance the article “For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point” states that, “every year more than 3.5 million children under 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which are results of simple overuse.” Teens are getting minor injuries while playing contact sports. But instead of resting whatever they injure, they keep playing the game: even when they should be resting and coming back later. By down playing an injury you can make it worse. Another example is in “How Children and Teens Can Avoid Sports Injuries” it says, “42 percent of kids have played sports injured.” That means that when kids get hurt they are so focused about winning or playing their sport that they don’t pay attention to their injuries. Putting more stress and strain on injuries can make them much worse. You don’t want a small injury to turn into something that will affect you long term.

            When teens play contact sports they can experience severe injuries. For example in “Football’s Risks Sink In, Even in the Heart of Texas” it says “Players as young as 7 sustain hits to the head comparable in magnitude to those absorbed by high school and adult players.” When little 7 year olds play football and they get tackled to the ground, they could potentially experience the same head injuries that professional and high school football players sustain. When kids play sports their parents should not have to worry about their children getting bad concussions that lead to long term brain and head injuries. Another example is in “Time for Kids” debate article it states “Kids brains… are more at risk for injury than adult brains.” Kids are more likely to get severe head injuries because their heads/brains are more vulnerable. If a small child gets a bad head injury it could affect their life and be something they have to live with forever. Kids shouldn’t play contact sports because they can get major injuries that will have a long-term affect on their life.

On the other hand, contact sports keep kids healthy and fit.  According to “Young Teens Who Play Sports Feel Healthier and Happier About Life” the text states that “Research shows that middle-school teenagers who are physically active and play on sports teams are more satisfied with their life and feel healthier.” When kids play on sports teams they have fun and don’t have to worry about school or anything else. They just get to focus on the game. The kids are having fun and they are staying healthy. Another example is in “For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point” it says “Indeed, I wish many more would move away from their computers, put down their iPods and cellphones and devote more time and energy to physical activities.”  Kids these days spend too much time playing video games. Contact or any kinds of sports let kids have fun. When kids don’t get enough exercise it can be bad for their health. So sports are a good way to keep healthy but have fun at the same time. But, contact sports are unsafe for children to play because of the injury risk at hand.

Overall, kids and teens should not play contact sports because they are dangerous. Teens can push themselves too hard and burn themselves out and get severe injuries. When teens play contact sports they are not safe. Even if they are not on the receiving end if the hits they can still hurt themselves from tackling other people. There need to be more safety measures in order for it to be safe to let teens play contact sports. Everybody should be aware about how dangerous contact sports are and what kind of things they can do to affect their lives.

Bibliography

Brody, Jane E. "For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point." Nytimes.com. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web.

Winchester, Elizabeth. "Debate! Should Kids under 14 Play Contact Sports?" N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web

Belson, Ken. "Football's Risks Sink In, Even in Heart of Texas." N.p., 11 May 2014. Web.

"Young Teens Who Play Sports Feel Healthier and Happier about Life." N.p., 14 Oct. 2010. Web.