Gaokao Comparative Essay

Mohammed Islam 711 Gaokao Essay

China’s educational system is way more strict than the U.S’s educational system. In China, the only way you are bound to get a chance to get a successful future, you have to take the Gaokao test. The Gaokao test is a test that China’s teens have to take every June if they want to get into a top-notch college at China. The test is so stressful because it’s scores are the only thing that the college’s look at. However in the U.S, the tests for college, the SAT or the ACT, do have some what of a level of stress, but not as high as for students who take the Gaokao in China. The article “China’s Cram Schools” show how the expectations of the standards for colleges in China are higher than the expectations for the standards in the U.S.

In China, the only way you can go to a good college there is if you pass the Gaokao test, which is the only thing college administrators look at in China and creates a lot of stress for the students. In the article, “China’s Cram Schools,” it states that, “In some ways, the Gaokao is like the SAT or the ACT, but it’s more than twice as long and the stakes are much higher; test is the only thing that matters for admission to Chinese universities.” The test being the only thing that matters for admission for Chinese universities can build up pressure for the teens who are taking the Gaokao, because they know if they fail they automatically have no chance to get into a good  college. Also, the students know that if they fail the test, they will be letting down their families since they have worked so hard for the kid’s education, which payed off for nothing. Also since some families can’t afford a retake, the kid will be working in a lower-class job, like working in factories or working in construction areas. Another reason why the Gaokao is stressful is because it not only determines the future for the students, but it determines the future of the teacher. In the article it states, “Maotanchang’s teachers dole out lessons, and frequently punishments with military rigor; their job security and bonuses depend on raising their students’ test scores.” Not only does the result of the Gaokao tests show if the student can go to a college, but it determines if the teacher can keep his/her job or wages. Because of that, teacher’s have to step up their learning game and have to be more strict so the students can be more prepared for the Gaokao. Teacher’s have to give a lot of lessons to their children and strict, by punishing them if they want to keep their job. It can also bring up pressure, because if a kid is tanking in his or her scores, then that can affect the outcome of the teacher’s paycheck or the teacher’s job. The Gaokao created an atmosphere of stress and pressure for not only the students, but also for the teachers.

Then in America, you not only can get the chance to go to a good college by doing good in the SAT or the ACT, but there are other things American colleges look at, which makes it less stressful as the Gaokao test. In the article, “China’s Cram Schools,” it states that, “In some ways, the Gaokao is like the SAT or the ACT, but it’s more than twice as long and the stakes are much higher; test is the only thing that matters for admission to Chinese universities.” From there we can see that just like the Gaokao, the SATs or ACTs are like the Gaokao except shorter, which makes it some what easier since there are less questions. Also, we can see that the Chinese colleges look at the Gaokao test result, which as said in the article, makes it double the stakes as the SATs or the ACTs. Also, not only does American colleges look at the test results, they look at other things, like extracurricular activities or previous school records, which again makes getting into American colleges somewhat easier than getting into a Chinese college. Finally, we. can see some similarities from the SAT and the Gaokao, as they are both college admission tests, and both tests have a level of stress for the test takers. Another thing that shows that the American college testing is easier than the Chinese college, is that there are way more people taking the Gaokao test than the SAT or the ACT tests. In the article, it states, “With so much on stake, it’s easy to see why the Gaokao, taken by more than 9 million students each year” also, in the graphic organizer in page 14 of the article, “China’s Cram Schools” it shows that 3.5 million American students take the SAT or ACT tests. From here we can see that about 5.5 million more students take the Gaokao test than the SAT or ACT tests. This shows that getting into a good Chinese college is more competitive than getting into an American college, as there is 9 million other students who want to pass the test as well , when there is 3.5 million in America, which still is a large number of students, but less than people who take the Gaokao test, which makes SAT and ACT tests less stressful than the Gaokao test.  American college admission tests are less stressful than Chinese tests as there is less competition, and it is somewhat easier to get in.

In conclusion, the Gaokao has a higher level of stress than the SAT or ACT tests. Even though both tests have some similarities, like how both tests are for colleges, and how both tests give some level of stress for student, the gaokao test prevails as the more stressful test. It not only stresses out students, but it stresses out teachers as well. The gaokao is the only hope for kids in China, but there are multiple things that American universities look at. The SAT and ACT tests are more fair than the Gaokao test, and the Gaokao test or Chinese universities should find a better way for college admissions.   

Between Shades Of Gray Essay

Mohammed Islam 711 Between Shades of Gray Essay

Sometimes, drawings can be used to express yourself and your emotions during the worst of times. In the book Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, which takes perspective of a Lithuanian girl named Lina Vilkas who is held in captive along with her brother Jonas Vilkas and mother Elena Vilkas, by the NKVD, or the Soviets. In order for her and her family to survive, they would have to work for the NKVD, where they would then receive a small portion of bread which they can barely survive on. When Lina was in the villages, she would draw a lot to express how she feels, and to send pictures to her father who was separated from the rest of the family. Drawings were big in this book, as it was a symbol that symbolized Lina’s feelings, how she would draw to show how she feels, and show more of her perspective during the time.

In the book, Lina would draw so she can show her feelings to others. In page, 210, it states, “It’s not very good,” I said, “but it’s a better angle. Smaller nostrils.... I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. “Merry Christmas,” I finally said.” From here we can see that to express how she felt towards Andrius, she drew a picture of him. Even though the drawing wasn’t perfect, it still showed how Lina felt thankful to meet someone like Andrius, and how she was thankful for Andrius stealing from the Nkvd which is a very risky task and gives to her family. Also, the drawings were a gift for Andrius so she can let Andrius know that she appreciated what the things he has done for him. Another way she used drawings to express her feelings is in page 337, where it states, “The writings and drawings you hold in your hands were buried in the year 1954, after returning from Siberia with my brother, where we were imprisoned for for twelve years.” In that scenario, Lina used the drawings to symbolize her rough times when she was in the prison villages. She used her drawings that she drew to represent how she felt when she was under the hands of the NKVD.

Not only did Lina’s drawings show how she felt, but it showed her perspective, or what she thinks of other people. In the story on page 215, it states, “It started. Snakes slithered out of his collar and wrapped themselves around his face, hissing at me.” This shows that when Lina draws, her perspective of what she’s drawing depends on how she sees the drawing. In that case, Lina believes that the commander is a horrible man, so she imagines him as a dirty, bad figure. Also, this shows how in Lina’s perspective, the commander that she is drawing is a horrible person. Another example of this is also in page 215, it states, “I blinked. A gray skull sat on his neck, its jaws flapping, laughing.” From here we can also see that in Lina’s perspective, not only did she see the commander as a horrible figure, she saw him as an evil character. The skull shows that the Commander is cold-blooded and likes to see the pain of other. The drawings show the perspective of Lina on the NKVD officers and officials.

In conclusion, drawings played a big role in the book Between Shades of Gray. Not only were the drawings used to express how Lina felt, but it was also used to show the perspective of Lina to the NKVD officers.

Poetry Comparison Essay

Mohammed Islam 711 Poetry Essay

When it comes down to parent-child relationships, love can be shown in multiple ways. In the two poems, “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papa’s Waltz” the speaker’s of the poems talk about their relationship with their fathers. In “Those Winter Sundays” the speaker talks about how his father does so much for him, but the speaker doesn't realize what his father does for him. In “My Papa’s Waltz” the speaker talks about how his father tries to show love to him by being playful, but ends up hurting the speaker instead. Both poems talk about how the fathers treat them, but the father’s show love to their children in different ways.

In “Those Winter Sundays” the speaker talks about how his father does so much for him,even making sacrifices. In the poem it states, “Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on the blue-black cold , then with his cracked hands that ached from labor in weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.” First of all, the dad got early before the sun got up, where no one in the family was awake, and made a fire for the family even though he was worn out from the work he does during the weekdays. This shows us that the father cared so much about the family, that instead of waking up on the same time like everyone else, he would wake up early. Also, even though he was worn out from the work he does on the week, he still works so the family will be satisfied. We can see that the speaker didn't see these sacrifices his father makes for him when he says that no one ever thanked him. Also in the poem it states that, “What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices.” From that line we can see that the speaker didn't understand what his father did for him. He didn't understand the way his father expressed love for him.Therefore we can see that the speaker’s relationship with the father is uncertain because he can’t really see the love the father is giving him.

However in “My Papa’s Waltz” the speaker’s father shows love to his kid in a less oblivious way, but in the process, he hurts his kid instead. In the poem it states, “The hand that holds my wrist, was battered on one knuckle; at every step you missed, my right ear would scrape a buckle.” We can see some similarities here with “Those Winter Sundays.” where both the fathers would do things for their families even though they are worn out from work. But in this poem the image the poem creates for us is the father and son dancing, and whenever the son  messed up he would “accidentally” get hurt. Another statement in the poem that shows the father and son relationship is when it says, “You beat time on my head with a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.” From here we can see another way how the father is being too physical when showing love to his kid. He would use his head as a drum, and would waltz his son to bed, which means that he would dance his son to bed.This also can make the reader feel some sympathy for the speaker because even though the author is being loved, he is getting hurt at the same time. From this relationship we can see that the dad tries so how his love to his son, but ends up being too physical.

In conclusion , the difference between the relationship between the father and son in  the poems is that the father and son in, “Those Winter Sundays” is that the father shows his love in an unobvious way, while in “My Papa’s Waltz” the father does show his love in a obvious way, but accidentally hurts his son in the same time. We can also see that the fathers would make sacrifices for the sons. They both would do things for the kids, even though they were tired from the work they have already done. We can see that dads are both hard workers and care a lot about their kids. Even though some people may mistake the fathers in the poems, like in "Those Winter Sundays," many people see the father not caring the kid, just doing things for himself or in "My Papa's Waltz" people may think the dad is drunk and being abusive, but really, the dads are both just trying to satisfy their kids, but are doing it in different ways.

Night Essay

Mohammed Islam 711 Night

During the Holocaust, the Jewish people had to go through to much, that they even had lost faith even believing god's in fault that they are in the hold of the Germans. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel,it’s about young Elie in the German concentration camps with his father. Before they were in that situation, it started with Elie talking about his religion. But when he was in the concentration camps, he has lost all faith in god and thought about how his belief in god led him to him in the horrible situation he is in now. Elie has changed a lot from when he was in the concentration camps, but the main thing that changed was his belief in god.

Before in the concentration camps, Elie was sure about his faith in god. In the book on page 4, it states, “One day I asked my father to find a master who could guide me in my studies of Kabbalah.” From here we can see that Elie has certain things he wants to study for his religion. He asks his father this because he was a religious person and and had certain motives he wanted to do. We can see that he has faith in god here because he asks about a complicated study that he wants to do so he can please god, so god will praise him back. Also it said in the book that there were no Kabbalists in their area, and so Elie wants to be the first because he respects his religion. Another example of a way that we can see that Elie has faith in god is in page 4, when it says, “ I cried because… because something inside me felt the need to cry.” From here we can see that Elie cries when he prays. He gets emotional because he has a feeling that he needs to cry. This is because from his beliefs, he might feel that he has to cry because he has to because god is watching, and in order to impress god he has to cry so god will give mercy. To conclude, we can see that Elie has faith in god in the beginning, and he does things for his religion so he can impress god.

But after Elie and his father go to the concentration camps, we can see that he lost faith in god, even questioning if believing in god will always be good for you. In the book on page  32,  it says, “Never shall I forget these that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. New Things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” First of all, the tragic events that the Jews had to go through are cold memories that Elie can never forget. When Elie says that he will never forget the moments that murdered his god, his should and dreams into dust, we can see that Elie loses hope in God as by his days in the Concentration camps go by, he starts to lose less faith in god. Also when it says that his dreams turned into dust, we can relate to the beginning of the story when he says he wants to study the Kabbalah. We can see that not only his faith in god has stopped, but his religious beliefs have stopped as well. Also we can see that Elie has lost faith in god from only the first day when he sees people being separated from families, people getting whipped and people dieing, even small children or babies. From the actions he witnesses he starts to believe that it’s god's fault that they are going through so much pain. Another example in the book of Elie Wiesel losing faith in god is in page 65, when it says, “Behind me, I heard the same man asking:"For God's sake, where is God?"And from within me, I heard a voice answer:"Where He is? This is where--hanging here from this gallows..." From here we can see that Elie starts to question god when he says where is he, referring to god. He starts to ask where is god when they desperately need him, where people are being hanged and killed, even a young child. When he says that god is hanging from the gallows, it tells us that Elie has completely lost faith in god, and now even his questioning his presence.

In conclusion, Elie has changed a lot from his time in the concentration camps. The Germans and the pain he went through changed him a lot, even his beliefs in god. He started from a young boy who wanted to study the Kabbalah, but then turned into a matured young men who was questioning in having faith in god because he had to suffer so much,even  being separated from his family. But it has to make the reader think, we knew that in Elie’s perspective, that he was questioning god, but how was it in the fathers perspective, who was said to be a ‘cultured man’ but since going through so much, has it changed him as well?   

Should Kids Play Competitive Sports?

Mohammed Islam 711 Ela Argument Essay: Should Kids Play Competitive Sports?

In America, a tremendous thing here is American Football, which is a highly competitive contact sport. As much as we love football, you have to admit, it is a hazardous sport. But not just football,but in general, all competitive sports are dangerous. These sports can affect you both physically and mentally. Kids might push themselves too hard which can hurt themselves. Also kids can go over-competitive, which they take the sport too serious . Kids should not play competitive sports because theres a chance that the kids can get seriously hurt, or just fall into a lot of pressure that gets into their head.

For one thing, playing competitive sports can leave a risk of getting seriously hurt, dealing with long term injuries, or even worse, death. In a New York Times article, “For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point” by Jane E. Brody, it states that, “Every year more than 3.5 million children under 15 require medical treatment for sport injuries, nearly half of which are the result of simple overuse.” Some key things were stated in that sentence. One thing is that 3.5 million children require medical attention, thats a lot of kids getting hurt. Also, it says nearly half being from simple overuse, meaning that kids are trying too hard because of the atmosphere of competitiveness around them. Kids want to win, resulting them to try so hard that they might overdo themselves, or knock some other player out from being too aggressive. Another  thing is that a few people said that they won't let their kids play football, as said before, a highly competitive sport. In an ESPN video ex NFL players Terry Bradshaw and  Tj Houshmandzadeh, said they won’t let their kids play the sport. Also, president Barack Obama  said that if he had a son, he maybe won’t let him play football. Two NFl players, two players who played in the big league said they won’t let their kids play football. Why, because the sport is so physical, that you can be on the floor unconscious in any minute. Barack Obama, the president of the US, said that if he had a son he wouldn’t let him play the sport. To conclude, the competitive sports are so scary that even NFL players won’t let their kids play.

Another reason why kids shouldn’t play competitive sports is that  kids can fall into a lot of pressure. In the Kids Health article, “Competitive Sports: Help Kids Play it Cool,” it states that, “The pressure to succeed can be overwhelming and that can lead to a lot of frustration and tears... pressure is external: kids try to satisfy the demands of a parent, coach or other authority figures and end up feeling like winning is the only way to gain the approval of the adults they respect.” Children can fall deeply in the sports, so does their parents. The parents want to see their kids win, resulting the parents to set high expectations for kids. Kids might try too hard to reach that expectation, or they feel like the can reach the expectation resulting them to think that they would disappoint the parent. The kid wants to make the parent proud of him and her, so they think too much about succeeding. Another thing is that kids want to win, so they might have try to play through injuries. In a Today.com video, a hockey player got blown in the head, but all she was thinking about was getting back into the game. Also in the Today.Com video, it stated that 92% of kids say that they hide their injuries. The competitiveness of the sports can get into the head of kids, resulting them to only care about playing the sport and winning. Also, back to the part where parents pressure kids, kids might play through injuries to try to impress their parents. Also, some parents might pressure the coach to let their kid play even if he or she are injured. To conclude, parents might pressure the kid, resulting them to fall into a lot of stress.

But on the contrary, playing sports is a way for kids to feel better about themselves and boost confidence, so it can be beneficial for the kid. In the article “Cave Competition, it’s good for you:Column” by Joseph de Sena, it states that, “running 300 consecutive miles as one painful example --and a kid from Queens, I know firsthand the pain and glory of winning and losing. Competition is cruel and America needs a whole lot more of it.” The author knows firsthand how it’s like playing a competitive sport, as he said he ran 300 consecutive miles. He knows how it’s like to win or lose. When he says America needs a whole lot more of competition he does have a good point. When you win in a competition you feel great about yourself. When you lose, you might feel a little down, but still feel like you had a lot of fun, so it’s like a win-win situation. However we shouldn’t think this because you still can fall into stress from playing the sport. Even though you might’ve had a great game if you lost, there can be that chance where you feel like you disappointed others when you lost. Even though you might feel like you had a wonderful experience playing that game, you can still make yourself feel bad.  

In conclusion, kids shouldn’t play competitive sports because it can hurt them physically or mentally. The child can be in risk of injury and can fall into a lot of stress that leads them into being highly upset. As much as kids love playing these sports, it can be bad for them, and they need to wait until their bodies are fully-developed to start playing these competitive sports so they won’t get hurt. Also, they need to be in a better atmosphere with no pressure from adults, which can be caused from playing competitive sports. Unless these problems can change, kids should not be allowed to play competitive sports.

Bibliography:

1. Brody, Jane E. "For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 May 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.

2. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

3. "Competitive Sports: Helping Kids Play It Cool." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Ed. Michelle New. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

4. Sena, Joseph De. "Crave Competition, It's Good for You: Column." USA Today. Gannett, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.