Kaitlyn

I believe…

I believe in the soft cool breeze kissing my face at the beach. I believe music is the best thing that exists. I believe that meat is murder because everyone deserves to live. I believe in texting all day because I like to stay connected to people. I believe in waking up to the birds chirping and the smell of burned firewood while camping. I believe in staying up late and sleeping in until 10:30 am. I believe in my dad because he is very smart and successful. I believe drugs are bad because they are dangerous. I believe violence is not the answer because there different ways in solving problems. I believe playgrounds aren’t just for kids because anyone can swing on a swing. I believe my diamond and sterling silver heart necklace brings me good luck because it makes me feel safe. I believe my friends are family that God forgot to give me. I believe in using words because of how powerful they can be. I believe that even though summer school is boring it is not a complete waste of time. I believe that fish have their own world just like finding nemo. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">I believe in ghosts and the devil because there is no God without the devil. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">I believe that freedom of speech should be limited to only truthful things because the truth is what is important.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> The book //__The Battle Hymn of the tiger Mom__// and the article printed in the wall street journal by Amy Chua has struck a nerve amongst mothers and parents across the nation. In this paper I will give brief summaries on the tiger mom controversy as well as my opinion on the articles. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> In the article “Why Chinese mothers are superior” Amy Chua explains what she thinks is the Chinese way of parenting and the western way of parenting. Bringing valid yet a little unethical points to the table. Chua states the reason why Chinese mothers are tiger mom’s is because “Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As” they push their kids because they believe their children can get As they just need to focus and try hard; meanwhile somewhat ignoring their children’s feeling and self-esteem. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> Western parents on the other hand “can only ask their kids to do their best” because of the fear of hurting their kids feeling and ruining their self-esteem. Which is the last thing a western parent would want to do to their child. Western parents feel as if their children’s self-esteem is more important than success. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> In the article “Amy Chua is a Wimp” David Brooks explains his own opinion on what he thinks of Amy Chua a tiger mom, and critiques her way of parenting. Brooks states “I believe she’s coddling her children, she’s protecting them from the most intellectually demanding activities because she doesn’t understand what’s cognitively difficult and what isn’t.” David believes that by Chua not allowing her children to attend sleepovers she’s coddling her kids, protecting them from the social hardships that any normal teenage girl would have to endure. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> Ayelet Waldman, a western mother of four wrote the article “In defense of the guilty, ambivalent, preoccupied western mom.” Speaking of her own western way of living and the way she believes is right. Waldman shares the story of her daughter Rosie fighting to overcome her dyslexia without the help or the discipline of her mother, but her own self discipline to go on. In the end Rosie did overcome her dyslexia which left her parent very proud. Unlike Amy Chua who forced her daughters to do something, and limited them on what they could do. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> In the article “mother Inferior?” Hanna Rosin a mother of three state her opinion Amy Chua’s “battle hymn of the tiger mom.” “In pretty much every way, I am the weak-willed, pathetic western parent that Ms. Chua describes.” Sharing her own perspective on being a parent and how she feels is the right way. Being rebellious, social and giving her children the freedom that they want and what Rosin believes they deserve. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> Ilyon Woo was a high-scoring, piano-performing, Asian-American in high school. A stereotypical Asian-American heading for success; she was just a bit—different. In this excerpt Ilyon explains her gratitude toward her father who had given her the permission to fail. By doing this it has helped her immensely by relieving stress to succeed. Woo then made it through high school and her grades (including math her most difficult subject) had all began to improve. Proving that there are more ways to do well by showing her own way to succeed. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> Amy Chua is a very strict mom. In her defense she wants everything for her kids; success, money, brains… she believes that her style of parenting is the best. Amy’s children love her very much, so she must be doing something good. In my opinion, Ms. Chua parenting is all out of love. She still lets her kids have fun and they a lot together as a family, it looks as if her parenting works very well. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> On the other hand, is Amy Chua really letting her children enjoy her childhood? When they look back are they going to think how great it is or how they wish they had more freedom? I believe, they should have been given a better childhood, one they could look back and say how much they enjoyed it and not think of how they never went to a sleepover. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"> The Wall Street Journal article by Amy Chua has certainly been bothersome to many mothers and parents. Some say Chua is a genius for doing what she’s doing and others say she needs to be put in jail for child abuse. In my opinion, there isn’t a right or a wrong way to parent, there are many different styles. Amy Chua’s way of parenting seems to work for her and her kids have no trouble agreeing with her parenting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Everyone makes mistakes. Making mistakes is part of life. Can we not succeed without making a mistake first? Can a mistake bring you success? In the passage from __The Medusa and the Snail__ by biologist Lewis Thomas he believes that making mistakes does bring success. I believe, mistakes can bring you success in some cases but in others it may not as much, just the knowhow for next time.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In 1929 bacteria was a major cause of illness and death among men. A doctor by the name of Alexander Fleming was a man who simply wasn’t to great at cleaning his Petri dishes. After a long day of studying bacteria he came upon something rather unusual. In one of the Petri dishes, mold had begun to kill off staphylococcus, discovering penicillin. In this case good had come out of a mistake by the discovery of a very helpful antibiotic.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">About three years ago my Tio Jason got in a bad motorcycle accident leaving him badly beaten and left the bike with barely a scratch. He slowly recovered over time, once he was fully recovered he managed to put himself back on the bike and started to ride again. Approximately 6 months later he then got into another accident, leaving him hardly hurt but now the bike in terrible condition. My tio took his bike to the shop and as soon as he got it fixed he hopped back on his bike and continued to ride. By this point my family was terrified at the fact that his third accident could leave him extremely broken or even though we didn’t want to think of it—dead (three strikes you’re out). But he insisted and promised he would be careful while riding. About 3 or 4 months later my mom got a call from my grandma she was sobbing on the phone she said its Jason and my mom broke down in tears. We thought he was dead but my grandma failed to share that information of him still being alive. My tio had crashed his bike north bound on the 101 freeway; this time the was the worst shape him and the bike has been in. It took him about 1 year to fully recover, and then her got back on his bike. My tio Jason got into 4 crashes in the course of those years. He failed and got back on his bike not learning from his mistakes, to this day he continues to ride his motorcycle. No good or success came out of this faillure.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">However, In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird scout finch, was a young girl who loved to fight and was not much of a lady. Scout thought that fighting was the great answer to all of her problems. By the end of the book scout had a change of mind. She changed he attitude and by watching her father Atticus Finch defend a black man in a time era where segregation was in affect and use not his fists but his powerful words when Mr. Bob Ewell or any other man had anything against him which inspired scout to be just like her father.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Making mistakes is what makes us human. We make mistakes on a daily basis. In some cases mistakes can lead to success; just not all cases. The next time you make a mistake take a second to look between the lines, you may find something.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Dear Ventura county star and readers, is cheating on an assignment okay? Is High school teacher Christine Pelton for failing 28 of her sophomore biology students after discovering they cheated. Kids now-a-days are getting the impression that cheating is okay. Is it really? Christine in my opinion did the right thing. Its amazing that the school board and the parents were okay with making the assignment worth less points so they would pass the class. To me Christine did the right thing quitting; I would have done the same thing.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Everyone cheats sometimes, whether it’s on a test, cheating on a spouse or even stealing. Those are all forms of cheating. Some may say it’s a way to succeed, get to college and mke money. Con artist for that matter, cheat people for their money, without a care in the world. While aware of their consequences, the students of Ms. Pelton’s bio class went along with cheating.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">However, cheating is not the right thing to do. Cheating should not be tolerated by anyone; kids or adults. Kids have many excuses for cheating, but are any really that great? The sophomores in Ms. Pelton’s biology class got lucky. Got lucky that their mommy’s and daddy’s came to their rescue by defending them while they really should have been on Christine’s side.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kids who cheat—well aren’t smart. It’s as simple as that. Cheating is something the school board and the parents should have not tolerated, and by lowering the points on the assignment not only does the board and the parents show their toleration but the kids do not learn to value of right and wrong. I give kudos to Christine Pelton for standing up for what she believes is right, and I am standing right with her.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Margaret Meade once said “never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Small groups of people coming together to make a difference has made a huge impact on the lives of those of the community. Although, small groups of people can commit both positive and negative ways.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">September 11th 2001 two high jacked planes crashed into the twin towers killing everyone on board and hundreds in the towers. Following that disaster another high jacked plane crashed into the pentagon killing more innocent people. These crashes were all a cause by the 9/11 terrorists. A small yet dangerous group of attackers who’s mission was kill thousands, terrorize millions.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In Harper Lee’s __To Kill a Mockingbird__ Atticus Finch and a small group of people come together to defend Tom Robinson because it is the right thing to do. Despite all of the harsh words and unfair attitudes toward them they—although don’t win they show the town what it is to do good and how much it really makes a difference meanwhile inspiring others to follow in his footsteps and do good things for people as well.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Margaret Meade’s quote has both the affects of good and bad. Small groups of people do change the world. It’s the matter of what the change has on the people the small group if affecting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Medea” by Euripides is a story of a mother and wife who served what to her was justice to her husband who wanted to divorce her. The statement is that Jason is villain and Medea is the hero. Really it would be reversed, Medea is the villain Jason is the hero.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Medea hated her husband more than she loved her kids. She killed her kids in order to revenge Jason. After killing king Creon and princess Glauce she felt it was the best thing to do to hurt Jason. It all seemed to work. She got to Jason, just like she wanted to do. Her plan seemed to work exactly how she wanted.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Was is all worth it though? Did medea do the right thing killing her kids? She is stupid, stupid for killing her children; her only two children. All because of a man she wanted to revenge. Who is she for thinking that that is okay. Why was her hate toward her husband so much stronger than her love toward her kids. Is she insane, crazy, psycho for doing what she did, a real loving mother would //never// kill her children? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Medea is the villain of the story, not Jason. Jason did not murder his children, Jason did not kill anyone. Medea is crazy, no question about that. Now Jason has to live with his children not being alive because Medea. She deserves to rot in hell after everything she did. Killing innocent people. She was trouble in the very beginning he should have known.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Medea is horrible. Good thing she got exiled from Corinth she could still be there causing more harm to people and continuing to make Jason’s life hell. Good thing she stayed alive, now she has to live with the fact that she killed her kids and people will hopefully look down on her for everything she did.