Brandon



**__//-I BELIEVE- //__** //I believe that Buena will have a good football season ////, // // I believe in myself being successful in my studies, //

// I //// believe that I can make it into a university, // // I //// believe I will live a happy and prosperous life, // // I //// believe in happy endings, I believe in recognizing the beauty of the world, // // I believe that my family is the most important to me, // // And that they are extremely helpful now // // And //// will be in the future. // 

30 by 30
 * 1) Have a son
 * 2) Graduate from a prestigious college
 * 3) Go sky diving
 * 4) Travel to 5 different countries
 * 5) Be able to retire J
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Serve in the military
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Have a near death experience
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Win a burger eating contest
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Get a tattoo
 * 10) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Time travel
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Go to space
 * 12) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Master 3 languages
 * 13) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Live in a different country for at least 1 year
 * 14) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Become a doctor
 * 15) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Bring joy to many people
 * 16) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Have a huge impact on someone’s life
 * 17) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Jump off a waterfall
 * 18) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Buy a huge house
 * 19) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Be able to cheer like Brooke
 * 20) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Watch due Date w/ Kendall
 * 21) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Get my TDAP w/ Kendall
 * 22) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Go to beach w/ Kendall
 * 23) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Do nails w/ Kendall
 * 24) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Eat OREOS w/ Kendall
 * 25) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Have a picnic w/ Kendall
 * 26) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Sing w/ Kendall
 * 27) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Swim w/ Kendall
 * 28) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Tan w/ Kendall
 * 29) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Have another class w/ Kendall
 * 30) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Stop doing things w/ Kendall.. :D

__**TIGER MOM**__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The novel “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom” by Amy Chua has begun a conflagration of comments and responses. Amy Chua’s view of western parents, is soft and setting their children up for failure. Self esteem is more important than success. Chua’s eyes see different. She believes one must strive for perfection by strict parenting and verbal punishments. In this research paper, I have analyzed other view points and will address them, then incorporate my opinion as well. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">In Amy’s eyes she sees that success comes by criticizing, excessive studying, and harsh teaching techniques. Chinese mothers demand perfection. They also expect it. “To get at anything you have to work.” This quote is showing that it is crucial for parents to override their child’s desires and take the reins of their lives.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Western parents are said to be easy and light on their children. Western parents care for the child’s well-being and self esteem. By that, they allow children not to study as much and receive average or bad grades. If the children are happy then it is fine with the parents. “..They constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are...” This shows that ever if they fail they get praised.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">“..the school cafeteria is more intellectually demanding than the library.” David Brooks is saying that there are harder skills to attain by school activities, sleepovers, and group work than doing countless hours of homework and numerous dreadful hours on the piano. By being social you learn many things about how to analyze others, or to analyze a problem together. Amy Chua removed her children from group activities. “Managing status rivalries, negotiating group dynamics, understanding social norms, navigating the distinction between self and group…” These are all upsides in being socially involved with other pupils. David is simply implying that Chua is removing her children from that environment, which is key to life’s obstacles.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">In the article”Mother Inferior” by Hanna Rosin it is an argument that is anti - Amy Chua. Rosin believes children must lighten up and roam free. She believes children should find what they like to do, not to be forced to learn something their parents wants them to do. Rosin thinks that there is no need to use negative criticism. Positive and gentle motivation is just as affective. Chua says,”children on their own never want to work.” On note Rosin fires back and argue, “...many children of this generation still have giant super egos and a mad drive to succeed.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">In the article, “An Asian Fathers Gift: Permission to Fail” by IIyon Woo, she is a result of a different method of parenting. The dad in this case simply wanted his daughter to fail. “Why don’t you try and fail,” he said. And she did. But after that she seemed to care less and her grades went up. She wasn’t stressing on being the top student and intelligence came naturally.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Amy Chua has proven her rigid parenting theory. It makes young prodigies. Her children are very successful at such a young age. I believe that caring for your child’s future is preparing them to be successful. Such as being strict, not allowing bad grades. This would leave little to no room for failure and excel in their careers and life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Strict, hard, down grading her children. Those are the words in describing Chua’s style of parenting. She excludes her children from school activities, allowing her children to have ZERO fond memories of school. Her kid’s childhoods were taken from them and possibly never took place. Her children will never be able to recall good times in their past. I believe this way of parenting is wrong and no one, not even parents, should be able to take your adventurous, unique, memorable childhood away from you.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Amy Chua’s post in the Wall Street Journal was bombarded by comments and opinions. Every parent believes they are using the correct parenting style, “the right way.” But who are we to judge? Different styles can be effective in their own ways. I believe that you must adjust your style of parenting to best fit your child. The vast variety of parenting styles comes from the many unique children.

__**LEARN FROM MISTAKES?**__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Mistakes are a form of learning, says Lewis Thomas in the passage “Medusa and the Snail.” Yes I do agree, but you can also learn from successes. If you try something and succeed, it’s most likely to work in the future. Trial and error is always effective. If you achieve perfection without error, then of course there is no need to try again. I believe in both, Lewis is right at times, but in some cases error is just wrong.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Before the year 1929 minor cuts and scrapes were devastating injuries. Alexander Flemming, a doctor in World War 1, watched helplessly while many soldiers died by infections. He was determined to find a cure. Years and years of trial and error and nothing popped up. By being a slob and careless in his cleanliness, mold began to grow in a forgotten petrel dish of Staphylococcus. Due to this mistake, it leads to a global discovery. It leads to a great opening of an era of medicine. Like Thomas said in his excerpt, mistakes lead to discoveries. In this case mistakes were proven to be a success.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">What happens when failing is just plain failing? When no lesson is learned? I have a family of alcoholics. Luckily my dad isn’t one of them. My grandpa was quite the drinker. At a young age his children saw him and some followed in his footsteps. Such as my uncle. He is now drinking all the time. He seldom gets in trouble with the law and still continues down that path. It is sad but true. My cousins, one my uncle’s son, are now going down that same road. It is a chain of ignorance. Them, not seeing the bad. In my eyes, that is failure and no good outcome.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">In Elie Wessel’s novel “Night” Elie is put to the test. He vows not to be like his friend and leave his father behind. He does everything possible throughout his years in the concentration camp to stay by his father’s side. One night when his father, very ill, dried from dysentery, repeatedly asked his son, Elie to get a glass of water for him. The Kapo (person in charge of their bunk) commanded silence. Elie was on the bunk above his father. Simply ignoring his father’s request. The Kapo became upset and began beating his father. Elie stayed quiet and heard the vicious beating of his father. Elie made the mistake of leaving his father and not aiding him. And now he must live with that fact. In this case failure is just failure. But still in a way, a lesson learned. People see his mistake and apply it, when they are put in harsh situations. From one person’s mistake, many benefit.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">In history mistakes have been discoveries. Mistakes bring out greatness. Then again, mistakes can lead to more mistakes. I see that failure comes in different packages. You can either learn from them, or continue down the long rugged path of failure.

__**CHEATING**__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Plagiarism should not be taken lightly. What happened in Kansas is an example of a terrible lesson. Why set up students up for failure? I think those students must face the consequence of their actions and hopefully learn from that experience.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Twenty-eight students received an F for the semester. Caught for plagiarism and given a light sentence. The school board went ahead and overrode the teacher’s decision and helped all the students. Yes, helped the students for plagiarizing! In result, the teacher quit. Going lightly on the students is showing them that cheating or plagiarism is acceptable.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In my opinion, the teacher was right in what she did. She sees the decline in the school systems integrity. In an act of retaliation she quit. I feel that the school board is setting an awful example. They are showing that cheating is tolerable. It even gets deeper than that. Parents, who want their child to do well and want what’s right for them, should apply everywhere. Such as punishment. To become a well rounded person you must understand right and wrong and accept the fact when you do wrong, consequences must follow. By cheating, parents should punish and let their child know the severity of the situation. Then this incident serves as a learning experience.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">It’s not like the students were oblivious to what they did. They knew what was wrong and what was right. And need to accept what they did.

__**CHANGE**__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Change has come about in many ways. According to Margaret Meade, she believes even a small group can change the entire world. I support her quote fully, and so does history. But this change can bring both, positive and negative outcomes. In this paper I will show both good and bad change.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">On the morning of September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked by Al Qaeda followers. The twin towers were hit, and soon after collapsed. Pentagon was hit and another plane with passengers met a terrible end. This small group of ruthless terrorists threw a fatal blow at not only America, but the world. This small faction terrorized millions, maybe even billions across the globe. This act of evil did no good for anyone. It brought death to many families and devastating pain to many others. Because of Al Qaeda and the activist attacks the U.S. have been engaged in conflict all over the Middle East for the past decade.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The brave passengers of Flight 93 took over a terrorist run plane. They sacrificed themselves for the lives of countless others. This little collection of passengers on Flight 93 brought global change. They have brought awareness on terrorist acts of violence. Now airlines are taking numerous precautions to prevent such from happening. This is a perfect example of Meade’s quote.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">It all began in 1948, the Civil Rights Movement. It started with small minorities of blacks wanting rights. Soon enough protests are arranged and boycotts are happening everywhere. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and many other notable people were a part of a __huge__ change, equal rights. After many painful, hard fought years of retaliation, justice arose. This all began with a small group of determined peoples and has proven once again Meade’s saying.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Clearly, change comes from anything and anyone. Perseverance is key in the process. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” This essay shows it is never that simple. Change can end up in both good and bad situations.

__**MEDEA ESSAY**__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Fair justice usually never prevails. In the play “Medea” by Euripides, justice is reached but it is questionable about how it was done. Jason is wrong for discarding Medea; then again Medea did have her reasons. But overall, Medea was the monster.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Jason was very wrong in leaving Medea. She is furious and blinded by hatred. Even after being left by her so called “faithful lover” she is ordered to be exiled. Agreements have been made and Jason is willing to pay money to Medea and their children while exiled. She sees that as a bribe and thinks he is just trying to buy her off. I don’t see how money replaces love. She gave him everything. Left her country betrayed her own father and killed her brother in the madness. And all she asked him for was his love.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Jason on the other hand, offered nothing but gratitude. Even after Medea didn’t submit peacefully. He was still willing to offer money to her. He also allowed her to come live with him. His most driving motive to marry the other suitor, is to better the lives of the children. All he wanted to do was help.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">But, either way I believe that Medea was wrong in what she did think her murdering the children was over the top. I don’t see why she would want to bring her kids into that conflict. Even if she was seeking revenge, she could have came about it another way. Instead she took the extreme route, and ended up hurting herself in the end. Also it was never Jason’s fault. Medea made the choice to betray her father and kill her brother. No one forced her to do anything. The blame should be on her because she made her choices and must expect the worse. She shouldn’t have confided in him so much.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In this case, no justice is gained. Jason loses his children and everything else he had. And Medea is forced to live with the guilt of murdering her own children. Neither arose as a hero. They both became monsters.