Personal Statement/Final :)

I peered over the edge of the steep San Francisco hill, grateful to be at the top. I stared down at the thick leather of my boots that were now soaked with the day’s rain and worn from my long hike uphill. Each step I took caused my calves to burn and my breath to become increasingly shorter but as I stood on the hill’s edge, panting from the strenuous hike, I was in complete awe of what I had accomplished. I observed my surroundings; I gazed at the city below me and inhaled the fresh air. At that moment I realized that where I belong, at the top.
I have been climbing uphill all my life. I believe that the success of reaching your peak may well be based on the determination and drive within the climber- and how firm and supportive is the base upon which they walk. As I look back, I realize that the challenges I have faced have enabled me to find strength and strong footing within a situation that was not altogether stable.
I am only fifteen years of age, but I feel about twenty years older. I have spent my childhood co-parenting my brother Xavier, who is twelve years of age, and was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two. Since the age of five I have been face with the challenge of having to raise myself and my brother, because my mother had become immersed in the task of protecting him and tending to his needs. I spent the days of my childhood waking up early five days a week in order to ensure that I would get to school on time and then coming home to the public housing complex that was located in one of the worst areas of San Francisco. On most days, I arrived to my home while it was in some state of catastrophe; the house would be wrecked from my brother’s violent tantrums, or I would find my mother in the midst of one of her own tantrums which would come in the form of cursing and calling my never-there father to tell him of his wrongs.
I never knew how to cope with the pain that my home life was bringing me so I allowed it to influence everything that I did. I allowed my life to continue in a manner that was not resulting in anything positive for me and my future was not looking bright. My grades in school were low and I was harboring a lot of anger that I would take out on my loved ones, school mates, and teachers. When I graduated from middle school I was approached with the option to go to a rigorous high school with a specialized curriculum that ensures college readiness. At first, I was completely against the idea of having to go to a school where I will be pushed harder and expected to work harder. I then realized that if I continued working at the same pace I would not become successful later on in life.
I accepted the challenge and enrolled at Alameda Science and Technology Institute, otherwise known as ASTI. I am currently a sophomore and I have learned lessons in my two years at ASTI that I will value for life. I have realized that you have to work through all of the struggles that life approaches you with rather than letting them act as a roadblock. Although things at home have not changed much since I was younger, I have learned to turn those feelings of rage and sadness into a force to keep me climbing uphill at a steady pace.
I desperately needed extra push that I have received at ASTI in order to help myself reach my full potential. I believe that there is something special within every individual whether it be that they are an amazing athlete, talented singers, or hard-working students; all it takes is a force to give them that extra push to assist them in achieving their dreams.
I have not reached the peak yet and when I reach all of the goals that I have sent for myself, I will finally have the opportunity to relax- and be proud.

I wasn't able to find many similarities between my family story and others. I believe that my family story is one that is so unique that it often cannot be matched but a common theme within a lot of our family stories was the courageousness of a family member. For me, it was my grandma Gina who stood up to her family for her son while the family looked down upon her and her children. For John it was the courageousness of his great-great-grandparents who hid a family friend from danger when he was in need. This type of immense selflessness is portrayed in both stories.

Orwell English analysis

Language is something that the human race can not live without. The English language is one that is closely analyzed and used to communicate issues not only in English speaking countries, but all over the world. The English language is statistically the one used the most worldwide and many English texts and audio . The English language has been abused and thwarted in order to create different political and societal views. In George Orwell's speech, "Politics and the English Language," he analyzes thow the English language has been misused all over the world.
George Orwell's proclaims that English speakers have damaged the English language and he goes as far as to call modern English, "ugly and inaccurate," because we do not put time into perfecting and getting the most truth out of our language. Our language, as George Orwell states, perpetuates thoughts that are incorrect because of our lack about the language in which we speak.
I have to disagree with the fact that the English language emerged as a sub conscious development of other languages that already existed. "...The half-conscience belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes." I believe that the English language was one that was probably very closely studied when formed . Although we have created the English language, George Orwell does have a point when he says that we have permanently damaged what we now consider to be the English language. George Orwell speaks of the Modern English which has been altered by slang and other languages that have penetrated into English-speaking societies.
In current times, many people speak in a way in which people have not spoken before. Orwell believes that we have done irreversible damage to the English language.

Cycles in The Joy Luck Club

Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club contains numerous cycles that create its complex plot. One of the cycles that stands out the most is one that many American immigrants deal with, and it passed down from first-generation immigrants to second-generation immigrants. The problem of immigrant identity is one that spews many different issues as well as advantages that are generally passed down to their children in a cyclist manner.  When a new immigrant comes to America there is often a language barrier, cultural differences, as well as feelings of isolation. In The Joy Luck Club, Chinese mothers who are first generation American immigrants pass down their intense Chinese mannerisms and views of America to their daughters who are American born. This cycle of immigrant identity problems is one that sparks issues between the mother daughter relationships of the women and their daughters.

Often times the daughters would question the wishes of their Chinese mothers and it would create tensions within the mother-daughter relationships. The story “Two Kinds” examines the relationship between Chinese mothers and their American born daughters. Jing Mei and her mother Suyan Wu went through disaster as Suyan Wu forces her daughter to play the piano to ensure that she would become a child prodigy. The Chinese parenting methods that she encroaches upon her daughter lead to estranged relationships between them, only leading to more separation due to cultural issues.

Parenting & being Chinese & Stuff

I cannot fully condone nor dismiss the "Tiger Mom" method of parenting because it is not one that I have experienced myself. That doesn't mean I haven't formed many, many, opinions.

I have gone to school with many individuals of Asian ethnicity and I think it is safe to say that the majority of Asian students do exceedingly well in school as well as their extracurricular activities (which often are playing classical instruments such as the piano and violin). Honestly, I think the Tiger Mom method of parenting is one that is worth trying, it has been proven to be successful and has turned out many famous scholars and prodigies.  In an article by Amy Chua, the infamous "Tiger Mom" 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 on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences.

This is a concept that is portrayed in the Joy Luck Club story "Rules of the Game" which is a story about a young girl who became a successful child chess prodigy. In the story the young girl tells the story of her mother and how she caused her to stop playing chess due to her nagging and taking credit for the successes of her daughter. I think this shows one of the failures of the very strict Eastern ways of teaching that are practiced by Chua and many other Chinese parents alike. It shows how a little girl can take interest in something and perfect it but with too much constant pushing and prodding can be turned away from it.

There are both peaks and pits of the "Tiger Mom" method of teaching and I believe that Amy Tan does not believe that it is wrong nor is it the optimal way to be parented.

Introduction Story

I believe that Amy Tan used the "Twenty-Six Malignant Gates" introduction in order to reinforce that family structure that is represented within the story. The introduction tells the story of a mother who warns her disobedient daughter to stay within the parameters of their home so that if she were to fall, she would be able to hear her daughter cry.  The mother warns her daughter of the Twenty-Six Malignant Gates which would cause her to fall if she did not stay close. When the daughter speeds off in a rage due to her mother's words, she instantly falls at the end of the block.

Throughout the entire book there is an emphasis on mother-daughter relationships. In the story the true story that the mother tells o shows the idea that the mothers are all-knowing and very wise. The stories told by the mothers throughout the story show that they have had many life experiences that have shaped and transformed them into the individuals that they currently are, as well as teach them how to raise their daughters.

I think another reason why Amy Tan used this introduction was to emphasize the importance of storytelling within the Chinese culture, and to show how the stories are passed down throughout generations. Despite the fact that the daughter does not appreciate her mother’s words at the time, in her adult years, if she becomes a mother she will be able to tell the same precautionary story that her mother told her.

Rebuttal For Elijah

The topic of child stars and more specifically, their behavior, has become open for scrutiny in popular media. With young actors and musicians like Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, and Selena Gomez acting in shows and singing songs that are marketed towards a younger audience there has been a lot of question as to how they should present themselves. Elijah has formed an opinion that is much different from my own, he said:

Young stars should hold themselves to a higher standard of living because the are supposedly kids role models, i am not saying that they should give up their live but they should try to act a little classy.

 I do not think that these actors and actresses should be expected to act like anything other than what they are- teenagers. I think that the media is to blame for the exploitation of these young individuals, rather than the actors and musicians themselves. The teenage years are the time where adolescents are supposed to be able to make mistakes and learn from them as a part of the journey into adulthood. These young celebrities do not have the same ability to learn from their mistakes and just be kids because they are constantly under the public eye.

These children are not able to have a normal childhood because they have to be fearful of how they will be portrayed in the media. I do not think that putting children in the spotlight in this way is healthy and it has been proven time after time that it does not result in well-adjusted adults. For instance, look at stars like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan. They all had to grow up in front of the public eye, throughout their childhood they were criticized for their appearance, actions, and career choices.

It is in the nature of adolescents To rebel and make mistakes and when they are under a magnifying glass like the young stars of today, their negative choices (that are typical for teens to make) become known by the young children who watch their shows and listen to their music. I think it is wrong that we blame these teenagers for the way that they are portrayed in the media because at the end of the day, they are teenagers who are still learning and growing.