Category: Writing

Why Chinese mothers are superior; by Amy Chua
A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it’s like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I’ve done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
?      attend a sleepover
?      have a play date
?      be in a school play
?      complain about not being in a school play
?      watch tv or play computer games
?      choose their own extracurricular activities
?      get any grade less than an A
?      not be the no. 1 students in every subject except gym and drama
?      play any instruments other than the piano or violin
?      not play the piano or violin
I’m using the term “Chinese mother “loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in west, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I’m also using the term ” western parents” loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.
All the same, even when western parents think they’re being strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It’s hours two and three that get tough.
Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the western mothers said either that stressing academic success is not good for children can be “the best” students, that academic achievement reflects successful parenting, and that if children did not excel at school then there was a problem and parents were not doing their job. Other studies indicate that compared to western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic with their children. By contrast, western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.
what Chinese parents understand is that nothing 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 often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts excel at something whether it’s math, piano, pitching or ballet he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once fun activities fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.
Chinese parents can get away with that western parents can’t. Once when I was young maybe more than once when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me “garbage” in our native Hokkien dialect. It worked really well. I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done. But it didn’t damage my self-esteem or anything like that. I knew exactly how highly he thought of me. I didn’t actually think I was worthless or feel like a piece of garbage.
As an adult, I once did the same thing to Sophia, calling her garbage in English when she acted extremely disrespectful toward me. When I mentioned that I had done this at a dinner party, I was immediately ostracized. One guest named Marcy got upset she broke down in tears and had to leave early. My friend Susan, the host, tried to rehabilitate me with the remaining guests.
t fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable even legally actionable to westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, hey fatty- lose some weight. By contrast, western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of health and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self image. ( I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her beautiful and incredibly competent . She later told me that made her feel like garbage.)
Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight as. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best.Chinese parents can say, you’re lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you. By contrast, western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they’re not disappointed about how their kids turned out. I’ve thought long and hard about how Chinese parents can get away with what they do. I think there are three big differences between the Chinese and western parents mind sets.
First, I’ve noticed that western parents are extremely anxious about their children’s self-esteem. They worry about how their children will feel if they fail at something, and they constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are notwithstanding a mediocre performance on a test or at a recital. In other words, western parents are concerned about their children’s psyches. Chinese parents aren’t. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently.
For example, if a child comes home with an A minus on a test, a western parent will most likely praise the child. The Chinese mothers will gasp in horror and ask what went wrong. If the child comes home with a B on the test, some western parents will still praise the child. Other western parents will sit their child down and express disapproval, but they will careful not to make their child feel inadequate or insecure, and they will not call their child “stupid,” worthless or disgrace . Privately, the western parents may worry that their child does not test well or have aptitude in the subject or that there is something wrong with the curriculum and possibly the whole school. If the child’s grades do not improve, they may eventually schedule a meeting with the school principal to challenge the way the subject is being taught or to call into question the teacher’s credentials.
If a Chinese child gets a B which would never happen there would first be a screaming, hair tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A.
Chinese parents demand perfect grade because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn’t get them, the Chinese parent assumes it’s because the child didn’t work hard enough. That’s why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parents believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it. ( And when Chinese kids do excel, there is plenty of ego inflating parental praise lavished in the privacy of the home.)
Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. The reason for this is a little unclear, but it’s probably a combination of Confucian filial piety and the fact that the parents have sacrificed and done so much for their children. ( and it’s true that Chinese mothers get in the trenches, putting in long grueling hours personally tutoring, training, interrogating and spying on their kids.) Anyway, the understanding is that that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud.
By contrast, I don’t think most westerners have the same view of children being permanently indebted to their parents. My husband, Jed, actually has the opposite view. Chinese don’t choose their parents, he once said to me. They don’t even choose to be born. It’s parents who foist life on their kids, so it’s the parents responsibility to provide for them. Kids don’t owe their parents anything. Their duty will be to their own kids. This strikes me as a terrible deal for the western parents.
Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children’s own desires and preferences. That’s why Chinese daughters can’t have boyfriends in high school and why Chinese kids can’t go to sleep away camp. It’s also why no Chinese kid would ever dare say to their mother, I got a part in the school play! I’m villager number six. I’ll have to stay after school for rehearsal every day from 3:00 to 7:00, and I’ll also need a ride on weekends. God help any Chinese kid who tried that one.
Don’t get me wrong: it’s not that Chinese parents don’t care about their children. Just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children. It’s just an entirely different parenting model. Here’s a story in favor of coercion, Chinese style. Lulu was about 7, still playing two instruments, and working on a piano piece called “The little white donkey” by the French composer Jacques Ibert. The piece is really cute you can just imagine a little donkey ambling along a country road with its master but it’s also incredibly difficult for young players because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms.
Lulu couldn’t do it. We worked on it nonstop for a week, drilling each of her hands separately, over and over. But whenever we tried putting the hands together , one always morphed into the other, and everything fell apart. Finally, the day before her lesson, Lulu announced in exasperation that she was giving up and stomped off.
?      get back to the piano now, I ordered.
?      you can’t make me.
?      oh yes, I can.
Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu’s dollhouse to the car and told her I’d donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn’t have the little white donkey perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, ” I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here? I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn’t do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic.
Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu which I wasn’t even doing, I was just motivating her and that he didn’t think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn’t do the technique perhaps she didn’t have the coordination yet had I considered that possibility?
?      you just don’t believe in her, I accused.
?      that’s ridiculous, Jed said scornfully. Of course I do.
?      Sophia could play the piece when she was this age.
?      But Lulu and Sophia are different people, Jed pointed out.
Oh no, this , I said, rolling my eyes. “Everyone is special in their special own way,” I mimicked sarcastically. Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don’t worry, you don’t have to lift a finger. I’m willing to put in as long as it takes, and I’m happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games.
I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu.I used every weapon and tactics I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn’t let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts.Then out of the blue, Lulu did it. Her hands suddenly came together her right and left hands each doing their own imperturbable thing just like that.
Is the information and Chua article is accurate?
Are the information an Chua article is significant?
Has Chua used and interpreted the information fairly an her article?

4 Match sentences 1-6 with adjectives and nouns A-F. Then circle the correct word to complete the sentence. 1 You supported me when everybody was against me. Thank you for your 2 3 4 5 6 ‘I’In’IUOIJJID You’re very , but unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. Einstein is one of the most It won’t be easy, but I’m people who has ever lived. to mark hard and succeed. Gary is always telling people how good he is. He needs a little The doctor is very busy, so you’ll have to be patient / patience modest,f modesty determined / determination loyal / loyalty idealistic ! idealism intelligent f intelligence and wait to see her. l:||:||:||:||:||:|

Question 1 (1) As we scroll through our social media feeds each day, most people enjoy videos of adorable animals or stunning photos of natural landscapes. (2) Far from simply brightening our day, engagement with the natural world through social media may actually be helping to save our planet. (3) Both Individuals and organizations increasingly use social media to raise awareness of environmental issues and support conservation research. (4) A research article, news report, or photograph that “goes viral” can reach a global audience in a matter of minutes, connecting interested people with each other and allowing for a nearly immediate exchange of ideas. (5) In 2012, for example, a high school student posted a picture of an unusual lizard he saw in a local park to a nature-focused social network, where other members identified the lizard and noted how far it was from its known habitat. (6) This in turn became useful data for researchers studying these lizards and their changing ecosystem. (7) The global audience provided by social media can also have a considerable economic impact for environmental causes. (8) Consumer pressure following the viral circulation of photos of turtles and other marine life injured by plastic drinking straws, for example, has led major corporations to seek more environmentally sustainable options. (9) Partly because viral content often makes people get all weepy, social media has also provided powerful fundraising opportunities. (10) After a video recently circulated showing a rescued chimpanzee who enjoys playing with dolls, online donations to the rescue organization began pouring in. (11) Many social media platforms allow users to set up a donation campaign for an organization they support without any real effort on the part of the organization itself, increasing the benefit of even small donations. (12) While some may argue that “hashtag activism” and online discussion have little real-world impact on individual behavior or public policy, social media is proving to be an increasingly powerful tool to draw attention and resources to conservation efforts. The writer wants to support the main argument of the second paragraph (sentences 3-6) by adding information from another reliable source. Each of the following sources would achieve this purpose EXCEPT a report from a major wildlife conservation organization that shows a significant increase in the number of its social media followers who engaged with the organization’s online content a blog post on a university environmental club’s website about how the club used social media to organize an awareness event with partners in eleven countries an article published in a scholarly journal that details how a research team used social media to recruit volunteers to assist with data collection on bird habitats a newspaper article about a community garden club that distributed several thousand pollinator-friendly seed packets after a video of the club members singing about bees went viral a video from a marketing research firm that promotes services offered to environmental groups, such as developing brand images that will increase their social media presence

In the story “the lottery” by Shirley Jackson
What is the author’s tone in this story? What hints are there within the story that reveal this attitude?
How would you characterize the author’s writing style? How is the style reflected in the tone? Give a specific example of this style within the writing. Select words or ideas that characterize this writing style.
What is the irony in the story? Provide specific example/s to illustrate it.

Hello Tutor, please help on the following topics;
Demonstrate, with examples, how language varies according to the context which it is spoken or written
Compare and contrast how language varies, historically, socially and         geographically
Compare and contrast how language varies according to registers
Distinguish how language varies according to who the participants are – their age, sex or status, group identity and their roles in the ‘speech situation’
Compare and contrast how language varies according to topic, setting and medium
Select and justify a teaching model

Please read the poem and then answer the 7 multiple-choice questions on it.
AN OLD MAN’S WINTER NIGHT All out-of-doors looked darkly in at him Through the thin frost, almost in separate stars, That gathers on the pane in empty rooms. What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze 5 Was the lamp tilted near them in his hand. What kept him from remembering what it was That brought him to that creaking room was age. He stood with barrels round him – At a loss. And having scared the cellar under him 10 In clomping here, he scared it once again In clomping off; – and scared the outer night, Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar Of trees and crack of branches, common things, But nothing so like beating on a box. 15 A light he was to no one but himself Where now he sat, concerned with he knew what, A quiet light, and then not even that. He consigned to the moon, such as she was, So late-arising, to the broken moon 20 As better than the sun in any case For such a charge, his snow upon the roof, His icicles along the wall to keep; And slept. The log that shifted with a jolt Once in the stove, disturbed him and he shifted, 25 And eased his heaving breathing, but still slept. One aged man – one man – can’t keep a house, A farm, a countryside, or if he can, It’s thus he does it of a winter night. Robert Frost (1874-1963) An accomplished American poet whose numerous honours include four Pulitzer Prizes
The details in lines 1 to 3 establish most strongly the impression that the out-of-doors is likened to a A. void B. haven C. fantasy D. mystery That it is thin frost, rather than companions, that gathers (lines 2 to 3) reinforces the impression of the emptiness of the rooms in that frost is A. fine and layered B. cold and inanimate C. impossible to see through D. separated into distinct patterns The old man does not reflect the gaze of the world outside because A. his lamp blinds him to the darkness B. he is too old and decrepit to see clearly C. the darkness is emotionally overwhelming D. he is unable to see through the frosted windows The word choice and detail in lines 18 to 19 suggest the A. old man’s fading strength B. old man’s realized dreams C. clouds above the moonlight D. brightness of the moonlight
The old man regards the moon as being “better than the sun” (line 20) in that the moon will A. serve as a friendly companion B. preserve things the way they are C. provide light in the winter darkness D. give as much warmth as the winter sun In this poem, the old man in the darkness of the winter landscape is symbolized mainly by a A. frosty window pane B. crack of branches C. dwindling light D. burning log 7 In the poem, winter and night symbolize A. natural conflict B. vague memories C. unavoidable grief D. approaching death

Stand by Me -comprehension Questions
Reference: Stand By Me movie
1)Briefly describe the opening scene of the film,including a summation of film techniques. What does the newspaper headline read ?
2)What are the first words spoken by the narrator and how does this affect the expectations you have of the film so far ?
3)Describe the setting of castle Rock in 1959.
4)Give a description of each of the characters in the tree house.Do you agree with narrator’s comments about them ?
5) What information does vern share with the boys? How did he discover this information ?
6) How much do you know about the body that went missing and is allegedly dead ?
7)Why do the boys think finding the body will benefit them ?
8)Describe Gordie’s home life. Why is it like this ?
9)Summaries all the flashbacks between Gordie and his brother Denny. What do you think of their relationship ?
10) What does Chris show to Gordie that he plans to bring with them on their walk?

Answer the following  questions using  textual
evidence from the  memoir chapter 17 I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
https://baileysela.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/3/9/50398803/i_know_why_the_caged_bird_sings.pdf
1.       Explain why the family was so worried when Bailey didn’t come home before dark.
2.       Describe Bailey’s demeanor upon returning home late.  What did the other family members think of his change of personality?
3.       After a few days, Bailey reveals to Maya why he is so distant.  What reason does he give?
4.       How do Bailey Jr.’s actions throughout the chapter indicate a change in him?  What is happening to him?
Chapter 18
1.       How does the author reveal her own bias in the following passage?  “People whose history and future were threatened each day by extinction considered that it was only by divine intervention that they were able to live at all.  I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God’s will…”
2.       Describe the Church Revival meeting.  What is the setting?  Who is in attendance?  What is the general mood?
3.       Explain the following quote: “Reality began its tedious crawl back into their reasoning.”  How does this illustrate the meaning of religion to the members of this community?

Refer to a specific scene in Die Hard and name two aspects of film editing that director John McTiernan and editor John F. Link utilize to make the film intelligible as part of the action genre. How do these techniques refer back to the Soviet montage theorists in the previous lectures? How do they function in the scene that you’ve chosen to discuss—how do they further the film’s narrative or themes?