I’m Not Chinese Anymore and I’m Never Going to be an American Essay

I’m Not Chinese Anymore and I’m Never Going to be an American I could open this piece with a clear statement, a thesis or controlling idea of some sort—a brief preview for you, my reader, of what is to come and what is to be told. However, I won't. Instead, please close your eyes for a minute—just for a minute—and imagine yourself sitting before a young East Asian girl. You know she's East Asian because of her black hair, off-white skin, a pair of ebony eyes and a nose that is just a bit too flat to be mistaken for an Indian. Sitting in an armchair with her left arm supporting her cheek, she stares at you for a little while then starts to speak—slowly, thoughtfully, almost tonelessly: "I was born in China and came to United States about four years ago, when I was thirteen. I had no idea what the world was then, even though I thought I did. And this very moment, four years later, I still have no idea what the world is. I've seen more parts of it, true. But the puzzle pieces refuse to come together somehow. People often ask me if I'm a Chinese living in America or an American born in China. An unanswerable question, yet how can you hope to understand life without knowing who you are? I am not Chinese anymore; there is no purpose in denying it. But I am not—and I don't want to be—an American. Not completely†¦not like this." Now open your eyes, silently think for a few moments about what she said, and return to my words—or rather, echoes of someone else'. "†¦Being Mexican-American is tough. The Anglos jump all over you if you don't speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don't speak Spanish perfectly. We gotta be twice as perfect as everyone else," so said a character from the 1997 hit movie "Selena."... ...n prom queen: A bookish girl, I've always been awkward in crowds, and people's first impression of me usually is that of a nervous, withdrawn little creature. An unfortunate gift from the past, you may call it, shaped by years of stern guidance and harsh social opinions. But all those years are gone, no matter how happy or gloomy they may be. I don't seek to relive the past, I simply need to make peace with it and somehow move on, as myself, under the sunlight of Manhattan and the shadows created by its glorious skyscrapers. Works Cited Cofer, Judith Ortiz. "Silent Dancing." Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. Pat C. Hoy II and Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill. Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha. New York: Random House. 1999. Selena. Dir. Gregory Nava. Pref. Jennifer Lopez. Becky Lee Meza. Edward James Olmos. Warren Brothers. 1997.

Family Stress and Their Relation to Academic Performance

Chapter I The Problem and Its Background Introduction The term stress had none of its contemporary connotations before the 1920s. It is a form of the Middle English destresse, derived via Old French from the Latin stringere, â€Å"to draw tight. † It had long been in use in physics to refer to the internal distribution of a force exerted on a material body, resulting in strain. In the 1920s and 1930s, the term was occasionally being used in biological and psychological circles to refer to a mental strain, unwelcome happening, or, more medically, a harmful environmental agent that could cause illness.Stress plays a role in the body, behavior and feelings of people. Stress comes in many forms. Things like our environment, physiological well being, thoughts and social stresses and stress inside our homes can have an effect on learning Stress, particularly family related stress can have an impact on a student’s academic performance. College students have many obstacles to o vercome in order to achieve their finest academic performance. Different stressors such as time management, financial problems, sleep deprivation; social activities can all pose their own threat to a student’s academic performance.The way that academic performance is measured is through the ordinal scale of general weighted average (GWA). A student’s GWA determines many things such as class rank. Much research has been done looking at the correlation of many stress factors that college students’ experience and the effects of stress on their GWA. There are many factors that can cause stress and influence a student’s academic performance and therefore affect his or her overall GWA.A college student may find him or herself in a juggling act, trying to support a family, taking care of job responsibilities, and at the same time trying to make the most of the college career. All of these factors can affect the grades of students, which ultimately affect the res t of their lives. Conceptual Framework Stress is a large part of everyday life. Most stress occurs at busiest moment like at home. It’s one of the most common places for stress to build. Nevertheless stress is unavoidable.According to Marilyn Wedge, a family therapist, stressful situations at home like a parent losing a job, an illness, marital discord, or even conflicts about day-to-day issues may be troubling to a child without the parents even being aware of it. And often children go about trying to solve the family problem in the only way they know which may the cause of stress and, subconsciously or not, the children tend to bring the family problem outside home making the situation worst. These changes can cause health problems if experienced to frequently. If a child is stress the body responds negatively to it.The body often becomes worn down making it more susceptible to becoming sick. Depending on how serious the stress, can determine the severity of its impact. The brain, nerves, and central nervous system interpret stress. There are several side effects that occur from stress. Insomnia is another factor that stress may bring on. This occurs when a child is disrupted with thoughts and questions that drive them crazy and cause an inability to sleep. Chronic pain, headaches and backaches can be stress induced when under pressure. The muscles in these areas become tense under stress.Heart problems are the most common side effect. The pain felt in the chest is tension caused by an oxygen shortage to the heart. Heart attacks occur due to high blood pressure and can be fatal. Some behaviors that child takes part in to reduce or cope with stress may also bring on heart problems. Stress can also hurt emotionally as with depression. Research paradigm is shown on Figure 1. This included the input, the process, and the output. The input contains the profile of the 2nd year Accountancy students of De La Salle Araneta University, the family stress they en counter, and their academic performance.In the process, questionnaires were distributed and observations were conducted to gather relevant information from the respondents. It also included the analy -sis and evaluation of the gathered data and information from the respondents. The output consists of the findings about the effect of family stress to academic performance of the respondents. Figure 1: The schematic paradigm used in the study. Statement of the Problem The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of family stress to the second year accountancy students of De La Salle Araneta University regards to their academic performance.Specifically, the study aims to answer the following questions: a. How may the profile of the second year accountancy students of De La Salle Araneta University be described in terms of gender? b. What are the family experiences/stress and the academic performance base on GWA of the respondents? c. Is there a significant difference between mal e and female students in handling family stress? d. Is there any relationship between family stress and the academic performance of the respondents? HypothesisFamily-related stress has no significant effect on the academic performance of second year Accountancy students at De La Salle Araneta University. Scope and Delimitation This research is delimited only to preparation and evaluation of stress level aimed at correlating the family related stress and academic performance of students through their GWA. The students were asked to complete a survey, including the perceived stress scale. Along with this test the students were asked to complete a demographic data sheet that asked questions such as age and gender, and also their classes and grades the prior semester.The respondents are thirty college Accountancy sophomore students of De La Salle Araneta University (which includes 8 boys and 22 girls) during the 1st semester of academic year 2012-2013. The respondents are chosen randoml y from a block section of Accountancy. Significance of the Study The researchers intend to show the impact of family related stress in the academic performance of second year Accountancy students of De La Salle Araneta University through their General Weighted Average (GWA).Moreover this study, address itself to: the students that they may understand the impact of family related stress in their academic performance and eventually help themselves , to the professors that they may observe the behavior of students and help them through guidance and referral to the University Guidance Office for help, to families, specially the parents and the guardians that they may help their family member cope with stress from its roots (family related stress) and bring out their optimum academic performance, and to interested people in the academe and community that they may gain insights on this research to help people around them understand the possible impact of family-related stress to the acade mic performance of a student, and to other interested individuals that they may find knowledge on this research. Definition of Terms To further understand this research, below are terms used in the research.GWA (General Weighted Average). It is a term that refers to the average of grades in all subjects taken, whether passed or failed. It is the result of combining the performance rating based on the screening criteria or subject. It serves as the indicator of a student's academic performance in a given semester or school year. Stress. It is a term that defined as an organism's total response to environmental demands or pressures. When stress was first studied in the 1950s, the term was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response.

Lord of the Flies - 642 Words

The book Lord of the Flies shows us how humans act when there is a weakly constructed system of power. We see how a group of civilized young men change into a bunch of crazy animalistic beasts over a very short period of time when there is no one who is â€Å"above† them to order them around and set rules. In The Hunger Games we see a society of people grouped into districts who follow the strict rules of the capital. If you question the capital or disobey one rule or show any sign of treason you are very harshly punished. Both of these situations led to violence. This shows that humans are capable of being very violent and when it all comes down to it every person has the choice to follow the crowd or to stand for what they truly believe is right. The message that both of these works are trying to convey is that there needs to be a balance between rules in society or it will result in chaos on a monumental scale. In Lord of the Flies we have a group of boys the main ones being Ralph, the protagonist and Jack, the antagonist. Both of these boy have different ideas on how rules should be set up. This leads to major conflict and violence throughout the novel. It is very clear in the novel that Ralph likes to thoroughly think things through, while Jack likes to take immediate action â€Å"There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled commonsense† (pg 71) . This quote functions asShow MoreRelatedThe Lord Of The Flies1262 Words   |  6 Pages2015 Lord of the Flies Research Paper Evils are what drive all of the negative things in society. Characteristics of evil are all around us in our everyday lives. political leaders, celebrities, People we idolize show characteristics of evil. Even small insignificant roles in society hold certain evils in their motives. Throughout this story these evils were for once boldly stated for all to understand. The games the boys play,the fire they set, and their rescue, in the Lord of the flies showsRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies1468 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of English schoolboys marooned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during a war. Though the novel is fictional, its exploration of the idea of human evil is at least partly based on Golding’s experience with the real-life violence and brutality of World War II. Free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, the boys on the island in Lord of the Flies descend into savagery. Golding’ s experience in World War II had aRead More Lord of the Flies1827 Words   |  8 Pageswhich desire to follow through with. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and John Polson’s Hide and Seek are two prime examples that demonstrate the conflict between civilised behaviour and savagery through their characters’ cultured manners, savage impulses and struggles as they decide who they really are as people. The instinct to follow rules and act in a civilised manner is highlighted throughout the first four chapters of Lord of the Flies, but is especially perceptible in the boys’ behaviourRead MoreLord of the Flies1669 Words   |  7 PagesLord Of The Flies Summary [pic] |Lord Of The Flies Summary - The Island | |Lord of the Flies is set during World War 2 on a tropical island in the Coral Sea. A group of boys survive a plane crash and are| |left stranded on a deserted island with no adults. At first the boys cling to the principles and laws they were taught during | |their upbringing. They call a meeting where they establish rules,Read MoreThe Lord Of The Flies1262 Words   |  6 Pages2015 Lord of the Flies Research Paper Evils are what drive all of the negative things in society. Characteristics of evil are all around us in our everyday lives. political leaders, celebrities, People we idolize show characteristics of evil. Even small insignificant roles in society hold certain evils in their motives. Throughout this story these evils were for once boldly stated for all to understand. The games the boys play,the fire they set, and their rescue, in the Lord of the flies showsRead MoreLord of the Flies2048 Words   |  9 PagesIn William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbols are illustrated through people, objects, and colors. In this novel, a group of children are faced with the difficulty of living isolated from society after their plane crashes on a deserted island. With no formal civilization, parents, or rules, the kids have the freedom to do as they choose. Throughout the novel, the boys find and use objects on the island that symbolize something of different importance. In Lord of the Flie s, William Golding usesRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies1385 Words   |  6 PagesLord of the Flies In a life or death situation, desperate people resort to drastic measures. Some people were taught how to survive in brutal situations while others were never taught how to hunt if they were lost in the forest. In this life it’s either we know how to survive in a life or death situation or we learn as we go and do everything possible to stay alive. It is normal for people to experience immoral behavior due to the environment they are in and there is not much that can be done. IRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies1111 Words   |  5 PagesThe Lord of the Flies Research Project While the World War II was in act, Adolf Hitler once incited â€Å"You only have to kick in the door, and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down†(Adolf Hitler). The structure coming down symbolizes the fact that the boys’ structure of order, and civilization came crashing down as well. This is found throughout the book. Adolf Hitler is known for his dictatorship, his exquisite leadership skills, and violent warfares.. He uncovered that leadership skillsRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies2105 Words   |  9 PagesBefore starting The Lord of the Flies, a lone question that summed up the entire book was proposed: Are humans good or evil? Though it may not seem like a puzzling question at first, everything inside, and outside of the book makes it more complicated. If we are evil, then everyone would be turned against everyone else from the start, and if we are good, we would always be for everyone else at the beginning. Neither is present in the real world, bring up the question, what is humanity’s true goalRead MoreLord of the Flies871 Words   |  4 PagesWriting an Interpretive Composition Piggy is an important character in William Golding s Lord of The Flies. The novel follows a group of boys who crash land on a deserted island. At first, the boys believe that they will be rescued and will soon return to their normal lives. The reality of the situation, is that the world outside of the island is in war. The island becomes their new home. Using Piggy s physical features, mental state, and emotional level, Golding makes Piggy a symbol of security