Falling Leaves By Adeline Yen Essays - Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline

Falling Leaves By Adeline Yen The Irreverence of Female Independence in China For years, the world has been oblivious to the painful, degrading traditions toward women that take place behind the Bamboo Curtain of China. Falling Leaves , by Adeline Yen Mah, unveils the darker side of Chinese culture through her eyes as an unwanted Chinese daughter. Shocking mistreatment, of not only the author, but also the females in her extended family keep suspense alive throughout the book. My heart sobs at each account of Adelines tortured life, but through it all, there was a flicker of her spirit that could not be put out. In China, girls are seen as a possession or a cheap commodity (Yen Mah 100). Sons, especially the eldest, are given far more attention and praise. Families that are well off keep their daughters and marry them off to prominent families sons through a marriage broker (mei-po). Rich daughters often had their feet bound, a process by which the four lateral toes of the foot are forced with a bandage under the sole so that only the big toe protruded. (It was) tightened daily for a number of years (so as to) permanently arrest the foots growth in order to achieve tiny feet so prized by Chinese men (Yen Mah 11). Their inability to walk with ease is a symbol of submissiveness, weakness, and wealth. This tradition is becoming more rare, but still many older women bear its pain today. Adelines grandmother went against these traditions by not torturing her own daughter in such an inhumane way. Daughters of poorer families could only wish for such a life of weakness and delicate manner. These gi rls often become maids, waitresses, or prostitutes. Street girls play a vital role in the three vices common to Chinese men: opium, gambling, and brothels (Yen Mah 7). In my opinion, the treatment of women is the greatest difference between Eastern and Western culture. As Western culture has advanced to bring more rights to women, the traditional ways of China have become a sore thumb on the hand of the world. Even as an Eastern girl ages, she still has little hope for her own independence. Adelines grandmother was told by her father these words of shuttering reality: Your duty is to please him and your in-laws. Bear them many sons. Subliminate your own desires. Become the willing piss-pot and spittoon of the Yens and we will be proud of you. (Yen Mah 10) Though women give up their entire lives to their husband and children, it is still widely accepted by their culture to have multiple concubines (mistresses). In the book, Adelines grandfather was defiant to pressure to have a concubine serve him (Yen Man 14), and this disapproval of the social norm was not to be believed by others. Confucius had professed that only ignorant women were virtuous, and it is by this ideal that many families in China think. Throughout the book, Adeline defies tradition by going to college (out of the country) and then moving on to medical school. Her self- will to try to please her father is mainly a need to b e more like her brothers who were adored by the family. Adelines fight for acceptance, admiration, and personal success could not be achieved in the sexist society of China or the Westernized Hong Kong. Her many attempts to return to the motherland to shine for her family and country only discouraged her and remind her that there is no place for her achievement in the ancient hearts and minds of the Chinese people. At the peak of Adelines youth in China, Westerners amazed and intrigued the Chinese, including Adelines father. She was sent to Catholic boarding schools and taught English. Business was booming in Hong Kong, especially with trade with the United States. Father adopted ambiguous notions about his own race, he, like many Chinese had come to see Westerners as taller, cleverer, stronger, and better (Yen Mah 29). Adeline strived to be a model child, but it was unheard of for a Chinese girl to have Western success. This double standard was one of many at this time. Her success as a physician meant

New Teachers Going Back To School Example

New Teachers Going Back To School Example New Teachers Going Back To School – Article Example New Teachers going back to school Department New Teachers going back to school One would make no mistake pointing out that the article which is titled New Teachers Going â€Å"Back† to School is a rather peculiar as well as effective one. These are the useful advices it contains: first of all, it is important to focus on the students and do one’s best while teaching. Secondly, the teacher should have no illusions about the children one teaches: it is important to accept them as they are. Finally, one should be kind to oneself and others.I strongly agree with the ideas that were presented in the articles. Indeed, why the first advice might seem as too obvious, a considerable number of teachers, even the most experienced ones, might overlook its significance. In addition to that, the last advice may also appear to be quite helpful as the days on a new job might appear to be quite stressful and the young teachers will not know how to get rid of the stress that affects thei r work negatively.As has been mentioned before, the advices of the article are quite useful; so, I will utilize this information in the following way: keep my mind focused on teaching and perceiving every student objectively. For this I will keep track of strong and weak points of the children and adjust my teaching style accordingly. In addition to that, I will think of an activity that will allow me to forget about the stress and the work load so that I will always have a suitable tool for recharging my batteries, figuratively speaking.References"New Teachers Going "Back" to School." Teaching Tolerance. tolerance.org/blog/new-teachers-going-back-school (accessed October 27, 2014).

Principle and Philosophy of Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principle and Philosophy of Design - Essay Example While there is room for speculation, the entire field is considered relatively straight-forward. However, what does it mean when we enter into more subjective fields such as art or architecture? Some people will provide a relatively succinct definition of art that tends to dwell on the academic approach taken in its creation. During the Renaissance, the emphasis was on realistic portrayal: â€Å"a new basis to pictorial composition was given through the invention of linear perspective †¦ Depth was suggested by depicting the progressive decrease in the size of objects and figures as their distance from the observer increases – an illusion which in painting becomes truth.†1 Others, such as A.K. Coomaraswamy (1877 – 1947), art critic and curator of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for many years, suggest it is something more elemental and intrinsically linked with its environment. â€Å"[T]hings are made normally for certain purposes and certain places to which they are appropriate, and not simply ‘for exhibition’.†2 The type of art Coomaraswamy describes can be considered to take a traditional approach in that it attempts to make a connection on as many levels as possible, the body, mind, and spirit as well as the gross, subtle and pure. Architecture, such as Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers or Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, illustrates how simple form can be translated into elegant art through the eye of a traditional artist. To understand the more sublime nature of art, Plato offers a helpful allegory. Plato, who was a student of Socrates, pulled together the ideas of his mentor and Pythagoras to combine them with his own response to what he’d seen of the world to develop his Theory of Forms. In this theory, the ultimate goal was to progress through the levels of reality to the highest level, also known as the greatest good.