Persuasive Essay: May 8, 2009
Persuasive Essay (School Uniforms MANDATORY)
In January of 1996 President Bill Clinton endorsed school uniforms in his State of the Union Address. School uniforms play a very important part in our education and reduce crime and violence. They also prepare kids for an eventual work environment. Some guidance counselors even think that school uniforms teach students to be more accepting of less-fortunate kids. School uniforms should be mandatory in ALL schools.
School Uniforms reduce crime and violence in schools. 70% of middle and high school principals believed uniforms reduced discipline and violent incidents. The students, after starting to wear uniforms, caused less of a problem than when they didn’t wear uniforms. In Long Beach, there was a 36% decline in school based crime and 34% of fighting went down. They gave uniforms to all students in their county which reduced their problems. 88% of parents thought the uniforms reduced boy/girl teasing. All of the students had the same clothes therefore the students could not tease each other about their clothes.
School Uniforms improve test scores and grades. 68% of parents think the uniforms helped improve the schools overall academic performance. After their school administered uniforms the school largely increased their academic performance. 85% of guidance counselors say the uniform policy made for a safer learning environment. The school handed out uniforms to the school the students didn’t fight as much.
School uniforms should be mandatory in ALL schools. Uniforms reduce the fighting and teasing in schools. They also help kids succeed in school by getting better test scores and grades. Even 89% of parents say uniforms promote equality between boys and girls.
"The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" Contrast Essay: February 24, 2009
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi is a book about a young girl named Charlotte Doyle that is aboard a ship called the Seahawk, on her way to Providence, Rhode Island, where her home is. In the beginning of the novel, everything is fine, but towards the end of the novel things get horrific. Charlotte is framed for the murder of Hollybrass, the first mate, when it was really Captain Jaggery. Charlotte changes from a naïve girl in part one to an experienced sailor in part two and from a refined young lady in part one to coarse and working class in part two.
Charlotte is naïve, but towards the end of the novel, she is an experienced crew member aboard the ship. As Charlotte is about to enter a room, Zachariah informs her not to enter because it is “the head.” She refers to the bathroom as “the privy,” but she does not know what the privy is called on a ship. Later, Charlotte is in the captain’s quarters and Jaggery shows her a “Round Robin.” She has no idea what it is, so Jaggery explains to her “it is a pact.” She has no idea what a round robin is, showing her naïveté. Lastly, Charlotte writes that she is always asking “what this [is] and what [is] that” and that the crew thought of her as a “naïve but eager recipient for their answers.” She says the crew thought of her as naïve because she would ask what everything is which shows she is naïve. In part II Charlotte changes from a naïve girl to an experienced crew member. She asks Zachariah when she meets him, does he think “[she] will ever go before the mast” or “climb into the rigging in a storm.” He believes she will not do this, but now she does what the crew does. Later on, Charlotte “open[s] the window to [her] room. It [is] child’s play for [her] to climb down the trellis,” because she is experienced. Lastly, while climbing the bowsprit, Charlotte wrote that she is “start[ing] off by keeping [her] eyes on the bowsprit and [her] bare feet, inching step by step along it.
In addition to Charlotte being naïve in part one and experienced in part two. Charlotte shows a refined and upper class behavior in part I, but in part II is in the working class aboard the ship. For example, she writes that “[her] family dress[es] her as a young woman” with “a bonnet covering [her] beautiful hair, full skirts, high button shoes” and “white gloves.” She is wearing very rich and expensive clothes that only some one that is rich and refined would have. Also, she says “pleased to meet you” to Mr. Grummage while dipping a curtsy. The reason she was acting this way is because she went to a refining school and was taught to be polite and courteous. To finish, she writes “But… but that would be all men, Mr. Grummage; and… I am a girl, it would be wrong!” She is saying that she is a woman and that it would be wrong for her to be on a ship of all men. However, in part two she is in the working class. Charlotte “pounded the oakum into the deck” and “scraped the hull, as the moon cut the midnight sky,” part of the working class because she knows how to pound the oakum to the deck and scrape the hull. Jaggery says “why are you dressed in this scandalous fashion? Answer me!” He screams this to Charlotte because she was wearing sailors’ clothes. Lastly, Charlotte writes “my skin turned pink, then red, then brown. The flesh upon [her] hands broke first into oozing running sores…” The reason she had the sores was because she was not used to working on the ship and was working too much. Charlotte shows a refined and upper class personality in Part I, but she shows a coarse and working class personality in Part II.
In part I of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Charlotte changes from a naïve girl to a experienced sailor, and changes from a refined young lady to coarse and working class. In part I she was refined and naïve because she was courteous and inexperienced but as the novel went on she became experienced and working class in part II because she was one of the crew and could climb the rigging and other things. In the True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi Charlotte is a naïve and refined girl but in the end is experienced and in the working class.
"The All American Slurp" Contrast Essay: October 10, 2008
The All-American Slurp” Contrast Essay
Did you know that Chinese and American eating habits are very different? Imagine you came from a different country and they had different eating habits than you. For instance, my mom is in the Air Force so we move every 2-4 years and it is very hard to move that often. Chinese and American eating habits are very different. Chinese and American ways of cooking food are different. For example, a young girl that had just moved to America from China said, “In China we never ate our celery raw, or any other type of vegetables raw.” after she got some celery from her best friends’ mom. In America we eat our vegetables raw a lot at parties, dinner, and when we have snacks too. Most Chinese don’t care for dairy products. For example, the girl from China said, “Most Chinese don’t care for dairy products and in those days I wasn’t even ready to have fresh dairy products.” In America we have dairy products at least once a day whether we know it or not. Chinese slurp their soup when they eat. For example, when the girl from China went to a restaurant with her family she said, “As any respectable Chinese knows, the correct way to eat your soup is to slurp.” In America we eat our soup without slurping, most of the time. Switching from Chinese eating habits to American eating habits can be hard; Chinese and American eating habits are different. Also you might not know the same language so it would be hard to communicate. Lastly, you might not wear the same type of clothes so it would be very different
Summer Reading Essay: October 10, 2008
Summer Reading Essay
After Percy realizes he’s Poseidon’s son he faces even bigger problems than being picked on. The Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan is an adventurous and exciting book about Percy learning he’s a son of a god and the adventures that follow. Percy Jackson is very brave and courageous. Throughout The Lightning Thief Percy’s loyalty and courage do not change. Percy’s loyalty and courage do not change. He is very loyal. For example, Percy says “I’m going to kill her.” He says this because Nancy Bobofit was throwing a peanut butter and ketchup sandwich at Grover (Percy’s best and only friend). Later in the book his trait stays the same. For instance, when the Furies come he says “What I did next should have made me ADHD poster child of the year!!!” He says this because when The Furies come and he has to save his friends from them by turning the wheel of the bus they are on to give his friends enough time to get out. He is also very courageous. For example, when he is done seeing the Oracle he says “I will go on my quest.” He did this because he needed to go on a quest to get Zeus’ Master Bolt and he accepted. Later in the book his 2nd trait remains the same. For instance, when they have to go down into the Underworld he says that they need to go down there if they ever want to get Zeus’ Master Bolt. He says this because they were scared to go down there because no one had ever made it back from the under world alive. As you can see his loyalty and courage do not change. It is important for those traits to stay the same because it helps explain why the character is acting a certain way and what his personality is. I think it was wise that his loyalty did not change because maybe if it had changed one or more of his friends could be injured or hurt. I also think it was wise that his courage stayed the same because if it had changed there is a slight chance that he could have not done his quest and gotten back the Master Bolt.