From Conservative Hong Kong to Liberal Arts :: College Admissions Essays

From Conservative Hong Kong to Liberal Arts    A defining moment in my life occurred about two years ago.   I left my high school in Hong Kong and came to the United States to finish my secondary education as an international student in New York. I left my parents, my home, my friends, and my language in order to experience a foreign culture and broaden the scope of my education and view of life.   Whenever I try to think or write about my life-my autobiography-I always settle upon the importance of this move, this shift from Eastern to Western perspective.    Anyone who has crossed the globe to visit or live in a foreign country has without a doubt had some amount of culture shock, and it is both jarring and exhilarating to find yourself changing in such a new environment. My new location has brought about an awareness that I don't think ever would have appeared if I had stayed put in Hong Kong.   Through the contrasts and differences I have observed and felt in my environmental switch, I have become very conscious of and interested in communication and language. Of course, I was interested in communication and language while still in Hong Kong, where I was president of my high school debate club, excelled in my study of Mandarin Chinese, and was the conductor of student singing at assemblies and a member of the competitive band (I think music is a form of communication too). However, it was not until I left my language behind that I became aware of the power and importance of this aspect of life. Upon my arrival in New York, I initially struggled with English, but after one short year, I progressed from the ESL level and joined regular English classes. I gained confidence in my English, especially in my written work. During this time, I also began studying Japanese. In a way, my study here has allowed me to see the huge importance of language in a person's cultural identity and in the strength of a society. By studying Japanese while at the same time progressing in English, I think this helped keep my Eastern perspective, my native Chinese i dentity, in my mind. It seems easy to get lost in the culture of the United States and also in the culture of New York, but my grip on language made it easier to avoid losing myself and my roots. From Conservative Hong Kong to Liberal Arts :: College Admissions Essays From Conservative Hong Kong to Liberal Arts    A defining moment in my life occurred about two years ago.   I left my high school in Hong Kong and came to the United States to finish my secondary education as an international student in New York. I left my parents, my home, my friends, and my language in order to experience a foreign culture and broaden the scope of my education and view of life.   Whenever I try to think or write about my life-my autobiography-I always settle upon the importance of this move, this shift from Eastern to Western perspective.    Anyone who has crossed the globe to visit or live in a foreign country has without a doubt had some amount of culture shock, and it is both jarring and exhilarating to find yourself changing in such a new environment. My new location has brought about an awareness that I don't think ever would have appeared if I had stayed put in Hong Kong.   Through the contrasts and differences I have observed and felt in my environmental switch, I have become very conscious of and interested in communication and language. Of course, I was interested in communication and language while still in Hong Kong, where I was president of my high school debate club, excelled in my study of Mandarin Chinese, and was the conductor of student singing at assemblies and a member of the competitive band (I think music is a form of communication too). However, it was not until I left my language behind that I became aware of the power and importance of this aspect of life. Upon my arrival in New York, I initially struggled with English, but after one short year, I progressed from the ESL level and joined regular English classes. I gained confidence in my English, especially in my written work. During this time, I also began studying Japanese. In a way, my study here has allowed me to see the huge importance of language in a person's cultural identity and in the strength of a society. By studying Japanese while at the same time progressing in English, I think this helped keep my Eastern perspective, my native Chinese i dentity, in my mind. It seems easy to get lost in the culture of the United States and also in the culture of New York, but my grip on language made it easier to avoid losing myself and my roots.

Literary Analysis in the Scarlet Letter

Raven 1 In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, the phrase â€Å"Opposites Attract† does not always ring true. Such is the case between a young beauty and an aging scholar. Through Hawthorne’s use of figurative language and imagery, he creates a winter-spring relationship between the two characters Roger Chillingworth and Hester Prynne, which ultimately leads to Hester’s downfall. The character Hester Prynne’s unparalleled youthful beauty and passionate nature makes her the perfect embodiment of spring.Early on in the text, Hawthorne says â€Å"She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, . . . †(50) This picturesque description of Hester is used to not only to show her beauty, but also how her beauty is so fresh and vibrant. Her hair being described as â€Å"glossy and abundant† alludes to her spring-like qualities because in spring, all plants and creatures are new and plentiful in number. Hester’s position as being a new mother also makes her symbolic of spring, because both represent fertility and new life.Hawthorne even goes as far as saying â€Å"†¦with the infant at her bosom, an object to remind him of the image if Divine Maternity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (53) Hawthorne using this comparison portrays Hester as being a perfect representation of fertility, almost to a god-like degree. It is Raven 2 unquestionable that spring is the most benign and gentle season. Hawthorne almost directly states that Hester is spring when he says, â€Å"†¦Hester’s nature showed itself warm and rich; a well-spring of human tenderness, un-failing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by the largest. (146) This is why Hester’s demeanor and character also contributes to her embodying spring. Even by saying that her nature was warm, Hawthorne adds to Hesterà ¢â‚¬â„¢s symbolism, because spring is the first season where warmth is introduced; the warm quality it possesses is also why spring is considered â€Å"friendly†, because it is the savior after a cold, hard winter. Roger Chillingworth represents winter in every possible aspect. His demeanor and appearance both are strong evidence of how he symbolizes the season of cold.When he is examining Hester’s health in the jail, he had â€Å"†¦a gaze that made her heart shrink and shudder, †¦and yet so strange and so cold,.. † (67) His cold demeanor directly relates to how winter is the coldest of all the seasons. Even something as simple as his gaze made Hester’s heart, which is the warmth of spring, shudder and get smaller. This parallels how a winter frost can kill off the warmth and vibrancy of spring. Chillingworth’s appearance also contributes to him symbolizing winter.He is described as a â€Å"†¦man well-stricken in years, a pale, thin , scholar-like visage† (55) Winter is the season where things get old, barren, and start decaying. So Hawthorne purposely describes Chillingworth as old, pale, and thin to make the most obvious statement of how the man and season are so closely related. Chillingworth is anything but a thriving individual: being thin and pale, he possesses the attributes that a sickly, perhaps dying, would have. Chillingworth’s insatiable appetite for revenge against Dimmesdale also lends to him being seen as a representation of winter.Winter, by itself, is a symbol for wrath and revenge. So when Hawthorne says that â€Å"This unhappy man had made the very principle of his life to†¦revenge. †(232), he is showing the uncanny similarities between Chillingworth and winter. Raven 3 Finally, Chillingworth’s own name alludes to how he embodies winter. The first eight letters of his name spell out â€Å"chilling†, which can only be associated with the cold temperatures in winter. The vast difference between the two characters Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth leads to the rapid decline and incompatibility of their relationship and to Hester’s downfall.Chillingworth is quick to admit how unrealistic his expectations of their relationship are when he says â€Å"I, †¦- a man already in decay,†¦ what had I to do with youth and beauty like thine own! †(69) Chillingworth, describing himself as â€Å"a man already in decay† re-instills how he represents winter, which is the season where all things decay and die. He also says that â€Å"Mine was the first wrong, when I betrayed thy budding youth into a false and unnatural relation with my decay. (70) Hawthorne’s use of figurative language is ingenious when he describes Hester’s age as a â€Å"budding youth†. Flowers begin to bud at the beginning of spring, so by describing Hester’s youth as budding, Hawthorne gives Hester spring-like qualiti es. The combination of the two previous quotes explains why a relationship between winter and spring could never exist in harmony. Chillingworth and Hester are two completely different individuals; Chillingworth’s cold frost halted any hope of the seedling of love to grow within Hester’s heart.Chillingworth acknowledges this fact when he says â€Å"My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire. †(69) In the end, a relationship between this pair could never work. Hester’s lack of love for Chillingworth led her to commit the sin of adultery, her ultimate downfall. When Chillingworth says â€Å"†¦ from the moment when we came down the old church steps together, a married pair, I might have beheld the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path! (69) it’s as if he knew that Hester would cheat on him all along. Hester’s downfall was inevitable because Chillingw orth could not make her love him due to them coming from two entirely different places: winter and spring. Raven 4 The character Hester Prynne experiences a downfall due to the winter-spring relationship established between her and Roger Chillingworth, which Hawthorne illustrates by using the literary devices of figurative language and imagery.By using the characters as symbols for seasons, the meaning of why a relationship between the two characters cannot work is intensified and given depth. Through this particular analysis of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, readers can perhaps see that when two people are so completely different from one another, a happy relationship cannot exist: love is never going to grow in spring when it is halted by a winter frost. Raven 5 Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. 1850. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. Print.

Life is an Attitude - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1548 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/05/28 Category Philosophy Essay Level High school Tags: Value of Life Essay Did you like this example? As humans, we assign value to many things. Life, just happens to be one of those things. But not everyone sees the value of life in the same way. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Life is an Attitude" essay for you Create order The value of life comes from within each and every one of us individually. In excerpts from different viewpoints such as the contemptuous outlook on life of William Shakespeares Hamlet, to Roger Ebert and Steve Jobsrs positive outlook on life and death, audiences everywhere are shown why one should value their own life, no matter what hardships one is going through. In addition, we can come to the realization that the idea of assigning a value to someoners life from a financial standpoint is unfair because our true value lies within the relationships one develops and the legacy one leaves behind. A personrs value should not be determined by material possessions, titles, social status, or any amount of money. For decades, society has based the value of somebodyrs life around the amount of money that person has and how popular the person is. This is wrong, because the value of oners life should be determined by how happy they are, the experiences theyve had, and the relationships theyve acquired. Society has its priorities in the wrong order; we think that actors, music artists † celebrities in general † are worth more than those who have good hearts and dont make as much money. Money cannot buy happiness, so why do we as a society put very large price tags on these celebrities who are only living miserable lives and plaster false smiles on their faces when a camera is pointed in their direction? William Shakespearers play, Hamlet, shows us just how no amount of money in the world † or title a person holds † is capable of filling the void that is left after the passing of a loved one. Hamlet, a young prince whose father was murdered, has a very pessimistic view on what life is worth after his fatherrs death. In fact, he despises his life so much that he wishes he could end it. Hamlet claims life to be a sea of troubles (Ln. 4), and is skeptical about continuing on living his life. William Shakespearers work is admirable, but his central claim to be or not to be is despondent and faint-hearted. Hamletrs outlook on life is evaluated on an emotional level rather than financial, but how can somebody be content when their vision of life is completely twisted? When my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimers, he didnt let the disease define who he is and what he can and cannot do. He also knew he was near his deathbed, but he did not let that stop him from getting up e very morning to go work in the fields to be able to provide for my mother and her sisters. Even if he had to have somebody behind him 24/7 to make sure he didnt wander off elsewhere, he still did what he did, because he loved his family very much and knew he had to support them until the end of his days. I dont know how he managed to get out of his bed every day, but sure enough, he did. He just got up and continued with his life as if he were perfectly fine. Not once did he ever voice a complaint, and he never once let his condition run his life. My grandpars story, as well as Jobsrs and Ebertrs, are proof that even when tragic things in life happen, it isnt the end, and that your tragedies are not who you are and they should not dictate what you do and how much you are worth in this world. From Chris Jonesrs interview with Roger Ebert, we come to an understanding that unlike Hamlet, Ebert views life and death in a very optimistic way despite the calamity of his life. Chris Jones, a writer for Esquire Magazine, quotes Ebert, to make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all the crime starts (Jones 34). Roger Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002, which was then successfully removed through surgery. In 2003, he underwent surgery to get rid of cancer in his salivary glands. His illness was killing him, but Ebert did not let it define him. The uncertainty of Ebertrs health impacts the way we see his attitude toward the value of life because it makes it seem like Roger Ebert is ready to live life to its fullest, regardless of how much time is left and his condition, and this would be apparent regardless of whether or not he beat out cancer. Surviving something like that is amazing, thus giving more meaning to living life fuller than befo re. Ebert continued his life as a film critic until his death. He didnt do what he did because he was forced to, but because he had a passion and truly loved what he did. The appreciation Ebert had for his life regardless of his illness and hardships he faced should get nothing but respect. It would be such a wonderful thing if we could all develop such a love and passion for something similar to Ebertrs love for movies and writing. Ebert states, its saving me when I am writing, my problems become invisible and I am the same person I always was (Jones 18). I cannot express my admiration for Ebertrs optimistic attitude. I truly believe that Roger Ebert has left a lasting legacy on the world, his courageous story has been imprinted into the hearts of many. Similar to Roger Ebert, Steve Jobs is another innovative, wise man and an amazing source of positivity. Stanford Universityrs graduating class of 2005 received such an amazing and truly inspiring speech from Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was the chairman, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Apple Inc. He delivered a speech based around one simple phrase, youve got to find what you love, (Par. 15). In his speech, Jobs mentions how as soon as he began to live in fear due to his failures, he did what he could to change it right away. He obtained that personal drive within him to get him to accomplish his goals. His speech reminds us that we are capable of achieving anything we set our minds to, no matter how big, no matter how small. He encourages us to believe in ourselves and achieve wonderful things because the world will always need us. In addtion, he tells the graduates about three different stories in his life, all serving as valuable lessons titled: connecting the dots, love and loss, and death. He explains to the graduating students how important it is to follow your heart and that you have to trust that eventually, things will be okay. He compares finding the right occupation to choosing a lover, As with all matters of the heart, youll know it when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on (Par. 15). Itrs safe to s ay that a majority of people arent particularly overjoyed with their occupation; oftentimes we hear how much people hate their jobs. I think what Steve was trying to get across to those students is that you only get one chance at life, so why waste it doing something that doesnt make you happy? I learned a lot from this speech, and although Im unsure of what the future holds for me, I am sure that everything will turn out alright. Steve Jobs has inspired so many people around the world, including myself, to chase their dreams, and if it doesnt turn out, itrs not the end. You can always start over. Steve Jobs and his wise words have left a lasting impression on the world. He stood for something so simple, that still carries such a heavy importance on our lives: being happy. Some may argue that life is meaningless, as to why they do not value life as much as others. So what? I mean, itrs true; it is hard to get excited about your day knowing that nothing really matters in the grand scheme. This also means that all those other responsibilities you are so worried about dont matter either. Nihilism is a philosophy for those who are sad, and also for those who are happy, it is a philosophical viewpoint arguing that life lacks objective meaning, purpose, or instinctive value. Basically, there is no point for anything and everything in the universe is simply coincidental. If life is meaningless, then that means that life is nothing, and nothing is something. However, it is up to each individual to define the meaning of their own lives, even if others find life to lack a purpose. To conclude, the most important thing in this life is attitude. Itrs incredible how something so simple can have such a monumental impact on someoners life. To live a happy life, all you have to do is change your outlook on it, and think positively, do not focus on your financial situation or social status because the value of your life is so much more than that. If you look for the light in all situations you will find that life is a beautiful thing, and there is no time for pessimism.