Descriptive Essay (winter break)

             Over the winter break, I did a lot of things such as travelling, spending time with family/ friends, and going to fun places. To start off the long winter break, I decided to start my homework early so that I wouldn’t need to cram everything in at the end of the break. I learned to do this because of my procrastination during the summer break with the AP summer assignments. I realized that it really behooved me because I really had a lot of free time to do a lot of fun things throughout the course of the break. From spending time with people to travelling, my winter break was very productive.

            On Christmas Eve, a few days after the break had started, I went to Six Flags with three close friends. This trip had been planned earlier but we saw that it would be best to go before Christmas. We woke up at around 6 am and we all met at Wilshire and Western at around 8 am. From there, we took several different subways and busses to get all the way to Magic Mountain. It was long yet fun because we took a lot of pictures and talked a lot. It was also very cheap because we rode the bus instead of riding the train, which would’ve taken a lot less time. At six flags, we rode a lot of different rides. We decided to start off with a ride called ‘Full Throttle’, a very fast and exhilarating ride. It was a good ride to start off with since this ride usually had a very long line that we would have had to wait in. Since we woke up early and got to Six Flags early, we rode many rides such as Viper, Superman, Drop of Doom, Batman, Goliath, Tatsu, Green Lantern, and more. We left when the amusement park closed which was at around 8 pm. We then went to go eat at a place called Denny’s to end the day. It was really a fun and productive day and definitely started my winter break off with a blast.

            On Dec. 27^th,  my mom and I flew to Korea to visit our family and to spend time in different cities. We wanted to visit my grandmother, grandfather, cousins and nieces. I spent my time in Korea from Dec. 28, 2014 all the way to Jan 8, 2015. Though I was homesick and missed my friends, it really didn’t matter because it was so nice seeing all of my family members all healthy and well. I stayed at my cousin’s house and mostly played with her daughters, my nieces. Since they were my mom’s sister’s daughter’s daughters, they called me uncle. They were really cute and without them, I would’ve been bored for the majority of the time in the house. When I wasn’t home, I went to many different cities and ate many different Korea foods using the train/ subway. I was surprised to see that the subway in Korea was more advanced than the subway here in LA. It was also a lot cleaner and peaceful; in LA, there would often be people on drugs, fighting, yelling, or creating some kind of ruckus while in Korea, everyone respected each other’s privacy.

On Jan. 1, 2015, I went to my grandfather’s house, on my dad’s side, to celebrate the New Years. It was really nice to see him because he used to take care of me when I was really little. I hadn’t seen him for many years. I also got to see all my cousins on my dad’s side who I also didn’t see ever since I was really young. All my cousins, their parents, my parents and I bowed to my grandfather first for he was the eldest. It is a Korean tradition to bow down to someone one or more generations above you. As we bowed he gave me and my cousins money. On New Year’s, it is common to receive money from the people you bow to such as your grandparents and parents. I was embarrassed because I momentarily forgot how to bow but I quickly remembered on the spot and did it. It was good to revert back to the old Korean traditions in Korea while I was so Americanized here in LA. Overall, Korea was a great trip for I met so many people I didn’t meet for a long time and I hope to return as soon as possible to see them again.

            My winter break was a blast and it was probably the best winter break I had ever had. It started off great spending time with my friends at six flags and then going to Korea to see my family members in Korea. I know that since I’m a junior, it’s going to be a long summer filled with tests and exams so I wouldn’t be going on any more trips any time soon so I was happy to make the most out of this break.

Question 1 Essay (Living Green)

            Living green helps the world become a better and healthier place to live. So isn’t it common sense that people should be trying to promote green practices? With major improvements in technology, the government should be leaning towards a more hybrid lifestyle. There are so many people in the world and it only takes a little from each to hugely impact the world. Without any effort towards a greener cause, the world would become so much dirtier with all the people living on it. Whether or not we are experiencing global climate change or global warming, it is still a fact that we are contributing to the destruction of our earth. Therefore, our nation’s government should be taking immediate action under such circumstances and should always be striving to help the world.

            When there is a crisis, it is necessary for a leader to fill in the spot. The world is becoming hotter and more crowded, and that is a crisis that America can take on. Since “America has a problem and the world has a problem”, (Source C) America can take this “opportunity” and lead the other countries by starting to break down our wasteful habits. It would cause change in other parts of the world and would help America get back on its feet. It is also important to note that in Source E, the United States and Japan, are really striving to make the best changes they can. Therefore, the other three countries (China, Russia, and India) should get ahold of a leading authority that would help benefit the world.

            America and many other countries have all the necessary resources to live greener, yet it is only the will that is stopping it. It says in Source A that “necessity is the mother of invention. When laws limit people, human ingenuity finds its foothold and invention takes the place of convention.” Therefore, everyone should be committed to making the world a healthier place to live in. Instead of waiting until it is dangerously necessary, why not start becoming greener gradually; because before you know it, it’ll be too late. It doesn’t kill a person to give three minutes to pick up a bottle and recycle it. In the long run, not doing so would waste more time due to dirtiness.

            Overall, it is possible for individuals to do their part inexpensively and productively as stated in Source A and Source F. There are so many ways to help the world become a better place and so many opportunities available as well. However, to really create worldwide change, the government must be committed to do so and without them, the world just dies more and more.

Civil Disobedience Essay

Civil Disobedience

Starting early from the 19^th century until even to the late 20^th century there had been many acts of civil disobedience and people that spoke different views on it. A small group of enlightened minds rose independently across the globe, and chartered a new course for political and social reformation. The injustices that were existent had caused people to rise up and speak out against it. Starting from Henry David Thoreau to Martin Luther King Jr., there had been many accounts on civil disobedience. These speakers, such as Martin Luther King Jr, have been inspired and influenced from ideas of others to commit to their own ideas and logics. Gandhi also had a lot to do with this movement along with Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi’s movement for independence set the forefront of civil disobedience and he courageously complied with arbitrary laws in order to be defiant. Aware of the destruction that lay ahead from the path of violence, Gandhi employed self- abrasive and nonviolent tactics to prove the yoke of empire the indefatigable resolve of his people and their thirst for justice. These leaders of nonviolent protest permanently changed the world viewed organized resistance and effectively spread the ideas of fighting inequality. Speaking and writing down what they had to say, these philosophies on this movement had spread.

            From early 19^th century, Henry David Thoreau had started to rebel against his state. He argued for the people and the rights of individuals against government and unfair treatment. It was a form of injustice to allow someone to take control of another person’s life in a way that the person was not pleased or hurt. He refused to pay his tax to the state because of his view on America’s war with Mexico and on slave territory. Therefore, he was sent to jail for one night. In prison, an inspiration of an essay called ‘Resistance to Civil Government’ had been formed and it consisted of all his different views and logics. In 1866 many of his great lectures were published and the word about civil disobedience had begun to grow with relations to the topics of slavery and the Mexican American War. To Thoreau, civil disobedience as of utmost importance when necessary and to him even if it meant being isolated from society or going into prison. A quote from his essay in 1849 was, “The government is best which governs least which shows his attitude towards the government and also the motive for as to why civil disobedience may be permitted and supported. Part of his drive to encourage civil disobedience was his disapproval of slavery and the Mexican American War. He believed in the right of an individual rather than a government or even a majority. He had a bad judgment towards governments in which he resulted that they cause a lot more harm than they do good and therefore they are unjust, democracy or not. There was also a paradox in his thinking, for there was a view that showed that Thoreau wanted to withdraw from life and all its hard questions. There was also another view that Thoreau’s action was the logical outcome of his beliefs.

            Moving on from the 19^th century to the 20^th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi became a huge symbol of rights for everyone and of nonviolence, even when the opponent was violently attacking. He fought for the rights of Indians under a racist government in South Africa. He influenced the Hindus to always hold nonviolent principles even in the face of violent tactics by those in power. He fought desperately but yet ineffectively failed. It says in his speech ‘On Nonviolent Resistance’ that “there are two ways of countering injustice” (244). One could either be really violent or attack or one could use the method called ‘satyagraha’ which is basically being prepared to die in suffering to create peace. He also stated “Civil disobedience is the inherent right of a citizen to be civil, implies discipline, thought, care, attention and sacrifice.” Similar to Thoreau, Gandhi also agreed with the terms of civil disobedience as he explains that people are born with the right to protest in civil ways that applies care and thought. He brought attention to the fact that the people have a right to be displeased with their rulers when their actions are not satisfactory to them and when so, they have the right to protest against their power. He was known for his nonviolent ways and his ways still bring impact upon modern society and culture as his image thrives among us. He stressed peace so much to die rather than hurt the opposing party at fault. His actions and ideals on peace and the just way of countering injustice in nonviolent ways is admired by many and is truly one of the greatest examples of civil disobedience in history. Gandhi was able to undermine the imperial government to the point of acquiescence.

            Martin Luther King Jr. influenced from ideas of both Thoreau and Gandhi was really dedicated to his cause and fought against injustice and racism. He, like Gandhi, supported his philosophy on nonviolent resistance and always spoke out on his news on the law and the injustice of it. He would say how if one was to break an unfair law, one would need to do it “openly, lovingly” (246) and not haltingly. He would say how there were “two types of law: just and unjust” and it was up to the people to know how to deal with it. Martin Luther King Jr. argued between the difference of a law that was just and unjust. He stated that a just law was one that abided by the morals of the law of God and an unjust law was one that did not. For instance the right to vote for African Americans in the United States which Dr. King argued unfair him. He spoke out on the morals of the laws and the fair treatment of people without discrimination towards their color, background, or ethnicity. Martin Luther King Jr., like Gandhi, promoted paths of nonviolence. On October 14, 1964 he received the Nobel Peace for his achievements fighting racial inequality through nonviolent peaceful methods. It was the idea that those who were treated unfairly had the right to stand up for what they believe in and take action towards that course.

            For eons, oppression and tyranny were met with an equal and opposite force of violence. The only logical reaction to murder was murder itself. However a small group of enlightened minds gathers and rose to create a new course for political and social reformation. In particular, Henry David Thoreau, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. all spoke out on the idea of civil disobedience and the logic of all these injustices happening on the world. They were only a few of the many who have stood up to corruption, power, and majority of thought throughout history. Civil disobedience, though, is not of the past and it is an action which is still practiced today. With better examples before us, civil disobedience can be practiced in a better manner today. There were paradoxical views on the breaking of unjust laws and also views on nonviolent tactics about civil disobedience. As long as there is greed, crime, and corruption, civil disobedience will always stand up for the rights of the people.