We've moved on from descriptive writing to analytic writing. Last week we had our first try with "The Lyric I Hate." This week, we shall work our analytic writing into the structure of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Please write an article in either one paragraph or three paragraphs entitled "To __, or Not to ___." When you write, please keep in mind the two requirements to meet: 1) the writing has be to analytic; 2) the structure must be thesis-antithesis-synthesis.
Next week, we shall begin our class meeting with Chapter 2: Supporting Topic Sentences: Examples, Details, Anecdotes, Facts and Statistics (mainly pp. 23-24; p. 34; We covered pp. 31-32 in class today).
Spe
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To Marry or Not to Marry
If a man and a woman love each other deeply in a steady
relationship, is it necessary for them to contract a marriage? By
definition, marriage is a formal and legal way to join two people
who want to spend the rest of their lives together.
For some people, the idea of marriage is magically appealing. People
can enjoy lifelong companionship and support, if they marry. That is,
a husband or a wife can halve their counterpart’s sadness and sorrow;
double their joy and happiness.
“Yes, I do.” The three words might be as sweet as candy for
brides and grooms. However, they are poison for those who believe in
misogamy. For those believers, love is not a product. There is no
need to have a contract ensuring its long-term existence. A man and a
woman can live together when love exists, and separate when
love is gone. If that is how the relationship between couples
goes, why bother signing the contract?
Romance is a journey. People are travelers. The married are those
who take on insurance on their journey for a lifelong traveling
companion. Those who have not married are the one who prefer freedom
and are willing to take risks. Both types of travelers can get
pleasure form traveling as long as they think twice for the question:
“To marry or not to marry?”
Money
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To Change, Or Not To Change
Nowadays, the young generation is becoming dependent on their parents more and more. Such dependence is somehow allowed because family education and parental support have always been part of the Chinese tradition. Accordingly, Chinese parents by nature tend to take care of their children and make sure their safety more meticulously than parents in other countries. Because of this, kids are growing dependent and difficult to talk to. More and more of them are becoming the typical spoiled kids. If we don’t change the course of child-rearing, we will have many self-centered and selfish kids.
However, moderate love and care are also important when we raise kids. The reason is that children brought up this way are just like flowers grown in the greenhouse; they cannot endure the rain or the wind. Hence, parents have to give them more support and love in their formatting days. In addition to love, parents should give their kids practical support, such as money; in this manner, children will have better chances to grow up in a danger-free environment. If we continue to educate our kids this way, they can become happier and more secure.
In conclusion, independent kids are better than spoiled kids. Because independent kids can have better chances to grow up healthy and mature. At the same time, parents also give their kids freedom to develop their own lifestyle. Finally, kids will learn how to use their skills to live a better life in the society. I think that it is a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
Nicky
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To sleep, or not to sleep
Enough sleep is a basic human need, as basic as the need for oxygen. Getting a good night’s sleep is not only directly related to how we feel the next day, but to our health as well. First, getting enough sleep can make us energetic and able to concentrate in class. Second, a good sleep is essential to our livers, which help to purify our bodies. The best time for our livers to work well is between 11 pm. and 3 am. Third, we will look prettier and younger because we sleep well.
However, if we stay up late, we will suffer from many serious problems. First, we will feel tired the next day and fall asleep at lecture. Second, we will get shadows around our eyes or bloodshot in our eyes. Our classmates may be astonished to see a red-eyed panda seating beside them. Third, staying up late may cause the fatal wound to our skin. Our skin will get many ugly pimples and age very fast. Moreover, studies have shown that people who sleep four hours or less per night are twice as likely not to survive in six years as those who sleep the normal eight hours or so.
To sum up, getting enough sleep is very important. Getting a good night’s sleep not only influences how we feel the next day, but also influences our health. If we want to be pretty and stay healthy, we will have to go to bed earlier.
To Take a Job or Not to Take
ReplyDeleteRecently, there are many friends of mine starting to find a job after becoming sophomore students, and I am asking myself whether I should get a job too. If I have a tutoring job, I would have approximately seven thousands dollars per month, and that is, indeed, a great deal of money to support my life. With a job, I could purchase more fashionable clothes to make myself look better; I could go to a movie or go to KTV with my friends on the weekend. I could have a great meal to reward myself after I achieve an important goal like mid-term exam, individual presentation, or excellent performance in The Night of English; most important of all, I could save the rest of the money for my future plan for studying abroad.
On the contrary, having a job will take me some time and stamina. Now, I have sufficient time to study and do sports everyday. I stay with my friends very often, and we keep good friendship. I go out with my family on holidays and have lots of fun together. If I have a job, I might sacrifice something I possess. I will have to spend maybe three or four hours preparing the courses, and two hours tutoring. Thus, I will miss many of the activities in school or family dinner time. And the worst of all, I will not have a flexible schedule as usual.
Though taking a job will more or less take me something I use to have, I can earn some money and experience from it. It is telling me that I should take this as an opportunity to train myself. For instance, I should learn how to manage time efficiently. Second, I will gradually learn to seize the moment and cherish the moment every time I stay with those who are important to me.
Joan
ReplyDeleteTo shop, or not to shop
Shopping is essential to our life. When we are out of food, we have to go to supermarkets to grab something ; when there are something broken in our house, we have to buy new ones to replace them;at the turn of the seasons, we have to buy some clothes to keep ourselves warm.However, shopping isn’t always an answers to needs, but it actually, sometimes, is an act out of addiction. If so, we must struggle and hesitate between “to buy or not to buy". For instance, once I saw a gorgeous dress and I couldn’t even resist it. If I purchase the dress, I could be the most eye-catching women in the world. It will hang upon my mind till I buy it. The happiness of shopping is like warm chocolate milk running down the heart. And once I own that dress, no one can ever take it away from me.
Though shopping is very important, we can’t always buy what we want. We may want to buy many things which we don’t need but if we don’t use our money efficiently, we might run out of money quickly. At the moment I stand in front of the clothes, I must buy the dress or I will suffer simply because I don't own it. After a while, I found myself doing impulse buying again.
In conclusion, shopping is a necessary act, but the unnecessary purchase should be limited. If I keep shopping for the one-time pleasure, I’ll taste the bitterness after the sweet dreams. I must nurture a habit of keeping account lest I should waste too much money and save nothing for my future.
Trysha Hsu
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To have abortion, or not to have abortion
Some people say a baby is a gift from God. Yet some people say that a baby is a burden. I say a baby is a fruit of love. Babies should only be created through a combination of love. If rape is the cause of birth, then it is not a fruit of love. If a baby was brought to the world on false premises, then why bother giving it a life? So many children today are orphans. The pain forced upon them is beyond measure. In comparison, abortion is short-term pain.
On the other hand, abortion is simply a crime of killing our own kind. Even worse, we are in a sense attacking a helpless life that cannot protect itself. Like killing a full-grown adult, abortion is an uncivilized act of homicide. Even animals defend and protect their young. How can human beings murder a defenseless baby?
Abortion is a decision made by adults, but the harm is placed on children. They are innocent lives who are so often compared to angels sent from above. No matter what the cause, pregnancy following or against one's will, a new-born life is the responsibility of a full-grown adult. We are all treasure of this world; we should cherish everyone.
To kill or not to kill
ReplyDeleteName: Timmy
When the light was on, I saw that terrible creature, a cockroach!! I wonder whether I should kill it or not.
Hitting the cockroach has its benefits. First, it offers me a way to vent my anger. I will feel quite excited having a chance to give vent to my bad mood. Second, I won’t suffer from insomnia and worries that a scary creature is sharing my room with me. As I hit it successfully, I can feel relieved from the idea of not needing to stay in the same space with a cockroach or even sleep with it around. What a relief! I won’t be scared by it anymore since I have killed it! Third, the problem of its overbreeding will not bother me. As I hit him, he will not have any chance to mate with another cockroach and thus bring more cockroaches to my house. In the future, I won’t be bothered by it anymore.
If I don’t kill the cockroach, however, I can still benefit from it. First, I will not be faced with the risk of touching the cockroach. I need not take the risk of having the cockroach run across my body when I try to hit it. Second, I can be free from the horror of a close contact with the cockroach at that killing moment. The idea of walking to the cockroach and staying near to hit it always gives me a nightmare. Third, I can stay away from the accusation of killing which is a heavy sentence to me. It is to me no less than an accusation of homicide.
Killing the cockroach may not be a good thing to do, but it makes me feel at ease. I need not take the risk of having the cockroach run across my legs or hands when I am trying to hit him. It frees me from my fear and anxiety caused by the sight of cockroaches. However, leaving it alone can mean worse trouble in the following days. On the contrary, killing in this case may be the better choice for me. It is the lesser of two evils. Killing it has more advantages than not killing it. As a result, I decide to kill it!
Cynthia
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To Buy, or Not to Buy
Before September 27th, 2011, the day when my doom was spelt, whenever I went shopping, trying fabulous clothes on one after one, I was always forced to face the dilemma of “to buy, or not buy?” My instinct usually told me to follow the desire deep down inside—Eat, drink, and be merry! After all, you would never know whether you would see that fascinating garment again next time when it was on sale. Whenever fascinated by the beautiful clothes on the mannequin waving at me in the showcase, I always walked into the store, tried it on and paid for it with my credit card. Shopping itself was such a pleasure that even the “ding” of the cash register sounded so joyful. When I was down and upset, shopping, like a cup of hot chocolate and a helping of rich chocolate brownie, could ease all my pain. Even better, it’s totally calorie-free!
Nevertheless, sometimes, while standing in front of the counter, there was part of me which was still rational telling me to think of my dad, who regretted giving me the credit card every day after he did it. Ever since I had my dream credit card, I didn’t have to implore my parents or throw a fit to get what I wanted. On the other hand, it became my dad’s nightmare, for he had to pay the dreadful bill every month. Getting out of the trap of alluring clothes was by no means a breeze for me. However, the less happiness and contentment I got from shopping, the more relieved my dad would feel when he received the bill next month.
Last Tuesday, a day that I will always remember in my life, I found my credit card blocked by my dad while I was trying to buy tickets online! Even now, I still cannot accept the fact that I can no longer pay with my credit card, which I had only enjoyed shopping with for a year and a month. I guess I’m not likely to face the to-buy-or-not-to-buy dilemma again, at least in the near future or before I marry a billionaire, as the result of it is always going to be “NO!”