23 September 2013 Consider the books you have read in the last year or two either for school or for leisure. Please discuss the way in which one of them changed your understanding of the world,other people, or yourself. (Duke University)

When I was in seventh grade, our English teacher made our class to John Boyne’s 2004 novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. To be honest, I thought it would be boring  just by looking at the cover and the blurb. Although a few of my friends had watched the movie, I was not looking forward to reading it.

This book is set during World War II. It is mainly about the friendship between the soldier’s sun and a boy from the concentration camp. The main character Bruno, who is eight years old and from a wealthy family, has to move due to his father being an SS soldier. One day, Bruno meets Shmuel, who looks a bit different, being described as bald, skinny, and looking weak. They soon become friends and Bruno brings him food every day. Although there is physically a fence between the two, they continue to talk about things such as their family and themselves. Innocent Bruno doesn’t see why Shmuel has to be treated differently from others. He doesn’t understand why there has to be a fence between the two.

Towards the end, Bruno decides to go under the fence to see Shmuel. This is easy for him since he has to shave his hair because of lice (the soldiers won’t recognize him because everyone is bald in the concentration camp). However, the two are dragged with a few other people and forced to die with in a room full of gas. The narrator finally notes that there was no news about Bruno after that.

During our English lessons, our teacher would have us discuss our opinions with the class. I first thought that this would be pointless because what else would there be between their friendship? However, the more I read, the more I understood. I came to wonder what I would have done in Bruno’s position. If I knew someone like Shmuel, could the two of us become true friends? Would I have the courage to go under that fence?

I also believed that situations like that between Bruno and Shmuel could arise with me as well. It might not be through a fence or in a concentration camp, but there could be some people who I try to avoid for some reason. It could be because of their race, wealth, or background. If eight-year-old Bruno was able to become friends with someone in a totally opposite situation, I can break through the “fence” and become friends with another as well! It’s only the beginning that is hard; you will get used to it once you are out of your comfort zone.

30 September 2013 Pretend you woke up one day and there were no rules. People could suddenly do whatever they wanted! Explain what the world would be like. Use your imagination!

Rules are the most important thing when it comes to society, starting from being fair to countries keeping their promises. Although I am only thirteen years old, rules make my life easier in terms of school and outside home. Our school is very strict with rules and if any of us break them, whether it’s a major or minor one, we have to face the consequences. Rules are what keep the world growing positively. If I woke up and found out that there were no rules, this world would be a disaster.

First, a world without rules would mean anyone could storm into your room, steal all your money and run away without being caught because it would be considered “legal.” No one would have to work because you can’t be sure that you’ll receive your wages or salary. There would be no more hard working because there would be even more easier methods to “earn” higher amounts of money such as stealing, extorting, or, even at the worst case, killing. You won’t have to feel guilty about this anymore because its not considered illegal when rules don’t exist anymore. Everything would be a disaster because having no rules and limitations could lead to great harm.

Not only will a lack of rules disrupt our daily lives but it could destroy the whole world. Countries would be able to break promises they have made with each other because the rule of keeping treaties won’t exist. In fact, this could cause a major war, perhaps World War III. Politics wouldn’t exist because any country would be able to invade freely without any worries. Other countries would be able to stop them, but it would be impossible to make them feel guilty because there would be no rules anymore. For example, the treaty to not use any nuclear or chemical weapons on each other would have no point because the concept of rules would not exist. Countries could invade or betray each other without having to face any costs.

I believe that there would be absolutely no advantages for the world as a whole because most people would turn greedy if there were no rules. Money is what everyone wants and the more money you have, the more people will respect and look up to you. However, since there are no rules, why not steal each other’s property since this is the only way to live? If the world ran like this, why not take anyone’s money by simply killing them because you wouldn’t have to go to jail even when you murdered someone? Everyone would start to kill each other and the population of this world would decrease very quickly. Eventually, there might only be one person left in this world!

Thinking about a world like this gives me nightmares and goosebumps. Luckily, the world we live in today is secured with rules and limitations. Rules are what help our daily lives become peaceful because we all have a mind-set that doing evil deeds could lead to serious problems. We can trust each other because we all know the consequences if we do something illegal. Countries can rely on each other, creating a safe world.

30 September 2013 Wonder By RJ Palacio

August Pullman was born with a rare genetic disorder, his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears not being placed correctly. Although only ten years old, August has been through many painful moments both physically and mentally. He has undergone many surgeries since birth and considers it normal when people stare at him. Younger and older kids teasing him being part of  his regular routine, he is homeschooled. One day, his parents gently ask him to consider going to a public school. August disagrees the second he hears the suggestion, but changes his mind because his mother wants him to give it a try.

School turns out as August expected. He is famous for being the “freak.” No one tends to sit next to him during lunch or class times, with the exception of two students kind enough to make him feel welcome. Jack, a student from his homeroom, is extremely nice to August and they soon become friends with each other. Summer, a student from another class, always sits next to August at lunch (it seems as if they are not able to find Jack because he is “apparently” sitting at another table). On the other hand, Julian tends to dislike August for some reason. He tries to persuade his classmates to make them feel the same way towards August.

Everyone in the school gets used to August’s face after a few weeks of school, but he does not gain more friends since then. The bullying gets worse, with Julian leaving unkind notes on Jack’s and his locker. Jack and Summer continued to stick up for August because they knew that Julian was considered the “mean” kid to them. Not only do a few students get involved, but Julian’s parents don’t want August to attend the school anymore. This is extremely unfair because the only problem with August is his face — he was one of the smartest students in class and didn’t cause any problems in school. Luckily, the principal explained to Julian’s parents how this is unfair to August.

Towards the end of this book, the bullying eventually stopped after the end of the annual trip. All students from August’s grades are invited to go to a nature camp, which was a few hours away. Bravely, August decides to go, but for some reason doesn’t feel nervous at all. This is probably because Julian isn’t attending the camp for some reason. During the last night of the trip, a few older kids from another school spot August and tease  him because of his face. However, a few students from his class stand up for him, leading to a fight. Although August and his friends run away, everyone in the school hears about it and congratulates him and his friends on their bravery. Everyone realizes that August isn’t as bad as they thought. Julian decides to leave the school because his parents believe that this isn’t the right place for him. The book closes with August receiving an award at a graduation ceremony from the principal for showing good “spirit” for the school.

I enjoyed reading this book and how August was courageous enough to attend school and make it through the whole year. Although there were many unfortunate events and misunderstandings, the result was fair because he was spirited enough to keep on going to school. The author makes the novel realistic by writing how the students from August’s school didn’t like him from the beginning. If a student like him came to our school, I am not sure if anyone could be Jack or Summer. It would be hard for the two students to stick up for him. Unlike before, his rare disease didn’t stop him from doing anything such as going to camp or taking a picture for his graduation. Although this book was aimed at young readers and teenagers, it would also be good for adults because they will definitely have a chance to rethink how they see others who are slightly different from them.

September 9 2013 Imagine you have written a short story, film, or play about your last four years. Briefly describe the one moment or scene that your audience will most remember from this autobiographical piece. What will they learn about you from that moment?

I was the age of nine four years ago. Of the many crucial events over those four years, such as gaining knowledge, health, and stronger friendship bonds, one of the most outstanding moments occurred just a few weeks ago, during the summer of seventh grade.

Hagwon is a Korean word meaning ‘educational academy.’ My mother rarely sent me to a summer studying academy until this year. She strongly believed that I was now at the age of obtaining higher knowledge standards. Luckily, there was a high-level English hagwon five minutes away. We decided that I would go every other day excluding the weekends, from ten in the morning to one in the afternoon (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). One of the main reasons she sent me was because of my limited vocabulary and comprehension. Our goal was to improve the iBT TOEFL grade I took as practice a few months ago. She believed that I would accomplish by practicing everyday.

iBT TOEFL classes were not easy at all from the beginning. We were required to memorize about a hundred vocabulary words, with an hour’s worth of worksheets to do. After a month of hard work, I had to stop going to these lessons due to school, which was going to begin the following week. In order for me to see my progress, the academy kindly registered me for the TOEFL. As expected, my score had improved. At the moment, I am planning to attend afternoon classes again for even more improvement.

Not only did my mother send me to this academy, but she also helped me prepare for eighth grade math. I immediately agreed with her because I haven’t had a math teacher for a while, it was true that my grades for middle school weren’t progressing at all, and I agreed it would be the best for me. We contacted the tutor I had had a few months before and I started taking lessons from her the following week. We finished the book in less than three months and I am currently doing high school math. To be honest, some lessons were tiring but come to think of it, they were worth it, particularly in terms of tests in school–since I was confident in math, all I had to do was review for a few hours.

This summer was quite special for me in terms of knowledge. While memorizing vocabulary words, I came up with my own ways of learning them more easily. This led me to think of studying much more positively than I had before. When high school comes, there won’t be many worries since I will have mastered a few ninth grade subjects. In conclusion, I have gained more confidence and knowledge than I ever had before.

August 26 2013 Daisy Miller Imagery

Reading the novella “Daisy Miller,” I noticed images in terms of the characters and settings. Although I wrote about these two aspects in detail, this essay will have more of my opinions than facts.

During the entire time reading “Daisy Miller,” I thought that it had a similar storyline to Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet.” Both stories were about love and a bit of “tragedy.” Romeo and Juliet had both died in the play, whereas only Daisy who died, making Winterborne depressed. In my opinion, Daisy Miller was more tragic than Romeo and Juliet because Winterborne was left alive, feeling the pain of Daisy’s death. Romeo and Juliet would not have to feel the pain for each other since the two of them died at about the same time. Another similarity is the way they had to “separate”for a while. Winterbourne had to go back to Italy, leaving Daisy no choice but to wait for him in Rome. On the other hand, Romeo and Juliet’s parents feuded for years, causing Romeo’s exile due to killing one of the Capulet’s (Juliet’s) relatives. Although they were separated under different circumstances, both couples had no choice but to become “separated.” However, towards the end, they are reunited. The overall story and situations in “Romeo and Juliet” and “Daisy Miller” are very alike.

Daisy Miller contains two separate themes: innocence and betrayal. In my opinion, betrayal plays a bigger role than innocence for a few reasons. After Daisy had moved on to an Italian man, the book became much more interesting. As the reader, I  empathized with Winterborne as he expressed his depression and anger towards Daisy. It must have been extremely hard for him as he saw his love moving on and acting as if she didn’t care a bit. If one of the main themes in this book is betrayal, one of the minor themes is guilt and depression (especially after Daisy’s death). Innocence is also the key to this novella. When the two first meet at a cafe, the author portrays how they slowly fall in love with each other. This isn’t a complicated process compared to how they separate.

Henry James (author of the novella), had made me think about each page in Daisy Miller. He wrote many descriptive sentences such as Winterborne describing the city of Vevey, Switzerland in the first paragraph. He always had a twist towards the middle of the story (Daisy Miller moving on), which made it much more exciting than it was. All of the settings that took place matched with the story. I had absolutely enjoyed reading Daisy Miller because it made me have a different perspective about people who you may not understand. Winterborne thought that Daisy actually didn’t care for him, but later was told that she actually did. Although you may not understand someone at the moment, there may be a certain reason why they are acting in such a way. I am looking forward to reading his other novellas!

August 26 2013 Daisy Miller Theme

Henry James’ novella Daisy Miller portrays a young couple falling in love and experiencing many difficulties everyone in a relationship has to go through. Reading this, I found two main themes: innocence and betrayal.

Daisy Miller consists of two chapters, each having its own themes. I think the first chapter definitely shows innocence, whereas the final chapter represents betrayal. At the beginning of the story, Winterborne meets Daisy and gradually starts to fall in love with her. This chapter shows us how people meet and slowly start to fall in love. This slowness is because Winterborne first believes that he is only falling in love because of her beauty. However, he later on proves himself wrong, realizing that he also likes her personality. Although Henry James does not include Daisy’s point of view, we can tell that she has a bit of interest in him. As the reader, I could tell that the two main characters were beginning to fall in love with each other. Innocence is the key to the first half of the story, but stories always require difficult situation, which in this case occurs in the final chapter of the book: betrayal.

If the first chapter portrayed innocence, this chapter has a theme of betrayal. Winterborne promises Daisy to visit her in Rome, believing their love will never come to an end. Instead of waiting for her loved one, Daisy has been flirting with other men and moved on to an Italian. As the reader, I was able to sense the pain and betrayal Winterborne felt as he came to Rome. Instead of welcoming him, Daisy rather starts teasing, trying to make him feel jealous by “introducing” her new boyfriend. Winterborne feels anger and hopelessness as he stays in Rome, by trying to ignore her and move on. Unfortunately, it is reported that Daisy has died from malaria after she visit  to the Colosseum with her boyfriend. Winterborne begins to feel guilty as Daisy’s mother tells him that Daisy had always cared what Winterborne thought of her and wanted him to know that she had never been engaged with her boyfriend. As a result, he returns to his home in Geneva and normal life.

One thing that I liked about this novella was that the two themes didn’t blend at all. In most books I have read, the author usually combines both themes so you aren’t able to figure out which theme each chapter covers. However, in this book, you could tell which chaper represented which theme. In these terms, I think the author did a splendid job!

August 12 2013 Daisy Miller Characters

Daisy Miller:

Daisy Miller is the one of the main characters in this story. Her real name is Annie P. Miller, but she goes by the name “Daisy.” Although the book doesn’t include her point of view, she plays an effective and unique role. According to Winterbourne, she is a younger woman who “flirts” often with other men. She falls in love with him in Vevay, France, but unluckily Winterbourne has to leave. They believe that their love will last forever, but Daisy falls in love with another man. According to the book, Daisy felt betrayed which made her forget about him. She eventually dies of malaria, but later on her mother reveals that she had cared what Winterbourne thought of her.

Winterbourne:

Winterbourne is the main character in that the story is based on his point of view. He has spent most of his life in Geneva, despite the fact that he is an American. While he spends his time in Vevay, he meets a pair of siblings, Randolph and Daisy Miller. Winterbourne starts to slowly fall in love with Daisy, a woman younger than him by thinking how beautiful she is. However, he tries to deny himself by considering her just an “American flirt,” which doesn’t help at all. They spend some time together, but Winterbourne has to leave. Daisy begs him to come to Rome as soon as possible in order for them to meet again. As Winterbourne goes to Rome, he finds a totally different Daisy. Instead of welcoming him, she has moved on to an Italian boyfriend, Mr. Giovanelli. Feeling betrayed, Winterbourne tries to forget Daisy.

After he learns of Daisy’s death and how she felt towards him, guilt begins to overcome him. He returns to Geneva and his ordinary life, thinking about Daisy Miller from time to time.

Randolph Miller:

I believe that Randolph was an important character in this story. Even though he didn’t appear as much as the other characters, it was he who introduced his sister Daisy to Winterbourne. It all began when he asked Winterbourne for some sugar, his request eventually leading to a conversation.

My Opinion:

While reading Daisy Miller, I realized that each and every character had an impact, whether or not they had a major or minor role. I wondered if the story would have been the same if it had been told in both Daisy and Winterbourne’s point of view. It could have included what had happened to Daisy before Winterbourne went to Rome. If so, the story would have been much clearer since you could have experienced both points of view. Overall, the majority of Daisy Miller’s characters play important roles.

August 5 2013 Daisy Miller Book Report

Daisy Miller is a classic novel written in 1878 by Henry James. It describes how two young Americans Daisy Miller and Winterbourne fall in love in Europe and go through many complicated stages. According to Wikipedia, the original text had 43 pages in total, printed in two magazines. The book I read has two chapters, set in two countries.

This story begins in Vevey, Switzerland when Rudolph, Daisy Miller’s younger brother, asks tourist Winterbourne for some sugar. In this essential scene, the two main characters meet for the first time. Rudolph is the first one to appear in Winterbourne’s sight, his request leads to a conversation. Shortly after, Daisy appears. According to her brother, her real name is Annie P. Miller, but she goes by the name “Daisy.” By this point, Winterbourne starts to describe her as an “American flirt” with a beautiful face. He gradually begins to admit that he is in love with Daisy, but isn’t positive if she feels the same way.  As the story continues, the readers notice that the two are slowly falling in love with each other. Unfortunately, Winterbourne has to go back to Geneva and Daisy can’t do anything about it but beg for him to come to where she lives, Rome. The first chapter closes with their promise to meet.

After a couple of months, Winterbourne arrives in Rome to see Daisy. He expects the woman who was in love with him in Vevey, but instead finds a totally different person who has moved on to a young Italian, Giovanelli. Winterbourne believes that Giovanelli does not deserve Daisy at all. He tries to separate them by warning her but she refuses and continues to flirt. Winterbourne realizes that there is no way of getting Daisy back and tries to forget her. Later on, Winterbourne unexpectedly spots Giovanelli and Daisy in the Colosseum, where one could catch   malaria, also known as “Roman fever.” Daisy becomes extremely ill after a couple of days and death eventually overcomes her. Winterbourne hears from Daisy’s mother that she had always cared about what he thought of her. Eventually, he goes back to Geneva, returns to his ordinary life, and thinks about Daisy Miller from time to time.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Daisy Miller. However, there were a few difficult scenes that I couldn’t follow, for example, the opening, in which the point of view of the narrator is unclear. This probably is because it was written in the 1800’s. I was also unsatisfied with the ending. If I could change something in the book, I would definitely let Daisy Miller live. Other than these issues, the story was enjoyable. I would like to read another Henry James novella in order to see how his other stories end.

August 12 2013 "Floating Off The Pages"

I had many different thought while reading the first 50 pages of “Floating off the Pages.” I especially liked the first article because it was humourous. The reporter included many different examples that we all could agree with. I noticed that the articles were published a few ago, but the style of writing didn’t change at all a compared to the ones that are published now. Another thing was that it takes hard work to publish one single article. The writer has to research, find accurate information, make sure it isn’t biased, and always triple check their spelling. Every single one I read didn’t have any mistakes and was amusing to read.

July 8 2013 Matterhorn

In my previous essay about Switzerland, I wrote the few lines about the Matterhorn:

First, I would like to visit one of Switzerland’s famous tourist attractions, the Matterhorn, a  14,690-foot mountain, the tenth highest in the country. The name Matterhorn comes from the German words matte ‘meadow’ and horn ‘peak.’ It is an inaccessible mountain and experiences sudden weather changes; 500 have died climbing it since 1865. Although it would be impossible for our family to even get near it, I would still like to take a picture from a distance.

In this essay, I would like to write about this mountain in detail, including information such as its name and history, famous people who have survived or died climbing the mountain, as well as some fun facts. The Matterhorn is the best known mountain in the Alps, located six miles from Zermatt, Switzerland. It has a triangular shape and ascending it is considered a “must-do-before-I-die” activity for climbers. People started to recognize this beautiful mountain in 1865, following the tragedy of Edward Whymper.  

Whymper was a famous English illustrator, explorer, and climber, best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 (which is the main reason this mountain became popular among climbers and visitors). He was determined to climb this mountain with Professor John Tyndall, both deciding to reach the summit. John Tyndall had failed about eight times before. Later on, a few others, Hudson, Croz, and the inexperienced Hadow, joined. As they ascended, many accidents occurred. Hadow slipped, which caused him to fall on top of Croz. This knocked Douglas and Hudson to their deaths, but luckily the roped saved the rest. This was the first time someone reached the summit of the Matterhorn.

The Matterhorn has a few interesting features. The rock under the snowy summit has a lime color. You can fit about 1,230,000,000 rolls of toilet paper into the volume in this mountain! Many squirrels also live about 2,000 ft up the Matterhorn. Its four steep sides face the compass directions north, east, south, and west, with only little bits of snow and ice clinging to them.

It will be amazing when I visit Switzerland. I hope this vacation will bring unforgettable memories!

Bibliography (The websites I used):

http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-9275738/Matterhorn

July 1 2013 Switzerland

Our family will be visiting Switzerland during the summer and I would like to visit many places.

First, I would like to visit one of Switzerland’s famous tourist attractions, the Matterhorn, a  14,690-foot mountain, the tenth highest in the country. The name Matterhorn comes from the German words matte ‘meadow’ and horn ‘peak.’ It is an isolated mountain and experiences sudden weather changes; 500 people have died climbing it since 1865. It would be impossible for our family to even get near it, but I would still like to take a picture from a far distance.

Since climbing the Matterhorn would be highly unlikely for us, I hope our family visits the Zoo Basel, which doesn’t charge admission. It holds about 6,894 animals with 480 in the aquarium alone. They also have an aquarium since 1972, which have about 480 species. During the winter, one can see the Gentoo and King Penguins walking around in the morning. Although we won’t be able to witness that event, we can always visit again.

Since the middle term of this year, I’ve been interested in castles and their history. Château de Chillon in Lake Geneva is open to tourists and visitors every day with parking space and bus stops near. The date this castle was built is unknown but it was first mentioned about 1000 years ago. The castle contains four main halls, three courtyards, and a few bedrooms open to public.

Another tourist attraction our family would like to visit is the Grand Théâtre de Genève, obviously a theater located in Geneva, the largest theater in a French-speaking country. It was first opened in 1876, but was damaged in 1951. Eventually, it reopened in 1962. This theater is currently open and receives many visitors.  

Most of the places I would like to visit are buildings and other forms of architecture. It would be nice to include another natural attraction. The Ticino is a river located in between Valias and Italy. It has a beautiful view with a long bridge.

I would also like to visit the Kleine Scheidegg, a beautiful high mountain pass. My parents especially enjoy walking so this would probably be the best tourist attraction for them. It is 2,061 meters high. During the winter, people use it as a ski resort.

It will be difficult to reach all of these destinations, but if I have the chance, I would most likely go to the Zoo Basel to take photos of all different types of animals, which I won’t do during the school year.  My second choice would be to visit the Château de Chillon and learn its history. Visiting Switzerland would be wonderful.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matterhorn

http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/MatterhornFacts.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_Basel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Chillon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_de_Gen%C3%A8ve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticino_(river)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleine_Scheidegg

June 24 2013 France

France is one of the most beautiful countries that I’ve ever seen in pictures. Looking at this beautiful place, I wonder how this country became what it is today.    

The French Republic has more than 65 million people, a Democratic government, Paris as the capital city, and euros for currency. It’s motto is Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, which means ‘Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.’ 64 percent of the population are Roman Catholic, attending about 40,000 churches. Historically, a tribe called the Celtic Gauls arrived in France around 700-500 BC. However, Julius Caesar and his Roman Empire defeated them during 58-50 BC. There were many kings from then until the French Revolution in 1789, shortly after which Napoleon became Emperor until he was exiled to Saint Helena.  

There are many different tourist attractions in this beautiful country. For example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris got about seven million visitors in 2011. There is also Saint Tropez, known “for its famous and extremely wealthy summer guests... dubbed the playground of the jetset, fashion models and millionaires”  (Top 10 Tourist Attractions: http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-france/). Lastly, there is Versailles, the main French palace until 1789, with its beautiful garden and fountain.

I’ve heard that the food in France is delicious. People tend to think that all restaurants in France are extremely expensive but this is untrue. For example, you can have a single baguette for lunch! I would really like to try one of the sandwiches because it would taste totally different than the ones in Korea.

France is a remarkably interesting country. The language, French, is one of the most beautiful languages. There is no national costume, unlike in Korea. Instead, each region has a different style of traditional clothing. French women there have the longest life expectancy in Europe. The majority of the year feels like spring. After Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the most important holiday is Bastille Day, July 14th, commemorating the start of the French revolution through parades.

There are three colors in the French flag, blue, white and red. Blue represents freedom, but can  also signify as perseverance, justice, vigilance, peace, patriotism, and prosperity. The white in the middle represents peace. It shows the citizens how clean and honest France is. Lastly, the red represents blood, France being a strong and courageous country. The novel (subsequently remade as a Broadway musical and then a movie)  Les Misérables is set during the French Revolution may help you understand France and its history a bit more.

I am very excited to visit France with my family after finding out all these things. We will go to many tourist attractions and are planning to stay in hotels and B&B. Our trip to France will become an unforgettable memory.

Bibliography:

http://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/france-facts.html

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091207185518AAjSvkl

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_visit_the_Eiffel_Tower_per_year

http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-france/

http://blog.dinolingo.com/2011/05/04/french-culture/

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_old_is_France

http://www.eupedia.com/france/trivia.shtml

http://french.lovetoknow.com/What_the_French_Flag_Colors_Represent

November 11 2012 Is success earned or do people succeed because they are lucky?

Everyone has a different point of view of “success.” For example, entering a good college would be considered success” for high school students and getting the exact present you wanted from Santa Claus would be a huge success for young kids. However, in order for the college to accept you, you would have to study hard and have to scores for your exams. Santa would only give you presents if we're nice to your friends and respected your parents. I believe that success in life is earned rather because if you were lucky, it wouldn’t be success – you would have just been fortunate.

The majority of people in Korea enjoy participating in the Lottery. They hope to earn a huge amount of money with luck. However, there is only one winner out of thousands of people. I’ve read a newspaper saying that out of ten people who have won the lottery, eight of them are either divorced or unhappy. This is because the winners don’t know how they are going to divide the money. It was actually proven that people who live in small towns with less money are actually happier than those who live in huge houses with a lot of money. Winning the lottery could be a success for some people, but there is a high possible of long-term consequences that they didn’t expect.

Every single chief executive officer in companies, have spent more than decades of studying and thinking of new ideas no one has ever thought of. When they made their own company, some have been successful and some have not. I believe that this success has more benefit than winning the lottery because it has more meaning to that person. Success can mean having a high position in your career or reaching the amount of money you have aimed for, but it can also mean something you have earned by hard work. This can be either riding your own bicycle, having a good score in a test or project, or even getting a toy you’ve always wanted.

All in all success isn’t earned because of your hard work and ambitions, not because you were lucky.  If I think about the ties I had success, most of them include years of hard or hard decisions. My definition of success is aiming for something with passion and achieving more than what you have expected.

November 5 2012 Is It Possible To Be A Hero In The Modern World?

Most people, especially kids, think that those with unique suits and special powers are heroes. Movies and books show us that heroes are perfect, strong, and different from humans. However, I believe heroes help us every day in the modern world. The problem is we don’t notice them because there are so many.

In all wars, many will die. We still remember a few people who have sacrificed their lives for their countries. For example, John Brown, an abolitionist, thought that freeing the slaves was the right thing to do. At age 59, he was hanged in front of 20,000 people. Southerners praised his death; Northerners commented on his greatness. Another example is Oskar Schindler. When World War II started, he gave up his career and decided to build factories in Poland to employ Jewish workers, which saved them from torture and death in concentration camps. This led to Schindler being arrested two times, but that didn’t stop him from keeping his factories running.  He also managed to remain on excellent terms with the German officials and save doomed Jews at the same time. In 1942, Oscar Schindler assembled his first famous Polish factory, which employed Jews of all ages working together, making supplies for the German Army. There were definitely times when nothing was going the right way, but Schindler didn’t give up and continued to fight for what was honorable and correct. He also gave the SS (a powerful force that served Hitler) false records, saying that he didn’t have any under or over-aged workers.

These individuals sacrificed their lives for others. Most of us know who they are. However, they weren’t particularly muscular or different than us. They were just ordinary people who wanted to make a change.   

Today, heroes around the world, from the teachers who help students learn, the janitors who clean our bathrooms, bus drivers who help us get to work, to the workers who take out our garbage, help us daily. Only a few of these people receive notice, but I believe that the world continues to grow because every one of them helps improve our environment, culture, and many other aspects of life. We should respect these heroes because without them, we wouldn’t have a world like this.