Is it always essential to tell the truth, or are there circumstances in which it is better to lie?

I believe that the truth is one of the most happy but painful things in life. There are truths we like to know and some we tend to avoid. Once a fact is known to be true, I find it difficult to change. However, you can make it sound false by lying, which comes in handy when you want to protect yourself or avoid certain circumstances. This may lead you to more trouble at the end. It is essential to lie depending on the situation, but the deeper the lie gets, the higher the truth exposed.

Interestingly, we learn to lie without being taught. For example, if a young child eats a cookie his mother didn’t want him to eat until dinner, he will lie that he didn’t eat it because he wants to stay away from trouble and eat another cookie after dinner. Although his parents did not teach him to lie, he learned that it was the only way to stay safe. Though lying is clearly not essential in this case, sometimes it is. Consider a national athlete and his family. This athlete has been practicing for years in order to go to the Olympics. Unfortunately, his mother passes away right on the day he competes. His family doesn’t want to contact the athlete because they all know that he has been waiting for this day. Instead, they lie to the athlete that everything is okay, which in this case, is the right thing to do. Although you can’t resurrect someone from the dead, it is better for the athlete to know about his mother’s death after the competition. The truth eventually comes out, but the timing is essential for him.

It is not always right for you to lie. For example, at a crime scene, you have to tell the truth no matter how much it hurts. If you have witnessed a crime and the police ask you to recall the situation, the best thing to do is to tell the truth in order to help them find the criminal. However, if you found out that the criminal was one of your family members, it would be hard to tell the truth because it would not only cause problems finding the criminal, but make you feel psychologically unstable. Once you have lied to the police, you will force yourself to keep lying in order to prove that the previous lie is a true statement. There will be no end and the lying will become worse until you won’t even remember what you lied about. This won’t be safe for you as well if they find out what you have been doing. The circumstances might get worse so that it would have been better off telling the truth in the first place. One lie has led to another, causing more problems than telling the truth. This stirs up more trouble for everyone, including yourself.

Reasons whether to lie or not will vary, but the truth eventually comes out. I believe that it is essential to lie if there are more advantages, but there are certain situations when you have to tell the truth no matter what. A temporary lie may be exceptional, but lies rarely last forever. It is a matter of time before the lie reveals itself.

Your school has decided (to change the dress code, to stop assigning homework on the weekend, to end summer vacations and go to year-round schooling, etc.). Write a letter to persuade the school board to make the change or to keep the policy.

Your school has decided (to change the dress code, to stop assigning homework on the weekend, to end summer vacations and go to year-round schooling, etc.). Write a letter to persuade the school board to make the change or to keep the policy.

*MADE UP*

Dear Headmaster Stones,

Greetings. I am currently a parent at Lincoln Middle School. Very recently, I heard that our school will stop having a uniform code. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with this for various reasons. By the end of this letter, I hope you will understand why we need uniforms and reconsider your decision.

Lincoln Middle School is widely known for its polite and intelligent students. We proudly placed third among the best educated private schools. Most alumni at our school have found a stable job and are now doing what they want to do. Although students get about four hours of homework daily, I believe that this is for their own future. All 350 students at your school are able to concentrate well because the school limits the use of computers. However, if our school becomes uniform-free, what may first seem an advantage won’t last long.

Middle school is the most important point in life in terms of understanding yourself and what you will do in the future. We need education it in order to understand how the world works and how to improve it. If the school decides not to have uniforms, we may become distracted from our studies. With a dress code, you don’t have to worry about what you will be wearing every day. All students know what they will be wearing to school every day, making it easier for them in the morning. They won’t be concerned about the new trend or wonder if their friends will like they’re wearing. On the other hand, without uniforms, all students will have to keep the latest fashion in mind, perhaps going shopping every other week to keep up to date. This will surely be time-consuming and unhelpful to their studies. Being teenagers, more and more students will focus on clothes instead of work, not helping them at all in high school or their future.

Also, we should continue to have school uniforms to prevent discrimination. With over 300 people in your middle school, economic status and fashion taste will vary greatly among students. Of course, those from a wealthier family will have no problems getting new clothes every weekend, but having no uniforms might become a worry to those from a lower economic class. Discrimination will occur when a group of students doesn’t approve of a particular student’s fashion and this will eventually expand. In a school known for its friendly environment, I would hate seeing students forming cliques because of their fashion status. School is meant for education and learning how to interact with others — not for discrimination.

Your wrong decisions will harm to the students at Lincoln Middle School.

Thank you for your time; I hope you reconsider.

Sincerely,

Amanda Madison

Hidden

One of the best novels I have read this year is Hidden by Helen Frost.  Not only does this novel contain a unique story, but also two different points of view, one structured like a poem, with fewer words and involving more thought, and the other written with detailed descriptions. Although Hidden is less than three hundred pages, Helen Frost did well in terms of keeping the reader focused on the main story. If this book was longer, I would have been easily bored.

The two main characters, Wren Abbott and Darra Manson, first meet in a rare way. The first chapter begins with eight-year old Wren waiting for her mother in the car and suddenly getting kidnapped by a stranger. At this point, the readers don’t know if the stranger is trying to steal the car, kidnap Wren, or both. Either way, it is revealed that she is taken to the garage of a stranger, who has a wife and child. As she overhears numerous conversations among them, Wren figures out that the stranger doesn’t know of her existence in the car and the wife strongly disagrees with him stealing cars. It is never told why the husband had stolen her mother’s car, but we know that taking Wren with him was accidental. As she tries to escape, she discovers that the daugher of this stranger, Darra Manson, is a similar age. She even has a feeling that Darra knows that she’s hiding somewhere. Remarkably, we figure out that Wren is right in the fourth chapter, written from Darra’s point of view.

Darra Manson had always loved her father although he would always ignore and hit her. She felt that the relationship between her parents was worsening by the day. As an innocent eight-year old girl, she didn’t understand why the same cars her father brought home would appear on the news. As she finds out that Wren is in the garage hiding somewhere, she decides to help her escape without her parents or Wren finding out. She does this by acting as if she’s giving food to her cat, but is actually feeding Wren. Even though she was young, Darra felt that whatever her father was doing was wrong. She was secretly helping the girl stuck in the garage mainly because she if she told someone about it, her father might get arrested. Things seem to go well until Wren finds a way to escape. The minute Darra finds out, the police take her father away and things get worse. Her mother divorces her father and takes Darra elsewhere.

There are two time periods in this novel. The first one is the week of the “kidnap” of Wren Abbott and the second takes place six years later at a summer camp. This would be extremely surprising and difficult for the two, but they try their best to hide from each other. However, just before the camp ends, Wren and Darra both believe that it’s time to talk about the incident after years of silence. It comes out that Wren had never told the police where Darra was because she knew that would ruin Darra’s life. The police had instead found the house and arrested Darra’s father. She had always hated Wren because she thought the police had been able to find her father because Wren had told them. The author never specifically explains why Darra’s father had stolen the car, but the readers realize that isn’t the main point of the story.

Reading Hidden, I had a chance to think if there is anyone in my life who I might have misunderstood. The two were courageous and mature in different ways. As the victim, Wren was brave to bring up the incident that happened to her eight years ago because it surely must have been a heavy subject. She must have had a therapist after the accident in order to make her trauma disappear. On the other hand, Darra was brave enough to talk about the subject and listen to everything Wren said because they were talking about her father. We all know that her father had done something wrong, but it would have been hard for Darra to face the fact that one of the most important people in her life was a criminal. It was fortunate that the two were able to dispel misunderstandings at the camp. Life must be much easier for both of them since their worst memory was now gone. Although I haven’t experienced anything as terrible as Wren did, it would be great to talk to someone I have misunderstood.

If you were born blind and at the age of thirteen could suddenly see, would you immediately know what was happening? Think carefully about this one; remember this person has never been able to see in their lives.

Sight is a gift we may sometimes take for granted. If I was born blind, it would be extremely hard to live. I wouldn’t have a chance to see my parents, friends, clothes, house, or even myself. It would be tough to socialize and have a career. Everyone seeing what they touch should be thankful. Not seeing for thirteen years would be tragic, but gaining sight after thirteen years would be even more surprising.

If you could suddenly see after thirteen years, it would be a shock. You definitely wouldn’t know what was happening. Let’s say that you could see things outside. You could see the sun for the first time and the colors of the trees. Everything would seem perfect: the leaves, cars, roads, and even people. The most exciting thing would be seeing yourself. The minute you looked at your features, you couldn’t define how the people in your country looked. You would also be able to see your parents and share happiness with them. For me, tears would rolling down on my eyes. You would be extremely thankful to see everything around. All would seem new. You would remember seeing for the first time, a feeling those born sighted can never know.

Next, you would see how your friends, relatives, or neighbors look. It would be interesting to see if their real appearance matched what you had imagined. They would definitely be happy for you. You would not need a walking stick to help you because you would know where you’re going. No one would have to stay right next to you wherever you go because the possibility of having an accident would decrease! You wouldn’t have to worry about the public because they won’t stare at you anymore (even though you had been blind, you could tell people were looking at you). The lack of confidence and anxiety would disappear. Life would be much easier. If you hadn’t had the opportunity to go to school, this would be your chance. You can have even more friends and enjoy life even more than you did before.

Although there may be advantages to seeing after thirteen years of blindness, there are also a few disadvantages. You would have to see your loved ones dying and how others suffer. It would be a new and unforgettable experience. Moreover, being thirteen and a teenager, you might feel unsatisfied with your looks or height and disappointed at your parents. You might witness tragic moments you wished you had never seen. However, this is just the process of becoming an adult and you should be thankful to experience these moments because it is absolutely better than being blind for the rest of your life.

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.