The Perks of Being a Wallflower Essay Reading Response

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, is about a boy, Charlie, who becomes best friends with two people and learns how to live. But Charlie still struggles with issues many different types of obstacles, one being family issues. His relationships with others change throughout the book. Charlie’s relationship with his sister goes from being trusting, to hatred, to dependent, to loved.

At the beginning of the book, Charlie’s sister trusted Charlie. For example, his sister trusted Charlie not to tell their parents after her boyfriend hit her. However, that trusting relationship quickly changed. For example, “‘I hate you.’ My sister said it different than she said it to my dad. She meant it with me. She really did.” This shows a change in their relationship. At the beginning of the book, Charlies relationship changed from trusting to hating.

Later in the book, Charlie’s sister becomes dependent on Charlie. For example, when Charlie’s sister gets pregnant, she confides in Charlie and goes to him for help. “She just hugged me tight and wouldn’t let go… That’s when she told me she was pregnant.” This helped Charlie and his sister become closer, until eventually by the end of the book, they had a solid, loving relationship. For example, “I told her I wanted to give her something that makes her feel like she’s at home even after she goes away. My sister actually kissed my cheek for that.” At the end of the book, Charlie’s relationship with his sister becomes dependable and loving.

In conclusion, Charlie’s relationship with his sister started off with his sister trusting him, then continued to where she hated him. But in the end, they trusted and loved each other.

Gaokao Upfront Essay

Lots of pressure from testing has been put on students. In China, students take a test called the gaokao, which determines if they go to college. The stakes are unimaginably high for students because most of the ones who fail go into manual labor along with their parents, while others go on to college and a different life. In America, the stakes are not as high but tons of pressure is still put on students using tests. These tests include the SAT, ACT, state tests, and even the SHSAT for New York City students. The gaokao test in China and the standardized tests in America both put a lot of pressure on students.

In China, the gaokao is a test that determines a student’s future, which puts an unimaginable amount of pressure on students. For example, students are sometimes “hooked up to intravenous drips to give them the strength to keep studying.” This shows the intensity of studying for this test. Another example is, “Yang’s childhood friend, Cao, tanked on the exam…. His family couldn’t afford a repeat year… Cao really had just one option: manual labor….  He would end up on a construction site, just like his father.” This shows what really is at stake for students, whether or not they go to college and start a new life or join their family in jobs such as manual labor on a construction site. The gaokao puts incredible amounts of pressure on students because it determines a student’s future.

In America, students take tests such as the SAT, ACT, state tests, SHSAT, etc. These also count for the future and put lots of pressure on students. For example, in New York Citry, 8th grade students have the opportunity to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test, or the SHSAT, which determines if they get into a specialized high school. The test prep for it is very intense and the test puts a lot of pressure on students. Another example is, students in grades 3-8 take standardized common core state tests, which tests the curriculum as well as the teachers. In America, students take tests that put pressure on them and decide things about their future.

In conclusion, the gaokao and various American tests put pressure on students and determine their future. However, the studying and effects of the gaokao are more intense than the majority of the tests in America.

Martin Espada Essay

Martin Espada writes about racist events and personal experiences with racism. In Martin Espada’s three poems, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” and “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz California, May 3, 1877,” there is a common theme of racism.

In the poem “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” there is an issue of racism. For example, the principle did not understand what the boys were saying so he banned Spanish. That is racist because those boys still have the right of free speech, even if it is in another language. But the principle banned a language which is part of a culture just because he did not understand. Another example is, “The only word he recognizes\ is his own name\ … So he decides\ to ban Spanish.”

In the poem “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” there is also an issue of racism. For example, “force them to chant\ anti- American slogans\ in Spanish.” These lines are showing two races against each other. Another example is, “and wait\ for the bilingual SWAT team,” and by Espada specifying the bilingual SWAT team, it represents that this issue involves racism.

In the poem “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” Espada writes about a racist event that took place on May 3, 1877. For example, “when forty gringo vigilantes\ cheered that rope\ that snapped two Mexicanos\ into the grimacing sleep of broken necks.” The first stanza gives a summary of the event and it represents that whites were cheering that Mexicans were getting lynched. Another example is, “trussed like cousins of the slaughterhouse.” This shows racism and discrimination because the Mexicanos were treated like animals rather than people.

Racism is a recurring theme in Martin Espada’s three poems. Espada uses real life events that occurred in the past and present, and also uses his personal experiences. However his opinions are clearly present through his use of strong language.