Essay #2 _ It's time for a change, sisters! (Final Draft)

All Guess wants to do is depicting its Marciano brand as a striking, sophisticated and luxurious collection of clothing. However, its ad seems to represent a lot more than that. The center of the ad is a beautiful woman, with her revealing lingerie on and her hair is beautifully done. She is kneeling on an exotic and oriental-looking couch, a man sitting right beside her, his hand lying on her tiny waist. Despite of the beautiful setting and clothing that she has on, the woman seems to want something else as she looks away from the man, avoiding eye contact. I feel like she doesn't accept the situation she is in but there is nothing she can do about it because that's just what our culture expected from women. Gender inequality forces Americans to view women as objects that can be owned by men, as shown in the Guess advertisement.

More than a century has passed since Susan B. Anthony started the women's right revolution. Yet, gender inequality is still an issue in modern society. It appears to be something that would never change. Men would always be more superior to women. For example, in Aristotle's Metaphysics, the Greeks associate male gender with light and good while female is connected with dark and bad. Similarly, the system of opposite in Chinese philosophy, called the Yin and Yang, associate Yin with female, which are even and darkness whereas Yang are male, odd and light. Even though there're differences between the two systems, the males always ended up with higher prestige. For example, the Greek male is "resting" and the female is "moving", according to Aristotle's Metaphysics, while the Chinese male is active and the female is passive. Apparently, active is better than passive. However, for the Greeks, to be free of all motion is superior to being a subject of motion. After all, despite thirty years of feminist activism and much social change, virtually every important political, social, culture, and economic institution is still dominated by men. For example, the United States has yet to have a female president and only since January fourth of 2007 that this nation has a woman as Speaker of the House of Representative.

Regardless of all the sour facts and obstacles against women, we have come a long way. Yet, the men are still more superior. Unless one has been in a la-la land, I think every person must at least once wonder why society always places men in front of women. One of the reasons is described through the ad of Guess. Women are expected to be no more than objects, especially sex-relating objects. The woman in the ad is wearing lacey lingerie and she has animal-print shoes on, which can only be interpreted as sexual appeal to men. She's so beautiful with her makeup perfectly done, along with her gorgeous hair and yet, she seems so empty. There is no emotion in her face, no eye contact, nothing. She looks like a life-sized doll with human flesh and no soul. But that's okay because society doesn't expect much from her anyway. For example, there wouldn't be any surprise for a girl to get married right after high school and spend the rest of her life, cooking dinner for her husband and cleaning the house. In the end, as society stays men-dominated, women continue to be seen as objects, without motivation to follow her heart or intelligence to think for herself, no matter how far away it is from the truth.

As a woman who is working hard to earn her place in society, it’s intolerable for me to accept gender inequality. It’s not fair for a woman to work twice as hard as a man and still ended up lower in this world. It’s time for a change, sisters. It might be hard to achieve gender inequality but it’s not impossible. From Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Alice Paul, American women have done it. They have fought for the rights of American women everywhere. But that’s not enough. The battle is not over. Recently, I’ve read an article about a Manhattan woman, who was fired from financial powerhouse Lehman Brothers Inc. because she was assertive and conducted herself in the manner her boss though only men should. She filed for complaint and Lehman Brothers is reviewing the paper and the company is committed to providing a respectful and inclusive work environment for all its employees. That’s just one story out of thousands when it comes to gender inequality and how society is treating women unfairly. America women need to keep on fighting, fight for her rights, for her future, for the future of her daughters and granddaughters. It is time to demand the power an American woman deserves, the power of equality.

From having more gray matters to being able to do things that men can't possibly do, women are capable of achieving so much more than society assumed. Just because the culture expects women to stand still and look pretty doesn't mean women have to do just that. So to all my sisters out there, the sky is the limits. Gender inequality forces America to treat women as sex objects but with determination, intelligence, and girl power, I know American women are bounded to come out on top.

Essay #2 _ It's Time For A Change, Sisters (Draft)

All Guess want to do is depicting its Marciano brand as a striking, sophisticated and luxurious collection of clothing. However, its ad seems to represent a lot more than that. The center of the ad is a beautiful woman, with her revealing lingerie on and her hair is beautifully done. She is kneeling on an exotic and oriental-looking couch, a man sitting right beside her, his hand lying on her tiny waist. Despite of the beautiful setting and clothing that she has on, the woman seems to want something else as she looks away from the man, avoiding eye contact. I feel like she doesn't accept the situation she is in but there is nothing she can do about it because that's just what our culture expected from women. In Guess's advertisement, American society is forced to view women as sex object that can be owned by men, as gender inequality plays a part of American culture.

More than a century has passed since Susan B. Anthony started the women's right revolution. Yet, gender inequality is still an issue in modern society. It appears to be something that would never change. Men would always be more superior to women. For example, in Aristotle's Metaphysics, the Greeks associate male gender with light and good while female is connected with dark and bad. Similarly, the system of opposite in Chinese philosophy, called the Yin and Yang, associate Yin with female, which are even and darkness whereas Yang are male, odd and light. Even though there're differences between the two systems, the males always ended up with higher prestige. For example, the Greek male is "resting" and the female is "moving", according to Aristotle's Metaphysics, while the Chinese male is active and the female is passive. Apparently, active is better than passive. However, for the Greeks, to be free of all motion is superior to being a subject of motion. After all, despite thirty years of feminist activism and much social change, virtually every important political, social, culture, and economic institution is still dominated by men. For example, the United States has yet to have a female president and only since January fourth of 2007 that this nation has a woman as Speaker of the House of Representative.

Regardless of all the obstacles, women have come a long way. Yet, the men are still more superior. Unless one has been in a la-la land, I think every person must at least once wonder why society always places men in front of women. One of the reasons is described through the ad of Guess. Women are expected to be no more than sex object. The woman in the ad is wearing lacey lingerie and she has animal-print shoes on, which can only be interpreted as sexual appeal to men. She's so beautiful with her makeup perfectly done, along with her gorgeous hair and yet, she seems so empty. There is no emotion in her face, no eye contact, nothing. She looks like a life-sized doll with human flesh and no soul. But it's okay because society doesn't expect much from her anyway. There wouldn't be any surprise for a girl to get married right after high school and spend the rest of her life, cooking dinner for her husband and cleaning the house. In the end, as society stays men-dominated, women continue to be seen as objects, without motivation to follow her heart or intelligence to think for herself, no matter how far away it is from the truth.

As a woman who is working hard to earn her place in society, it’s intolerable for me to accept gender inequality. It’s not fair for a woman to work twice as hard as a man and still ended up lower in this world. It’s time for a change, sisters. It might be hard to achieve gender inequality but it’s not impossible. From Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Alice Paul, American women have done it. They have fought for the rights of American women everywhere. But that’s not enough. The battle is not over. Recently, I’ve read an article about a Manhattan woman, who was fired from financial powerhouse Lehman Brothers Inc. because she was assertive and conducted herself in the manner her boss though only men should. She filed for complaint and Lehman Brothers is reviewing the paper and the company is committed to providing a respectful and inclusive work environment for all its employees. That’s just one story out of thousands when it comes to gender inequality and how society is treating women unfairly. America women need to keep on fighting, fight for her rights, for her future, for the future of her daughters and granddaughters. It is time to demand the power an American woman deserves, the power of equality.

From having more gray matters to being able to do things that men can't possibly do, women are capable of achieving so much more than society assumed. Just because the culture expects women to stand still and look pretty doesn't mean women have to do just that. So to all my sisters out there, the sky is the limits. Gender inequality forces America to treat women as sex objects but with determination, intelligence, and girl power, I know American women are bounded to come out on top.

Essay #1... Community Essay_ A place to belong (Original Draft)

As I walk into the gym everyday at 4:30, there they were, a group of middle-age women on the treadmills, chatting noisily about what was on Oprah last night. Their laughter radiates such great energy as I thought to myself how fun it would be to be a part of their community. There are so many communities that I want to join as I look around. They are everywhere. It can be those treadmill ladies at Bally’s or the kids in my high school’s choir. Honestly, it is nothing more than a fancy and upgrade version for the word group. It functions in the same fashion as any group would. Playing a part of our life, community provides a sense of involvement, comfort, and connections to others. Everyone belong to a community, intentionally or not. The existence of community protects the interaction among people, and allows them to fulfill their life's purposes.


Before the discussion about community, I would like to share a brief description of what I think community is. It is basically a group of people, with similar interests or goals. With the common goals in mind, these people come and work together to accomplish what they want. For example, the homeless women in Liebow’s 'Tell them who I am' share an interest of having a place to stay overnight. They didn’t necessarily work together to build the shelter but they came and therefore, creating a community.

A community’s qualities are defined through the qualities of its members. If the people in the community often tell lie, don’t expect the group to have sincerity. However, to label them all as “liars” wouldn’t be accurate either, because not all members share the community’s overall characteristics. The varsity football team is a community that often used as example for stupidity and shallowness but through personal experiences, I know that doesn’t mean all football players own those characters. Last year, I joined an after-school tutoring program. One of the kids that volunteered to tutor there was a varsity offensive tackle. Even with practice and games, Mike still takes a little time out of his busy schedule to do tutoring just because he likes Calculus. He always says: “Don’t judge the book by its cover and don’t judge me by the sport I play. Football isn’t what I’m all about, you know.” At the time, I just nodded my head and let the words fly right out the windows five seconds later, because I was skeptical.However as I join PSEC, I get to meet more people like CJ and Joshua, who are football players, and I realize Mike was right. Many of them are just as thoughtful, intelligent, and polite as one could possibly be. There are still traits that all football players share such as their physical condition. They are big men on campus after all. It is quiet easy to spot a football player among the sea of students as they look like whales among the clown fishes. Besides the muscles, some people do fit the labels that go along with football players but I believe it’s worthy to spend time on getting to know the person beyond the sport.

In every community, there are problems to fix and work to do. In the varsity football’s case, the lack of attention paid toward education is one of the biggest social problems right now. Even though football takes part in the process of passing on values and creating fine, young men for the future, the need for knowledge is still the top priority. Yet, many high school football players choose to push aside their books and papers, focusing on “football only”, hoping they would find a million-dollar contract with NFL and live a happily-ever-after life. Survey says: “WRONG”. People often forget how common injuries are in football. While the fatalities directly due to football are low, the minor injuries that can prevent players to be effective or from making the team are quiet usual. What will they do if the minor injury from last year’s game becomes long-term health condition? Where will they go if the college of their dream college doesn’t need a football player? These kids need a backup plan to fall back on. They need education to turn to when football doesn’t work out. Lack of education is a problem that existed in all high school football community. It might be twice as hard for a football player to focus on their school work as a result of long practice hour and early class leaves. However, if the players, their coach and teachers would cooperate with one another, this social problem would no longer exist. The coach, who plays fatherly figure to the players, could encourage them to pay more attention to school by letting the players have shorter practice session on the day before a test, and have a pep talk every now and then about the importance of education. The teachers should make education accessible for the players, especially when they have to leave class early, by having their office hour before school so the players could talk to their teachers about what they miss the day before. Last and most essential factor is the players themselves. They need to wake up and face the truth. They need to understand that there’s a great chance they might not make it to the NFL, no matter how good they play. They need to be more committed to education. After all, the safest route to success is education and with support from the teachers and the coach, the future of these young men is insured.

Human beings have the need for interaction and community allows that need to be satisfied. Even though Americans are becoming more and more individualistic, they still need the connection to their community in order to function properly. It might not be obvious to some but we all belong to one community or the other. The homeless women, from Liebow’s Tell them who I am, are part of the homeless community while the football players belong to the high school sport community. Without community, the football players wouldn’t be able to play because it requires more than one person to make the game possible. Without community, the homeless women wouldn’t be able to get help because there’s no reason to build a shelter for just one homeless person.Humans are co-existing and interdependent creatures. People use one another in the community to fulfill their life purposes. For example, the football player needs the coach to train him so he can earn the scholarship to go to college just as much as the coach needs his players to play well so he can have another coaching contract for the next season. The homeless women need the shelter so they have a place to stay for the night, just like the shelter and the workers there need the women so they can stay in operation. We give to take. With just one simple idea, the human race will continue to subsist for years and years to come.

After the definition, the characteristics and the social problems existed in community, it’s all coming down to this. People need community. People need community to grow, to survive, to fulfill their ambitions, and to achieve success. It lets people get involved and therefore, connect to another. After all, human beings are just like trees and in the storm, it’s always better to stand together as a forest.

Essay #1... Community _ A place to belong (Revised Version)

As I walk into the gym everyday at 4:30, there they were, a group of middle-age women on the treadmills, chatting noisily about what was on Oprah last night. Their laughter radiates such great energy as I thought to myself how fun it would be to be a part of their community. There are so many communities that I want to join as I look around. They are everywhere. It can be those treadmill ladies at Bally’s or the kids in my high school’s choir. Honestly, it is nothing more than a fancy and upgrade version for the word group. It functions in the same fashion as any group would. Playing a part of life, community provides a sense of involvement, comfort, and connections to others. Everyone belong to a community, intentionally or not. Community allows interaction among people and fulfillment to their life’s purposes.

First of all, I would like to share a brief description of what I think community is. It is basically a group of people, with similar interests or goals. With the common goals in mind, these people come and work together to accomplish what they want. For example, the homeless women in Liebow’s Tell them who I am share an interest of having a place to stay overnight. They come to shelters like the Refuge not only for a bowl of soup to fill their stomach or a pillow to rest their head. They also come for the compassion from the staff at the shelter, and the understanding from other homeless women. These homeless women at shelters like Refuge eat together, share stories from the past and talk about their days. Hilda has a bachelor’s degree in biology and wanted to be an MD. Regina believes she’ll become a publisher one day. The women didn’t necessarily work together to build the shelter but they came and therefore, creating a community.
A community’s qualities are defined through the qualities of its members. If the people in the community often tell lie, don’t expect the group to have sincerity. However, to label them all as “liars” wouldn’t be accurate either, because not all members share the community’s overall characteristics. The varsity football team is a community that often used as example for stupidity and shallowness but through personal experiences, I know that doesn’t mean all football players own those characters. Last year, I joined an after-school tutoring program. One of the kids that volunteered to tutor there was a varsity offensive tackle. Even with practice and games, Mike still takes a little time out of his busy schedule to do tutoring just because he likes Calculus. He always says: “Don’t judge the book by its cover and don’t judge me by the sport I play. Football isn’t what I’m all about, you know.” At the time, I just nodded my head and let the words fly right out the windows five seconds later, because I was skeptical.
However as I join PSEC, I get to meet more people like CJ and Joshua, who are football players, and I realize Mike was right. Many of them are just as thoughtful, intelligent, and polite as one could possibly be. There are still traits that all football players share such as their physical condition. They are big men on campus after all. It is quiet easy to spot a football player among the sea of students as they look like whales among the clown fishes. Besides the muscles, some people do fit the labels that go along with football players but I believe it’s worthy to spend time on getting to know the person beyond the sport.

In every community, there are problems to fix and work to do. In the varsity football’s case, the lack of attention paid toward education is one of the biggest social problems right now. Even though football takes part in the process of passing on values and creating fine, young men for the future, the need for knowledge is still the top priority. Yet, many high school football players choose to push aside their books and papers, focusing on “football only”, hoping they would find a million-dollar contract with NFL and live a happily-ever-after life. Survey says: “WRONG”. People often forget how common injuries are in football. While the fatalities directly due to football are low, the minor injuries that can prevent players to be effective or from making the team are quiet usual. What will they do if the minor injury from last year’s game becomes long-term health condition? Where will they go if the college of their dream college doesn’t need a football player? These kids need a backup plan to fall back on. They need education to turn to when football doesn’t work out. Lack of education is a problem that existed in all high school football community. It might be twice as hard for a football player to focus on their school work as a result of long practice hour and early class leaves. However, if the players, their coach and teachers would cooperate with one another, this social problem would no longer exist. The coach, who plays fatherly figure to the players, could encourage them to pay more attention to school by letting the players have shorter practice session on the day before a test, and have a pep talk every now and then about the importance of education. The teachers should make education accessible for the players, especially when they have to leave class early, by having their office hour before school so the players could talk to their teachers about what they miss the day before. Last and most essential factor is the players themselves. They need to wake up and face the truth. They need to understand that there’s a great chance they might not make it to the NFL, no matter how good they play. They need to be more committed to education. After all, the safest route to success is education and with support from the teachers and the coach, the future of these young men is insured.
Human beings have the need for interaction and community allows that need to be satisfied. Even though Americans are becoming more and more individualistic, they still need the connection to their community in order to function properly. It might not be obvious to some but we all belong to one community or the other. The homeless women, from Liebow’s Tell them who I am, are part of the homeless community while the football players belong to the high school sport community. Without community, the football players wouldn’t be able to play because it requires more than one person to make the game possible. Without community, the homeless women wouldn’t be able to get help because there’s no reason to build a shelter for just one homeless person. Humans are co-existing and interdependent creatures. People use one another in the community to fulfill their life purposes. For example, the football player needs the coach to train him so he can earn the scholarship to go to college just as much as the coach needs his players to play well so he can have another coaching contract for the next season. The homeless women need the shelter so they have a place to stay for the night, just like the shelter and the workers there need the women so they can stay in operation. We give to take. With just one simple idea, the human race will continue to subsist for years and years to come.

After the definition, the characteristics and the social problems existed in community, it’s all coming down to this. People need community. People need community to grow, to survive, to fulfill their ambitions, and to achieve success. It lets people get involved and therefore, connect to another. After all, human beings are just like trees and in the storm, it’s always better to stand together as a forest.

What's wrong with Cinderella?

Growing up in a superficial generation, it's hard for a girl like me to avoid wearing pink and wanting to be a princess. I love Disney movies and always want to be Cinderella, going to the ball and have a happily-ever-after of my own. Well, there ain't nothing wrong with that. After all, there are no studies proving that playing princess can damages girls' self-esteem or dampens other aspiration. I believe princesses play the role model in the girls' early life, helping them to grow up as well-behaved and compassionated young ladies, without interfering their thinking or interests. From my own experience, I know that watching Disney movies and playing princesses doesn't affect the way you think or what you want. When I was little, I love watching Cinderella and Snow White because they are kind, compassionate and loving to everyone else. They taught me to treat others with respect no matter what. I also learn that if I'm a good person, good thing will come to me. That somewhat reflects the idea of karma, a big part of my religion and many people need to learn that. Since the princesses represent all the good qualities, why not allow children to be like them? The author of the article "What's wrong with Cinderella?" believe that playing the role of princess can reduce female's competitiveness against men in the real world. I don't believe it. Disney princess don't just limit to Cinderella and Snow White. They also have Pocahontas, who follow her heart and did what she believe in. She prevented war and created peace among her tribe and Englishments. Personally, I still like to play sport, speak my mind and stand up for what I believe in even though I was a big princess fan when I was little. A kid's characteristics aren't decided by what he or she like only, it also depends on the parents and how the adults around inspire them to be. So if a mother thinks her daughter is weak and princess-ish, don't be too quick to blame it on the Disney movies. If it didn't affect me, I don't see why it should be a problems for others. After all, there is nothing wrong with Cinderella.