Pedram Sahba: A Court Case

Hermansons were Christian Scientists who refused to take their seven-year-old daughter who was suffering from diabetes to hospital due to their religious. The state court gave them four years suspend sentence. I strongly believe that Hermansons are guilty due their negligence in Amy's severe illness, and they deserve to receive higher sentence than the four year suspend sentence.

Children have the right to live and parents have strong responsibility about their life. Parents, no matter what religion they have, most pay special attention to their children's health. Some people under their prejudicial religious beliefs believe in non-conventional methods to heal their illnesses. They may prefer to praying rather than visiting a doctor when they are ill. However, parents have no right to prioritize their religious beliefs over their children's life Refusing conventional treatments as Hermansons did. There is some anecdotal evidence that praying or reading holy books makes some improvement in healing. But, as we saw, unfortunately for little Amy it did not work. Although taking conventional treatment could save her life.

In the end, I believe that Hermansons are guilty in death of their daughter. They should be sentenced to a higher punishment than what the state court sentenced them to.

Elham Shaafi Kabiri: Mind-Body Interaction

Mind- body interaction
In serious health conditions, a physician and a patient both try to increase the chance of survival. When the physician is not very hopeful for patient’s life, Laugh Therapy can be another choice to consider. Norman Cousins’s Laugh Therapy is a good example of the interaction between mind and body. Although the chance of his survival was a 1 in 500, Norman used Laugh Therapy techniques besides conventional treatments to increase this chance. He was motivated to be positive and hopeful to live. His body reacted positively, and in a short period of time many symptoms faded away. Norman Cousins’s Laugh Therapy demonstrates the efficiency of positive thinking. There is scientific and anecdotal evidence which has proved the mind-body interaction.

A great deal of scientific evidence demonstrates a strong relationship between emotions and hormones. Firstly, the connection between emotions and hormones is noticeable in the body. Happiness and sadness produce different hormones. Positive attitude and emotions are beneficial as they produce Serotonin and Melatonin. On the other hand, emotional stress and negative attitudes harm health due to the fact that they produce Norepinephrine, which is clearly responsible for depression. In addition, hormones control the chemical reactions in the body; this fact shows every emotion finally affects the reaction; even the symptoms of an ailment are the results of some changes in normal body reactions. Laugh Therapy introduces different remedies to heal at least the symptoms of disease by positive changes. Hope, faith, laughter and confidence give one health. It also can be an alternative treatment, beside conventional one, for recovery. Not only laugh therapy but also any kind of positive thinking is a part of mind-body interaction and can be very effective on health.

Anecdotal evidence shows people have used mind-body interaction for many years. They have applied its techniques unconsciously. They may have followed beliefs. The results were noticeably positive, even for those who prefer home remedies and prayer instead of conventional treatments in majority of cases. The fact is that they feel better and positive when they do what they believe in. It helps them to recover more easily and faster. They concentrate on positive thinking of cure that gives them hope and confidence and enable them to improve their health conditions. Positive thinking has the most important role in unconventional treatments even Norman did the same thing as a remedy. Positive thinking and emotions helped Norman to improve his body chemistry that proves mind and body interaction.

Being positive, even after getting critically ill, was a key in Norman Cousins’s Laugh Therapy. Norman took advantage of modern studies about body chemistry, and finally he could save his life by applying Laugh Therapy methods. Many people before him recovered by positive thinking and emotions. They used positive attitudes as an alternative treatment, but they did it unconsciously. There are many scientific studies and articles that show health is completely affected by emotions and attitudes. For instance, people who are emotionally under pressure catch cold more easily and more often than others. The mind-body interaction has been used not only as a treatment but also as a prevention.

Galina Kazakova : Comparison of Eva and Elizabeth

“Lost in Translation” by Eva Hoffman is the same as “The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl” by Elizabeth Wong: the story of difficulties which teenagers meet in immigration. Eva came to Canada from Poland at the age of thirteen. Her parents were Holocaust survivors. In contrast, Elizabeth was not an immigrant herself; she was born in the USA to an immigrant family. Even though Eva and Elizabeth had different backgrounds, both of them experienced hard time during their adolescence. A comparison between Eva and Elizabeth reveals some differences.

Firstly, Eva and Elizabeth have different attitudes towards their native cultures. Eva appreciated and tried to preserve her homeland culture. She wanted to protect the close and warm relationship in her family. She wanted to keep even the sadness that symbolized the memory of the past. She did not want to exchange all these values for “hygienic smiles and equally hygienic feelings” (p. 106). In contrast, Elizabeth did not want to be associated with Chinese culture, which she found embarrassing. She did not understand why she had to spend a lot of time studying what she viewed as a difficult, useless language instead of playing with her friends.

Secondly, Eva and Elizabeth had different circumstances in their family lives. They had different relationships with their parents. Eva’s mother felt lost and confused by life in new country. She was unable “to tighten the reins” (p. 105), so Eva wanted to protect her. At the same time she suffered because of misunderstanding when her mother calls her English, for she needed support not criticism during that hard period of life. In contrast, Elizabeth did not need to sympathize with her authoritarian mother; she kept a passive struggle with her mother until she was allowed to drop out of the Chinese school. Besides, parents’ authority was challenged in both Eva’s and Elisabeth’s families. However, the difference was that Eva , feeling her mother’s weakness, tried to protect her, while Elizabeth tried to win in the struggle with her mother about Chinese language. In addition, both Eva and Elizabeth had younger siblings, but Eva influenced her sister to respect their parents, while Elizabeth used her brother’s protest for her own purpose.
Finally, the girls had different attitude towards the host cultures. Eva experienced culture shock because communication skills in her home country were quite different from those in Canada. She had to learn new social behavior, often feeling embarrassed and misunderstood. However, step by step, she adapted to new culture and accepted it. She even made a successful career in linguistic sphere. Elizabeth experienced so called reverse culture shock when she refused to accept the Chinese culture and protested against being involved in it. On the other hand, she did not need to adapt to the host culture for she was born in the US. She enjoyed the English language and the American lifestyle. Nevertheless, even though she made successful career as a writer too, at the end of her story she said that she was sorry about the loss of her identity.

Therefore, their stories have some differences despite the fact that both Eva and Elizabeth were teenagers growing in immigrant families. They had different backgrounds and different attitudes towards their native cultures. Also they had different situations in their families and different views on new cultures. However, their examples give us hope to overcome all obstacles on the way to success.

Pedram Sahba: Comparison of Eva and Elizabeth

Living in and adopting a different culture is a major challenge for immigrant children. The story "Lost in Translation" by Eva Hoffman is about a Polish family who immigrated to Canada after World War II. They passed the hard days of war and Holocaust and landed in the new country, facing cultural differences. The mother is worried about losing familial bonds in the new society. Their two kids Eva and Elinka gradually learn more about the new culture and try to adapt to it. This adaptation makes them seem emotionally colder in the eyes of their mother. The second story "The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl" by Elizabeth Wong is also about the struggle of an American born Chinese girl to emulate Americans in every way. The writer talks about a Chinese family living in US. The parents, especially the mother, try to raise their kids under Chinese culture while the kids prefer to be more American rather than Chinese. Both of the stories are about the challenges that immigrant people face in host cultures. Comparing two stories reveals us three main differences between the two girls in facing new culture in a new society.

These two characters have different attitudes towards their original culture. Eva was born in Poland and was raise as her parents. Therefore, there is no cultural gap between kids and parents in her family. She does not want to unravel the fabric of loyalty in her family. In contrast, Elizabeth was born in target country. She talks English fluently while her mother speaks English mixed up with some scattered Chinese words. Eve feels hurt hearing her mother say she has become "English", while Elizabeth is unhappy to go to Chinese school every evening under her mother pressure.

Also, they have different family lives. Their relationships with their parents are not similar. Eve`s mother has always been gentle with her two daughters and doesn't want to" tighten the reins"; in contrast, Elizabeth's mother is solidly determined to have her kids learn Chinese language. In addition the authority of both mothers is challenged. Both mothers care about familial bonds that seem "to be dangerously loose" in the hosting country. The siblings of two girls pose similar challenges to their parents. Elinka and Liz's brother are both the second born children of their families. Similarly, they challenge their families more evidently than their older sisters. Elinka does not care about her mother's worries when she comes late at the night; likewise, Elizabeth's brother criticizes her mother's pidgin speech often cruelly.

Finally, their attitudes towards host culture are different. Eva should learn more and more about this new culture. She faces culture shock when she realizes that shaking her friends arm in excitement is a gesture of aggression not friendliness in the hosting culture. Unlike Eva, Elizabeth faces a reverse culture shock. She has a strong tendency towards the hosting culture. She prefers to speak English rather than Chinese. She hated Chinese medicine like smell of the old Chinese school while she favours crisp new scents like the soft French perfume that her American teacher wore in public school. She doesn't need to adapt to American culture.

Consequently, living in new society and facing new culture is a common challenge for most of immigrant. Children in immigrant families feel culture shock very noticeably and need to learn and know more about the hosting society. Adapting a new culture takes time, and in this period of time their relationship with their parents is one of the most important factors to help them in their way to live in new society. In addition, their root culture as a main element of their character should be kept and appreciated. They should have a chance to know and learn both cultures and criticize both of them as well.

Galina Kazakova: Success

All people want to be successful, but not all of them achieve their goals. Many philosophers have tried to understand the secret of success. Many writers have discussed this topic in their books. The story “Gotta Dance” by Jackson Jodie Daviss made me reflect on the meaning of success and the ways to obtain it. This is the story of a talented girl who overcame obstacles and followed her dream to dance. Obviously, there are two main reasons that make people like Katie successful.

At first, people have to believe in their destiny in order to be successful, which is the most difficult step. We often hesitate about the right way in our lives and spend our time and emotions in vain. Katie in the story was sure that her fate was to dance, nothing else appealed to her, and it was her strength. People have to be so confident and independent in making decisions that nobody can stop them. Usually they have to go against their families’ or friends’ opinions. Nobody in Katie’s family supported her in her goal except her brother. Possibly his death became the last straw that made her leave home and follow her dream. Also, often fear of an unknown future is the obstacle on the way to success. But Katie was not afraid of new audience, new towns, and new circumstances, so I think she will succeed.

The second key to success is that people have to be devoted to their dream. Persistence is a typical feature of all successful people. Katie spent a lot of time practicing dancing. She was never tired of it; she not only enjoyed it but also persistently worked on it. She didn’t give up regardless of all obstacles. Success rarely comes quickly, so people need to be patient and wait for it. They have to grow their dream like a mother grows a child. I think Katie felt she was ready to perform her art in that time when she left home. Also, I think ambition is an important quality to succeed. The desire to be the best in their field is like engine of success. Katie really enjoyed the fact that people who were waiting for the performance in the theatre forgot everything, watching her dancing.

This story, like all talented samples of literature, influences on our souls and minds. It makes us sympathize with the personages and ponder about their lives. Was Katie a successful person or not? If she was, what made her successful? Her example shows us that belief in their destiny and devotion to their goal makes people successful.

Pedram Sahaba: Success

In my idea, the first important factor to make people successful is having a clear and well defined goal in mind. After that, they should follow up patiently and remain in the way of their goals. In the story Gotta Dance by J.D.Daviss, the main character is a young girl who is obsessed with dancing as a way of self expression. She dances from deep inside her although her family does not support of it. She has her main goal in life: To be a perfect dancer. Having a main, clear goal in mind and following it up patiently to achieve the goal make people successful. These are qualities which make Katie successful.

Having a clearly-defined goal in mind helps one to manage his/her time by putting mile stones in the way. These mile stones show people where exactly they are and how much time they need to arrive at the target. It also helps them to focus their energy and ability on the main goal and prevent them from waisting it in wrong way. For Katie, the defined goal was being a dancer. In this way she had worn out sets of tapes and VCRs. She focused most of her energy and ability on practicing and learning dance. She danced where and when she could to improve her dancing skills.

After having ones goal in mind, the next step is following it up. People should be patient because usually great goals take time to achieve. They should stay on the track as Katie was. She took a bus as a symbol for sailing away trough the way. The way to her goal and her dreams to be a perfectionist dancer. Following up a goal also encourages people to do their best to achieve their goals. It helps them to find the small steps that lead them to their aims. Katie makes a very impressive performance for the theatre patron in the street. Her performance was very attractive and the theatre patrons preferred to stand and watch it while the curtains were up.

Consequently, Katie had the both qualities. She had a main goal in her mind. In spite of all the problems, she decided to be a perfect dancer whether her family accepted it or not. She did exercises and watched videos and listened to the music. She left her childhood home and city in the way of her aim. She put her energy and abilities in the way of her main goal. She stayed on the track to the target and didn't gave up. And she did her best in front of audience in the street. Therefore, I believe she was a successful person, And this success will bring her happiness also.