Benjamin Franklin "Moral Perfection" and Modern Self-help Books

    When we look at the ideas that Benjamin Franklin propose as a way to reach moral perfection, we might be able to view those ideas as the first for self-help. As time moves on and the confinement of religion slowly backs away, the definition of self-help is no longer the same as it once was. During the times of the Puritan, helping yourself was setting your soul to Heaven and living a decent life. That is no longer the case. Modern self-help books focus on allowing an individual to solve problems that he face on his own.
    I don't believe that Franklin's ideas are useless in modern society, but I believe people in modern society view those ideas as religious confinements that help you reach Heaven. Its the change of time that caused the difference in the purpose of writing these self-help books. "Reaching Moral Perfection" is a general guide to live your life, but modern self-help book focus on specific issues that people face.

Benjamin Franklin - Reaching Moral Perfection

    Benjamin Franklin presents some very interesting ideas is his article "Reaching Moral" perfection. He is able to list the different components of an unmoral life and he is able to categories them, which is very difficult to do.The thirteen ideas that he present seem easy to achieve when you only try one at a time, but it becomes an extreme difficult task when you want to keep all thirteen rules. It is like drawing. When you want to draw two circles with both hands, it is extremely easy. On the other hand, when you want to draw one square and one circle simultaneously, it is extremely difficult. If I had the choice, I would never want to live like Franklin. It's like monitoring your own life by the second.

Retreat of the "Tiger Mom"

    The article that we read today presents an analysis of the situation regarding the conflict between those who support the concepts of Amy Chua and those that disagree with her ideas. Although the author of this article presents her view points in a very negative way during the beginning of the article, she notes the explanations that Amy Chua makes about her way of educating her kids. Even thought the original excerpt from Amy’s book possesses a very confident tone, readers will understand that Amy faced many difficulties about raising her children this way after reading this article. Amy Chua faced problems with her husband about personal freedom for their children and she faced rebellion from second daughter. A time moves on thought, Amy understands that she might have gone too far in interfering with the education of her children. This may be a good end for Amy’s family and I think the atmosphere in the family would be better then before.

Why Chinese Mothers Are Not Superior

    After reading the article that I was presented with, I figure that there were still people who held the same opinion as me. The author of this article clearly describes my feelings towards the article "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior". Education may be important for children when they are still young, but a pursuit of happiness and a pursuit of what the child really wants to do may be more important than just getting high grades. This article is also different in a sense that it is written by someone who has been through the typical Chinese style education. Instead of the parents presenting their views on the child's life, the children themselves are able to present their opinions and feelings towards the type of education they have been through. Looking at different sides of an issue really helps and the two articles that we read have clearly demonstrated to me the importance of looking at an issue from different perspectives. I like how the author presents her life. It is very personal and the article is resonating to the audience. I like the article!

The Chinese Mother

    The article is very interesting and it presents a very successful case of the eastern educational style. Although the results of this case seem to show that Chinese educational styles lead to higher success and self esteem, I believe that this case is an exception from most other cases. Probably because I was educated in an American system for most of my life, I believe that allowing the development of personal interest is more important than getting higher achievement in academics. This may also just be another excuse that I find for my low grade. Even though I do not agree with the type of learning and the growing process proposed by the author, they certainly hold true for some people. A strict childhood may certainly help with academic achievement, but a strict childhood also means less interaction with society in general. A balance between strict education and experience with the surrounding world is what I believe would benefit a child the most.

Comparing "Easy A" and "The Scarlet Letter"

    There are some very clear differences in how the movie and the book depict events in the Scarlet Letter. The difference between the two probably result from the difference in cultural background and social values. The modern background of the movie gives it more flexibility and allows the points to be expressed to a greater extent. The attitude of the main characters clearly expresses the difference in determination that is cast by time. Olive in "Easy A" brings the rumor to its greatest extent and actually nourishes the growth of the rumor by falsely admitting that she is actually getting paid to have sex. On the other hand, Hester doesn't try do gain more attention than she has already gained. She tries to change her standpoint by working harder than before in order to give other people a impression of a strong and independent mother.
    The other major difference between Hester and Olive is their position in the surrounding that they are in. In the beginning of the movie, Olive states that she is someone that catches no attention. Olive has a deep desire to be popular amongst her peers, so she decides to let the rumors grow to the point that she couldn't take it anymore. Olive tries to fit into her peers, but she chooses the wrong way and is isolated. Hester holds a different position. Puritans are born into a strict society and deviating from the Puritan way of life was considered a crime. Hester becomes an outcast of the Puritan community and she slowly finds her way back through hard work. Hester doesn't try to gain more attention through her actions, but she does intend to alleviate her feeling of guilt.
     The way the two characters resolve their respective problems is different as well. Olive completely ignores the rumors in the end and finally proves that they are false. Hester admits the crime that she performed, but she works to pay those crimes off. This difference also results from the society that they live in. With different expectation comes different actions. The example of Hester and Olive prove this to be correct.