Thornton Academy – AP Language 2018-2019

Our class recently took a multiple choice test as a substitute for the midterm exam. The test is essentially about the content of Just Mercy – a book we started reading before Christmas break. At first, I thought we only have to study the plot, significant characters, and frequently mentioned destinations. Yet the test ended up including lots of historical questions which required us to memorize numbers. I believe most of the class did not expect that, due to the fact that 50% was the average score. In my opinion, a curve would improve our grade in the best way.

The highest score for the test was a 75%, while the lowest score was 30%. With the normal grading scale, 50% and below is considered a fail. We can use the curving method to move the scale down and alter it so that 30% is at least a D. That would help everyone pass the test, instead of having failing grades on their transcripts. Based on the AP scale provided on the board, 36% was translated to a D. From what I heard, only one person got 30% on the test. That means even if we use that scale, the lowest score is still not a passing grade.

Besides, I think adding another part to our exams would definitely not help our grade. In fact, it may lower our score. I acknowledge the fact that it would be a great practice for the AP exam, but there are consequences. We have not had many practices with rhetorical essays, so it would be challenging for us to produce a good piece within the span of 45 minutes. Not only that, the announcement of this new addition came a little too late for our mentality. With all of those being said, I think a curve would drastically increase our class’s scores and happiness.

Once upon a Saturday, while randomly scrolling through the internet, I stumbled across a movie’s poster about women’s service in the military. To be honest, I am not a movie geek at all. I could hardly ever finish a film by myself due to my short-term patience. Movies to me is only a way to socialize with friends and family. With that being said, if it was any other day, I would have skipped to another post. However, there was something about the poster that stirred up my curiosity. Being the typical ‘hi-tech student’, I googled what I don’t know. It turned out the movie focuses on the topic of comfort women. Even though it’s a Taiwanese movie about their Civil War, I want to touch on Korea and Japan in this blog.

Comfort women were women who were sent to the Japanese comfort stations during World War II. In basic language, those people became sex slaves for soldiers. Since prostitution was legal in Japan at the time, it was normal for Japanese prostitutes to volunteer to come and entertain soldiers at military camps. However, still wanting more, the Japanese found various ways to recruit foreign women at their occupied territories as an entertainment source. One of their tactics was offering jobs. Most victims thought they were going to work at a factory to provide for their struggling families, not knowing the danger outside those military vehicles. Another tactic was kidnapping. The Japanese were kidnapping girls from the age of 16 and above (some were only 13). Those girls could not bid goodbye to their parents, whom they might never get the chance to meet again. At camp, they were treated like animals. Being beaten or raped by hundreds (if not thousands) of men on a daily basis became a norm. Wounded by the war, the women had a hard time getting back to society. In some cases, their neighbors spread rumors that they willingly went to serve for the Japanese army.

The problem here is that the Japanese government would not acknowledge the crime their own nation made during World War II. At first, when the issue was brought up due to the confession of Kim Hak-sun – a Korean ex-comfort woman, the Japanese flatly rejected the existence of the system. After Kim, more women were encouraged to tell their stories. The media, especially the Korean ones, started taking interests in the issue. Thanks to that, more and more people have the chances to share their past with a wider audience. Since the criticism was phenomenal, the Japanese had to issue an apology to prevent further damage to the Japan-Korea relationships. However, is one apology enough?

“Would you dare marry a woman who has been fucked by every man, including her own brother and father?” – Paradise in Service

[Before I start this blog for real, I have something to clarify. In Vietnam, we DO NOT speak Chinese (FACT: Chinese is not a language. Cantonese and Mandarin are). We have our own unique mother tongue called Vietnamese. In all honesty, I acknowledge the fact that Vietnamese and Mandarin/Cantonese sound similar. We even borrowed words from the mentioned languages due to a long suffering history. However, it is still triggering whenever somebody talks to me in those native tongues.]

As you may have known by now, I am one heck of a proud Viet. Whenever possible, I will definitely seize the chance and start a conversation (or a thread) about cultural appreciation. Since I have already talked about clothings in my first post (and food is an overrated topic), I will discuss about the love I have for my language today.

Two days ago, I googled (when did websites and apps become actual verbs?!) the origins of the Vietnamese language. The results page was filled with threads about how ugly it sounds. Some people said our language is too nasal. Others said we have too many different tones and it’s annoying. It was a rare time something from a website (not Reddit) makes me want to kill somebody (no… I’m in no way a sociopath – but… who knows? – just kiddin’).

Anyhow, I disagree with ALL of those people. Firstly, the six Vietnamese tones help differentiate the language from others. It would take one a while to master the use of it, because one wrong stress and the meaning of the word would change completely. With tonation already in the word, we don’t even have to think about how to express our emotions the correct way. The word itself would do the job for us. Secondly, speaking Vietnamese is like reading a poem out loud. Every word matters. For instance, adults usually handout lì xì (or lucky money in English) on Lunar New Year as a form of wishing the children lots of luck. Or we call the U.S. Nước Mỹ, which means Beautiful Country. Each word we say hold its own special meaning, especially our names. In Vietnamese, my name is Thi Lam, which translates to A Blue Poem. They want my life to flow as smooth and as alluring as my name. That’s why when foreign friends ask me to translate their names, it’s difficult because I need a definition.  

Even though I respect the online community’s opinions, I strongly believe that Vietnamese is a gorgeous language.

One could probably recognize Breakfast at Tiffany’s in a second, but what about its author? Truman Capote was a novelist, a writer, a playwright, and an actor. When his parents got divorced, Capote’s life took a turn. He had to move from one relative’s place to another’s. Eventually, he settled with his mother and stepfather in New York City.

Capote’s life was actively reflected in his works. For instance, in Other Voice, Other Rooms, he highlighted how the main character tried to find himself and overcame isolation. It was a way for the author to tell his own life story. On one hand, Capote was neglected by his parents for years. With that being said, over the course of time, the thought of being an outsider had been ingrained in his mind. On the other hand, he was publicly a homosexual. The journey to confirm his sexuality was a much-needed one.

I recently had the chance to read one of his works – A Diamond Guitar. The story was about a friendship between two imprisoned individuals in Mobile, Alabama. Tico Feo was a newly arrived prisoner who possessed a diamond-studded guitar, while Mr. Schaeffer was a respected elder prisoners in the community. They shared their dreams and goals with each other, while making a plan to escape the harshness of confinement. It was a lightheartedly lyrical piece. His choice of words created a beautifully depressing tone for the story.

Comparing to A Diamond Guitar, Bryan Stevenson’s novel Just Mercy was written in a more serious tone. Stevenson used facts and law jargon in order to describe his clients’ life and different situations in court. This helped emphasize the solemnity of the stories. The endings of each character were cold-hearted tragedies, one way or another. If it was not death, then it would be some sorts of separation.

Despite the vast differences in style of the two authors, I enjoyed their take on law writings. It was interesting to see how thorough one’s work could be when they have more knowledge on a subject than the other.