The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

    The book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is about the transformation of a boy named Charlie during his time in high school, in which he experiences drugs, alcohol, new friends, good music and so much more. He conveys this through a series of letters that Charlie writes to a stranger. Through Charlie’s relationships with his friends the author includes that a theme in this novel is friendship.

    In this book, the theme of friendship is conveyed through Charlie having good friends for the first time in his life. For example the book states, “Patrick and Sam didn't just throw around inside jokes and make me struggle to keep up. Not at all. They asked me questions.” This shows how Charlie is experiencing good, true friendship for the first time, and the author makes it clear how Charlie has not had the best experience with it in the past. In addition, the author writes, “Normally I am very shy, but [Patrick] seemed like the kind of guy you could just walk up to at a football game even though you were three years younger and not popular.” This shows how Charlie feels like he can open up to his new friends easily, despite how shy he usually is. 

    In conclusion, the author uses Charlie’s relationships with is new friends, and how they allow him to experience true friendship for the first time to express a theme of friendship.

"China's Cram Schools" by Brook Larmer Essay

    The lives of Chinese students rely solely on the gaokao test. It determines whether they get into a university and basically if they get a good education and career. It sounds similar to a lot of state-wide tests that students in the United States are required to take, right? It is true that these American tests relate in some aspects to the gaokao tests in China, but there are also many differences in the amount of the work that students are required to do.
    There are many similarities to the gaokao and the state-wide exams in the U.S. Mostly, the gaokao determines the educational future of the students who take it, much like the SATs and the ACTs. In addition, the test counts for a grade for the teachers, who teach the students what they need to know for the test. Also, there are rigorous test prep courses that one can take to result in higher scores on the test, much like the available courses for American students. Though the ideas are fairly similar for tests in China and America, the details are extremely different.
    Though the tests share certain aspects, their differences are overwhelming. For example, yes, like the SATs, the gaokao determines the future at a university, but in China, it means so much more. Due to their massive economy, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened greatly. The article, "China's Cram Schools" by Brook Larmer in Upfront Magazine states, "In some ways, the gaokao is like the SAT or ACT, but it's more than twice as long and the takes are much higher... the gaokao offers th epromise of a life beyond the fields and the factories." Also, the test not only counts for the lives, of the students, but also of the careers of the teachers who get graded by the scores that their students receive of the test. So much relies on this one test, while in the U.S., students have multiple opportunities for a good education and career.
    In conclusion, the concepts for both the gaokao in China and tests in the U.S. are similar, the stress level and workload for the gaokao is what sets it apart. Though there are many state-wide exams and preparations that us American students have to go through, I for one feel lucky that my chances for a bright future are higher than many Chinese students.