This I Believe (I didn't like)

I read the This I Believe essay called “A Duty to Family, Heritage and Country” by Ying Ying Yu. The essay is about how education is so important to her because it is important in her home country of China. She said that a grade of 85 was considered failing. If she was ever found not paying attention in class she was beat with a ruler. Now that she has moved to America, she cannot seem to shake the need to succeed. She says it is her duty to do well in school.

This is so unlike America. Here it is encouraged to do well and get good grades but it would never be considered a duty to our country. That sounds absolutely crazy to an American. Here education is a privilege. We use our education to follow our dreams which Ying Ying mentioned there is almost a pressure to do here. Her dream was to be a gardener. However, this would never be allowed. Not by her, not by her family, and not by her country. She is basically being forced to become a lawyer because it considered a suitable job to her family and country.

This essay is so hard to relate to for me. We both live in America and have the same opportunities here but Ying Ying can’t take advantage of them due to her duty to her country. I am hoping to use my education to follow my dreams of becoming a dentist but Ying Ying won’t be able to follow hers. Her personal story that are usually in the This I Believe essays was really confusing for me since I have no idea what “wearing the red scarf” means. It seems by the way she describes that it is a really big honor. But it means nothing to me, so I think it kind or took away from her essay. Overall it is a good essay. She uses imagery to paint a picture of what she was describing. This made it a more interesting essay to read.