the Last Journal

How time flies! There is already near the end of the semester, which is also the end of my freshman year. Everyone seems like suffering the last midterm these days and so do I. This week is like the hardest week for me. First, three midterms comes. On Monday, I had a midterm of economics statistics. On Wednesday calculus comes and macroeconomics on the coming Thursday. Moreover, I have to finish my five pages research paper, which is the longest English paper I have written in my entire life! Also, like most of the student, I have to choose the classes for my next semester. I feel so stressful and feel that the time is so limited for me. However, I believe I can get over it.

This is the last journal for ESL114, so I want to talk about my opinions to this course so far. I still remember the first class of this course. Everyone, who from different countries and have different backgrounds, was getting together for reaching the same goal, which is to improve the skills of English. At first, I think this course will be boring, but when I walked into the classroom and said hello to the teacher, I realized that maybe I was wrong. The teacher is so cute and interesting. She also is a pretty nice person. She likes smiling and is so patient when waiting for some slow speakers reading in class with a really heavy accent. Sometimes, she brings us tasty cookies as energy and has classes outside on the quad. However, she is leaving this summer for her PhD degree in UCLA, if I remember that right. I think I will miss her and also congratulations to her.

Honestly, I get so much from this course, not only from the teacher, but also from the classmates. First of all, I learn a lot of writing skills. Like how to organize my ideas before writing a paper, how to make an outline and also the format of the research paper. These are all so helpful for my future study. Second, I make a lot of friends there. Now, we are not just saying “hi”. Instead of this, we always hang out together and give others advices on study and even on everyday life.

To sum up, I really enjoy this class the whole semester. It is really helpful for improving English skills. Moreover, the most important point is that I make so many friends in this class and really enjoy every time when we all getting together.

Ruler and minister

In Confucius’s view, a good ruler and a good minister should do what are right for the people and be chosen in the right way. Ruler and ministers are at the top of the hierarchy. What they do affects the society and the people. It is very important for them to be good in order to achieve harmony in society.

The Ruler, who is the son of heaven, has absolute power over everyone in the country. His actions and policies will affect the lives of everyone. A good ruler should not abuse his power. A good ruler leads people by virtue and restrains them with ritual.  The people will develop a sense of shame and a sense of participation. A good ruler is praised and supported by the people. He should not overwork the peasants; instead, he should give out tasks that are reasonable. The minister, who is a high government official, should not treat the people harshly. He should tolerate people’s actions, be generous to the poor and act fairly. Under the rule of a good ruler and good minister, the people should be happy and society should flourish and be peaceful. The world should be set to order.                                                         

Even though a ruler cannot be chosen by the public, the public still has the power to decide whether he is fit to rule. The public don’t have to follow a bad ruler. Under the rule of a good ruler, the people are happy and want to serve the ruler. A good minister should be chosen by knowledge of rites and music instead of being chosen by blood and royalty. A good understanding of knowledge of rites and music allows the minister to be resolute, sagacious and talented.                                                                    

Confucius views a good ruler and good minister as someone who keep people happy and society in order. They should behave in a way that they want their citizens to act. When this is done, they can win the heard of the people. A good ruler is someone that people want to follow. A good minister is someone chosen by knowledge of rites and music instead of blood and royalty. A ruler or minister that does what is right for the people and was chosen the right way is someone that Confucius consider good.