Are Celebrities Good Role Models? (Final)

Almost everyone knows celebrities. Many aspire to be just like them.You might go somewhere to find an Elvis imitator, or a young pianist trying to be like Lang Lang. Celebrities can be good or bad role models. Some get into trouble, som don't.Therefore, celebrities can be good and bad role models. One bad role model is Micheal Phelps, and a good one is Barrack Obama.
Now for the bad. If one has watched the 2008 Summer Olympics, he must have seen Micheal Phelps, the famous swimmer. Phelps is famous for breaking the record for receiving the most gold medals at a single Olympics. Many of his fellow fans and swimmers believe that he did this fairly. However, this all changed when a photo of Micheal Phelps smoking marijuana was released in early 2009. He was suspended from competitive swimming for three months, which disappointed many fans. One student at my school, and avid swimmer, once reported that he was her hero and she wanted to be just like him. This all changed, after she found out about what Micheal Phelps did, and she called him, "a disgrace to the swimming community." Many other infamous athletes have been disgraced for using drugs, such as Barry Bonds. The amount of underage drug use cases are rising, and some of it can be attributed to bad role models. Hopefully, not too many amateur athletes will try to follow the path of these bad celebrities.
However, there is a good side, as there are many good celebrities out there. One very good role model is Barrack Obama. Obama studied very hard when he was a child. As reported in Time Magazine, Obama was awakened early by his mother and forced to study at 4 a.m. However, this all paid off, as he became a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and became a Senator in Illinois. His most astounding achievement was his victory in the 2008 presidential election against John McCain. One thing that proves Obama's popularity, is the fact that his name is becoming a common one used for infants. Many people, including me, believe that he can do great things for our country. His victory and achievement of being the first African American president also has shown, that anyone, no matter what race they are, can succeed. Hopefully, the world will have more good role models like Obama.
Thus, celebrities can be good or bad role models. This is demonstrated by Micheal Phelps and Barrack Obama. The problem is most people are imitating bad celebrities that they think are "cool." However, there are many good celebrities out there. If we want the world to be good, we need to turn to our good role models.

McDonald's?

There's no doubt of it. McDonald's dominates the U.S. This famous fast-food restaurant was started in 1940 by Don and Mac McDonald, and as been growing ever since. Everywhere I go, I end up seeing a couple of McDonald's. Scattered across the four corners of the globe, McDonald's is considered one of the "best" to go to for cheap and fast food. Adults go there on busy lunch breaks, and don't forget the toys which attract little children like a magnet and a bunch of paper clips. Some parents do not let children go to McDonald's, as the food there is considered greasy and extremely unhealthy. Children protest against this as "they want the toy and the Kids Meal." At the same time, it's right for a parent to refuse to let children go to McDonald's, and for kids to choose where they want to go for a meal.
Parents do have a reason to not let kids eat food from McDonald's as it's detrimental to people's health. McDonald's food contains very low nutrition value in important things, like Vitamins. Instead, they contain a lot of sugar, calories, and sodium, which makes people obese. McDonald's tries to hide the fact, and add a lot of unhealthy things into some of the most innocent meals, like their salads. Imagine many little children every day gobbling down some McDonald's food, unaware of how bad the food is to their health. In the movie Super Size Me, the director, Morgan Spurlock, tried to eat just McDonald's food for one month. During the experiment, he reported he felt obsessed and depressed. In the end, Spurlock found out he had gained a lot of weight and his risk of heart attack had increased. Before people eat McDonald's food, they should stop and think about what they're body is about to digest.
However, kids do deserve the right of what they can eat. To kids, McDonald's is very tempting to them, with the toys, the french fries, and other things. One way to make a kid happy is to take him to McDonald's. I loved going to restaurants like McDonald's when I was little. McDonald's also gives kids the experience of picking what to eat when they're alone in the future, and also boosts their decision-making skills. It is a free country, and it's not right for parents to not let their children experience fast-food in their lives. While the food is slightly unhealthy, kids deserve the chance to go there at least once.
Therefore, the are reasons why children should and should not go to McDonald's. However, it should be up to the child to decide whether he really wants to eat McDonald's.

How One Reaches Maturity (Final)

Many people ponder about how you can tell when one reaches maturity. It can't be defined by age, as a young person could behave maturely, and a grown-up could behave immaturely. Age is definitely not the criteria for measuring this quality. When one shows responsibility, he can then be considered "mature." Responsibility is an important virtue for life and is important if one wants to live within the barriers and rules of society.
First, responsibility is an important character trait one must have to succeed in life. Anywhere, anytime, one must take care of himself and make wise decisions to move ahead in the path of life. Making a bad choice, without having responsibility, forces one to go a wrong direction. Then, one must use up some time and take a detour to get onto the right path again. Making too many irresponsible mistakes could end up wasting too much time. Also, responsibility allows one to take care of himself, when he is alone in life without parents. Without responsibility, he puts his safety and future at great risk. If one says that maturity depends on age instead of responsibility, that's similar to saying a boy who is polite and takes care of his family is less mature than an unintelligent middle-aged man who sits around and relies on his family completely. One must have responsibility to get ahead in life and mature.
Finally, responsibility is a sign of maturity is because it helps you live by what's accepted in society. Without responsibility, you break rules most of the time. Most immature people tend to be troublemakers who have trouble following the rules. One example is Micheal Phelps. He is not very mature If he was, he would have not smoked marijuana, and put his career and fame in jeopardy. Most of these "rules" are here for a reason to protect us and ensure we have a good life. Without responsibility, we might break these rules putting ourselves in a bad position. Without having responsibility and following all the rules, whether it be at home, a place where one works, common sense and everyday life rules, there's no doubt one will have trouble prospering in life.
Responsibility is a key virtue in life. It gives us a bright future and allows us to reach a level of maturity no matter what the age. If you really want to be mature in the future, all you have to do is follow the path of responsibility!

Are Celebrities Good Role Models? (Draft)

Almost everyone knows celebrities. Most aspire to be just like them.You might go somewhere to find an Elvis imitator, or a young pianist trying to be like Lang Lang. Celebrities can be good or bad role models. There are some celebrities who are show-offs and get into trouble a lot, while some can be very good role models and have worked very hard to get where they are now. Therefore, celebrities can be good and bad role models. One bad role model is Micheal Phelps, and a good one is Barrack Obama.
Now for the bad. If one has watched the 2008 Summer Olympics, he must have known Micheal Phelps, the famous swimmer. Phelps is famous for breaking the record for receiving the most gold medals at a single Olympics. Many of his fellow fans and swimmers believe that he did this fairly. However, this all changed when a photo of Micheal Phelps smoking marijuana was released in early 2009. He was suspended from competitive swimming for three months. Many fans were disappointed by this. One student at my school, and avid swimmer, once reported that he was her hero and she wanted to be just like him. This all changed, after she found out about what Micheal Phelps did, and called him, "a disgrace to the swimming community." Many other infamous athletes have been disgraced for using drugs, such as Barry Bonds. The amount of underage drug use cases are rising, and some of it can be attributed to bad role models. Hopefully, not too many amateur athletes will try to follow the path of these bad celebrities.
However, there is a good side, as there are many good celebrities out there. One very good role model is Barrack Obama. Obama studied very hard when he was a child. As reported in Time Magazine, Obama was waken up early by his mother and forced to study at 4 a.m. However, this all payed off, as he became a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and became the Senator of Illinois. His most astounding achievement was his victory in the 2008 presidential election against John McCain. One thing that proves Obama's popularity, is the fact that his name is becoming a common one used for infants. Many people, including me, believe that he can do great things for our country. His victory and achievement of being the first African American president also has shown, that anyone, no matter what race they are, can succeed. Hopefully, the world will have more good role models like Obama.
Therefore, celebrities can be good or bad role models. This is demonstrated by Micheal Phelps and Barrack Obama. The problem is most people are imitating bad celebrities that they think are "cool." However, there are many good celebrities out there. If we want the world to be good, we need to turn to our good role models.

The Harder the Conflict, The More Glorious the Triumph? (Draft)

There's an expression, "We love best not what gives us great pleasure but what comes through great effort." Another person, Thomas Paine, made a similar statement, "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." Both mean that the harder one tries on something, the better he'll feel afterwards. Some people don't think so, and believe we all love what gives great pleasure only. However, the things that come from great effort are the best. It gives people satisfaction when they look back, and it's necessary for one to suffer "torture" in order to experience victory. Even if one doesn’t reach the goal he sets, he can still feel better knowing that he at least tried.
Triumphs that have been reached through adversity can give one satisfaction after it's over. During a time of a challenge, one usually is very stressed and unhappy. Though it might not seem like it first, this is the essential part that leads one to happiness. If one manages to work hard enough, he'll eventually reach a period of triumph. I remember once, for science, my teacher instructed the class to make a balloon car, so we could learn about Newton's laws of motion. While making the car, I was very frustrated and I faced many problems, like when I found out my original plan didn't work and I had to start from scratch and when my brother accidentally popped my only balloon, delaying my work. However, through all those problems, I still managed to make the balloon car that traveled the farthest out of all my teacher's classes. I recently got my grade back: an A+. Now, as I sit here thinking about it and reading it, I've found out that all the troubles I faced are now history, and the triumph I had is much sweeter, knowing that my troubles are over and I proved that I could reach almost unattainable goals if I'm really motivated and I try. The harder it is to reach a triumph or goal, the sweeter it is afterwards.
It's almost necessary for someone to suffer "torture", if he wants to succeed. My mom always tells me, "Nothing in life is easy." This is universal and applies to everything, whether it be a video game or a project in school. When I do something that I believe is easy, like my school's math homework, I don't feel any satisfaction and I believe I've wasted time. However, the harder the assignments I did, such as biography I wrote about Napoleon, the better I felt. I was forced to study in the library for a very long time, and I had to constantly write and rewrite my essay, until I liked it. Though it took me hours, in the end, I received an A+, which made me feel better, and almost made me forget the boredom and misery I experienced. If one doesn't experience any boredom or pain when doing something hard, he will know that he didn't do a good enough job and needs to try again. If I had done the Napoleon research paper relaxed and without pain, I would have almost certainly not had gotten such a good grade. Though it's crucial to experience "torture" to experience triumph, in the end, victory washes the memory of the misery all away. Finally, great effort allows one to feel better even if he fails to reach his ultimate goal. Let’s say one is preparing for an audition and practiced all the time. However, one the big day, he messes up, shattering his chances. Though he didn’t succeed in the audition, he feels better knowing that he tried. Messing up on something one didn’t try hard on will just make him sorry. However, if one puts great effort in something even though he doesn’t reach his desired goal, he can still be comforted.
So, what comes from great effort does give us a glorious triumph. It gives one satisfaction. "Torture" and great effort is also necessary if one wants to have a great victory. What Thomas Paine said was true. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph!

Should I Tell My Friend? (Final)

Many people have friends. A friend is someone important in your life with whom you have an irrefutable relationship. He is the person who keeps you company. There could be a few bumps in a friendship at times, but friends usually forget about them and move on. One thing that could harm a friendship is when sometimes, one has to truthfully tell his friend something hurtful. Almost everyone has gotten into that situation before. While many argue against being honest to friends, because you might tell them something hurtful, I believe that one should always be honest to his friends. Sharing the truth helps strengthen the bond of friendship and benefits your friend.
First of all, being truthful to your friend allows you to become better friends. Though telling a friend the truth might be offensive to him, it ensures that you and your friend can become closer. Telling each other the truth builds up trust between you, and shows your friend that you could keep secrets that he tells you. It also lets you know to your friend that you care about him, and you want him to know something so he could help himself. If you have a friend who's fat, you could tell him that, not meaning to be malicious, in hopes of him trying to get skinnier, and many more. Confiding the truth to your friend could help you become much closer companions.
Secondly, when you tell the truth to your friend, you are just trying to help him. Everything that a friend says to you, offensive or not, is really meant to just help him. If you comment on something derogatory about your friend, he will most likely try to fix it and become a better person. A friend is a person who gives good advice. Being honest to a friend can allow him to recover from a bad trait or habit. Telling a friend he's aggressive is not meant to get him angry or insult him, but to try to get him to hold his temper more often. Telling the truth to your friend is meant to help him.
Sometimes, it's best to keep a secret "secret." However being honest with your friends is imperative. Being honest allows you to become closer friends, and can help your friend. Friends are your companions for a long time, so it's important that you help them and tell the truth. Don't be shy! Honesty is what keeps your friendship together.

Does Every Cloud Have A Silver Lining? (Final)

There's an expression: Every cloud has a silver lining. Is this true? First of all, the expression means that in every bad situation something good comes out of the situation. The cloud refers to the beginning of a storm, while the silver lining refers to something that is good. This phrase is believed by many optimists, including me. However, others, pessimists, argue that some bad situations yield nothing good. No matter what anyone says, this expression is true. Anything can be good if looked at from a different perspective, and every bad situation still has at least one thing that is always good, which is hope.
First, disastrous situations have a bright side when look at them from different points of views. Being optimistic can completely nullify the effect of a bad situation. Thinking outside the box can determine something good that comes out of something bad. For example, a student gets a bad grade on a science test. He is very distraught, and, suddenly, he realizes that he must study science harder. He manages to get a passing grade on his report card. Simply just figuring out what good can come out of a bad situation could make you feel better. Hidden in the thick layer of the cloud, there's a shining streak in its core.
Another thing that may emerge from bad situations is hope. In every challenge, hope is what gives a person a thought he will succeed if he works hard enough and drives him to keep on persevering. If one has hope, he or she will find a silver lining in the cloud. The scenario of hope succeeding against something catastrophic has been mentioned in many stories, including the Greek myth "Pandora's Box." In the story, though Pandora releases all the evil into the world, she manages to trap one thing in her box: hope. Another person who mentioned being optimistic during bad situations was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said in his inauguration speech "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." hAlong wit that, this theme is popular in many fables, like "It Could Always Be Worse." In the fable, a man hates his noisy life, but realizes that it could always be a lot worse, and he starts enjoying life. Hope is what keeps everyone going in a terrible situation. Having hope can allow you to find a silver lining.
Any bad situation can seem disastrous at first. However, if you think outside of the box and have hope, the situation won't seem very bad. Just believing that a bad situation is good can change everything, and can make anyone feel better. Every situation has a good side that can be found. The plain, blunt truth is that every cloud does have a silver lining. It just depends on looking for it.