The Stereotypical (Malaysian) High School Essay

Today I'm gonna blab about writing.

Writing! Yes!

One of the things that I do while surfing the Net is to have a look at essays on various subjects, according to what tickles my fancy at given moments. As such, it is refreshing to see people write on various topics -- from how pretty the moon is to how to get over your ex, from politics to Shakespeare, and from computer geek stuff to tips on how to do high fashion, in various different perspectives and viewpoints. Using an example from above, the moon may cause one to remember his homeland while away from it-- as such is the case in many works of Chinese literature (yes, there are aspects of 11 years of Chinese education that are still in my head, somewhat.) -- or the moon may remind another of how time flies (for me, sunsets work the exact same way :)).

After all the wow-ing on works of inspiring literary art, or factual articles that stir up one's thoughts, I turn to some old buddies of mine -- revision books for high school essay writing. A quick glance and you realize that most of the facts are learned ones -- I mean that there are a series of main points for given subjects, that most people at that school age simply learn to memorize, as if History and the formulae for the maths and science subjects wasn't too much to memorize already...! It's normal, as many who have grown up under a similar education system are used and have used this way to score in our exams. Follow the formula of the past-year questions, we are told; is there any room for answers that are out of the ordinary, those that actually make interesting questions to ponder on, but fall outside the marking scheme?

For example, this is my take on a typical essay on one of the most common questions asked in school-level exams:

Q: What are the causes of social ills among youths today?

The somewhat stereotypical answer:

Introduction: Social issues are on the rise - has become a hot discussion topic in society - every day the media presents us with news on social ills committed by youth

Main points:
- parents too materialistic - put career first - don't pay attention to what is going on in children's lives - children don't get adequate love and attention -turn to social ills for satisfaction
- influenced by peers that have a negative influence - want to feel accepted by peer group, so give in
- not enough religious and moral education at home - children don't have strong moral stand
- mass media influence - Western culture - too much sex and violence - loss of Eastern values
- a teen's natural desires - curiosity - want to try everything and do everything

Conclusion: everyone needs to work together hand-in-hand to solve this problem so that our youth will have a future.

If I were to ask you, the recent product of a typical Malaysian high school, to come up with an essay titled above, chances are many of you will have at least two similar points as stated above. However, let's scrutinize the same essay above to make it a little more out of the box, a little more unique, shall we?

*Warning: I have no guarantee that the way that I write below will guarantee good marks for your next essay paper. However, by using your own style, I can assure you that your piece will definitely be more unique than the cookie-cutter example I gave earlier.

Q: What are the causes of social ills among youths today?


Introduction: What do you know about social ills? Try to define it in your own words, or search a reputable dictionary for the definition if you so desire. If you are the well-read kind, throw in a few stats, or a recent news article regarding social ills, even better! If you're not the well-read kind yet, do note that for factual essays such as these, you'd need writing flair...but also facts as well, and both in your essay enriches it :) Reading the news often really helps.

Now for the main points - I'll tackle them one-by-one. (Haha, be patient yea..)

• On the role of parents -- no, I actually think we should start with the teen him/herself. In my honest opinion, many high school essays describe (and indirectly blame) parents, media, etc for social ills, which although is undeniably true in certain aspects, tends to neglect the personal responsibility on the teen's part. Now I shall shift my last point in the previous essay here: the teen is curious and wants to try everything. Well, I think the proper word for it is not so much about curiosity, it's rebellion! Curiosity is a trait, I think, that we possess since childhood. Remember when mom whacked your hand because you tried to reach for a cookie in a high cupboard, or touch an electrical outlet...you get the drill. I feel that rebellion is more prevalent in determining involvement in social ills - the teen years is where we want to challenge societal rules and regulations to test them, instead of doing as mom and dad and teacher say. So, I'd say that rebellion, coupled with curiosity we had since we were kids, causes teens to experiment by getting involved in social ills.
• Now we shift to the role of the parents -- no, I meant the family unit as a whole -- that causes teens to dabble with social ills. Now, the case of the materialistic parent is true -- those who produce latch-key children while focusing on advancing in career does cause detachment from the parents. However, I'm considering the role of the wider family in this, too -- as well as habits practiced by parents regardless of social status. What about sibling rivalry? Expectations of relatives (especially those who are always comparing one cousin to another)? Favoring one child over another due to talent/gender/looks, etc? Then bad habits of certain parents: If dad/mom is a drinker, gambler, womanizer, cheater, and they fight/beat the other party up (all this can happen within all social statuses), what kind of environment do you expect the child to grow up in?
• Next, we move to the role of the friends. The herd mentality is very real -- as a teen (I still am one) it's extremely, extremely hard to stand alone with no peer support, and many succumb to peer pressure -- even if it wasn't on heavier social issues, one friend playing truant can easily result in her whole gang not showing up for school, for instance. However, note that the kid also needs to choose bad hats as friends before being bad themselves, and knowing that we choose friends mostly based on interest, what determines the kid's interest? We all have dreams for our future, but the failure to focus on a dream (due to circumstances and influence) as well as a lack of discernment on what's good and what's bad diverts one's attention on less important things...or to eventual crime.
• On the point on religious and moral education, I think it is valid, and that it needs to start from the home, but normally this point doesn't get too much elaboration. It's not only religious rites that have to be thought, but the practicing and application of values and principles that provide a foundation for a person's character. After all, there are those who look pious on the outside, practicing religion and morals often, yet the person inside is contradictory to what is shown outside (In this matter, I need to admit that I show it, too, and I am frustrated when the mask that I wear outside is inconsistent with the doubt and immaturity that is inside. More on that in today's Daily)
• Now, on media. It's true that Western influence has brought a lot of sex and violence into our media system -- but I think that we're pushing all the blame to them. After all, we accepted it when we could have blocked everything, and sometimes I think that there are those, too, who like and do all these stuff but need to hide under our so-called Eastern culture, which those actions are hypocrisy in my opinion because these people show one face and do another. When it comes to stuff like this, the tendency to blame others while portraying ourselves as better or holier is there. I believe that each world civilization has its good and bad points, and that instead of pointing fingers (i.e writing that it's all someone's fault), we should learn the good of each side and filter out the bad, which in this case is negative input of Western media, using again the timeless gift of discernment.

Conclusion: Now, try to conclude without the word 'in conclusion' in the essay. Not that doing it is wrong, but I want to show you that it's possible. How, you ask? By implying the conclusion - essentially wrapping the essay in a nutshell. Here's my example:

Social ills have become a regular phenomenon in society due to the failures of both the teens themselves and those around them to play their part in making sure that the teen chooses the right path in life instead of turning to social ills, that can potentially lead to crime. It is therefore vital that no matter who we are in society, we play an active role in nurturing our future generation so that they can not only grow personally, but also contribute to the growth and strengthening of the family unit, the society, as well as the future of our country.

In the example above I took the basic idea of 'everyone needs to work together' and expanded its scope.

So there you have it -- your stereotypical Malaysian high school essay, version 1.0, and it's proposed improvements. Now, I'm no essay or language expert; due to my passion for writing, I want to show writing that breaks away from the cookie-cutter high school one and introduce a personal element of flair (coupled with facts in a factual article, and imagination in fiction) to my essays. Feel free to add your own points (I know I didn't include all the points above...) or even to disagree with my points above, as above is my personal opinion on how to do the essay and we all have our own POV.

Hope you enjoyed today's post :)

Image taken from here.