The Spanish Influence in America (A standard five-paragraph Essay)

We are all aware that American culture is, in fact, a combination of the contributions of all those who have settled within its borders. From the founding of the country to the present day, immigrants have thought with them the traditions of their native lands, many of which have been interwoven into the cultural patterns of their new homeland. Immigrants from Latin America, who currently comprise about eight percent of the total population, are no exception to this rule. Hispanic contributions to American culture are reflected in the words we speak, the foods we consume, and the music we enjoy.

The Spanish influence in the English language in the U.S. began with the early explorers and continues even today. Spanish place names, from the Rio Grande (in Texas) to San Francisco (in California), Characterize the southwestern part of the country. Los Angeles, Santa Fe, the Colorado River, and the Mojave desert are all part of the heritage of the early Spanish settlers. Other Spanish words, such as adios, amigo, rodeo, and adobe, have actually become part of the English language. More recently, a blend of English and Spanish known as Spanglish, producing expressions like ir al movies (to go to the movies), has developed particularly in Texas, California, and South Florida, which have a high concentration of Latino residents. From the gourmet-style churrasco (marinated tenderloin of beef) to the everyday taco, Latin food has become an integral part of American dining habits. Foods ranging from black beans and rice in a Cuban restaurants to frozen burritos, tropical papayas, and jalapeno peppers on supermarket shelves are evidence of the Latin influence on the American diet. It is not surprising, therefore, that over $1 billion per year was spent on Mexican food in the United States in the late 1980s. American music, too, has become more diverse as a result of the Latino sound. The Salsa beat has had a startling effect on popular music, just as the rhythms of the tango and the chacha-cha have become a part of the repertoire of dance bands throughout the country.

Instruments, such as the congas and the timbale, also have their origin in Latin countries. Mariachi bands, Brazilian jazz, and the new Miami Sound are further examples of the strong influence of Hispanic musical traditions on American culture. The language, the food, the musicthese are but a small part of what Latin Americans have given to North Americans. In the final analysis, the essence of their contributions to American culture is a sensibilidad (a unique sense of style), which prompted Time magazine to report, This sensibilidad is changing the way America looks, the way it eats, dresses, drinks, dances, the way it lives.

Topic: 1. Language 2. Food 3. Music

EDUCATION IN THE EAST AND THE WEST

Americans have often asked me why I came from Taiwan to study in the United States. They expect me to say something like to learn English. However, to me, coming here to study involves more than just learning English. It involves an opportunity to experience a completely different educational system. Because I have studied in both countries, I have seen several areas in which education in Taiwan and education in the United States are different.

Students expectations in the classroom in Taiwan are different from those in the United States. Generally speaking, Taiwanese students are quieter and participate less in class. They are not encouraged to express their ideas unless asked. They are taught that asking teachers a question is seen as a challenge to the teachers authority. There is little emphasis on developing student creativity and thinking skills. Students are expected to memorize everything they are assigned. However, in the United States the curriculum emphasizes individual thinking, group discussion, and self-expression. Unlike their Taiwanese counterparts, American students are encouraged to ask questions, express their own opinions and think for themselves.

In addition, there is a great disparity in the educational goals of Taiwanese and American schools. After twelve years of compulsory education, Taiwanese students have to pass an entrance exam in order to get into a university. The higher students score on this test, the better the university they can enter. Taiwanese culture puts a strong emphasis on university admission because getting into the right university can guarantee future success. As a result, schools often teach to the test instead of providing more moral, social an physical education. In contrast, the goals of the American educational system include teaching students how to learn and helping them to reach their maximum potential. American teachers give their students the freedom to think and solve problems in their own: they do not merely prepare students to answer questions for an entrance exam. The last obvious difference between the two countries educational systems is the role of extracurricular activities such as sports programs and special interest clubs. Even though

every Taiwanese school claims that it pays equal attention to more, intellectual, and physical education, the real focus is on passing the university admission exam. Little emphasis is placed on activities outside of the classroom. Teachers can even borrow time from extracurricular activities to give students more practice in the areas where they have weakness. On the other hand, American educational institutions consider the development of social and interpersonal skills as important as the development of intellectual skills. It is believed that by participating in these outside activities, students can demonstrate their special talents, level of maturity and leadership qualities.

Education is vital to everyones future success. While it may take ten years to grow a tree, a sound educational system may take twice as long to take root. Although Taiwan and the United States have different educational systems, both countries have the same ultimate goal: to educate their citizens as well as they can. This goal can be reached only if people take advantage of all the educational opportunities given to them. Thats why I came to the United States to study, grow and become a better person.

Why do We Lie? As little children, most of us were taught the virtue of honesty from fairy tales and other stories. The story of Pinocchio, who begins life as a puppet, teaches us the importance of telling the truth. The boy who lied by crying wolf too many times lost a ll his sheep as well as the trust of his fellow villagers. Even though we know that honesty is the best policy, why do we often lie in our everyday lives? The fact is that we lie for many reasons. implisit

We sometimes lie to minimize our mistakes. While its true that we all make blunders sometimes, some of us dont have the courage to admit them because we might be blamed for the errors. For example, student might lie to their teachers about unfinished homework. They

might say they left the work at home when, in fact, they didnt even do the work. These students dont want to seem irresponsible, so they make up an excusea lieto save face. Another reason we lie is to get out of situations that we dont want to be in. if we just dont want to attend the dorm meeting early on Saturday morning, we might give this excuse: Ive been fighting off a cold all week, and I need to sleep on Saturday morning, but Ill be sure to attend the next meeting. We lie because we believe that telling the truth will cause problems. We may feel an obligation to maintain good relations with our dorm mates. When we dont know how to say no and face whatever problems that may cause, we often use lies to avoid difficulties. However, lies are not always negative; in fact, two kinds of lies can yield positive results. The first is commonly referred to as a white lie. We tell white lies when we dont want to hurt other peoples feelings. For example, if a good friend shows up with an unflattering new haircut, we could be truthful and say, That haircut looks awful. It doesnt suit you at all! Instead we are more likely to lie and say, I like your haircut. It looks good on you, and spare our friends feelings. The second kind of positive lie is the protective lie. This o ne can help up get out of or avoid dangerous situations. Parents often teach their children to use this kind of lie. For example, parents tell their children not to say that they are home alone if they receive phone calls from strangers. In this situation, lying can prevent harm or disaster. People lie for many reasons, both good and bad. However, before we resort to lying to cover up mistakes or to avoid unpleasant situations, perhaps we should rethink our motives for lying. We never know when our lies might be exposed and cause us embarrassment or the loss of peoples trust.