I have heard much about the beauty of the East as well as the West, about the wonderful islands in the Pacific and also in the Atlantic. In short, the whole world seems to be full of beautiful places. The country that I would like to visit, however, is the United States of America. My knowledge of the United States of America is derived from the geography and history books that I have read, the films that I have seen and the stories that I have heard from people who have visited this country. The United States of America is a vast country with a mixed population. People from many different lands have come and settled here. This mixture of different races of people with different customs, religions, cultures and abilities have created a nation unique in history. Although this country has a very short history compared with that of the other large countries in the world, it is an example to the world of how people of different races could live together in peace and harmony. The exchange of ideas among the people of so many racial origins here has contributed greatly to the progress and prosperity of the nation. There are world famous scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and politicians whose original homes were in many different lands. The work of such men has made this country a wonderful land indeed. The roads, buildings and cinemas here may be said to be the best in the world. There are many places and things of interest such as Hollywood, the United Nations building. Niagara Falls and the skyscrapers. Even the natural vegetation and features are rich in variety. If one travels across the land, one will find different kinds of scenery in different places. Further, as the people here still follow their original customs and traditions, one will also have the feeling that one is passing through many different countries. The people of the United States are proud of their country, for it was their country that gave the modern world ideas of freedom. The name of Abraham Lincoln will always be remembered by those who believe in the freedom of man. It was the United States, again, who saved the world from destruction in two World Wars. Such a country must be a wonderful land, and it is for this reason that I would like to visit this country some day. NEW Good manners play an important part in maintaining peace and good- will in a community. A man who has good manners does not hurt the feelings of others, and therefore he is on good terms with his friends and neighbors and also with others. In this way he helps to keep peace in society. But a man whose manners are bad has no respect for others. He uses words carelessly and behaves rudely towards other and causes a lot of ill- will and unpleasantness. In the end, it is he himself who suffers the most. Everyone avoids him and he is forced to live almost in isolation. To live well in a society, money alone is not enough. We should also have good manners, for it is human nature to seek friendship; and friendship cannot be bought with money. Friendship with others makes life pleasant and it has to be earned through our own attitude towards others. If we are kind to others, they will be kind to us, and kindness is the essence of good manners. Bad manners not only drive away friends but also others, including our own family members. Even the richest man cannot afford to have had manners. For a man may have enough money to buy all the things than he wants; but if his manners are bad he will have no friends, and no one can live happily without friends. Even the members of his own family may not respect him and finally he will become a lonely man. On the other hand, a man whose manners are good has many friends. He commands the respect of all those who come into contact with him. He does not talk ill about others. Even when he is provoked, he tries his best to use words in a way which will not offend others. He is also sympathetic towards the weak and ignorant and does not poke fun at the deformities and weaknesses of others. There are, however, many people who behave so well outside their homes that they are respected and admired by everyone outside. But in their own homes they are worse than the devil. Such people could not be said to have good manners. Their whole behavior is a pretence and it does not take long for others to discover this. If ones manners are good, one behaves well everywhere, even when one is away from the critical eyes of others. Only such a person can live well in society. It is therefore essential for everyone to cultivate good manners. It is not easy to choose a career today. Hundreds of students are leaving schools and universities every year to seek employment in the various professions, though employment opportunities are not increasing proportionately. As a result, there is a lot of unemployment. The inability of the various professions to absorb all those seeking employment makes the choice of a career more difficult. Before one leaves school or university, one has many plans, confident that choosing a career will not be difficult. But when the time comes to choose a career, one finds that there are others with better qualifications waiting to enter the same profession. Disillusioned, one then looks for any kind of employment. In this way, many who wanted to become police, inspectors or field assistants in the rubber estates in this country, become teachers instead, and many who wanted to become teachers, have become clerks. The lack of institutions where people could acquire the skills necessary for a particular career makes the choice of a career even more difficult. For example, if one desires to become a journalist, one has to receive some training and instruction in a school of journalism. But if there is no such school, one is compelled to think of some other career. On the other hand, even if there are institutions where one could acquire the necessary skills, one may still experience difficulty in gaining admission to them because one may not have the financial resources or the academic ability. Thus, many who wanted to become doctors and lawyers have actually become clerks and teachers. Further, even if one has all the academic and intellectual requirements for the career that one has chosen, ones temperament may not enable one to make a success of that career. Thus, many who passed several professional examinations and began their career as teachers are now working in the banks and other commercial firms. The zoo is an artificial forest created by man. Though there are few trees compared with the natural forest, the animals, birds and other creatures found in the zoo must always remind us of the forest. It is indeed an interesting place to visit. Even in the natural forest such a variety of animals, birds and other creatures cannot be found as are found in a big zoo. Animals which are not found in the forests of one country are caught in other parts of the world and brought to the zoo. The lion, for example, is not found in Malaysia; but one may see an African lion in the zoo at Johore Bahru. Until I visited the zoo at Johore Bahru, a few months ago, I had no idea how informative a visit to a zoo might be. Though the zoo at Johore Bahru is not big, I found many kinds of interesting animals and other creatures there. Lions, tigers and other animals were moving about lazily in their cages. Some of the animals appeared to be bored, and they took little interest in the visitors. The monkeys, however. showed their natural agility. Whenever they saw a visitor, they ran towards him and begged for something to eat. I was indeed amused at their behavior. Most of them were caught in Malaysia and their variety was amazing. Some of the birds too were very interesting to see. Their beautiful feathers and looks fascinated me. Birds are indeed one of the loveliest creations of God. A few birds are larger than many animals. The lions and the tigers in this zoo were so docile that I could not but treat them as domestic animals like the dog and the cat. I went very close to them, but they showed little interest in me. I then began to think of how the animal or even human spirit could be broken by confinement. Confined to their cages, these animals had become spiritless. Even the sight of food did not seem to excite them much. Then, there was the crocodile with its usual pretence of innocence. It refused to be disturbed. Heaven knows how it might have reacted if a child had fallen into its pit. However, my visit to the zoo had increased my knowledge of animals The newspaper, today, plays a vital role in human affairs. Its importance has not been diminished by the appearance of the radio or the television. Men no longer have travel to get information. The newspaper has become the main source of information about local and foreign affairs. Though the radio and television convey important news and messages quicker than the newspaper, they seldom give the details of an incident. The newspaper, on the other hand, gives not only more details about a particular incident but it also contains more new items. This is of great importance today when political changes occur with a rapidity unknown before. Besides, the newspaper is easier to carry and it could be read at any time during the day. Further, the permanence of the printed word helps one to refresh one’s memory of certain facts and incidents reported in the past. The importance of the newspaper has been increased greatly by the spread of education. Education sharpens ones curiosity about events in distant lands and also makes one conscious of the necessity to maintain ones reading habits. In both respects the newspaper appeals most, especially if one finds little time to read books. The newspaper should, however, be read with caution, for its capacity to do harm is great. Most people believe every thing that is reported by the newspaper. As a result, the newspaper exerts a profound influence on the minds of its reader. Therefore, when some news is reported wrongly either by mistake or design, it may cause a lot of harm. On the other hand, if the policy of the newspaper is to promote the welfare of the people, it could do a lot of good. For example, it could exercise its influence to persuade the government of a country to do many things for the benefit of the people. In a country like Malaysia, where there are many races of people, the newspaper could also use its influence to promote good-will and harmony among the people. It is therefore important to know the policy of the newspaper that one reads. In general, however, the newspaper tries to report as accurately as possible, for there are various magazines and periodicals competing with the newspaper to provide accurate information on world developments, and it is the newspaper that links us with the outside world. There are so many things around us that one finds it hard to have a special preference for a few particular things. I, however, take a special interest in motor-car and television. Motor-cars have always fascinated me. Since my childhood I have been travelling in motor-cars, and I have visited hundreds of places in this country. I have been to remote villages and almost all the towns, large and small. Travel has broadened my outlook on life. I have met various types of people, and my knowledge of the people and places of this country has increased greatly. If I am at home or if I am walking along a road, I feel the urge to travel as soon as I see a car. It is because of motor-cars that I am able to do various types of work. In the morning I go to my school, a long distance away, in my fathers car. After school I go to my fathers plantation to help him in his work. Then I visit one of my class-mates and discuss our school work. Sometimes I visit the cinema, miles away. If there were no motor-cars, I would not have seen so much. Even in this small country, I would perhaps not have been able even to attend school. The next thing that I like is television. Television helps us to see and hear some of the famous leaders of the world. We are also able to see some of the great events of the day. In addition, we can get news from all parts of the world, and listen to songs and music. Sometimes there are special programmes which are very amusing. The television programmes become more interesting on a rainy day. We can then sit in the comfort of our home and watch the television programme. Even if we cannot read the newspaper for some reason, television keeps us well informed about the latest developments in the world. In this respect, television is better than the radio because the pictures and incidents shown on television convey a better impression than only the spoken words of the radio. I shall therefore always have a special preference for the motor-car and television. To have a hobby is to know how to spend ones leisure moments. A hobby, besides providing an avenue of escape from boredom, can also add to ones knowledge of human affairs. My hobby is reading. When my days work is over, I sit down in the privacy of my room and read the newspaper. Reading the newspaper is like travelling round the world. As I read about the developments in the various parts of the world, I fell that I am there myself observing the incidents. I also feel that I am having contacts with many leaders and peoples of the world. This feeling is a source of pleasure to me. By reading the newspaper I have acquired a better knowledge of the world. I am aware of what scientists, economists and politicians are doing to make this world a better place to live in. At the same time, I am also aware of the activities of those who are trying to create chaos in the world. After reading the newspaper, I take a book which requires deep concentration, such as a history book or a book on psychology. Sometimes I read a novel or a popular magazine. Through this hobby I have learned that people everywhere are the same, in all ages, and in all countries. I have also learned that the world was made not for man alone but for every creature that can feel hunger and thirst, warm and cold. It has also helped me to see not only into the most remote regions of the world today but also into the world in which our ancestors lived. My hobby has deepened and widened my knowledge of man and his place in the universe. Reading, I think, has made men more human, broad-minded and sympathetic. It has brought me into contact with many great minds, and acquainted with the beauty of language and ideas. It has also improved my powers of expression. I have little difficulty in expressing my thoughts and feelings. Therefore, I could say that my hobby has made me a better person. Cinemas are a common sight nowadays. They are found in every town. The existence of so many cinemas reflects their popularity. They have indeed become the most popular places of entertainment. The cinema attracts large numbers of people everyday. It is the magnet of the town. It sometimes attracts even those who do not wish to see a film. As it is so popular, the cinema exerts a profound influence on the minds of many people, young and old. The influence is sometimes good, and sometimes it is bad. Films showing criminal activities and the sensual desires of man have caused much harm to many youths. Some youths have become criminals themselves though almost every film shows how the good always triumphs over the evil. The cinema has also caused many people to waste money. Such people have become so addicted to visiting the cinema that they see almost every film, good or bad. In this way money is wasted not only on purchasing tickets for admittance to the cinema but also on travelling and many other things. Often, however, the cinema helps to spread knowledge. There are many films which show the activities of the various races of people living in the remote regions of the earth. Some films show how man has struggled through the centuries to make the world a better place to live in. There are also films which show the events that led to some of the important battles in the past. They are shown with so much realism that one remembers them for a long time. Such films are indeed invaluable, especially to those who are illiterate. In this respect the cinema could be regarded as a school. Even the dullest student learns many things if he sees an educational film in the cinema though he may learn nothing from his teacher or his books. Such is the effect of the film, and in many countries, educational authorities are trying to make the best use of the cinema to spread knowledge and information. It is therefore clear that the cinema has many advantages as well as disadvantages. Often the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Those who visit the cinema with the purpose of learning something good are sure to benefit from almost every visit to the cinema. Life today has become so complex that examinations have come to play an important part in ones educational career. Examinations are considered so important that most students are afraid of them. The ability to pass an examination is indeed a valuable quality. It shows that the student is able to express his thought and ideas to a manner others can understand. It also shows that the student has acquired a certain amount of knowledge in some branches of study. Besides, the mind of a student, even if he is dull, receives good exercise when he prepares for an examination. A students success in an examination, therefore, helps employers and others to assess his mental or general ability. Some people, however, argue that examinations test only a certain kind of skill. They say that many people have a good memory and a special ability to pass examinations and achieve brilliant results, though they have no capacity for original thought or imagination. But it should be realized that today the syllabuses are so extensive that a student cannot expect to pass an examination by relying entirely on his memory. The student of today must not only have a fair knowledge of the subject manner but also be able to show his intelligence and power of reasoning, especially if he is sitting for a higher examination. Therefore, a students ability to pass an examination must indicate some of his mental powers as well as his grasp of the subjects that he has studied. If there were no examinations, most scholars would have been less informed than they are today. Examinations compel students to read as much as they can, and as they do so, they absorb knowledge unconsciously. Further, because of examinations; teachers have to confine themselves to the syllabuses which are aimed at imparting knowledge in a systematic manner, and thus develop mental discipline. Examinations are therefore an important part of academic studies. I had always dreaded the thought of being admitted to hospital. The peculiar smell of the hospital, the sight of deformed and critically ill persons and dead bodies in the hospital are things that I had always wished to avoid. But a serious illness sometime ago necessitated my admission to the General Hospital in Malacca. Though I was seriously ill and required special attention, yet the knowledge that I was in the hospital made me feel miserable during the first few days. The clothes that I had to wear in the hospital were uncomfortable and the food was tasteless. At night, when all the patients were asleep, I used to wake up and think of what might happen it the dead bodies in the mortuary nearby came back to life. I also thought of the patients who might die at anytime. Sometimes I thought that I myself might not wake up from my sleep; that I might have to leave my dear parents, brothers and sisters and never return. Tears would then flow from my eyes. From the fourth day, however, my spirits were high. The doctors and nurses assured me that I would recover completely in a few days and that I could move about in the hospital as I wished. I now began to think of the good work that was being done in the hospital to reduce pain and suffering. Hundreds of sick people were coming to the hospital, many with serious injuries caused by various kinds of accidents, with the last hope of survival. And while many were dying, many more were returning home with smiles on their faces. Working every minute and sacrificing their own pleasures and pastimes, the doctors, nurses, hospital assistants and all the other staffs were doing their utmost to save another life. Their humanity impressed me deeply. I now realised what an important role the hospitals were playing in our daily life, and the disgust that I fell on the first few days was gone. After being in the hospital for a week, I returned home with a better knowledge of human misery and sacrifice. How man first learnt to use fire is still unknown, but it is known that even the most primitive man, centuries ago, found it to be of great service to him as it is to us today. Man, in his early days, did not cook his food. He ate everything raw, including meat and fish. But the discovery of fire changed his eating habits completely. He now learnt to cook his food; and, when he found that cooked food was more delicious, fire became an important thing in his life. Fire also gave the early man warmth and light. Even in his scanty clothes he could keep himself warm in his cave on rainy or cold nights. His cave was no longer dark and he could move about freely at night. Further, fire gave him protection from wild beasts, and his life was more secure than it was before. In fact, fire, like water and air, became indispensable to man; and, today, we use fire for a diversity of purposes. We use it even to operate machinery to produce goods. But fire has to be kept under strict control, for its capacity to destroy his great. Once it is out of control, it will destroy life and property at tremendous speed and the world has lost things worth millions of dollars because of fire. And, people often use fires enormous capacity to great advantage. They use it to burn thousands of acres of forest and grow crops: As a result, we now find green fields where once there were forests. On the other hand, fire has been used by men, especially of the modern age, to destroy men. In every human battle in the past fire was used to destroy the enemy. Even today, thousands of people.in many parts of the world are being destroyed by fire; and, when furious men try to make the best use of fires extreme anger, misery is hard to avoid. lt then reigns supremes. Innocent people, young and old, must die in thousands. It is, therefore, true to say that, fire is a good servant, but a bad master. One rainy day last year, while I was returning home from Mersing, a town in the east coast of Malaysia, I witnessed an accident which I shall never forget. I was returning home in my fathers car. It was raining heavily and the road could not be seen clearly. My father, an old man, was driving slowly to avoid an accident. The journey, therefore, seemed unusually long, and I began to feel tired. Then, suddenly, a small car, running at great speed, overtook our car. My father was shocked at the recklessness of the driver of that car. We could not count the number of persons in that car, but were sure that there were at least five, including two children. My father at once predicted that tragedy would befall the occupants of the car. After this prediction I began to grow impatient. I did not wish to see any ugly scene resulting from an accident. Though the car had gone quite far its rear lights would still be seen. In the distance there was a narrow bridge. Looking at the way the car was being driven, I too was now sure that an accident would occur and sure enough it did occur. This is how it happened. A lorry was coming from the opposite direction. It was already on the bridge. The driver of the small car, however, could not slow down in good time. He lost control of the car which skidded and plunged into the swollen river. Somehow, the driver managed to slip out of the car, but the others were doomed. When we arrived at the bridge, we were touched deeply by what we saw. Two children were struggling in the river and we could do nothing to save them. Their mother, as we came to know later, was at the bottom of the river, trapped in the car, and they were swept away by the rush of the current and drowned. The driver, and father of the children, began to cry piteously for the wife and children he had lost so suddenly. It was indeed a very touching scene and I shall never forget this day. Good roads are essential for the development of a country. The Romans realised this centuries ago, and wherever they established themselves, , they tried to improve the roads there. Today, the governments of all countries in the world are building more and more roads to gain access to the remotest regions of their countries. Roads link towns and villages and enable the people of one place to communicate with the people of another place. When food is scarce in one place, it can be brought from another place without much difficulty. Even things which cannot be produced in one region can be brought from another region where they are produced in abundance. The invention of motor-vehicles has made it easy to transport goods from place to place. But these vehicles require good roads to travel quickly, and the better the roads the more goods can be transported from one place to another in a very short time. Thus, trade is improved. Further, good roads help people to travel easily to places where they can work and develop their lands and industries. In Malaysia, for example, the improvement of roads has made it easy for skilled workers from the towns to work in remote villages. The people of the villages, on the other hand, have been able to learn much from the towns. As a result, there has been a lot of improvement in this country in all spheres of activity. Finally, in times of war good roads help armies to move about without difficulty. Sometimes, a country is defeated because its army is not able to reach a place in good time owing to bad roads. Even the police may not be able to reach a place where there is some trouble if the roads are bad. For all these reasons: it is always necessary for a country to have good roads. Shakespeares fame, I think, originates from his ability to identify his readers with the characters in his stories. In most of his stories we find reflections of our own experiences. This shows strikingly that Shakespeare had an insight into human nature and the problems of life. His tragedies such as Macbeth and Hamlet” clearly show his deep knowledge of the human mind. Mans ambition, desperation, sorrows, frustrations and hopes are dealt with in these tragedies with such skill that the reader himself experiences all the mental conflicts and emotions, and thus gets a better idea about human nature. With equal skill, Shakespeare deals with mans joys and pleasures in all his comedies. His comedies like, Twelfth Night and As You Like It, are a delight to read. Through the characters in his stories Shakespeare conveys his views on life and the world. Most of his characters, such as Hamlet, are vehicles for moral instruction. Mans nature is the theme of all his writings. By a skillful combination of words and situations, he reveals the worst as well as the best in man. His choice of words is masterly and many of his phrases are literary gems. As mans nature is his theme, what he wrote years ago remains true even today, and it will remain so till the end of time. It is for all these reasons that I enjoy reading Shakespeare. However, I do enjoy reading the works of other writers too, such as those of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. But they do not give the satisfaction that Shakespeare gives. I find Shakespeares stories so interesting that I have read the same stories several times in last few years; and, every time I read the same story, I learn something new about human nature. Shakespeare was indeed a genius.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 16:44:20 +0000
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