Author: Zevanya

Mentor Article

Link: https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/03/15/yogyakarta-play-shines-light-on-rape-victims-despair.html

The publication I chose is The Jakarta Post. I decided to use “Yogyakarta play shines light on rape victims’ despair” as my mentor article for various reasons. I really like the structure of the article and would like to apply some of these techniques into my own writing. The author could have started off by talking about this play and what it was about but instead he utilized a specific scene from the play as an introduction. The flow of the article felt natural for me that it was easy to follow which is what I want for my own paper, an organization which doesn’t leave the audience having to think where and how this paragraph and the next paragraph are linked. The author also incorporated with the performers’ feelings and thoughts of the play in the article which made me, as a reader, sympathize with the victim. The play was inspired by Ela’s experience of being raped by her stepfather. Towards the end of the article, the author provided statistics on the number of cases involving sexual violence in Indonesia. I think that it helps the readers grasp how important this play is considering the many sexual violence cases that are taken lightly. Basically, I want my paper to be able to make people feel just like how this paper made me feel after hearing Ela’s story.

Final Draft Unit 2

UNIT 2 MLA ESSAY

Zevanya

Carrie Hall

1101-D355

March 17 2019

The Outcasts

Around a year ago, I was in a car with my best friend, her parents and her parents’ friend (Tante T). We were on our way to a teacher’s wedding reception when we stumbled upon a homeless person on the street asking for change. I clearly remember her parent’s friend said, “tuh kan karena orang-orang inilah negara Indonesia enggak maju. Yah boleh dibilang sampah-masyarakat kita la” (this is why Indonesia never improve economic wise, it’s because of these poor people. I guess you can say, they’re basically our society’s trash) I was fueled with so much anger and annoyance because do you think they wanted to be poor? Are you saying that just because YOU’RE MORE PRIVILEGED you have the right to talk down at them? Have you ever tried to understand them instead of blaming them? I wanted to ask her all of these questions so eagerly but it was considered very disrespectful to talk back at elders and they would say how “young people’s” opinions are invalid because they are young and clueless.

Not long after the incident with Tante T there was a talk show called ‘Kick Andy’. It was similar to Ted Talk and it just so happens that the topic was about “sampah masyarakat.” During the talk, it briefly explains the definition of the word which means outcasts or in direct translation society’s trash. They were talking about the homeless, prostitutions and children born outside of wedlock. I never knew the word represented so many communities besides the homeless. I would be lying if I said I have no problem with young females or males becoming prostitutes but behind every title there’s a story. A story that not many know or care to know because a majority of Indonesians are self-centered, ignorant and judgmental.

In relation to the homeless, it turns out that the two main causes behind our country’s poverty are corruption and unstable food prices, especially rice. According to Project, T.B, “25 percent of Indonesians reported having paid a bribe to obtain identification documents, and one in seven reported having paid a bribe to utility services in the past twelve months.” (p. 3) “These problems impede the development of Indonesia’s public infrastructure including electricity generation and provision of clean water.” (p. 4) In other words, numerous Indonesians are blinded by their ego and are unaware how it is affecting the society especially the less fortunate. I’ve seen news about children in Indonesia falling ill and dying due to insufficient access to potable water. In addition, The World Bank economist Ndiame Diop stated that the reason behind the fluctuation of food prices is because Indonesia has low farm productivity (caused by the old-fashioned technology), almost no progress in new crop development and when there are scarce food supplies, the country is unable to instantly accept imports. This shows how the homeless people aren’t the cause of our country’s poor economic development instead they’re the victims.

Not only are the homeless people victims but so are prostitutes. As I’ve mentioned earlier, most Indonesians are Muslim and the remaining population is either Christian, Catholic, Buddhist or Hindu. In other words, Indonesia is a very religious country which is what makes it so diverse but how is it possible for a country that implements numerous norms and values have prostitution as the most grossing career? According to Pomchertchoo, “it becomes clear that poverty remains a key driver that leads individuals and even families into prostitution.” (p. 10)
In the article “Indonesia’s sex trade ‘impossible’ to shut down”, a mother named Ratu entered the prostitution industry at the age of 17 because her parents were struggling financially. What made it even more heartbreaking was that her daughter, Putri, also works as a prostitute. Putri dreamed of becoming a doctor but money became an obstacle. The article mentioned how most families are exactly like theirs, both the mother and daughter would be a part of the industry just to help the family live another day. Do our people (the higher class) know that not everybody comes from a three generation of rich businessmen?

In America, children born outside of wedlock isn’t really a big deal whereas, in Indonesia, it’s viewed as the most sinful and horrific act. Close-minded adults would say how illegitimate children are most likely to become failures but I’m living proof that the way you were born doesn’t determine your future in any way. When my mom’s friends and family found out she was pregnant with me they all told her to abort it before she ruins her life. People discriminated her and assumed her life would be a downfall but she proved them wrong. We both proved them wrong. She now works as a director in the largest beauty company worldwide – Loreal – and travels all around the world visiting salons, attending huge conferences and events. They thought I would become a failure but here I am in New York chasing my dreams, helping people and successfully achieving a 4.0GPA. There has always been a quote within my family that said “jangan liat gw sekarang tapi liat gw nanti.” (don’t look at me now, look where I am in the future). This very quote was what motivated my mom and I to keep moving forward.

“Jadi sebenerny maksud gw itu apa?” (Okay, then what exactly is my point?) Indonesians have always used the term “sampah masyarakat” to make these communities feel even more worthless. They put the blame of the country’s image and failures on these communities but never understood or tried to understand their side of the story. Instead of complaining and putting the blame on other people, take a look in the mirror and ask yourselves “what exactly have I contributed to my country?” If the only thing you people do is buy imported branded goods (which actually provides revenue for the country the product was made from instead of ours) and waste millions of dollars on cars just for collection maybe you guys are no better. Maybe, we all are sampah masyarakat.

Works Cited
Project, The Borgen. “The Two Main Causes of Poverty in Indonesia and the Need for Further Progress.” BORGEN, 3 Aug. 2017, www.borgenmagazine.com/causes-of-poverty-in-indonesia/.

Promchertchoo, Pichayada. “Indonesia’s Sex Trade ‘Impossible’ to Shut Down.” Channel NewsAsia, 27 Aug. 2018, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-s-sex-trade–impossible–to-shut-down-8009820?cid=youtube_cna_social_29012018_cna.

“Indonesia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia.

Unit 2 rough draft

Zevanya

Carrie Hall

1101-D355

March 10 2019

The Other Side

In 2010, my family and I moved to the capital city of Indonesia also known as Jakarta. Indonesia is known to be “the world’s largest island country as well as the most populous Muslim-majority country.” (Wikipedia) After living in Indonesia for the past eight years and coming back to my original hometown, New York, I realized so many differences in terms of culture, beliefs and the society. I attended a private international school back in Jakarta and spent most of my childhood and teenage years as an Indonesian. Whenever my friends asked me if I considered myself as an Indonesia or an American I would always say that I’m Indonesian American. They always teased me that I don’t even know my own ethnicity because I was basically raised more in Indonesia than I was in the U.S so I SHOULD acknowledge myself as an Indonesian only. I found it frustrating at times because who gave them the right to categorize what I am base on THEIR point of view.

This is where my story or may I say, our story began as Indonesians that are perceived a certain way by most people. Around a year ago, I was in a car with my best friend, her parents and her parents’ friend (Tante T). We were on our way to a teacher’s wedding reception when we stumbled upon a homeless person on the street asking for change. I clearly remember her parent’s friend said, “tuh kan karena orang-orang inilah negara Indonesia enggak maju. Yah boleh dibilang sampah-masyarakat kita la” (this is why Indonesia never improve economic wise, it’s because of these poor people. I guess you can say, they’re basically our society’s trash) I was fueled with so much anger and annoyance because do you think they wanted to be poor? Are you saying that just because YOU’RE MORE PRIVILEGED you have the right to talk down at them? Have you ever tried to understand them instead of blaming them? I wanted to ask her all of these questions so eagerly but it was considered very disrespectful to talk back at elders and they would say how “young people’s” opinions are invalid because they are young and reckless.

When I first heard the word “sampah masyarakat” I never really understood if it was just referring to the homeless people or were there more communities under this category. I then brought up this word to my mom and asked her what it truly meant. She said that it indirectly means outcasts or in direct translation society’s trash. She then started to explain how in Indonesia it wasn’t just the homeless but prostitutes and children out of wedlock(anak di luar nikah) as well. I would be lying if I say I have no problem with young females or males becoming prostitutes but behind every title, there’s a story. A story that not many know or care to know because a majority of Indonesians judge you from the outside either way.

In the article “The Two main Causes of Poverty in Indonesia and the Need for Further Progress” by The Borgen Project, states that corruption and unstable food prices, especially rice, plays an enormous role on poverty. “According to the Global Corruption Barometer’s report in 2017, 25 percent of Indonesians reported having paid a bribe to obtain identification documents…” (Project, 2017, p. 3) Also, “food prices in Indonesia are difficult to be handled for two reasons: First, Indonesia has significantly low farm productivity because of the outdated technology and a lack of progress in new crop development. Second, Indonesia cannot immediately accept more imports if there is a shortage of food supplies.” (Project, 2017, p. 4).
Is it possible for ‘Tante T’ and every other Indonesian to understand the REAL reason behind our poverty? In fact, the homeless people are the victims, not the cause.

Not only are the homeless people victims but so are prostitutes. As I’ve mentioned earlier, most citizens of Indonesia are Muslim and the remaining population is either Christian, Catholic, Buddhist or Hindu. In other words, Indonesia is a very religious country which is what makes it so diverse but how is it possible for a country that implements numerous norms and values have prostitution as the most grossing career? According to Pomchertchoo, “it becomes clear that poverty remains a key driver that leads individuals and even families into prostitution.” (p. 10)

Works Cited
Promchertchoo, Pichayada. “Indonesia’s Sex Trade ‘Impossible’ to Shut Down.” Channel NewsAsia, 27 Aug. 2018, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-s-sex-trade–impossible–to-shut-down-8009820?cid=youtube_cna_social_29012018_cna.
Project, The Borgen. “The Two Main Causes of Poverty in Indonesia and the Need for Further Progress.” BORGEN, 3 Aug. 2017, www.borgenmagazine.com/causes-of-poverty-in-indonesia/.
“Indonesia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia.

Unit 2 – L(Learned)

In Indonesia, corruptors, and terrorists are also known as a part of society’s trash. I don’t know about other countries but Indonesia is well-known for their corruption, especially their healthcare system, BPJS (Social Security Administrator for Health). I found out that starting 2019 the government decided to charge patients a fee every time they come for a visit and honestly, it was never free in the first place. I also found out that patients that needed to stay overnight at the hospital are only allowed to stay for a maximum of 5 days and even if they were still ill, they would be sent home and eventually allowed back after 2-3 days. What if the patient dies between those 2-3 days, who’s to blame? It really irritates me knowing that Indonesians prioritize the money more than the patient. Gimana negara mau maju kalau gitu. I also did some research regarding the terrorist attacks that happened in Jakarta which is the capital city of Indonesia and where my family and I live. It was on the 14th of January 2016 at 10:40 a.m where several blasts and gunfires were heard in Central Jakarta (this area was known for the luxury hotels, offices, and embassies). At least 8 people were killed and 23 were injured, what made it even more terrifying was my mom’s office was right next to the hotels and restaurants where the bombing happened. I was in school during that time and received the information about the bombing from my teachers. When I heard the locations of the bombing I immediately called my mom and gladly she was safe and sound.

Gimana negara mau maju kalau gitu = how will the country evolve in this case/ with this mindset

Unit 2

1) Sampah Masyarakat: Society’s trash/ useless people
2) Autis: discriminating people who has a childish/ unusual behavior by calling them “autistic”
3) anak di luar nikah: a child who was born outside of marriage, it is against the rules of religions in Indonesia
4) Kafir: non-believer, infidel. usually used to insult non-muslim people.

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The excerpt from “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz made me surprisingly interested that I found myself wanting to read more about the superstition ‘fuku.’ I suppose it was because of how Diaz was telling the history of ‘fuku’ in a style that seemed less academic or formal- like but more natural and humorous. The sentence that took me by surprise and made me laugh was “who killed JFK? Let me, your humble Watcher, reveal one and for all the God’s Honest Truth: It wasn’t the mob or the ghost of Marilyn fucking Monroe.”(4) I admit that if I were to write a novel or paper I definitely would not utilize as much curse words as Diaz but I would love to write like him in a sense that captivates the audience into reading more. Another sentence I could not help but laugh and become sort of terrified was “It’s perfectly fine if you don’t believe in these “superstitions.” In fact, it’s better than fine- it’s perfect. Because no matter what you believe, fuku believes in you.”(4) I never believed in superstitions, even when my grandparents told me about the superstitions in Indonesia I would always brush it off but the way Diaz described ‘fuku’ by hyperbolically asking who killed JFK, where the curse of the Kennedys came from and also talking about his family’s personal ‘fuku’ experience made me wonder and question my own belief. I admire how he didn’t really put much thought into using academic words or complex sentence structures because that was what made me as a reader understand his point. I would like to use that in my own writing, being able to capture the reader’s attention but still sound knowledgable and credible without making my readers confused.

SOAPSTONE

1) The speaker: an African American male named Ta-Nehisi Coates. He has a father named William Paul Coates, six siblings and is married. In the first paragraph, he states “MY father’s name is William Paul Coates, I, like my six brothers and sisters..” and on the ninth paragraph he said, “My wife and her friends…”

2) The occasion: Coates is bringing up this matter due to the numerous incidents that occurred at that time such as the Miami Dolphins Richie Incognito, Matt Barnes LA Clippers, Philadelphia Eagles Riley Cooper and when commissioners decided to ban their players from publicly using the word as well as N.A.A.C.P holding a “funeral” for the word

3) Audience: I think the targeted audience are African-Americans regardless if they use the word or not because he used the term “we” often such as “but we were born in violence, we did not die here.”

4) Purpose: I believe that Coates purpose was to emphasize how any word can be used as long as they are used within appropriate context and relationships. He gave examples of how his wife and her friends would call each other “bitch” when they were having a good time and how “gay men sometimes laughingly refer to one another as “faggots.”

5) Tone: The writer seems to sound frustrated and passionate at the same time as conveying his point of view. examples are, “But as in all cases of respectability politics, what we are really saying to black people is, “Be less human.” This is not a fight over civil rights; it’s an attempt to raise a double standard.” , “But though we were born in violence, we did not die there. That such a seemingly hateful word should return as a marker of nationhood and community confounds our very notions of power.” , “It tells white people that, for all their guns and all their gold, there will always be places they can never go.”

6) I agree that sometimes we joke around by using certain words within our close circle because it’s like saying the word “bitch” to your best friend and when a complete stranger comes up to you and call you by that word it gives off a totally different context than when you’re joking around with your friends. The way we perceive words really do depend on the relationships and context.

Final Draft

Zevanya

Carrie Hall

English 1101

21 February 2019

Laboratories of Experimentation on Young Minds

In today’s time, due to our advanced technology and forever growing economy, society has managed to convince some students into thinking that school might not be as necessary as we all thought. We have people making money just by eating in front of a screen and posting it on YouTube as well as people sacrificing themselves just for the sake of “views” and “good content.” Seeing people like this will bring about the question of “why then do we need education when we can do the same?”

According to Gatto, “we have been taught (that is, schooled) in this country to think of “success” as synonymous with, or at least dependent upon, “schooling.”(2) I strongly agree that being schooled does not guarantee any form of success towards students. On the other hand, this does not serve as an excuse to throw away your chance of getting the education you deserve. Like any typical schools, I too experienced the deadly routine, “six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years.”(Gatto 2) I agree that at first I never understood why I had to go through this system, it seemed like I had to go to school just to fit in with the other Indonesian students.

As my school adopted Singapore’s education system, we also followed the Cambridge examinations curriculum. In this system, we were taught solely based on textbooks and worksheets, although, I do not entirely agree with this method of teaching as it creates a closed discussion on other possible answers and theories. Nevertheless, the school was still known to excel students in academics and human skills. We were taught advanced mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics during the eighth grade. Later, during the ninth grade, we were split into two majors: business and science.

The reason why our school had to split the students into two majors was to give them the opportunity to focus on which majors they felt could be beneficial for their future major in college. Regardless, both majors had exams almost every three weeks and would usually be six to seven pages thick. None of our teachers made it easy. They made sure we experienced “deep learning, the kind that demands both understanding and remembering of relationships, causes, effects and implications for new or different situations.”(Leamnson 4) Thus, our exams contained only essays and short answers, by short I mean five to six lines.

As stressful as this sounds, and I have even shed some tears due to the stress, I cannot deny that my school was what helped me survive my current challenge which is college. Not only did they help students excel in academics, but they also promoted fund-raising events to help the less fortunate. We would visit orphanages and hold talent shows where the students themselves would put on small shows like singing or acting. We would also come to school earlier to make packaged meals for the kids and staff. It was also the school’s idea to chip in a few extra changes from our pocket money to donate for families living in the villages that needed assistance for giving their children a chance of receiving a proper education.

In Indonesia, numerous children around the age of five to thirteen are unable to receive an education. They had no choice but to help their parents earn money by selling water, tissues, and cigarettes. Also, you would find numerous kids on the streets in Jakarta playing the role as an unofficial parking ranger. Keep in mind that the government does not pay these kids, they receive their income from small tips from people riding cars, motorcycles or trucks. Around four years ago my mother’s company held a volunteer work trip. My mother asked around ten kids what their future goals were and every one of them replied the same, they all wanted to go to school, wear uniforms and learn something.

It broke my heart to hear that these kids only wanted something so simple but was something most of us took for granted. Gatto states that “your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.”(5) Although I did not receive this from a public school and indeed private schools are not on the affordable side, I am living proof that going through the “deadly routine” benefited me, in a way, in the long run. I matured sooner than most people my age, learned to appreciate more for what I have than what I do not and apply what I learned in high school into college and the real world.

In conclusion, students should start thinking about education as an investment for their future. Although Gatto describes public schools as “laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.” my school was more similar to a laboratory that ran tests on students to upgrade them into a better version of themselves by putting us through infinite challenges and diverse settings related to the real world. There is a famous idiom in Indonesia that says “Bersakit-sakit dahulu bersenang-senang kemudian” which directly translates to “No pain, no gain.” As the prominent philosopher Robert Leamnson puts it, “learning is not something that just happens to you, it is something that you do to yourself.” We cannot expect the best and most fortunate outcomes if we do not put effort into achieving them.

Works Cited:

Gatto, John Taylor “Against School”

Leamnson, Robert “Learning(Your First Job)”

Unit One Draft

In the article “Against School,” John Taylor Gatto argues that the American public school system conditions children to be gullible, mindless consumers. In other words, he believed that due to the system students with the possibility of excelling were not nurtured properly to reach their full potential. In comparison to what Gatto describes, the teachers in my school were the opposite and motivated us that we were able to do great things if we set our mind to it.

Like any typical schools, I too experienced the deadly routine, “six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years.”(Gatto 2) I agree that at first I never understood why I had to go through this system, it seemed like I had to go to school just to fit in with the other Indonesian students. According to Gatto, “we have been taught (that is, schooled) in this country to think of “success” as synonymous with, or at least dependent upon, “schooling.”(2) I strongly agree that being schooled does not guarantee any form of success towards students. On the other hand, this does not serve as an excuse to throw away your chance of getting the education you deserve.

As my school adopted Singapore’s education system, we also followed the Cambridge examinations curriculum. In this system, we were taught solely based on textbooks and worksheets, although, I do not entirely agree with this method of teaching as it creates a closed discussion on other possible answers and theories. Nevertheless, the school was still known to excel students in academics and human skills. We were taught advanced mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics during the eighth grade. Later on, during the ninth grade, we were split into two majors: business and science.

The reason why our school had to split the students into two majors was to give them the opportunity to focus on which majors they felt could be advantageous for their future major in college. Regardless, both majors had exams almost every three weeks and would usually be six to seven pages thick. None of our teachers made it easy. They made sure we experienced “deep learning, the kind that demands both understanding and remembering of relationships, causes, effects and implications for new or different situations.”(Leamnson 4) Thus, our exams contained only essays and short answers.

As stressful as this sounds, and I have even shed some tears due to the stress, I cannot deny that my school was what helped me survive my current challenge which is college. Not only did they help students excel in academics, but they also promoted fund-raising events to help the less fortunate. We would visit orphanages and hold talent shows where the students themselves would put on small shows like singing or acting. We would also come to school earlier to make packaged meals for the kids and staff. It was also the school’s idea to chip in a few extra changes from our pocket money to donate for families living in the villages that needed assistance for giving their children the education they deserved.

I was lucky enough to encounter teachers that were willing to spend their time to tutor me without a fee and recommended me to programs and competitions that might be beneficial for my personal experience. Gatto states that “your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.”(5) Although I did not receive this from a public school and indeed private schools are not on the affordable side, I am living proof that going through the “deadly routine” benefited me, in a way, in the long run. I matured sooner than most people my age, learned to appreciate more for what I have than what I do not and apply what I learned in high school into college and the real world.

Granted that I was only able to tell my side of the story from my experience at a private high school outside the United States, I am not able to justify if what Gatto describes the American public school system as “laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.”(5) to be true. According to Leamnson, “learning is not something that just happens to you, it is something that you do to yourself.”(1) This rings true to me as I encountered multiple students from my school blaming the teachers for giving too many tests and homework when they did not put in the time and effort to get the work done. Overall, it depends on the students if they are willing to learn and use their education as an investment for their future.

Gatto

When I first read “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto I found myself skipping numerous paragraphs which was the reason why I was not able to comprehend everything. After trying a different approach, I found myself engaged in reading more and finally understood the previous paragraphs I struggled with.

The approach I tried, which brings shock to me because it actually worked, was to tell myself that I wanted to read the text. The very first time I read the passage, I got discouraged quickly due to the many paragraphs and pages but surprisingly, after trying this method I found myself reading non-stop. There was a quote I found relatable but did not pay much attention until I started rereading. Gatto mentioned “The selective function. This refers not to human choice at all but to Darwin’s theory of natural selection as applied to what he called “the favored races.”(4)

Back when I was in high school, I was in an international accelerated program where students were divided into 2 groups, the upper-class and the lower-class. Even though we all paid the same tuition rate, wore the same uniforms, studied in the same class, we never really were the same. It wasn’t only the teachers but most of the students had this “selective” mindset implemented too where the rich kids would only hang out with each other and us lower/middle-class are just species at the bottom of the food chain.

Another method I tried was taking breaks when my eyes started feeling heavy, I pushed through the texts I found boring and also drank a lot of water as it was proven it may help improve focus. Overall, the paragraphs that were previously vague now makes sense to me and rereading gave me a better understanding of what Gatto was trying to say.

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