Amy F.
09/14/2014
ENGL 111

In “Plight of the Little Emperors” by Taylor Clark the article talks about the difficulties of young children growing up in China.
The article talks about how some mothers who gave up their employment to monitor their children’s studies and also go to school with them, just to make sure their children succeed. Parents even monitor their children’s five plus hours of nightly homework. Children aren’t allowed to watch television until the homework is done. The children’s whole future hinged on just one test. It is China’s version of the SAT’s, but in China it is called “GAO KAO” or “tall test”. The children prepare their whole life for this one test. If they do pass they get a pick at top
And if they do pass the test the pressure is still there to get in the best university, have the best middle class job, and be able to support their parents. So they are always going to have the pressures no matter what. How can children have so much pressure on them? I don’t agree or understand that. And so with the pressure of everything else the children have to find a job after college. But they were raised to be the best and will only take the best. So they hinge there whole life on this one test, then college and now the government has no jobs for them. So they swallow their pride and take what they can and work their way up. That would solve some of the depression issues, and they wouldn’t be sitting around playing video games all day. And I disagree with the one child law China has. I do understand China is afraid of being overpopulated, but I don’t think the government can tell the parents that they can only have one child. I don’t think that should be a government decision, I think that is a family decision. And that puts even more pressure for that one child to succeed. Maybe if they were allowed to have more than one child China wouldn’t have a high depression rate, or even suicides among the children. I can understand the children escaping though the internet gaming. There is no pressure to be the best. They can be anything thing or do anything they want to do. They can actually be children for once in their lives. And even if the children