Love for the country and for sports

[Note: Congratulations to Yee Wen Huan for winning a prize in SMK Desa Petaling's essay writing competition in conjunction of Hari Malaysia! This is her prize-winning essay.]

Malaysia is a melting pot of races and cultures, a peaceful land in which Malays, Chinese, Indians and many other ethnic races live together in harmony. Just like rojak which is made up of many different ingredients, Malaysia is made up of different people with different backgrounds and beliefs.

One of the notable aspects about Malaysia is the progress of national sports. There are many athletes of different races in Malaysia. Some of the prominent figures are Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Datuk Nicol Ann David and Datuk K. Raja Gopal. They show their patriotism by working hard to make Malaysia a proud nation in the eye of the world.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei is a badminton player. He always works hard to practise his skills and techniques in badminton. He represented Malaysia in many badminton competitions. Datuk Lee Chong Wei once said that, “I am not fighting for myself, but for my country.” He shows his patriotism by playing badminton. He currently holds the title of the world’s number one.

Datuk Nicol Ann David is another national athlete that makes Malaysia proud. She is the world's number one squash player. She has taken part in many international squash competitions, winning many titles, medals and trophies, making people all over the world know our country.

Another public figure in Malaysian sports arena is Datuk K. Raja Gopal. A former national striker, he is now Malaysian football head coach and team manager. Malaysian footballers are performing better under his guidance and management. He restores the faith of Malaysian people in national football team and Malaysian football team back to their former glory.

Malaysia is truly a unique country with many distinctive qualities that other countries do not possess. Like our national heroes in sports arena, every Malaysian should strive to make Malaysian a proud nation in the eye of the world.

Patriotism and what it really means?

Question: 

How to write an open-ended essay on patriotism?

Answer: 

You can write anything you want in an open-ended essay, as long as you stay on the topic. Since the topic is about patriotism, you can write anything about Malaysia but you should show that you care for the country. 

You can write about  

(1) a fictional story about Malaysia

(2) Malaysian history - how Malaysia became an independent country

(3) your favourite country leader or prime minister 

(4) your favourite place in Malaysia 

(5) your favourite Malaysian food

(6) how Malaysia would be like in 10 years time

(7) the political issues in the country

(8) Malaysian festivals

(9) Malaysian education system

(10) Malaysian people.

The list goes on. You really have the freedom to express your thoughts in open-ended essay! No one can say that you are wrong as long as you stay on the topic. 

Here are some samples of introduction that you can use to start the essay.

Example 1:

Patriotism means more than just standing upright when we sing “Negaraku”, or celebrating National Independence Day with cheers of “Merdeka”. It is about genuine love and loyalty for Malaysia, the burning passion to see our country to be a better place for its citizens to live.

Example 2:

Malaysia is a melting pot of races and cultures, a peaceful land in which Malays, Chinese, Indians and many other ethnic races live together in harmony. Just like rojak which is made up of many different ingredients, Malaysia is made up of different people with different backgrounds and beliefs.

Example 3:  

To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia. A country blessed with ample natural resources, beautiful sceneries and an array of wonderful food, Malaysia is home to a multi-ethnic society who lives together peacefully.

Example 4:

[Or you can have the freedom of writing a story of how patriotism is demonstrated in daily life or through friendship or even the sharing of food.]

Sample sentences you can use to start the body of the essay:

Example 1:

One of the notable aspects about Malaysia is its developing economic state. [You can then talk about what Malaysia does to generate income (eg. rubber, petroleum, tourism etc) and how Malaysia can further improve its economy. For example, Malaysia should work hard to maintain the cleanliness of tourist spots and public toilets to ensure the tourists have a good impression of the country. Tell the readers about your role as a citizen and how you can help to improve the country's image.]

Example 2:

One of the notable aspects about Malaysia is the progress of national sports. [Proceed by talking about Malaysian athletes (eg. Datuk Nicol Ann David, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Malaysian footballers, Malaysian football coach, Datuk K. Raja Gopal) who show their patriotism by working hard to make Malaysia a proud nation in the eye of the world. Tell the readers the hardships that they go through....]

Example 3:

Being a developing nation, Malaysia is constantly seeking ways to improve on the quality of education that shapes the young generation. [Discuss issues such as the reversion of English in Mathematics and Sciences (ETEMS), the low level of English proficiency among students, the things in school that you are not satisfied with. Talk about the possible solutions and how you can play a part in solving the issues.]

As for the conclusion, you should try to surprise me! Just pick up your pen, immerse yourself in the spirit of patriotism and start writing! We can find ways to improve the essay together next week :)

How to Write An Essay About Someone You Dislike In School Or A Disrespectful Person?

1. Introduction:

   a. Introduce the person you know in school that you dislike. This person can be real or fictional (meaning: imaginary). He or she can be a teacher, a school worker, a student, a classmate or someone you create. You can also write about a real person with a fake name (eg. Johnny English, P. Diddy, Miss A). 

   b. Describe this person.

   Mr. Kwong, who teaches me Mathematics, is tall, muscular and menacing. Like a bear with a sore head, he is constantly angry and in bad mood.     

  

   He is of average height (meaning: he is not too tall and not too short). He wears a pair of thick-framed black, plastic spectacles and a constant frown on his face (meaning: he always looks serious or sad). I do not like him because ...

  

   Beautiful, petite (meaning: small and thin in an attractive way) and intelligent, she is easily the most popular girl in school. However, all of the attention from teachers and boys has gone to her head (meaning: If something goes to someone's head, it makes them think that they are very important and makes them a less pleasant person) and made her a proud person. 

2. Body (at least three paragraphs):

    i. You can write about his/her habits and behaviours.

   His shirt is always stained and dirty. He always picks his nose and wipes his fingers on his shirt. He talks loudly in the staff room and shows disrespect for his fellow colleagues. He also yells at students all the time, calling them names and ...       

   She wears designer perfume and expensive watch to school. She would show off the branded things she buys to her group of friends and fish for compliments. She does not mix with students who she thinks are not fit to be her friends and ...

  

    ii. Write about an incident of how he/she mistreated people. You can create a fictional incident and make it as dramatic as possible. Use past tense, because you are writing about something which happened in the past.       

   He once stole his classmate's pencil case and claimed that it was his. When the poor boy begged him to return him his belonging, he turned violent and screamed at him. When the boy tried to snatch the pencil case back, he slapped him so hard that the poor boy fell down. The discipline teacher who happened to pass by called them to the office and questioned both of them. Instead of admitting to his wrongdoing, he called the poor boy a thief and showed the discipline teacher his name that he recently wrote on the pencil case. The discipline teacher ...

   She once kicked a stray cat into the drain. “Get out of my way, you useless, dirty thing!” The poor cat yelped in pain. Her friends stood around her and laughed at the poor cat. They...

   iii. Write more about the incident. What happened next? Maybe you tried to stop him/her from hurting another person and gave him/her a piece of advice, but he/she refused to listen to you and made fun of you instead? You can also introduce a new character to help develop the incident. Write how the incident took a turn.

3. Conclusion:

    a. Tell the readers what happened to the person after the incident. Is he/she a changed person?

    b. You can also write that you hope that the person you dislike will realise his/her mistakes soon and be a better person.

Tips:

**You can make your story more interesting by starting your essay with an incident that makes you dislike the person. Then introduce the person you dislike in the second paragraph. For example,

   “You dirty thing, get out of my way!” She yelled and kicked the grey stray cat into the drain, leaving the poor cat yelping in pain. Her friends cheered her on. They stood around her and laughed at the poor cat, drenched in dirty mud.

    Beautiful, petite and intelligent, Nellie is easily the most popular girl in school. However, all of the attention from teachers and boys has gone to her head and made her a proud person. She... 

or

   “Do your work! Keep quiet! Hey you, stop talking and listen to me! I say, listen to me! Look at me when I am talking to you! Look at me, you stupid boy!” He shouted at the top of his voice. All the veins were visible on his neck. He threw the poor boy’s exercise book out of the classroom and ordered him to stand on the table.

   That was Mr. Kwong, my Mathematics teacher. He is of average height. He wears a pair of thick-framed black, plastic spectacles and a constant frown on his face. I do not like him because ...

See, the stories seem to be more exciting right?

**You should also ask yourself all the wh- questions (What, who, why, when, where, how) and try to answer all of them in your essay. They will make your story more appealing to the readers.

Hope you will try out my suggestions and tips. Make your story as dramatic as possible, so that you will keep your readers interested. 

Let your imagination soars and your pen takes flight! Good luck, darlings!