Chinese Gymnasitc team... Sameness???

Question

My english teacher is making us write a page about how the chinese gymnastic team is the similar to this book we read called "the giver"

something about samness and what not

she just asked us to google chinese gymnastic team, and we will find stuff, all i have found is pages of pages of stuff about how they all look like there twelve.

my basic question is pretty much, what the ****..

Answer 1

I'm not a big fan of the Chinese sports system but I must say that what your teacher's doing is wrong. I strongly believe that academic integrity means that teachers must be free of personal biases. English should be a subject where you develop your own ideas, not rehearse those of others. Ask your teacher if you're allowed to write an opposing opinion, i.e. why the Chinese gymnastics team is NOT like The Giver. If she refuses then this is something you should complain to the principal or school board about.  

Answer 2

Your teacher is very bad.

Firstly, most academic teachers disapprove of internet research/simple googling over books.

Secondly, it seems to me she's trying to assert (her own) opinion that the Chinese gymnastic team is trained up to be a bunch of emotionless machines. All gymnastics need to train hard in order to be at the level they are, and for her to target the Chinese team is not only showing prejudice but irresponsibility as a teacher.

Answer 3

I can't believe your teacher is actively trying to brainwash her students... This makes me sad. People complain that China's government brainwashes its students by teaching biased material, and now we're seeing this in America or where ever you're from. Listen, your teacher wants you to write that the Chinese gymnastics team is sponsored by their government and has no freewill on what they want to be. She probably wants you to write that like the governors in the The Giver, the Chinese government runs its sports program like a machine. But I will tell you that none of these girls were forced by their government to do anything (maybe pressured by their parents to lift the family out of poverty, but the government did not force them to be gymnasts).