EAS 140, Fall 2020 Final Exam
Strong Suggestion from the Instructor: When formulating and composing your essays, do not describe the contents of the films (Example: “Better Luck Tomorrow is a film about an over-achieving, Asian-American student named Ben and his three classmates and how they live double lives as honor students during the day and petty criminals at night ….” ). No! I already know the content of the movies. Instead, focus your essays on answering the specific exam assignment (as in essay #1) or specific exam question (as in essay #2).
Essay question #1: Write a letter (in letter format) to Mr. Doug McMillon, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Walmart. Tell Mr. McMillon that you recently became aware of the deplorable conditions of sweatshops in China that produce clothing for Walmart. Using the Lifeng factory in China as an example, briefly outline the terrible work conditions and abuses of workers in this factory, which represents the typical sweatshop in China (be brief here; just a list of the most serious workplace conditions and abuses of employees will suffice). In the remainder of your letter, develop an argument aimed at convincing Mr. McMillon (and Walmart) to initiate changes in its clothing supplier factories in China that would improve working conditions for employees in those factories. Tell Mr. McMillon what specific changes need to be made (again, be brief here; just a short list will suffice). The challenge here, of course, is this: how are you going to craft an argument that will convince Mr. McMillon to change conditions at the factory? Who absorbs the costs of making these changes? Mr. McMillon and Walmart? Mr. Lam? How can you convince them to make these needed changes, which will surely reduce their profit margin?
Essay #2: Better Luck Tomorrow is a film that has been commercially successful, and yet at the same time presents a chilling, hidden side of suburban affluence. Ben and his three pals are portrayed as overachieving Asian-American students in a wealthy California suburb. They conform to the so-called model Asian student stereotype. They all have ambition (especially Ben and Daric) and on the surface they seem conform to the popular image of “smart, well-behaved Asian kids.” But they lack values (道德价值观); in other words, they have no strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. The result, as we discussed in class, is that they move more deeper into crime. In your essay you should focus on answering one specific question: How could four, bright, overachieving high school students, with a seemingly bright future before them, devolve into criminals and murderers? What happened to them and why? Simply saying “they were bored with their lives” is an insufficient answer. Is there something wrong in society that causes Ben and his friends to “lose their way” and thereby lose sight of what is right and wrong? Does the film suggest that there is something wrong with growing up in America now? If so, specifically … what is it that is “wrong”? Explain!
