11 - 13 Years
Read below the top three winners for this age group as decided by our excellent judges.
First Place Mluleki Mvubu 12 years old
What contributions have people of African descent made to Western civilisation?
Introduction.
Civilisation is the refinement, education and enlightment of a society, be it scientific, political, cultural, legal or religious. So have people of African descent made contributions to western civilisation in the areas I mention here? Yes absolutely! For the purpose of this essay I am going to refer to people of African descent as black people. This refers to African, African Americans and Caribbean people.
In this essay I am going to tell you about the historical contributions black people have made towards western civilisation. I am going to tell you about black inventors and scientists, I am going to tell you about slavery and then about other contributions black people have made e.g. in the music industry.
Although most black people were denied a proper education, from as early as the 16th century there were a number of pioneering black scientists like Benjamin Banneker and George Washington Carver. Banneker taught himself mathematics and astronomy and later on published an almanac. Carver was a researcher and educator, he developed innovative agricultural methods. He also developed a lot of different uses for certain agricultural products such as the peanut.
Another great black scientist was Alexander Mills who invented the elevator. Without him there would be no cities or tall skyscrapers and great difficulty in reaching high floors.
Without the brilliant inventions of Richard Spikes and Joseph Gammel there probably would have been no cars because Richard Spikes invented the automatic gear shift, and Joseph Gammel the super charge system for internal combustion engines. To support his fellow black inventors Garret A. Morgan invented traffic signals. Without these inventors there would be very poor transport systems.
Writing is a very important aspect of modern day society, it is one of the best means of communication. John Love invented the pencil sharpener, William Purvis invented the fountain pen, Lee Burridge created the typewriting machine and W.A Lovette invented the modern printer. William Berry invented the post marking and cancelling machine. William Purvis also invented the hand stamp and Phillip Downing invented the letter drop. All these clever inventors were black people. Without most of these inventors we wouldn’t have stuff like magazines, newspapers and books.
John Smith invented the lawn sprinkler and John Burr added on to this invention by inventing the lawn mower. W. Steward invented the mop and Lloyd P. Ray the dustpan, these were invented so that we are able to clean up wet mess and brush up.Walter Summons invented the comb. George T. Samon invented the clothes dryer. Sarah Boone invented the ironing board, so that after clothes are dried they can be ironed, Jan E. Matzelinger invented the shoe lasting machine. All of these inventions link up because without them it all leads up to the same thing, poor hygiene. Without these inventions we would be very dirty as would our clothes, lawns, hair and our floors. And imagine living in a pig sty. I certainly couldn’t live without a comb because my hair is my pride and joy.
We all love our creature comforts and we do have a number of black greats who contributed to the comforts we enjoy today. Frederick Jones invented the air conditioner and Alice Parker the heating furnace. Lewis Latimer invented the electric lamp.
Michael Harvey invented the lantern and Granville T.Woods the auto cut off switch. These are similar because without heating or lights in your house just think of what life would be like at night! Especially in Britain where it can get icy cold, some people could even suffer from hypothermia if they didn’t have a fire place.
Imagine a hot summer day, as hot as Jamaica, you are hot and all you need is a ice cold drink. Well when you slowly sip that ice cold drink you have John Standard to thank, a black man who invented the refrigerator.
Charles Drew [1904-1950] was a world renowned surgeon and medical scientist from the USA. He invented a new method for storing blood, and set up the world’s first mass blood bank. The irony of all this is that Charles Drew died after being refused blood transfusion at his nearest hospital because he was black.
On top of all the scientific inventions that I have already mentioned black people have made very significant contributions to the Western way of life for example in the music industry. Without these contributions there would be no hip-hop, and I am glad that they have made that contribution because I like hip-hop so much that without it I would be bored stiff. From blues to jazz, gospel to do-wop, black people such as Ray Charles and Chuck Berry mainly found all rhythm rock and roll and funk and my favourite hip-hop
Other contributions that are important are from people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks and Malcolm . I don’t think I would probably have all these luxuries I have because they fought for black civil rights.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a racially segregated bus in Montgomery Alabama. Even though she was arrested and fined, her actions led to the mass boycott of buses by African Americans. In 1956 December 20 the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of Montgomery buses was illegal and therefore they were officially desegregated. Rosa Parks is known as the woman who single handedly spear-headed the civil rights movement in America. Although racism and segregation was and still is a very painful experience for black people, their fight for justice has enlightened the world about black people, that they are equal and deserve a proper education and have their rights. Many famous black people like Nelson Mandela have shown the world humility, tenacity and great statesmanship as shown in one of his famous quotes “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of African people……….. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve but if it needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”
Slavery has played a enormous and extraordinary part in contributing to the wealth of the western world. Slaves were taken by force from Africa, and brutally forced to work in plantations of the United states of America, U.K and Europe. This event is painfully illustrated in the movie ROOTS. The Roman Empire wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the backbone of slaves. For me this is not only a contribution to the western world but a gigantic sacrifice.
Conclusion
As stated above you can see that black people have made an enormous contribution to the western world. People like Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela endangered their own lives in their fight for justice. People like Alexander Mills elevated the black race with their scientific inventions. Without black musicians like Chuck Berry music wouldn’t be what it is today.
I am proud to be black and to know my history, my background and my culture.
Second Place Ruby Faith Nothando Aworinde-Smith, Age 13
Peer Pressure
Many Teenagers are going through Peer pressure at school and amongst their friends away from school. Although Peer pressure can start as early as in primary school I feel that the bulk of it is mainly felt in high school. This I state from personal experience.
My definition of peer pressure would be when you feel obligated to follow a trend or fashion of other people that surround you in your day to day life. These people are usually those of the same or similar age to yourself. The definition and meaning of “Peer”, in the “Collins English Dictionary”, is “member of the nobility; person of the same status, age, etc”. There is also a definition in “peer group”, which is “group of people of similar age, status, etc”. This would explain why peer pressure is rife in social such as schools and out of school activity learning centres such as dance schools/brownies/guides etc.
I would consider peer pressure to be a natural part of the growing up process. I believe it is only natural that children, teens and some adults (if they haven’t grown up yet!) may be competitive amongst social groups. An example of peer pressure can be if friends/peers were asking you do to something that you were not comfortable with but felt obliged to do so in order to be able to fit in
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I believe that there can be good and bad peer pressure, it must be advantageous at times and quite worrying at other times. A typical and worrying example of peer pressure among the young generation is when teens may be having a try at smoking or worse still drugs. If your circles of friends have agreed to try it altogether as a group, you may feel like you’re letting them down or not fitting in if you don’t try it yourself. I believe you have to be strong enough and wise enough to know that going along with such things is in fact silly and naive. Thankfully I am pleased to say that I haven’t been put in such a situation as yet, but do know if I am put in a situation like this, I will be strong and remember that I do not need to put my health at risk by trying to impress others. There is always the concern that if you don’t do what others are doing, then they may not want to hang around with you any more. For me I believe that such people cannot be true friends in the first place, so there’s no loss. There is also peer pressure when it comes to fashion and trend following.
I will now talk about my personal experiences with peer pressure, mainly in a school environment.
In year seven my mother sent me to a school called “Harvington School for Girls”, a private school in Ealing. Prior to that I was at a mixed state primary school In Greenford. My primary school was quite largely sized and there were approximately thirty two or more children per class with three classes for each year.
At Harvington School there were approximately fifteen children per class with only one class per year. So this school was very small. On my first day I didn’t really talk to others that much as everybody seemed so different from me! The first thing that seemed to stand out as different was the way the other children spoke. They all seemed to be so posh! My mother has always encouraged me to be well spoken but this was beyond that! I felt obligated to speak the same way in order to fit In. At the beginning I found myself trying to be like them, dress like them and behave like. Later on I discovered that I didn’t really need to do that as I started being myself as I became more confident. People did accept me for who I was and they probably liked the fact that I was different in a way. I noticed when it was my friends birthdays I felt very much under pressure to buy expensive gifts as they did for me at Christmas time. It was difficult as it was too expensive for my mother. Even though I began to fit in gradually I still wasn’t totally comfortable. I was struggling to keep up academically as well and I felt my grades suffered here too as I wasn’t happy.
Eventually my mum said she was going to apply to send me to another school. Mum got me a place at “Douay Martyrs”, a mixed catholic school in Ickenham. I started this school in September 2006 in year eight and I can say that I am a lot happier now, more relaxed and my grades have improved so much! Don’t get me wrong, peer pressure is a rife in this school too. I started to follow a trend and of wearing baggy tracksuits again feeling pressured to save pocket money in order to buy them! Luckily mum helped me out in Christmas time. It was so also important to have the latest trendiest trainers and ended up asking for new trainers for Christmas from various family members and ended up with so many pairs! The girls that hang around with also use gel to style their, which I had rarely used before, but have learnt to style my hair like them with my baby hairs gelled to my face using creative designs, I know you know what I’m talking about!
At the moment I am finding it difficult as most of my school friends meet up on a Saturday to go shopping, well at least window shopping! The are always asking me to go with them, but I need to say no as I have other commitments at “Vuka Arika”, where I learn Southern African dance and music. I used to feel pressured to follow them as I didn’t want to let them down, but these are good friends who are very understanding. At school I am more relaxed as I feel I don’t have to hide things.
At Harvington School I would tell people that I lived at my grandparent’s house in Greenford rather then telling them I lived in a split level maisonette with my mum. Its not that I was ashamed of where I live but everyone in my class lived in big massive in Ealing and their parents drove big Mercedes Benz and BMW cars! When I invited friends over, they would visit me at my grandparent’s house! A large three bedroom house with a big garden, animals and a music room with a drum kit and keyboards! At my new school my friends will meet me at home, know where I live and nothing bad to say about me. I’m so happy to be at ease at school, I do like going and I feel for those peers of mine who are under so much pressure to impress that they forget who they are.
There is also such a thing as “good peer pressure”, well at least I think so. I believe it can also be in the form of encouragement. An example would be that I may ask a friend to come to my church and they have never been to good per pressure. I’m only trying to encourage my friend to have faith and trust in God as I do, you can only benefit from having a faith. I would however respect their wishes if they didn’t want to attend or if they were from another religious background.
Also, sometimes I feel embarrassed to eat in front of friends, especially when you’ve just met them. A good friend will encourage you to eat regardless of whose around, I find this person will encourage self esteem and not lower it in any way. I believe this is a good form of peer pressure and the right sort of person to hang around.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my views on peer pressure. To those who are suffering with bad peer pressure I would say to them, be strong, keep your head held high, know who you are and where you’re from, be proud of who are, don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to say no, be strong enough to tell your parents if things are getting out of hand, its nothing to be ashamed of.
Third Place Sonia. T. Nyathi 12 years old
Peer pressure
What is peer pressure?
Firstly what is peer pressure? According to the English dictionary Peer pressure is a social pressure on somebody to adopt a particular type of behavior, dress or attitude. In order to be accepted to be part of a group.
Teenagers get into a lot of peer pressure although it’s a hard position to be in, you always have the opportunity to make your own choice and make the right choice. Some teenagers think it’s cool to do particular things such as taking drugs, cheating, stealing or even just skipping a class. They try to force someone or persuade someone into doing these things to be part of a group. The victim always feels under a lot of pressure and has a lot of things running in their mind. They
Usually say yes, when asked if they want to join in but later on they feel guilty about the choice they have made.
How does it affect the community?
According to the news England is the worst country for a child to grow up; one reason is because peer pressure is a very common thing. It leads to black on black crime. Police are now keeping a close eye on this kind of crime, and young people. Why should you be pressurized to kill other people? Peer pressure is now becoming very brutal now black people are joining gangs and forgetting what they’ve been taught. Families feel ashamed to see their children doing what they do. In Africa the whole village brings up a child, whereas a child in London has less advantage. When I visited my country people made me feel as though I was the lucky one although I felt that it was them who were lucky to have such a big community who cared about them.
Children usually go to their friends for advice. It is normal to listen and ask for things from people in your age group, when on the other hand you could go and ask from people with more experience like your parents, teachers or grown ups that you trust because after all grown ups also do get into peer pressure. Making decisions in life is not easy, when friends try to force you into doing things you know you are not allowed to be doing in your free time, it is quite hard to find a clear answer. They often try to make you feel small, and tell you what a good time you would have if you do what they ask; after all you wouldn’t want to spend your free time at home. Peer pressure affects people in many ways and there are many consequences of what can happen. People often want to be cool usually the things your friends do seem cool, still on the other hand seems wrong.
Why do people give in to peer pressure?
People give in to peer pressure because they just want to be liked, fit in or not have people laughing at them. They never seem to realize what they are getting themselves into, and don’t often know that peer pressure is happening to them.
Conclusion (how can peer pressure be stopped?)
There is not really that much that grown ups can do to help you besides giving you advice. There is a very simple way of getting yourself out of peer pressure simply just by saying “no”. It may seem hard but you have to have confidence in yourself. You should never do what your friends tell you to do, you should do what you think is best for you. At the end of the day you would be proud of the fact that you stood up for yourself. Then you’d be seen as an independent person. You are less stressed out and don’t have to worry about bad things happening in the future. There are other things that you could do in your free time that won’t result in bad endings. Believe in yourself and you would not rely on bad peer pressure.