history essay

Education Changes Destiny

            History is one of every human being, and no one can forget the history about our lives. During World War 2, everyone paid attention to the battleground Europe, but in China, there was also war going on with the Japanese Army, and it started in my hometown. On September 18 1931, the Japanese Army started to attack Shenyang, which is my hometown in the northeast of China without any reason. This was the beginning of the Japanese invasion of China. My great-grandfather was a victim of the war. He was not military, he was just a normal person who lived in his hometown. The war affected his family and my family for generations, and also it changed my family a lot.

            My great-grandfather was the only one in the town who had an advanced education. His family was a little rich, so his family offered for him to go to school. However, the unfortunate change happened in 1931. The Japanese Army started to attack China. During the war, my great-grandfather was trying to be nice and said he could help his neighbor to escape from the war. Thus, he helped the neighbor to give the money to the Japanese Army, so that way the Army would have the money and leave. Nonetheless, the Army still attacked to his town. All the neighbor started to blame my great-grandfather, and they were calling him a traitor and tortured him. Because the medical equipment was not great, my great-grandfather could never stand up again, he was disable even though his family paid all the money. For his treatment, he only could lay down and talk. This caused his family to los the backbone.

            Since my great-grandfather couldn’t work, my great-grandmother had to work a lot to support the family. At that time, women couldn’t earn that much money to support a family, so my grandfather gave up on school and started to work, in order to help my great-grandfather. My grandfather worked a lot, but he didn’t give up on my father. My father was doing great in school, so my grandfather didn't lose hope. He worked much more than before to support this family and pay for my father’s education. He believed in wartime, only education could change everything, and he always told my father: “No matter how hard it is, don’t give up on education. Just study well, then our family will be better. This is the only thing I expect.” My father always remembered it. He didn’t disappoint my grandfather. My father even though became a secretary of the government after he graduated from the university. Therefore, our family situation started improve.

            A few years later, my family decided to move to the city because of my father’s job. In addition, he got an opportunity to work in the US, so my father made a decision to come to the US alone. When my father was working in the US, he found out there was a different social community, and education was different from China. Hence, he thought maybe it can bring his son to get better life in the US. He did some research about western education before he went back. After he came back to China, he was excited to tell everyone how great it was when he was living in the US. He also pitched an idea about letting me study abroad. My grandfather was first one to say yes because he still believed the education could change everything, and all family members thought I was diamond in the family. I was too young to think about this, and I thought I should look at the different world. Finally, I came to the US in 2010 and started a new life here.

            My great-grandfather always told my family: “we can’t change history.” My grandfather always told my father: “only education can help this family, or it could be change your destiny. Three generations of people were influenced by different levels. The history may change people lives for good, like me. Without the war effected, I would be a normal college student in China. However, I am studying in the college in the US, and this is a biggest change for me. I am looking forward to the present and the future.