お知らせ

外国語コーススピーチコンテスト 受賞者全文 2021

2020/21 Topics 外国語コース 英語スピーチコンテスト  受賞者全文

 

1st place

「Perfection」
外国語コース1年 菅野さん

 
What does perfection mean to you? There are perfect people around you? Do you want to be a perfect person? No one around me is perfect around me; of course, I'm not perfect either. I don't think even celebrities are perfect. I think there is no such thing as real perfection. I was told by my sister before. She said "I wanted to be a perfect person. You're perfect, so you don't have to worry."
 
I don't think I took deeply at that time. When I recall that now, I wonder about the perfection she had in mind. In the past, I saw some shocking news. It was a student death caused by bullying. I still don't understand the theory. Why did this occur in the first place? There are various reasons. But for insulting appearance and personality, it's probably because each and every one of them impose on others the perfect figure that they idealise. Some people like it, but some don't. In this way, each person thinks that "perfect" is different, and the closer they are, the more they like it, and the farther they are, the more they dislike it.
 
Bullying is an eternal problem as long as we have different values and uniqueness of an individual's thoughts, and it is a deadly weapon that can hurt a person from within. I think the most efficient way is "to accept everything". It sounds simple, but it's so difficult that no one can do it because I think you tend to find and interpret the other person's faults before you accept them. Accepting interprets a person's complex as part of that person's personality and should be a relationship that can respect each other.
 
However, accepting is not only a good thing but also a bad thing. For example, if your friend has stolen someone's property, it's not good to interpret it as your own personality and accept it. Therefore, I think accepting is not for personal or emotional purposes, but for so that we can all get along. In this way, everyone pursues perfection and continues to pursue their ideas without stopping. There is a wide range of perfect areas that humans think of, and each individual has its own nuances. So when someone says something to you, I think it's important to realise your personality for the first time and make an effort to accept it whether it's good or bad.

Perfect is just an ideal image created by human beings, and there is no correct answer because each human being is the answer.
So don't think you're a bad person. Don't blame yourself. Don't worry. Because you are "perfect".
 

 

2nd place

「Value of life 」
外国語コース2年 千葉さん

 
Do you have any pets? And if so where did. you get your pet? What does having pets mean to you? These days, the most owned pets in the world are cats, followed by dogs. In fact, according to the National dog and cat breeders fact-finding survey in 2019, there are around 8.8 million dogs and 9.8 million cats in Japan. In total, it is significantly larger than the population of Japanese children. Some people even call their pets 'fur babies' In other words, dogs and cats play an important role in human's lives. Many dogs and cats are loved as a member of the family, on the other hand, some of them are abandoned by their owners; these hapless ahimals end their days in an animal shelter.
 
In Japan, about forty thousand cats and dogs are culled at the animal shelters every year. In other words, 105 cats and dogs are dying every day. The number is decreasing year by year, but many precious lives of animals are still-lost because of the selfishness of human beings.
 
In many animal shelters that cull animals, dogs and cats are culled by filling a disposal machine with carbon dioxide and rer:noving oxygen. It's by no means a mercy killing. When I think of dogs and cats that are suffering and ending their lives in such an inhumane way I feel their agony.
 
Why do we have to kill innocent dogs and cats? Is it possible to save them from culling? Lives are all equal. There is no life without value. All lives are equivalent in value. That is true not only for humans but for all creatures living now. We have to think carefully about the lives of animals such as dogs and cats as well as human life.
 
There are many reasons why dogs and cats are culled at animal shelters, one of which is abandonment. Keeping animals is not easy. Some people say "I want a dog because it's cute," People shouldn't be allowed to keep an animal just for that reason.
 
All owners are responsible for the lives of their pets. We can't talk to pets using language. But though they don't understand our language, we can communicate with each Qther, and animals have the power of healing the human heart. The bond between humans and animals is really deep and really wonderful.
 
l love animals. That is especially why I want to let you know how wonderful the bonds between people and animals are and how important all lives are.
 
I wish that one day, all animals will be able to live happily.
 

 

3rd place

「Power of Words
外国語コース1年 穀田さん

 
「ouch!」 I have pain from when I was running at the park. I blacked out, and I couldn’t move my body a single. My wheelchair life started when I was diagnosed with ligament rupture. Actually, even when I was in elementary school, I had a fracture of my left ankle and left elbow, so I thought it had happened again. The stress of not being able to move my body the way I want and the embarrassment of being seen by people on the road crossed my mind.

The time when I was injured is also bad. Although I entered high school, there were days when I couldn't go to school due to the effect of the new coronavirus, and it was around the time when we were finally planning to start classes. When it comes to wheelchair life, I have to have my mother pick me up from school, it takes time to move around the school, and I can't immediately reach the classmates I want to talk to. Can I really make friends?
Can I enjoy high school life? My anxiety spread . However, the anxiety was soon drowned out. Even though my classmates risked being late for class, they pushed my wheelchair and came all the way to my seat to chat. Furthermore, when I went to and from school, I received a lot of help from my classmates in other classes and seniors from different courses and grades. Thank you. Thank you very much. I still feel gratitude for the kindness I received from everyone. And what a happy environment I am in! I was made aware of it.

Now let's look at "the World Happiness Rankings" published by the United Nations. With many developed countries ranked high, including Finland, which ranked first for three consecutive years, what is Japan's rank? Japan has been declining for the past few years.
According to the announcement in March 2020, it was ranked 62nd out of 156 countries. It is the lowest level in developed countries. Why does Japan, which has the third-largest GOP in the world, is economically rich and has a long healthy life expectancy, have such a poor result, and why are few of us Japanese people feeling happy? I think that many Japanese people think happiness just happens, and that happiness comes from a different place, or that it is ahead of them. For example, they think that if they won a lottery and worked hard now, they would live a comfortable life in the future and would not be happy if it didn't come true.

But is that really happiness? 

Happiness that allows you to move your body as you wish, and happiness that touches the kindness of those who have been kind to you. The little happiness that is closet to us is our base, and isn't it the most important thing? We don't know what we have until it is gone. I heard this word even after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and I've come to hear it again even now. Humans have a board imagination that cannot be reproduced no matter how much AI develops, and a deep kindness that allows us to sympathise with others.

I am grateful arid happy for what is right in front of me. I think that expanding this circle is the first step that leads to the happiness of Japan and the happiness of the world.

Finally, I would like to introduce the words of former Uruguayan president Jose Mujica from the book The World's Poorest President Speaks Out. "We do not come into this planet sirriply to develop, just like that, indiscriminately. We come into this planet to be happy."
We should do the obvious things. I would like to declare that I am happy as a Japanese person, and I would like to be a bridge to spread this happiness all over the world.
 

Back