Student’s Good Work> Anthology of English essays - The Respectable Cleaner   

Deng Yi Mei (F.1C)

Human's goodness illuminates the world like sunshine. There is a scene in my mind that I cannot forget.

In an afternoon with light rain, I walked on my way home. A cleaner took the broom and swept the street. Because of the rain, his clothes were wet. The wrinkles covered  his forehead and face. He cleaned carefully. After he finished his work, he looked into the street that was getting cleaner and revealed a smile.

However, an unexpected thing happened. A young man went past him and threw a tissue into the street. The cleaner was not angry. He picked up the tissue and threw it into the trash bin. He stopped the man and said to the man peacefully: ‘You should not throw garbage casually.’ The man looked at him unconcerned. He not only did not apologize, but also scolded the cleaner: 'You are just a cleaner, how could you teach me?' He took out his rubbish from his pocket and threw it into the street deliberately. The cleaner was helpless and he once again picked it up silently. Suddenly, he discovered a credit card in the rubbish. He handed it to the man and said: 'Please take care of the card.' The man's face went red. He felt ashamed and guilty about his attitude before. 'Sorry. I should respect you and I should not throw the garbage,’ he said.

This event gave me a lot of inspiration. First, the cleaner kept on doing his work when it was raining. In order to make the environment clean, he was selfless. Next, he served others with a sincere attitude. Although others were unfriendly, he still helped others gallantly.

A cleaner is a small occupation, but it also contributes to society. The cleaner's noble spirit is worthy of our praise. We have to follow him as an example and become hardworking and kind people. Although the young man did the disrespectful things, he apologized in the end. We also should follow him. So, what can we do if we discover people who need help? We can pick up the rubbish on the ground like the cleaner. We can give seats to people in need on the bus or subway. We can help the disabled. Anyway, if we take time to show love and kindness to people around us, their trouble will be resolved and the world will be brighter and warmer.