My current affairs article: Here

This is what i feel that this is a serious problem in Asia (except Singapore ) and is of high priority to solve. I think that it is moral to use one's position of power to benefit oneself just for monetary interest. This month, there a similar story about how India has “lost” over $450 billion due to illegal capital flows. Some of this is again money raised in crimes, which was illegally earned and ideally would never have existed in the first place. The other funds are deemed lost only because the Indian federal government tries to restrict capital movement. India is not the most economically advanced country in Asia, thus this huge sum of money could be put to better use and solve many of India's existing problems, such as food and water shortage, poverty and the poor living conditions of people. It seems that these so called "leaders" do not fill in the role of being a real leader, ready to lead a country on and advance. I agree with Anna Hazare method of getting justice. Very much like Gandhi, their methods of strike involved no violence but it did get the message across. However other strikes like those in egypt and tunisia involve violence, and it gets the point across. i think that the law makers of these countries should reflect on their leaders and see if they are truely able to serve and lead India, or just want benefits for themselves, and act out accordingly with their punishments.

I think that the news media should not be blamed for the unhealthy paparazzi culture and going to the extremes for sensational news. People may blame that the unhealthy paparazzi culture because the paparazzi and media go to extreme lengths to get those pieces of news, such as hacking into phones and invading the privacy of people. But one should consider how these news medias earn money. Their main source of income is readership. Without readers, a news corporation would go bust in a matter of days. And the only way to increase readership is to get those exciting and sensational news that readers are interested in. The more sensational the news and the earlier they report on it, the more revenue they earn. Thus they are forced to go to these extreme measures and get the news. It the the readers who should be blamed aswell. It is quite immature to be interested in the scandals and sensational stories about the famous, dont they have better things to do? Although it is impossible for people to totally be oblivious to these matter, both parties play a part in the healthy and true reporting of news

1. Do you think justice and mercy can co-exist?

Definition of both: Justice and mercy seem like they are at polar opposites. Justice is making sure that everyone is acknowledged for his right-doings and punished for his wrong doing. Justice demands that these rewards and punishments reflect the measure of devotion or lack of devotion to obedience for the law. So it seems like justice punish the sinners and reward saints. However, many people think that mercy is ignoring guilt. Actually i disagree, it is a act of compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm, shown towards sinners. It is also an event to be grateful for, esp. because its occurrence prevents something unpleasant or provides relief from suffering.

It is indeed hard to let both co-exist as they are opposites. One would definately be more predominant that the other. Many times, people are caught between these choices and have no idea what to do. An example in adult life might be catching a friend's spouse cheat yet you cannot choose whether to tell them or risk ruining your friendship. These choices come with equally heavy consequences. One should note that there is a great danger in showing mercy because if used too often or in the wrong circumstances, it can actually undermine itself. Many philosophers and legal theorists have noted that the more one pardons crimes, the more one also emboldens criminals, because you are essentially telling them that their chances of getting away without paying the proper price have increased. It would be unfair and many would question you and the system.

2. How is justice and mercy shown in this case?

In this case, it is hard to differentiate between both. Justice would be when Shylock "gets" what he deserves and is charged with the attempted murder of a Christian. Then when he was spared the death sentence but forced to convert into a Christian, how is it justice then? To a Jew, it is an utter insult for him to do so. The story shows much prejudice against Jews as Venice is a Christian city. Thus is is not possible to differentiate between justice and mercy.

Do you agree with the final verdict?

I don't agree fully with the final verdict. i believe that some prejudice was at play as Venice was a Christian city and although the duke was suppose to be Justice, i think that many factors may have altered his opinion. Also, Shylock was accused of taking the life of a Christian. It is wrong to say that Christians are superior to others, therefore Shylock should be killed. Are Jews and people from the other religions not human? The final verdict did not make sense. How does attempting to kill someone causes him to give half his fortune to the government and half to the victim? i understand the victim part but no the government. Lastly, why is Shylock forced to convert? It does not make much sense as they know that it is utter insult and made Shylock live in sadness. I dont think the final verdict is entirely wrong as he did try to take the life of Antonio as revenge because of Antonio's insults. But it is no excuse for Shylock to act this way. In the end, there is a part of me that agrees, but there is also a part of me that disagrees.

4. Justice and Law can be manipulated by people in power. Comment on this with reference to the text and other real-life cases and examples.

I think that this is quite true as money and power can influence alot of people. Rich people have powerful friends, which can get them away and out of trouble. Many of these rich people are able to hire the best attorney, at at times able to win the case just because of their wealth and their attorney which could enable them to crush their opponents who are unable to hire best attorney. It is hard to say that they can actually manipulate people by their power, but they might give them a definite advantage to their case. Antonio had Portia to help in the case, and it helped greatly. Though her being a women, she has high intellectual ability and is able to manipulate not only Shylock, but also the whole jury.

1.To what extent do you agree with the issues that the student has raised here? Point out some issues of agreement and possible contention.

I dont fully agree with her on all her views. One thing that i dont agree with is her attitude towards education. She says that she is being forced to memorise the model answers and asked not to question they, but it only shows that she is has no interest in it. If someone is really attracted to a subject, he should have an open mind and would love to have challenges that the teacher ask them. If it forbids them to ask questions in class, they could find out the reason themselves and their love and interest would drive them on furthur. Singapore's government schools actually limit the interest of a student. They seem to not have a choice of their interest and are forced to take up the o level subjects. They are not a major in any are and the other subjects might burden them and make them lose interest. And carbon is definately not a metal due to its arrangement of valence electrons which does not mimic properties of metal. I also think it is the failure of the system. Teachers in public schools are forced to stick closely to the syllabus and are unable to express them in a different way, unlike private schools. This thus does not strike interest in students and they feel bored and have lack of interest in their subjects.

2.Examine her tone and attitude in this letter. Do you think it’s a well-crafted letter with the appropriate tone?

The tone and attitude the author decides to pick is overly critical. It only names the flaws and is one-sided. This is acceptable letter but it is too superficial. It may be due to her displease with the education system for the past few years.

3.If you should write a letter to Minister of Education, what are some issues you would raise? Remember- your intention is to make the system better for society’s betterment via CONSTRUCTIVE ideas.

I would raise the difference between education of singapore and other countries. i would not just criticise but to also give ideas on how to make situation better, such as adopting a more holistic education system for public schools.

For Love or Money?

Many couples are now marrying for their partner's status and wealth instead of true love. Many of these examples are common amongst us and there are celebrity marriages that have been hyped by the media. Such examples would be Hugh Hefner and his runaway bride Crystal Harris, ----. There has also been a new slang word that is used to describe these kind of people, mostly women. Golddigger: Any woman whose primary interest in a relationship is material benefits. A woman who cares more about a man's bank account than she does about the man.
To me, money is defiinately important in a relationship, however it cannot exceed the importance of love. People can live without love, but they cannot live without money in this modern world. Money is definately a factor to consider in modern marriages as many want to live a better life with lesser money troubles. Love is also an important factor as if you marry just for money, you would most likely be unhappy as there is no emotional attachment to your spouse and the marriage would most probably end in disaster. there is definately an upward trend in these kind of marriages as people are getting more materialistic and only want the best for themselves. I think these kind of marriages are pointless. There should be an equal number of both love and money as in the modern world, no one can live without money. Love brings many happiness, money bring happiness aswell, but there should always be a perfect balance for a happy marriage.

How has war evolved from the past to present

War is commonly an armed fight between states or parties with issues with one another. Some people may say was brings evil, but i would say that war is necessary evil, in fact i think it helps in the advance of technological developments and makes the society a better one. These is a quote "War brings out the best in men", people suffer as one and go through the pain of war. through this suffer, many would understand the true meaning of life. War has also spurred the growth of technology. For example, the Iron age has brought the invention of the cannon, as time progresses, the gun was then invented. The Tank was also first introduces in world war 1, and furthur refined by world war 2. Without these needs to develop new weapons, these inventions might not have existed today. War has also evolved from being labour demanding to technology demanding. Before the 1900s, wars were mostly fought by soldiers without the aid of air support or transportation to help bring them from war zone to war zone. Coming into world war 1, the tanks was introduced as an superior form of artillery as it would prove to be an important asset to mankind, there were also aircraft to help the soldiers by air raiding the enemy's territory. Now, the method of was has completely changed and many countries are in a arms race to developing toward chemical warface. As war progresses, there is less emphasis on the soldiers, but the technology.

The soldier is a truely enlightening poem about war as i gives a different view to war. Normally, war poems are about the emotional trauma that one has felt after the war has ended.

Reflections:

I think that in Singapore, national service is compulsory for Singaporeans. Singapore is a small country with limited human resources. It would be hard for us to maintain a professional army as it is costly and with the high standards or living, most men would rather not. However, there is a need for an army as Singapore is vulnerable and thus may be prone to attacks if it ever happens.

It is hard to say if i would have such patriotism for Singapore. War changes people's views and one might turn into a hero or a coward. The mentally strong would be able to go through war and fight for a cause, e.g. protecting their country. I would like to perceive me as being patriotic. Our country has provided us a home to live in, an environment to grow in, thus we should be able to give back to our country. Even though Singapore is small and vulnerable, we should give it our best shot to protect it, even though odds are against us. I would like to think that if i ever die, i would not die in regret. Living a life of regret is both torturous mentally and emotionally, thinking that you could have done more, yet you did not do it. I would give my life for the country that has nurtures, educated and taught me for i will never be able to repay what she has given to me.

Finally, i would like to post a poem about the same theme.

O Captain My Captain
a poem by Walt Whitman

O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Many people say this poem can stur up different emotions from happiness to sadness. Please post your views!

Spud: Learning to fly

This is the third book of the series and It describes the third year that John Milton in an elite school in South Africa. Alot has happened since the second book. John's emotionally unstable girlfriend is now very religious and has found a boyfriend that is almost twice her age. Both of them go to a youth church and thats how they met. John was deeply hurt by it and is very down, yet many great things happened in this story. It was the third year and every third year are pushing for prefect, yet John is the only one taking it easy. He has finally came to the fact that his deceased friend "gecko" is gone and never going to come back, yet John would learn from his carefree attitude towards pushing for prefect. John's arch enemy, Pike, is now a prefect and is torturing everyone in their house, so the crazy eight devise a plan to demote him. They caught his drinking and smoking in his room and report to their housemaster, "Viking". At the third term, John and many of his friends were successfully selected for the school play at a elite girls-only college and Would spend the whole term there. Two girls, Penny and Brenda, were the only girls allowed in the boys' house as they would be their guides. In the end, the play ended spectacularly and there were many praises from newspapers. Meanwhile back at school, only "Garlic" was left in the hostel and he was constantly watched by the disciplinary master and was caught on many occasions going nightswimming. Eventually, he was put on final warning. Simon left school for half a year to go to England to play for a prestige criket club and returned and lied to everyone that he had parent issues, eventually he told them about the truth and they believed him. Although John was not eager to be a prefect, he was able to be selected as a prefect for his helpful attitude and his all rounded achievements. His father has decided to open a pub with his best mate Frank and business is booming. He is able to afford a Mercedes Benz and now fits in to every parent to school. He has also cut his drinking and has made a positive turn in his life. His family is now happy as every and they are well. Sometimes, John misses the family's green station wagon and how deranged and dysfunctional his family used to be.

The story ends very abruptly as the last day of school was the last day John wrote on his diary. This book is better that the second book as it is more interesting and fascinating. The element of change is good and I am eagerly anticipating for the release of the fourth and final book.

Spud: the madness continues (sequel)

The story is about John Milton's second year at an elite boys only private school. He has the nickname of Spud as he is the only boy in his dorm not to hit puberty yet.John in general dislikes his life, because of the major embarrassment he gets from having slightly deranged parents, a senile grandmother and being part of one of the most notorious gangs in the school. The main story revolves around John and the crazy 8 gang doing crazy things in school. Henry Barker "Gecko" dies in the end of the first book and John is deeply hurt that one of his best friends is gone. The crazy 8 is thus left with 7 members and they came up with the final decision to accept Roger the cat into the crazy 8. John is very pessimistic about many aspects of his life, especially his Johnness and has a low self-esteem when confronting personal matters, such as his shaky relationship with his girlfriend, Mermaid. In the early part of the book, he breaks up with her and John could not get over it. He still misses her and often cycles to her house during the holidays to get a glimpse of her. He was horrified to see her with a blonde surfer and she picking up smoking. In the end, they get back together. There was also a girl Amanda, a student of St Catherine that had come to know John last year. John has a crush on her and describes her as Julia Roberts. They have an on and off relationship due to her having a boyfriend and she being 2 years older that John.

Compared to the previous book, this book lacks imagination and excitement. The previous book was about John’s crazy first year, and the second book seems to be less crazy and radical as the formal. However, there are some exciting parts such as the crazy 8 sneaking around school and bullying first year juniors. This book also taps into one’s heart as you tend to feel sad alongside John’s misfortunes. I felt that many of these things that are described are also around me and I get a sense of familiarity when reading it.

Overall, I would give this book a 9 out of 10 for it being a book that one can feel for, and for its vivid descriptions of characters.

WHO IS THE SPEAKER?

Author: Steve Carlsen

Steve Carlsen was born and lives in Dowagiac Michigan. He joined the US Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honourably discharged from the Army in 2003. He currently attends South western Michigan College where his professor, Dr Michael Collins challenged him to write about his experiences.

His vast military experience allowed him to tell us the readers how harsh and cruel war can bring be it in small scale wars or large scale ones like World Wars. The main theme is that one would lose his innocence after being involved and scarred by war.

The atmosphere in this poem is very intense and there is suspense. The persona is probably a soldier fighting in the war. Based on the background information on him, he is probably describing about his experiences in the Afghan war. The voice is probably dramatised in order to show the harsh conditions that are in the wall. He offers a political viewpoint.

ANALYSIS: POINT OF VIEW & CHARACTERISATION

The poem is about a soldier and his comrades running and fighting for their lives. They are frightened and fearful and hence don't even take off their boots when sleeping, fearing that they might have to wake up any moment to continue fighting the war, they are anxious and high in adrenalin.

This poem is viewed through the eyes of the author through the usage of the pronouns “I”, “our”, “we”, and “my”. The abstract allows the poet to show how the war affects the soldiers, from the soldiers own point-of-view through the poem. Furthermore, this point-of-view will cause the reader to be better able to understand the feelings and emotions that the poet is trying to convey, for first-person narration gives the reader the opportunity to relate to and sympathise with the persona. ?

ANALYSIS: THE SITUATION & THE SETTING

The situation the persona is in is extremely bleak and terrifying, for he has to jump from his plane into enemy territory, and into a hail of gunfire. The persona, and indeed the poet, is a paratrooper who every day of his life has to risk everything for his country, jumping into enemy territory under a hail of gunfire. This situation could be the reason the persona was and is beginning to doubt the war and his chances at survival "The reason why I survived the day was divine". He has also developed a close relationship with his platoon mates, as can be seen by "They say that blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood. In near death or critical situations, bonds forged can remain for one's entire lifetime, and are held by some as higher than even their own family. The persona is also numbed to the situation by then - he "kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more", yet displays no sense of guilt for killing a fellow being.

ANALYSIS: THE THEME

The main thing is that war only brings harm to people. It is ironical how some view going to war as being heroic, but actually everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns and that is why war brings nothing but a living hell, further emphasizing that world peace is not as easy to attain as we thought it was.

Language & Diction

The command, "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit", among others, creates an overall fast paced effect, as if they were being rushed to fight the war, It builds up both tension and excitement in the poem. It gives the overall impression that the poet and his comrades are running and fighting for their lives. They were so afraid and unsettled, that they don't even dare to take off their boots when sleeping. This, being put as the title, further emphasizes the terror of war that the persona is experiencing.

The writer uses the line "baptized in fire" to show cruelty in a war. As we all know, baptism is a an act of being washed of sins and having hope for the future. However, in war, there is no water. It symbolizes that the poets sins of killing accumulated in war can never be washed and forgiven. This is further worsened through being baptized in fire as it fire and hell are closely liked and it is completely opposite of being baptized in water.

The repetition of the word "and" is also another feature of the poem: "I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more ... Dirty and tired and hungry and scared". The constant use of "and", show how never-ending, dreary and tiring war is. The soldiers have to constantly do something in order to save their own lives. Personal Response to the Work

Personal Responce

Sometimes, war is inevitable. Even in this cases, war is a huge waste of resources. Huge amounts of materials are used to make tanks, guns and bullets. These are not the most important losses, the most important would be the loss of lives. Many soldiers have sacrificed their lives to keep their country alive, even those survivors would be scared in their hearts and brains. The memories of the war would always haunt them no matter how long it has passed. It might also leave a country in debt and would take a long time to rebuild.

However, war brings many goods as well, it is the prime time for development of war technologies as every country is pitted against oneself and they are constantly trying to outdo each other.

In conclusion, I think war brings more evil as the countless lives lost are not worth it.

Sources: http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Slept

http://theintellectualmind.blogspot.com/2010/05/term-2-online-home-learning-poetry-we.html

Diary of a soldier in Baghbad

My light at the end of the tunnel is brighter than ever. My replacement is due tomorrow and i and my fellow American Soldiers are excited about finally returning home to our families. I just got back from another trip to Baghdad. The commanders and i attended a party help by some of our commanders. We are due to visit our camp for the last time tomorrow as we say our last goodbyes to our fellow soldiers. There is only 1 female soldier in our camp. Even though she is a girl, she fight as hard as any of us. She is a real special person and I was proud to see her being recognized for the outstanding job she has done here as commented by our commander.

Meanwhile about John and Jake( two fellow soldiers that came with me), they have recovered very well from their sickness due to heat stroke and not adapting well to Baghdad. Their contracts are renewed and they will stay in Baghdad for another 3 months. May god bless them and all our fellow soldiers in camp. May this war end as early as possible and peace return to his world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8492000/8492777.stm

Look at this video, live the moment and fell their pain.

The war scene was horrible. Apart from the constant sounds of bullets, there were the frequent screams of men being shot. The atmosphere was tense, one could not predict who was being shot or shooting at, one could only pray it was not him. After bullet sounds come, one can predict that another men has died.Men on the battlefield were fighting their hearts out, for their country and its survival. In front of me was a man who lost his leg due to a mine. From his eyes, i could see the sorrow and pain in his eyes. He was desperately screaming and howling for help, yet someone like me could not do anything. A war scene is never a nice one, it brings sorrow to your life. When returning from every trip, i felt that i have grown much more. Experiencing it yourself is an incredible chance to increase you knowledge and wide your world.

Cooking Recipe!

Today, I am going to teach you how to make a cheesy melt breakfast sandwich.

What you will need: 2 bigger pieces of multigrain bread, ham/ sausages, cheese (preferably in squares slices), butter and a few pieces of cabbage.

First of all you will have to peel the plastic off your cheese and rinse your cabbage. If you eat a lot for breakfast, you could make 2 sandwiches, otherwise 1 sandwich will make you full.

Add some butter on your pan and heat it for 3 minutes, It will turn into a brownish liquid. Then place your bread directly on top of it. For about 20 second, the bread will sizzle. Then turn it around and fry the other side. The appearance of it will be brownish golden. Do the same for the second piece of bread

Then , add the piece of cheese on the slice of bread.

Heat it in your microwave of oven for about 1 minute at medium wattage (400w) while you are frying the other piece of bread.

Add the ham or sausage and the cabbage onto the sandwich and enclose it with the send piece of bread and……

You have your cheesy melt breakfast sandwich!

The bread will have an oily and crispy texture to it and it will be amazing! The smell is just as nice with the smell of cheese, butter and the toasted bread. If you are very health cautious, you could use none fat butter, you will get the same effect!

As long as you follow the steps above, your cheesy melt sandwich will sure taste amazing!

57 east coast way #10-15

Singapore 127919

30/3/2011

Dear Mr. Nick Jones,

I am Fan Yiheng from Singapore and studying in Hwa Chong Instituition. Today my teacher gave us an assignment about japan and I came across your article. I sympathies with you and the plague in Japan. From what I see on TV and the newspapers, the earthquakes and tsunami have don’t tremendous damage to Japan. I believe that Japan will be able to bounce back from this incident as how it did 70 years ago during the nuclear bombing. Your family must be terribly affected by the disasters and I hope your family will stay strong and live through this incident.

Your story has been amazing and it just shows how fortunate I am in Singapore with no natural disasters as we are shielded by, many courtries. You are also very fortunate as you and your family are safe and sound. We all over the world shall pray for you and others in Japan. I will try my best to help you all in Japan by donating money.

Many are dead and missing, and some of my close friend’s family are affected. I do feel your pain. The nuclear disaster is of great danger and I really hope that “Chernobyl” will not happen again. I really hope you can write more so that other people and me around the world will be able to be informed about how life is over at Japan as we will never be able to experience this firsthand.

My school has been actively collecting donations to help benefit the people in Japan. I would also like to donate more. Would it be possible for you to suggest an organization for us to direct funds to?

With all my gratification and condolence, I hope Japan will recover from this incident and be strong again.

Regards,

Fan Yiheng.

Thanks all for commenting on the photo colin, sebastian and leon were close. it is a story about me comparing my life with my children to show the difference between the life of the different generations. Yifan what you commented is just the setting you did not even guess. Peisong try harder nect time

Imagine this:

In front of me, i see the scenic view of a far away house. As i look down from the hill, i see the view of the whole forest below me, i feel as if i am at the top of the world, taking a deep breathe, the air here feels much fresher that at home, in my apartment in the city. The skies here seem brighter in the day and the dark skies are the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. The forest and sky blend into one with perfect harmony. The house fits in like it was meant to be there.I still remember the first time i came here when my parent brought me here as a child. I said in a naive tone," Mom, one day i am going to live here, and live here with you! we could lead a carefree life!". Now i look back upon the days where i was so childish, a smile came on my face as the innocence of a child is lost forever, one day i am going to bring my child here too to see what he would say. maybe it would be different, maybe it would be even more naive and innocent.

Story of my life

Story of my life

“Success is not always about winning, but the journey” this is what Jerry Sloan, head coach of the Utah Jazz NBA team said in the 90s when they lost the finals. This quote is extremely true in my case just that I took my own sweet time to understand it, but now after my first year in Hwa Chong basketball team, I have finally seen the light. I can still vividly recall the day when we lost to Fajar secondary school. It cost us the fourth place in the zonals and a chance to play in the nationals. It was the basketball season and we did well for our first round of basketball. From the very beginning of the match the scores were running neck to neck. We were sometimes leading by only 1 point and then trailing by 1. After being a part of a winning basketball team in primary school, I was accustomed to winning and losing was ‘unacceptable’ in my dictionary. Having such close scores was also unusual and I was uneasy with the looming thought of defeat. I tried to score as much as I could but to no avail, I only scored 8 out of the mere 43. In the end, we lost by just 1 point. It was a great disappointment when we missed the last shot and lost the victory that was just within our grasp. How could this even have happened? Weren’t we stronger than the other team? These thoughts circled my mind as I pondered on the loss. It was really a disappointment to me as I thought that only few of their players were good and we missed too many shots. Although it was ‘unacceptable’ to me, I had to face the truth and accept that loss. My emotions took over and i cried. It wall to let my grief out. It cost us a change to go further. The year has been hard on me, but I have learnt many things, but its not always about winning. I have my wonderful teammates to thank for going through these ‘turbulent’ times with. We had bonded as one and now we are as close as ‘brothers’. We have gone through all those ups and downs and we are closer than ever. One of them would be Sebastian. He has helped me in many ways and I thank him for being by my side each time. Over time, our team has improved. Although we are not as good as those teams at the top, to me we are the best. It’s not always about winning to me now. Some may think that at the adolescent age of 14, one should not reflect upon one’s life and should live the moment, but I think that only by learning from errors of your past could you be able to do better in the future. The internal conflict going within me has been resolved by this very statement made by Jerry Sloan

The setting of to kill a mockingbird is set in Maycomb county the town where the Finchs’ live. Maycomb, some twenty miles east of Finch’s Landing, was the county seat of Maycomb County。 The story states that Mr. Finch works in the area. Maycomb is repeated many times in the story and there is a vivid description of it “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day”. Maycomb is also a white town as there are description of the Finch’s neighbours. “It was customary for every circle hostess to invite her neighbors in for refreshments, be they Baptists or Presbyterians, which accounted for the presence of Miss Rachel (sober as a judge), Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie Crawford.” It describes the fine ladies in town and how they live their lives in Maycomb County.

Q1) The first story was set at at the stairwell in the evening. The second story was set in Watson's house in the morning. The third story was set in the neighborhood of a town.

Q2)The first story was set in the modern day. The second story was set in 1883, early April in the morning. The third story was set in the early 19th century England.

Q3) The setting of the first story tells us that the story was going to be moody and sad. The setting of the second story tells us that the story was going to be suspicious and mysterious. The setting of the third story gives us a very amiable feeling and and gives us warm and loving effect.

Telephone conversation

1. These colours in the poem signify the racism that whites have for black. It is clear that the author knows how whites look down on blacks so in the first line he states that he is black and "hates a wasted trip" obvilously whites have rejected him for his skin colour which enrages him. When the landlord land hear that he was a black, she asked how black. the man said "West African sepia," citing his passport . She claims not to know what that means. She wants a quantifiable expression of his darkness. plain or milk chocolate would be a better description. His response, feigning simplicity is that his face is "brunette," his hands and feet "peroxide blonde" and his bottom "raven black". He knows that she just wants a measure of his overall skin-color so that she can categorize him, but he refuses to give it to her. Instead he details the different colors of different parts of his body. So at last he said. "i plead, wouldn't you rather see for yourself?"

2. The dialogue in this poem reveals that the white women has prejudices against blacks. The question "HOW DARK" shows alot. This very question shows that probably the was not going to accept a black man living in her apartment. She also seems to not understand what west sepia means as she thinks that there are only a few kind of blacks. light skinned and dark skinned. She asked him to describe clearly but all she wants to is to categorize him into a group.

Whereas for the men. He is a very calm man. he seems to know that white landlords has prejudices towards black men, so he states in the call that he is African and he hates wasted journeys. probably he has gone to rental apartments before just to find out that they dont accept blacks. He does not seem to be enraged at how naive the women is when she just wants a general colour of his skin when it was very difficult to categorize him into any group. He finally gives in by saying wouln't you rather see me?

3. In this poem. The landlord seems to win. The men was unable to explain to her his situation so he finally says wouldn't you rather see for yourself, even at the fact that he might be rejected again due to his race and skin colour

Montgomery Bus Boycott and Scottsboro trials

a. Rosa Parks- Parks was ordered to enter at the back of the bus and as she was heading to the back of the bus, the bus driver drove off without her. She never wanted to to board a bus driven by James Blake after then but on December 1 1955, she was sitting in the front-most row for black people but was later asked by the bus driver to move back to create a row for the whites, only to realize that the bus driver is James Blake but she refused to move despite the fact that bus drivers are given the authority to assign seats. She was prosecuted and fined but she appealed and her arrest triggered a series of events. She was known as one of the pioneers of civil rights movement.

Claudette Colvin- She was fifteen years old when she refused to give in her seat to a white man but later was found that she was pregnant.

Scottsboro trials- On Mrach 25, 1931, a freight train was stopped in Paint Rock, a tiny community in Northern Alabama, and nine young African American men who had been riding the rails were arrested. As two white women - one underage - descended from the freight cars, they accused the men of raping them on the train. Within a month the first man was found guilty and sentenced to death. There followed a series sensational trials, condemning the other men solely on the testimony of the older woman, a known prostitute, who was attempting to avoid prosecution under the Mann Act, prohibiting taking a minor across state for lines for immoral purposes, like prostitution.

b. Both trials are related as they involved white females accusing innocent black men of raping. In TKAM, Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of attempted rape when she herself seduced Tom while in the Scottsboro trials, the prostitutes accused the blacks of rape because she wanted to escape prosecution for immoral acts.

c. The trials are similar in the time they took place which is in the 1930s and they both took place in Alabama. The trial began with the charge of rape made by white women against African American men and the poor white status of the accusers was a critical issue. Both have a central figure in which a central figure of the Scottsboro trials was a heroic judge, a member of Alabama Bar who overturned a guilty jury verdict against African American men while in TKAM, the central figure is Atticus, lawyer, legislator and member of the Alabama Bar, who defends an African American man. Both judges went against public sentiments in trying to protect the rights of the African American defendants. Both jury ignored evidence that was evident that the African American men were innocent. Both also include the attitudes of the Southern women and poor whites that complicated the trials.

Civil Rights Movement

a) In 1950

b)The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law.The civil rights movement in the United States refers partially to a set of noted events and the reform movements in that country that aimed to abolish public and private acts of racial discrimination and racism against African Americans and other disadvantaged groups between 1954 to 1968, particularly in the southern United States. It is sometimes referred to as the Second Reconstruction era.

c)Over 25 race riots occur in the summer of 1919 with 38 killed in Chicago. 70 blacks, including 10 veterans, are lynched in the South.
5000 federal troops are sent by Pres. Kennedy to allow Meredith to register for classes. Riots result in 2 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

d)President Lyndon B.

e)As a result to the civil rights movement African-Americans are now as equal as whites.

f)The novel was set in the period of the civil rights movement where the blacks were still segregated with the whites. Tom in the novel, was convicted because of the discrimination of Blacks during that era.

Harper Lee

a. Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Harper Lee grew up in the small southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville. Her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, was a lawyer who also served on the state legislature (1926-38). As a child, Lee was a tomboy and a precocious reader, and she enjoyed the friendship of her schoolmate and neighbor, the young Truman Capote, who provided the basis of the character of Dill in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

b. --- Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville Alabama.

--- Lee was the youngest of four children born to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee.

--- She attended Huntingdon College 1944-45, studied law at the University of Alabama 1945-49, and studied one year at Oxford University.

--- In the 1950s she worked as a reservation clerk with Eastern Air Lines and BOAC in New York City.

--- In 1957 Lee submitted the manuscript of her novel to the J. B. Lippincott Company.

--- After being instructed to rewrite it, Lee worked on it for two and a half more years

--- In 1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Lee's only book, was published.

--- In 1961 she had two articles published: "Love --- In Other Words" in Vogue, and "Christmas To Me" in McCalls.

--- In June of 1966, Harper Lee was one of two persons named by President Johnson to the National Council of Arts.

c.

"To Kill a Mockingbird." (1960)
"Christmas to Me". (December 1961)
"When Children Discover America". (August 1965). "Cold Blood" (1966) Capote and lee collaborated "The Long Goodbye" (mid-1980s)

d. Pulitzer Prize (1961)
Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1961)
Alabama Library Association Award (1961)
Bestsellers Paperback of the Year Award (1962)
Member, National Council on the Arts (1966)
Best Novel of the Century, Library Journal (1999)
Alabama Humanities Award (2002)
ATTY Award, Spector Gadon & Rosen Foundation (2005)
Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award (2005)
Honorary degree, University of Notre Dame (2006)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (2007)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2007)

e. To Kill a Mockingbird was written and published amidst the most significant and conflict-ridden social change in the South since the Civil War and Reconstruction. Inevitably, despite its mid-1930s setting, the story told from the perspective of the 1950s voices the conflicts, tensions, and fears induced by this transition.

The Jim crow lawswere state and local laws in the US enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated racial segrigation in all public facilities, with a supposedly seperate but equal status for African Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for White Americans , systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

During the period after the Civil War Black entrepreneurs existed all over America. They ran restaurants, hotels, every conceivable business of which only the Black Barber shop remains. In every facet of life there was the Black owned business catering to Blacks. Money was kept in the Black community.

If one wanted to spend a week at the sea shore, there were Black hotels. If one wished to have a suit made, there were black tailors. It was only in parts of the country where there was not (or a very small) black population that a problem would arise.

In the days of segregation the “family” or “community” spirit was very strong. It had to be. The advent of integration eroded this community spirit and starved the Black entrepreneur.

The Jim Crow laws surfaces in the novel. The Blacks and whites goes to different churches

a.Southern States include: Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware.

b. Abraham Lincoln was the president that proclaimed war against the South.

c. It abolished slavery as a legal institution in the United States. The one irreconcilable difference between the North and the South during a time when our country was expanding was the introduction of slavery into new territories. In fact, the main prelude to the bloodbath to come was in "Bleeding Kansas" during the late 1850's as people actively killed one another over the question of slavery. It took two additional amendments to the U.S. Constitution and an additional hundred years of civil rights struggle to completely erase the stain of slavery.

d. April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865

e.The North, or Union, won and thus prevented the South, or Confederacy, from establishing itself as an independent republic.

f. It shows the discrimination against the blacks in the past. In the past, the Civil War was fought because of the whites who were against racial equality with the blacks which they thought impossible so they fought against the Union. In TKAM, the jury has arleady made up its mind that Tom Robinson is the rapist when Mayella Ewell accused him of raping when she herself when she was the one that pounced on Tom Robinson. But later she considered it shameful so she accused the innocent Tom Robinson to protect her dignity. The judges were also prejudiced against the blacks so Tom Robinson was convicted of raping.

Slavery in US was a form of forced labour that was widespread before the formation of America, It was predominant mostly in the South( Cities now knows as Florida and Carolina) until the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865. It officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The first Colony of England in North America, Virginia, first imported Africans in 1619, a practice established in the Spanish Colonies as early as the 1560s. Most slaves were black and were held by whites, although some Native Americans and free blacks also held slaves; there were very little number of white slaves as well. Europeans also held some Native Americans as slaves, and African-Native Americans. Slavery spread to the areas where there was good-quality soil for large plantations of high-value cash crops as those who owned the plantation were rich and needed cheap labour. Having slaves would be a good investment as they would not have to pay the slaves and they would have no choice but to work.The Plantations grew crops such as Tobacco, Cotton, Sugar and Coffee. By the early 19th century, the majority of slaveholders and slaves were in the the south of United States , where most slaves were engaged in a work-gang system of agriculture on large plantations, especially devoted to cotton and sugar cane. Such large groups of slaves were thought to work more efficiently if directed by a managerial class called overseers, usually white men.

Rules that slaves abide by:
-All slaves, unless serving must greet all Free Persons. All Free Persons are to be addressed as Master or Mistress
-If you are in service, do NOT ask for permission to speak or greet. If the person you are serving wishes you to do so, they will tell you. Your focus should always be on the one you are serving and nothing else.
-Any and all free who enters into the castle is to be treated with respect, regardless if you like them or not. The slaves are here to serve them; they are not here for the slaves.
-Do not lie. A slave caught doing so will be kicked from the room and possibly banned. Honesty is an admired quality in a slave.
-Slaves can speak freely among themselves, but, the free do not want to listen to the ranting or bitching of slaves, it is in no way pleasing to them.
- etc......


The notion of slavery relates to the novel as the blacks in the area are still very poor, unlike those whites and there are many stereotypes about them. In the story, the white people still think that blacks are negro and that they are superior compared to them. Also it seems that the only one that does not have prejudices against the blacks are the Finches'

home learning

http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/2723408.

This is my link to my comic strip. It is about success.

-I chose mostly the same background as i hoped that the story would continue on the soccer field. From lossing, to the coach's comforting words.

- They contribute to make a typical story of a sportsmen, where there are ups and downs in their journey to sucess.

- The mixture of all these elements gives up the story of a losing sportsmen and he has to understand that life is not always a bed of roses. Success is not always about winning, but the journey getting there

Blog Post on

I would not treat Boyd or someone who is not of the same race differently. I believe that all humans on earth are from the same "god" and we are all united as one. This kind of behavior is unacceptable now but i could understand why Mrs Wilson thought of this. In early American history, the African Americans were slaves and worked hard lives. As time progresses, their race developed slow and majority of male worked as labourers and females worked as maids.(like in TKAM where Calpurnia works for the Finch's) Many negros did not hold high ranked jobs and they earned little. The assumption that Boyd was poor was easily understood. However i would not have treated him like that due to a few factors: The generation gap between Mrs Wilson and her son has created conflict as Johnny is friends with Boyd and he is young so he does not know about the stereotypes associated to African Americans. His mother is older than him and for sure she understands more than what he knows. She then sympathises with Boyd and offers some form of kindness

Types of discrimination:

Discrimination against intelligence

- All blondes are dumb

- All sportsmen have low IQ

- Bookworms are weak

-

Discrimination against sexual orientation

- Gays and lesbians are not acceptable in today's society

- Bisexuals are freaks

- Homosexuals are also not acceptable

- Not being straight is like breaking the law

Discrimination against family background:

- Being a mixed child is 'wrong'

- No respect for other people's family

- Having a different family background is wrong

-

Discrimination against disabled:

- Handicap people are 'useless'

- People with down syndrome are 'retarded'

- No respect for people's disabilities

- Mocking people's disabilities

Questions for Clooney The Clown by Shel Silverstein

1. Explain the Irony in this poem.

Clooney has all the requirements of being a clown. He has big shoes, small hat, a green dog, in short he could be a good clown. He tried to do tricks that was meant to be funny but the audience do not feel that it is funny. The audience even said "Go back to bed"

But when he tried to show the frustration, depression, rejection that he goes through. When he tells the audience about his life, the audience laughs hysterically at him. Clooney was trying to be serious, he was showing his frustration toward life, yet the audience take it as a joke and laughs at him. What Clooney really needs is acceptance and moral support from the audience, yet he gets what he always wants to achieve for a long time but not now. Being funny

2. Does Shel silverstein manage to convey some harsh realities in this poem?

It is never easy to tell someone the truth about us and let them truly understand how we feel. They will never be able to step in our shoes as everyone lives a different life. However they are willing to accept the lies that portray us. An example is when someone that is in a has a totally different life from others lie to people to gain acceptance such as saying that he is rich so that others will befriend him. However is you tell them the truth, like if that person is poor, people will reject him for what he.

3. What poetic devices has the poem used to effectively convey his message.

Alliteration: It is used many times im the poem. for example from line 24 to 27, it all begins with they

Onomatopoeia: Words like 'hah-hah' and 'hee-hee' are used to give us the image of people laughing at the Clooney

Imagery: imagery is used to give us a clearer picture about Clooney. When the audience laughs at Clooney, they said that "they laughed all day, they laughed all week, theylaughed until they had a fit, until their jackets split, they laughter spread for miles around" it could not be possible true but this example of hypobolism and it gives us a picture of the audience's laughter magnitude.

Clooney the Clown

I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.

One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.

Analysis

My feelings:

This poem is about how depress Clooney is as a clown. He is suppose to be a clown, meant to be funny. if you could not do your job well you should change your profession . If a clown is not funny. Is there anywhere else to go? In this case he continues to be a unsucessful clown.

My feelings toward this poem are a mirror of my feelings toward the world. Too many people are in this life for themselves alone. Not giving a single care to those who suffer, those who wish be heard. To be laughed at is one of the worst feelings a person with a lost soul can ever experience.