Week 4 blog post

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/07/12/an-open-letter-to-the-education-minister-from-a-secondary-4-student/
I am Timothy Leong, a secondary student of Hwa Chong Institution. I fully agree with the student, Janelle, who wrote this article. I have always been of the opinion that the education system has degraded me. It has given me knowledge and made me a robot. And that these flaws have manifested themselves in various forms of behaviours we never expected to see.
“I study because I can get good results.” In Singapore, our education teaches us to be paper smart. Whenever we receive instruction or are told to do something, we tackle it effectively and without complain. We work tirelessly. But on graduation day, when we have gained autonomy over our lives, we are left blank as to what our heart wants to do. We have only paid attention to our academic interests. School teaches us how to solve problems and think critically, but it did not teach us how to appreciate our job, how to make decisions for our life. And our A level certificate merely says we have done well at Math, English, Science, but not that we have become independent thinkers.
Also, my school environment is highly stressful. Every day I face multiple deadlines. Teachers give us assignments to do. We have to study very hard for our tests. And because our grades potentially affect our career choices, we focus all on grades. Classmates will study and keep their notes to themselves. They will not do a project with you because you are not apt in a subject. And when I get good grades for a test, I do not get recognised for hard work. I am taught that “I wanted the A1 in the first place, so I worked hard. Getting what you worked for is nothing to be proud of. Not like you got it out of luck.” It is not that my friends are bastards, but for their own sake, everyone becomes selfish.
I am not happy always trying to please my teachers. In Hwa Chong, you do what you are told to. Otherwise, you are kicked out, because you are not a capable person, and society cannot rely on you. That is twisted! In life, if you are doing something you do not have interest for, you get out of there and continue finding your passion, otherwise you will spend your time meaninglessly. I hate having to keep trying to patch up my weaknesses. English is my passion, but I have little time for it. On Saturdays, I have to study for Chinese tuition because my Chinese is weak. I have to go for remedials because I am weak. In the end, I do not develop my strength, I am not weak in any area; I am but a mediocre student like the rest.
In our capitalist society, education is the way to get you employed. Therefore, it is idealistic to factor in our interests only. True, but if we spend the present living for the future, then the present is wasted. Then there will be no future. Have we all become lacklustre? Chasing prestige?
Because we have not been made to think creatively, we lose our personality. We lose our uniqueness. We are another Singaporean only. We are uninteresting, and our goals are to secure a good job and earn money to live a materially comfortable life. However, because of that if someone pushes their way through the system to get a degree, he may not have a job even, because too many people have the same qualifications as him. Is he in any way worse off than someone who has gotten the job? Not necessary. And besides, even if we have good grades, it does not mean we will have a job. Having good grades will be a prerequisite of any office job, but its more of other qualities like our personality, our character, what we have done in our school life that employees matter. Even though we had a sharing during assembly that says our school has all the programmes to give us the skill set for the 21st century, programmes don’t nurture people. They merely transfer knowledge. Only receiving knowledge makes one a robot. Learning and applying it makes one a skilled human. It takes a teacher to nurture a student.
I also agree that character development is very superficially and artificially taught. We have Chinese values, but with so much worry on our mind do we actually care to help anybody? A good character is shown when someone clears his plate, moves so that someone else can sit on the bench to eat also, when at the bus stop gives up his seat to someone else, not when he answers questions during moral values lessons. Can such a rigid system determine good character? Look at thinking class. We have an AAT class to teach us techniques of thinking. But is that really how to make us think better? We all end up thinking the same way. Because that was how we were taught. But they should teach us the attitudes of thinking, how we should view thinking. These kinds of things like character and thinking cannot be properly taught in a lesson system.
The education system should focus on developing our strengths. It should allow us to change easily. To switch a course when we realise we don’t want it. Would Michael Jackson have been able to start singing from a young age if he had to spend his time on homework? We are all born for a reason. We have to find that reason. We are all born with different gifts. We have to find those too. We aren’t all from the same ang ku kueh factory.
Lastly, having said that, Singapore has a very good environment to live in. It is safe, the government provides for us. But certainly there are many improvements the education system needs to see.

I feel that Janelle has used the correct tone. If she had tried to be polite and tone down her words, she is going against her point about speaking freely by trying not to offend the minister. Also, she has made points and backed them up with explanations and examples. There is thought put into it. If I want to send a letter to a minister, I will raise those points aforementioned.

Week 3 Blog prompt- Money in a relationship

Yes. I feel that money is very important. The reason is, for a relationship to work, the couple actually has to work out problems in the relationship. Money is always a big problem. Buying a house, a car, raising children, all need money and sacrifice from the couple. If a couple cannot fend for themselves financially, it is actually very hard for them to be together. Whilst people say only true love is needed, I think that is very idealistic. For example, Portia could make Bassanio comfortably wealthy. He may or may not truly love her, but their relationship will work. Money allows for greater tolerance. This year, the Straits Times published an article about couples and their financial preferences. It reported that couples no longer see the need to have only a joint account. A couple even said each of them have their own account and they manage their own finances. We can see that couples view financial independence highly also. Their money is as important as their love. As the cost of living in Singapore rises, this issue of money would only get more important. I see an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other qualities. That is why wives fight over their husband’s inheritance when he dies.

Week 2 Blog Prompt

In your opinion, how has war evolved from from the past to present? Please use examples to justify your opinions.

I feel there are three areas:

1.Warring groups
2.Purpose
3.Communication

Firstly, in the past, war was carried out on a large scale. War was only started by people who had heavy resources and power, like the large countries like Britain, Germany and France during WWI. A little down the road, terrorists with fighter jets crashed into 911. However, as seen from the recent Middle Eastern Revolutions even youths are going against their leader. War has become more of getting your thoughts across than using force to defeat somebody.

Secondly, in the past, wars were started over extreme anger or hatred. They were usually started by leaders. Serbia was blamed for the death of Austria's duke. Hitler had an aversion for jews. The al-qaeda did not like America. Dr Sun Yat Sen's revolution was born out of the extreme disappointment he had in the Qing government. They were corrupted. But, war now is less driven by emotions. When people see a need, they take on various forms of battleground; social media, television and news media, to tell the government, or the leader that he needs to step down. It is less violent, as violence does not solve problems, and people in the war use more intellectual means to gain support of the people.

Lastly, communication. Technology has advanced such that it is easier to rally support of the people. The common citizens can rally together. This poses a bigger threat to the government than weapons. Also, more global attention is received, causing the government to at with extreme caution.

Soldier poem

My reflections on The Soldier by Rupert Brooke:

The soldier regards England as his homeland. Unlike previous poems, this poem shows how fighting a war for one's beloved country is worthwhile, and dying is justified. While the soldier died in a foreign land, he feels that as long as he and his comrades reside there, that land will forever be England's. This poem is a sonnet. Sonnets are romantic, so this soldier might have written the poem to show that he has a deep connection with England, and after he dies he will no longer bear the responsibility of a soldier and will be free to be with England. Also, he envisions peace for England when he dies and after the war ends. He does not mind giving his life back to England, because England has made him what he is in the first place. He will be back with England again, purified. Under the English skies there will be peace and his death was worth is shown in "heaven at its best where he finds peace and rest, and all evil and destruction is cast off". He is a patriotic soldier. I feel that this is too idealistic, because to some extent the cruel fighting will take its toll on a soldier's health and mind. It is worthy to die for a country though.

Patriotism

Question
We need young men in Singapore to do NS.
Why do you think NS is compulsory and why is this important?
In the above poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country.
Do you have the same spirit of patriotism toward Singapore? Why?
Do you find the same spirit of patriotism in Singapore? Why?
Do you consider yourself patriotic to Singapore?

Firstly, Singapore is so small it does not have enough men to allow its men the option of not joining NS. That’s why men are drafted in. It’s the logistics that makes it necessary. This is important because without utilizing our already limited pool of young men our Army would be too small to defend our country.
I do not know if I have this “spirit of patriotism”. On one hand if I were to betray Singapore it would eat my conscience and I would feel less than human. On the other hand I am reluctant to die so easily.
I do not find the same spirit of patriotism. Every year, students with scholarship grants from Singapore go overseas to study, and after serving their bond, they go overseas to work because the conditions there are better.
Since I am unsure of my patriotism to Singapore, I do not consider myself a patriot. Perhaps one day I will become one.

Book Review- A dance with a duke by Tessa Dare

Book review- One Dance with a Duke by Timothy Leong
This is an exciting book, though not suitable for teens like me, actually. To get right to the heart of the book, I’ll say that this book is difficultly easy to read. It carries a cloud of mystery about it, yet at the end, beneath that cloud is just nothing. It gets mysterious, yet there is no mystery. This is said in praise of the book, as I will explain how I arrive at this conclusion.
The context is as such: In the early 1800s, in London, the famous Duke of Morland, or more widely known by his nickname The Duke of Midnight, is single, and wanting a wife. He is constantly invited to balls, and he always shows up only at the stroke of midnight, where he will select one lady; just one, out of all present, and dance one dance with her. He will then assess her while they dance, and if he finds her suitable, he will do the strangest thing- carry her in his arms and run out of the ball, without a word. But that is because he cannot withstand crowds. He has a fear of crowds. However, so far no woman has shown herself capable to him. And this is where, our main female character, Amelia d’Orsay, enters the picture.
The d’Orsay family is poor, but noble. They carry themselves in high dignity. Their father is not spoken much of, but their mother died young. While their mother was ill she had entrusted care of her four sons to Amelia, her daughter. As such, Amelia has a very close bond with her brothers, most particularly Jack, the youngest, least accomplished, gambling addict, but also the closest to her. Right now, Amelia d’Orsay is a single woman, between young and middle-aged. Her three other brothers have reputable careers, but the author writes little of them. Amelia is at a ball, sitting patiently with everyone else. She knows why they are all so still. They are waiting for midnight to strike, when the Duke of Midnight will come. He is handsome, tall, and rich.
Actually, the Duke of Morland wants to marry because he needs to pave the entrance for his ward, Claudia, to be married, and if she does not, then when the Duke dies all his property will pass on to his distant relatives, and Claudia would become penniless.
But just before he arrives, Jack does. He approaches Amelia with sorry eyes, and she brings him out the door to talk. She knows he would never quit gambling, she knows he is here for money, and she knows he will get it from her because deep in her heart Jack will always be that little brother, so sensitive and kind. He takes the last pennies she has taken with her, and goes away, especially because he owes a four hundred pound debt to Spencer, or the Duke of Morland, or the Duke of Midnight.
The Duke of Midnight does arrive. He looks into the crowd, and looks at Miss Melony Satin, a seemingly quiet girl. But before he grabs her, his hand is grabbed by Amelia. She takes him by surprise and onto the center of the ballroom. He finds her unattractive to the utmost, but, as they talked while dancing, he gathered she needed to get his attention because of her brother. She needed to get him to waive her brother’s debts. And as they talked, she used her best wits against him. After that, Spencer carries her off, and runs away.
Outside the ball, where the Duke needs a breath of fresh air, he feels too overwhelmed by Amelia. She had just grabbed his hand, made him lose his temper, and she was not even beautiful. However, he does not know why he keeps thinking of her. He tells her he actually knows about her family, and insults her by saying if they had learnt to walk away- knew when to stop, they would not be poor. Then he tells Amelia that if she made herself scarce there and then, she would have her brother’s debt waived. Amelia sees through it, and also is already attracted to him, and does not leave. Just as Amelia notices the Duke looks ill, she wants to help him but from the bush comes a voice calling the Duke. It appears to be Bellamy and Ashworth, the two other members of the Stud Club, a club of members with exclusive breeding rights to Osiris, a star racing horse. Bellamy is a poor chap and Ashworth is the Lord of Devonshire.
It concerns the death of Leo Chatwick, the Marquess of Harcliffe, who started the Stud Club. To obtain membership one must have a token, and the token can only be gained by winning it from someone with a token through luck, like a game of cards. There are only ten tokens, and the Duke of Morland has won seven of them, leaving the last three to Leo, Bellamy and Ashworth. The club was meant as a joke. But now that its creator is dead the three remaining members have the duty to inform his family, Lily Chatwick about it. And to protect her one of them has to marry her. Spencer does not want her, and Ashworth has obligations. Bellamy is of no status. Thus Spencer is forced to do it.
They meet Lily, who has lost most of her hearing from a high fever. Nobody talks about marrying her. Then Spencer offers her a deal, to buy Leo’s token for 20 000 pounds. He wants Osiris for himself, but does not let his reason out. Although Bellamy opposes because the token can only be won by luck, Lily does not oppose or accept it.
A whole host of events happens, and the Duke eventually decides to marry Amelia. Firstly, he finds that Amelia is beautiful enough for him, and secondly, she demonstrated an intellect on par with his, unlike other girls who were more beautiful than smart. The duke who now reveals his name as Spencer Dumarque. He marries chiefly to have a child also. In around the middle of the book, Amelia begins to probe more into his mystery, why he wants the tokens for the horse so bad, and what possible connection he might have with the death of Leo, since he has only been caring to obtain Leo’s token, not justice. Amelia says that until he comes clean with her on the truth can she willingly open herself up to him.
However, Amelia being soft-hearted, believed that Spencer truly was not the kind who would kill somebody just to get something. Spencer, seeing her trust in him, now gives her the truth, saying that he is actually no man of mystery. Actually, he wants Osiris because he has a childhood horse Juno. She is a female horse advancing in her years. She has a hatred for males, because when she was young she had a rebellious spirit and so all the stallkeepers constantly beat her. She eventually hated men. However, when Spencer acquired her he took the time to gain her trust and since then he is the only one Juno allows to ride on her back. Although Spencer does not want to ride with her anymore because she is old and is no longer suitable for bearing his weight, if he does not take her out for spins she will only get moody and lonely. Spencer wants to help her stop being lonely without having to ride her because it was bad for her and so he goes back to the stable where Juno was born. He tells Amelia that because horses do bond together in their youth, he suspects Juno had bonded with Osiris, since they were from the same place. That was why he had wanted all the tokens so badly, because he wanted to save Juno from her misery, and he was willing to pay 20 000 pounds for a token because she was his childhood friend. Amelia knows he is telling the truth, but finds t hard to believe that beneath his mysterious actions all the intention there is was just for retrieving a companion for his childhood pet. At this point in tie they both fully trust each other.
Then, before they can have a happy ending Jack comes back. Amelia is happy to see him. But Jack ignores her and approaches Spencer, telling him he has Leo’s token. On the day Leo died he was first discovered by a prostitute, who had not realized what Leo’s token meant and kept it with her. Jack chanced upon her and gave her a shilling in exchange for the coin. The prostitute did it at once, not realizing the true worth of the token. Jack now demands a large sum from Spencer in exchange for the token. Spencer agrees and Jack leaves.
Claudia who his spencer’s ward is another problem because she keeps acting up to the adults in the house. She even tries to elope with Jack in defiance. These two youngsters are the pain in the necks of Spencer and Amelia, but in the end Amelia realizes that Jack probably will never quit gambling, and gives him a final sum of money and sends him away from her for good, knowing this would hurt her but it was better for Jack, and also the reason why Claudia kept rebelling against them was because she wanted to avoid them. She was with child. A love child, but she thought the adults would not understand. When Amelia tells Spencer about it, he is happy Jack is gone from their lives, and promises Claudia that he understands and whatever path she chooses to take he will support her together with Amelia. Also, Spencer and Ashworth talk together while fishing at the end of the story discussing all the happenings. Ashworth thinks Bellamy is just worrying too much, and Spencer says it’s probably guilt that is eating him. Perhaps he sees the murderer everytime he looks into the mirror. On the night Leo died, Bellamy was originally supposed to accompany him to watch a show but in the end backed out. Ashworth agrees and also points out he is probably also driven by guilt to protect Lily Chatwick. They leave the matter at that.
My thoughts: This story was ordinary but the point was that sometimes people act mysterious but it is only a cover. As a quote goes, “Destroy the mask of death and you will see there is nothing behind it to fear.” When Spencer looked like a mysterious dark figure, it turned out he was just a little boy in a man, wanting to help his horse. Also, sometimes money and status merely mask one’s true character.

We slept with our boots on

Task 1

Poem

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

Steve Carlsen

Background Information

Steve Carlson was an ordinary soldier who has experienced 3 years of war. He joined the United States 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 honorably discharged from the Army in 2003.
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. Steve is trying to leave the message to his readers that once you have fought in a war, you have lost your innocence as you have been exposed and scarred by war.

There are conflicts represented here. This poem is about a soldier fighting together with a few comrades. They are the few survivors of the war, as seen in “They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes; They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies”. This shows that the enemy is relentless in its effort to kill. Not only did they kill soldiers, they drained the soldier’s blood and even maimed it just to be sure. Thus, with such merciless killing the soldier may well be one of the last few men. As such he mentions that in case they have to run for their lives again they sleep with their boots on. The conflict here is that soldiers sleep so that they can prepare for another day of fighting, but instead the soldiers have to use the sleeping for fighting.

“I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more”
The emphasis of the last sentence on the trained soldier as the the term “say no more” means that the troops were already trained to do what was needed as no further elaborations were necessary.
It may also mean that the soldier was ashamed of having to do what he is going to do such that he does not want to further describe on how they are going to 'kill'. The soldier does not actually want to go to war, yet must.

The lines “And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell” means that the soldier thinks that the afterlife is heaven compared to earth. However, since a soldier has killed so many people he should go to hell. But, the conflict is that his life was so hellish he should go to heaven.

Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher

This three lines also talks about soldiers who loathe war, yet have the burden of fighting it. Baptism refers to a cleansing of oneself, attaining new life. However, this baptism is brainwashing, giving the soldier a cold heart with which to kill.

Point of View

Firstly, 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. This is emphasized by the title which says "We slept with our boots on".

Situation and Setting

The poet writes the words "Hindu Kush" probably to tell us that he is fighting in a foreign land perhaps in the middle east.

Also, the imagery “From house to cave, to car to creek” “Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies” tells us that the fighting could have occurred on a creek at the top of a high mountain .

Language and Diction

The first line states: "They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes".

This refers to the enemy who is maiming their dead comrades to make sure they are dead. From here, we can tell that this setting may be one of a lost battle on the poet's side, and he is probably one of the few survivors. This could be the reason why the soldier and his comrades are in fear.
The point of view is mainly 1st person with occasional switches to "We", mainly to unite himself with his comrades as a whole. First, the poet would show his own personal feelings, emotions and actions, and then he would proceed to show a collective action by using "We". This shows that his emotions are largely shared by everyone who is involved in war, who are just as scared and terrified. Hence, this poem evokes our sympathy to the speaker who tells us about his emotions.
The writer uses the line "baptized in fire" to show the hopelessness and cruelty of war. Baptism symbolizes people being cleansed of their sins and to have a hope for a better future. Hence, by presenting the contrast of water which is fire, the poet is indirectly telling us sins of killing while fighting in war can never be cleansed. Also, it is know that people liken fire in religion to be related to the pits of hell and from here, he poet emphasizes how he is being punished for his sins of killing.
The poet also repeats the word "and". For example, "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. By making the line long, readers will be tired of reading such a long line without pause. Hence, by pausing, it is symbolic of a sigh which the poet is trying to evoke in the reader.

Conclusion

This poem makes the reader ponder about whether war is really glorious or not. People who have never fought war cannot truly understand what Steve Carlsen felt and wanted to convey. What I am clear though is that Steve Carlsen is trying to say that "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. Also, only those who have not been to war think its glorious.

Sources

http://maytheforcebewithu.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-slept-with-our-boots-on.html