I did not know what to post, then I suddenly thought of this topic - Violence. Violence is seen in Mississippi Burning, when the blacks were terrorised by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). It made the movie very real and also earned the movie a rating of R. I wanted to post this in Term 1, but it was incomplete. Thus, I left it for Term 2.
Some Definitions:
Violence (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/violence)
1. swift and intense force: the violence of a storm.
2. rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment: to die by violence.
3. an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws: to take over a government by violence.
4. a violent act or proceeding.
5. rough or immoderate vehemence, as of feeling or language: the violence of his hatred.
6. damage through distortion or unwarranted alteration: to do editorial violence to a text.
Number 3 seems to be the best definition for the violence in the movie Mississippi Burning. In my opinion, violence is used only because people are unable to voice their opinions in words, and resort to violence. Thus, I do not appreciate violence as it makes people not think critically and they would lose the ability to voice their views peacefully after too long. This is not beneficial to a nation's progress. Therefore, I am AGAINST VIOLENCE, and prefer PEACE AND HARMONY. Only with peace, a nation can prosper. In nations in chaos because of violence, there is little or none political stability and thus, no progress as a nation.
Violence is a very broad topic. Lynching is only one small part of violence. Maid abuse and animal abuse is also a part of violence. I decided to talk about this as I suddenly thought of it. In my opinion, maids, or more correctly known as domestic helpers, are also humans and thus, deserves our respect. We should not despise them just because they are less well-off than us, and think that they are our slaves, which causes many maid abuse cases. If we can do CIP and help up those in need, or donate so much money to charitable organisations, why do people still treat domestic helpers like that? Also, animal abuse is also another serious problem. Animals are too living things. Imagine a giant beating you up everyday and not feeding you. What are your emotions now? That is the feeling those animals abused feel. Therefore, we should treat domestic helpers and pets with respect and care, and not treat them violently.
Violence can also be seen in the form of language, as seen in definition number 5. When I think of violent language, the first thing that comes to my mind is the use of vulgarities. In my opinion, vulgarities are only used by people who cannot express their anger and emotions through proper words and resort to vulgarities to vent their fury. Vulgarities come in different varieties and languages. If you can use suitable words to express yourself, vulgarities are not even needed. Also, people would tend to think that people who speak vulgarities are uncivilised and unsophisticated.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Task 2 - Diary
A day in the life of World War II.
Our nation has just surrendered yesterday. I felt lost. The country was in a mess of debris lying everywhere. My Jewish friend, Adam, his mother Aliza, my mother and I were found a dilapidated house to stay in. For now, we were safe, but in wars, everything was unpredictable. Who would have known France would surrender to Germany?
As we crawled around scavenging for food, German soldiers suddenly appeared. In a rough and crude voice, one of them said, “What are you doing here?”
Aliza immediately replied that we were just civilians and we were looking for food to alleviate the intense hunger we were feeling then. The German soldiers then asked for our race. Being young and innocent, Adam blurted out that he was a Jew. Aliza immediately covered his mouth, and quickly tried to convince the soldiers that Adam was just spouting nonsense.
The brutal creatures had a sudden change of facial expression when they heard this news, and grabbed Aliza by her hair, again asking her of her race. She had no choice but to say out the truth. Because of a little mistake Adam made, Adam was stabbed to death, while Aliza was lead to somewhere else. My mother was too dragged away. I was left there alone. All alone. For the second time since yesterday, I felt lost.
One of the cruel beasts instructed, “Scram, you little boy!” After he said that, the rest started sniggering at his bad sense of humour. I felt insulted. And lost. But then, I could do nothing, but to tell you all about this.
Diary, I just hope the war ends soon. I cannot stand this anymore. I am all alone now. Even my mother is not with me now. What should I do now?
Our nation has just surrendered yesterday. I felt lost. The country was in a mess of debris lying everywhere. My Jewish friend, Adam, his mother Aliza, my mother and I were found a dilapidated house to stay in. For now, we were safe, but in wars, everything was unpredictable. Who would have known France would surrender to Germany?
As we crawled around scavenging for food, German soldiers suddenly appeared. In a rough and crude voice, one of them said, “What are you doing here?”
Aliza immediately replied that we were just civilians and we were looking for food to alleviate the intense hunger we were feeling then. The German soldiers then asked for our race. Being young and innocent, Adam blurted out that he was a Jew. Aliza immediately covered his mouth, and quickly tried to convince the soldiers that Adam was just spouting nonsense.
The brutal creatures had a sudden change of facial expression when they heard this news, and grabbed Aliza by her hair, again asking her of her race. She had no choice but to say out the truth. Because of a little mistake Adam made, Adam was stabbed to death, while Aliza was lead to somewhere else. My mother was too dragged away. I was left there alone. All alone. For the second time since yesterday, I felt lost.
One of the cruel beasts instructed, “Scram, you little boy!” After he said that, the rest started sniggering at his bad sense of humour. I felt insulted. And lost. But then, I could do nothing, but to tell you all about this.
Diary, I just hope the war ends soon. I cannot stand this anymore. I am all alone now. Even my mother is not with me now. What should I do now?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Descriptive Paragraph
The place was in ruins. Debris lied everywhere. It was a disgusting scene to observe. An injured soldier was lying on the floor, groaning in pain and agony. I could smell the stench of blood in the air, and the air tasted bland. There were no emotions at all in the area. There were just blood and dead bodies lying around. As I stood by my fellow soldier who was in extreme agony, I felt a solemn cloud hanging in the air. I knew I had to fight for my country, even if I had to die. I had no choice.
Please give me comments to improve this paragraph. Thanks. :)
Please give me comments to improve this paragraph. Thanks. :)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Essay on Blogs
How far do you agree that weblogs are more beneficial than harmful to individuals and society?
A weblog, or more commonly known as a blog, is a public online document where people can voice their opinions, thoughts and feelings with posts. They are often written in first person and in informal tone and language. However, business blogs are also becoming trendy lately. I agree with the statement that weblogs are more beneficial than harmful to individuals and society, which can also be seen in the business sector.
In addition, weblogs enhances communication within and outside of the company which owns the blog. Internally, information can be released easily, be it about managing projects or developing teams. Externally, communications with customers and business partners are made easier through blogs. This makes communication better and people can also respond quickly to messages online. Seeing from this perspective, it is beneficial to individuals and also the society, since there is more efficiency and higher productivity with weblogs.
Although there are disadvantages which come with weblogs, they are generally desirable. People who insult others online may result in conflicts, sometimes racial and religious in nature. This is bad for the society, but even without weblogs, people can still find ways to post insulting comments. Therefore, weblogs are more beneficial than harmful.
In conclusion, weblogs are more beneficial than harmful to individuals and society, as seen even in the business sector. Weblogs are very useful in our lives, and we should never do away with it. I believe it would continue to live on, and continue to give convenience to our lives.
(507 words)
A weblog, or more commonly known as a blog, is a public online document where people can voice their opinions, thoughts and feelings with posts. They are often written in first person and in informal tone and language. However, business blogs are also becoming trendy lately. I agree with the statement that weblogs are more beneficial than harmful to individuals and society, which can also be seen in the business sector.
In business, weblogs can increase brand awareness, since it is made easier to develop and promote the brand with blogs. Also, even if you are not in business, blogs promote greater individuality as you can choose your own design and content in your blog. Back to business, blogs too give your company a professional appearance. Since you can choose your own domain name for your blog, you would have a shorter URL. For example, http://brandnewshoes.blogspot.com is definitely sound much better than a long URL like http://websites.com/brand%20new%20shoes. This makes people want to buy your products or services advertised on the blogs, and this is beneficial to individuals.
In addition, weblogs enhances communication within and outside of the company which owns the blog. Internally, information can be released easily, be it about managing projects or developing teams. Externally, communications with customers and business partners are made easier through blogs. This makes communication better and people can also respond quickly to messages online. Seeing from this perspective, it is beneficial to individuals and also the society, since there is more efficiency and higher productivity with weblogs.
Although there are disadvantages which come with weblogs, they are generally desirable. People who insult others online may result in conflicts, sometimes racial and religious in nature. This is bad for the society, but even without weblogs, people can still find ways to post insulting comments. Therefore, weblogs are more beneficial than harmful.
In conclusion, weblogs are more beneficial than harmful to individuals and society, as seen even in the business sector. Weblogs are very useful in our lives, and we should never do away with it. I believe it would continue to live on, and continue to give convenience to our lives.
(507 words)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Announcements
I have commented on:
1) Nicholas - "Personal Response: Childhood Memories and Court Case"
2) Nathanael - "Childhood Memories"
3) Ivan - "Prejudice"
4) Glenn - "Prejudice - my experience"
5) Daniel - "Original Poems by Yours Truly"
6) Raphael - "1st Person POV or... 3rd Person POV? Hmm..."
7) Nicholas - "Prejudice.. What does it mean to me"
8) Nathan - "Practise What You Preach"
9) Gordon - "Personal Response (2)"
10) Raphael - "Blog Prompt 6! xD"
1) Nicholas - "Personal Response: Childhood Memories and Court Case"
2) Nathanael - "Childhood Memories"
3) Ivan - "Prejudice"
4) Glenn - "Prejudice - my experience"
5) Daniel - "Original Poems by Yours Truly"
6) Raphael - "1st Person POV or... 3rd Person POV? Hmm..."
7) Nicholas - "Prejudice.. What does it mean to me"
8) Nathan - "Practise What You Preach"
9) Gordon - "Personal Response (2)"
10) Raphael - "Blog Prompt 6! xD"
Ending of To Kill a Mockingbird - Surprising?
Did the ending of the novel surprise you? If you were the author, would you have ended the story differently? Explain.
The ending of the novel did surprise me. The ending surprised me in two ways, the jury's decision and Bob Ewell's death.
Jury's Decision
To provide some important background information, the jury found Tom Robinson, an innocent black, guilty for raping Mayella Ewell, who is Bob Ewell's daughter. The Ewell family was in Maycomb County seen as poor white trash. Although they are completely healthy, they do not go to work and rely on money given by the government. In the court case, the jury found Tom Robinson guilty. I found this ending very shocking as I felt that Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson's defence lawyer (he is a white, by the way), very successful in his argument and his reasonings were very reasonable. However, because of prejudice against blacks, they decided that the defendant is guilty, causing his death.
Bob Ewell's Death
At the very end of the story, Bob Ewell tried to kill Atticus Finch's two children, Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and Jean Louise Finch (Scout). However, the supposed antagonist in the story, Authur "Boo" Radley, saved them by killing Bob Ewell. This was surprising in three ways. Firstly, I did not expect Bob Ewell's hatred for Atticus Finch to be so deep such that he wanted to kill his children. Secondly, I did not Bob Ewell to be cruel enough to attack the young children Jem and Scout. Thirdly, I did not expect Arthur Radley to be so brave and courageous and kill others to help people whom he only met a few times. This ending was very shocking. I feel that most would agree with me.
Alternative Ending?
If I could change the ending, I would still remain with Bob Ewell's death. For doing so many bad things, he deserved such retribution in the end. However, I feel that his death could have been more dramatic as this would let readers hate Bob Ewell even more and identify with the story better. I would suggest that Arthur Radley not kill him so easily. There should be some struggle, with Arthur getting injured, which would make readers' impression on Arthur Radley have a big twist.
Another alternative I can think of is Mayella Ewell killing his own father because he was too abusive, with Mayella going to jail instead of a death sentence. This would make readers too hate Bob Ewell more and empathise with Mayella Ewell's tragic consequence.
The ending of the novel did surprise me. The ending surprised me in two ways, the jury's decision and Bob Ewell's death.
Jury's Decision
To provide some important background information, the jury found Tom Robinson, an innocent black, guilty for raping Mayella Ewell, who is Bob Ewell's daughter. The Ewell family was in Maycomb County seen as poor white trash. Although they are completely healthy, they do not go to work and rely on money given by the government. In the court case, the jury found Tom Robinson guilty. I found this ending very shocking as I felt that Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson's defence lawyer (he is a white, by the way), very successful in his argument and his reasonings were very reasonable. However, because of prejudice against blacks, they decided that the defendant is guilty, causing his death.
Bob Ewell's Death
At the very end of the story, Bob Ewell tried to kill Atticus Finch's two children, Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and Jean Louise Finch (Scout). However, the supposed antagonist in the story, Authur "Boo" Radley, saved them by killing Bob Ewell. This was surprising in three ways. Firstly, I did not expect Bob Ewell's hatred for Atticus Finch to be so deep such that he wanted to kill his children. Secondly, I did not Bob Ewell to be cruel enough to attack the young children Jem and Scout. Thirdly, I did not expect Arthur Radley to be so brave and courageous and kill others to help people whom he only met a few times. This ending was very shocking. I feel that most would agree with me.
Alternative Ending?
If I could change the ending, I would still remain with Bob Ewell's death. For doing so many bad things, he deserved such retribution in the end. However, I feel that his death could have been more dramatic as this would let readers hate Bob Ewell even more and identify with the story better. I would suggest that Arthur Radley not kill him so easily. There should be some struggle, with Arthur getting injured, which would make readers' impression on Arthur Radley have a big twist.
Another alternative I can think of is Mayella Ewell killing his own father because he was too abusive, with Mayella going to jail instead of a death sentence. This would make readers too hate Bob Ewell more and empathise with Mayella Ewell's tragic consequence.
Mississippi Burning - Like it?
1. Did you like the movie? Why or why not?
I'm going to show two perspective to look at the movie. Then, I would provide a conclusion.
1) Why I liked it
I liked it as it showed me the problems in the 1960s in the United States of America, especially the Southern parts. Through different scenes, the movie showed the serious problem of racism. Also, it was fair as it not only showed the Ku Klax Klan (KKK) terrorising the blacks, but it also showed some whites also empathised with the blacks. In addition, there was a happy ending, in my opinion, where people from the KKK were caught and sentenced to jail. There was too successful characterisation through showing different personalities of the two FBI agents. Moreover, the last scene of the people singing is, in my view, a very powerful scene. Althought I do not really know what it means, I can see that it showed how some whites did not mind the blacks and sang together with them.
2) Why I disliked it
There were certain parts of the show which I disliked. For instance, the many scenes of the KKK terrorising the blacks were scenes which I hated. They were extremely violent and cruel, which I found hard to accept. I did not expect the problem of racism to be so serious then. However, I know that this was the motive of the movie in the first place, therefore, I just tried to imagine the scenes into words. This made the scenes not as scary as they were shown on the screen. This movie was rated R because of its adult language, adult situation and violence. I feel that the violence was really too much for us 14-year-olds to accept. Even some adults cannot accept too much violence suddenly. My next point would be about the adult language and situation. In my opinion, some of the scenes relating to the men's groin were inappropriate to show to 14-year-olds, especially those immature ones. Some people may make a joke out of it, which I feel should not be the case as we should understand why the director had certain scenes. One reason I can think of is to develop the characters and to show the distinct differences between the two FBI agents.
Overall, I did not enjoy myself watching the film, but I have indeed learned much. I do know that the violent scenes were essential to show the main idea of the director, therefore, I understand the uses of it. In conclusion, I like the film and would definitely recommend it to people who have at least some maturity.
I'm going to show two perspective to look at the movie. Then, I would provide a conclusion.
1) Why I liked it
I liked it as it showed me the problems in the 1960s in the United States of America, especially the Southern parts. Through different scenes, the movie showed the serious problem of racism. Also, it was fair as it not only showed the Ku Klax Klan (KKK) terrorising the blacks, but it also showed some whites also empathised with the blacks. In addition, there was a happy ending, in my opinion, where people from the KKK were caught and sentenced to jail. There was too successful characterisation through showing different personalities of the two FBI agents. Moreover, the last scene of the people singing is, in my view, a very powerful scene. Althought I do not really know what it means, I can see that it showed how some whites did not mind the blacks and sang together with them.
2) Why I disliked it
There were certain parts of the show which I disliked. For instance, the many scenes of the KKK terrorising the blacks were scenes which I hated. They were extremely violent and cruel, which I found hard to accept. I did not expect the problem of racism to be so serious then. However, I know that this was the motive of the movie in the first place, therefore, I just tried to imagine the scenes into words. This made the scenes not as scary as they were shown on the screen. This movie was rated R because of its adult language, adult situation and violence. I feel that the violence was really too much for us 14-year-olds to accept. Even some adults cannot accept too much violence suddenly. My next point would be about the adult language and situation. In my opinion, some of the scenes relating to the men's groin were inappropriate to show to 14-year-olds, especially those immature ones. Some people may make a joke out of it, which I feel should not be the case as we should understand why the director had certain scenes. One reason I can think of is to develop the characters and to show the distinct differences between the two FBI agents.
Overall, I did not enjoy myself watching the film, but I have indeed learned much. I do know that the violent scenes were essential to show the main idea of the director, therefore, I understand the uses of it. In conclusion, I like the film and would definitely recommend it to people who have at least some maturity.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Superstitions
Superstitions are formed because people do not understand what are happening around them and they form such superstitions in order to "protect themselves against the unknown". (Quoted from http://hubpages.com/hub/Superstitions--Some-Famous-Ones) Below are some superstitions that I have found on the web.
Superstitions
Sources:
1) http://hubpages.com/hub/Superstitions--Some-Famous-Ones
2) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_commonly_believed_superstitions
Having bad luck...
1) When one get up from the wrong side of the bed
2) For seven years for accidentally breaking a mirror
3) When one walks under open ladders
4) When one opens an umbrella inside
Get good luck when you...
1) Hang horseshoes on the door
2) "Touch wood"
3) Find a penny heads-up
4) Find a four-leaf clover
Unlucky dates:
1) Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is when the 13th of a month falls on a Friday. It is believed to be an extremely unlucky day.
When you wish, you...
1) Wish on a new moon
2) Cross your fingers
Marriage Customs like...
1) Having marriage in June
2) Wearing rings
3) Showering rice
4) Wearing diamonds
Animals with special powers, like...
1) Dogs. When they howl, it is a sign of death
2) Black cats. They are unlucky.
The above superstitions are only just some superstitions out of the many outside there. All have stories behind them. (Please comment if you want to see the stories behind them) In my opinion, superstitions are not true, but many still believe in them as they give them a sense of comfort, comfort that they can avoid bad luck or have good luck when they do or do not do certain acts. I follow certain superstitions, such as Friday the 13th, as it was rather fun when I was still in Primary school. It was a very popular common topic among classmates and friends. I would say my own story of my experience with Friday the 13th.
When I was in Primary 5, I was introduced to Friday the 13th. It sounded fun and so, I joined in the fun of talking about how unlucky things would happen. In the end, something unlucky really happened. On that day, we had computer lessons. Then, while the teacher was teaching, there was lightning and thunder, and the computer suddenly switched off, so did the lights. Then, my classmates and I started talking about how it was Friday the 13th. Now, I still follow it, but I do not really believe that it would cause unlucky events.
Superstitions
Sources:
1) http://hubpages.com/hub/Superstitions--Some-Famous-Ones
2) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_commonly_believed_superstitions
Having bad luck...
1) When one get up from the wrong side of the bed
2) For seven years for accidentally breaking a mirror
3) When one walks under open ladders
4) When one opens an umbrella inside
Get good luck when you...
1) Hang horseshoes on the door
2) "Touch wood"
3) Find a penny heads-up
4) Find a four-leaf clover
Unlucky dates:
1) Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is when the 13th of a month falls on a Friday. It is believed to be an extremely unlucky day.
When you wish, you...
1) Wish on a new moon
2) Cross your fingers
Marriage Customs like...
1) Having marriage in June
2) Wearing rings
3) Showering rice
4) Wearing diamonds
Animals with special powers, like...
1) Dogs. When they howl, it is a sign of death
2) Black cats. They are unlucky.
The above superstitions are only just some superstitions out of the many outside there. All have stories behind them. (Please comment if you want to see the stories behind them) In my opinion, superstitions are not true, but many still believe in them as they give them a sense of comfort, comfort that they can avoid bad luck or have good luck when they do or do not do certain acts. I follow certain superstitions, such as Friday the 13th, as it was rather fun when I was still in Primary school. It was a very popular common topic among classmates and friends. I would say my own story of my experience with Friday the 13th.
When I was in Primary 5, I was introduced to Friday the 13th. It sounded fun and so, I joined in the fun of talking about how unlucky things would happen. In the end, something unlucky really happened. On that day, we had computer lessons. Then, while the teacher was teaching, there was lightning and thunder, and the computer suddenly switched off, so did the lights. Then, my classmates and I started talking about how it was Friday the 13th. Now, I still follow it, but I do not really believe that it would cause unlucky events.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Putting Yourself in Another Person's Shoes
Focus Activity
1) What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?
To me, it means to understand situations from another person's perspective, and to look at things differently, from other's point of view. I feel that in order to do so, we need to understand the person as a whole in order to think from his/her perspective. Also, I feel that we need to be critical thinkers before we are able to see things as someone else does. If we do not think critically, we would not be able to know how something can affect that person and consider his/her feelings and thoughts of the event.
2) What makes it possible to adopt a different perspective? What is difficult about the experience?
I feel that it is possible to adopt a different perspective when we understand the situation and analyse it critically. Thinking from different points of views of people who may be affected by the event or decision is how we can adopt a different perspective. For example, as a student, playing is enjoyable, but they may spend too much time on playing. If we look from a parent's perspective, playing too much is not good for the child. This is how we can adopt a different perspective. What is difficult is that some people may not have the maturity or the ability to think in others' shoes. Also, some people are really hard to comprehend. Therefore, putting ourselves in their shoes can be a challenge for many.
That would be all for now. Do look forward for future posts.
1) What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?
To me, it means to understand situations from another person's perspective, and to look at things differently, from other's point of view. I feel that in order to do so, we need to understand the person as a whole in order to think from his/her perspective. Also, I feel that we need to be critical thinkers before we are able to see things as someone else does. If we do not think critically, we would not be able to know how something can affect that person and consider his/her feelings and thoughts of the event.
2) What makes it possible to adopt a different perspective? What is difficult about the experience?
I feel that it is possible to adopt a different perspective when we understand the situation and analyse it critically. Thinking from different points of views of people who may be affected by the event or decision is how we can adopt a different perspective. For example, as a student, playing is enjoyable, but they may spend too much time on playing. If we look from a parent's perspective, playing too much is not good for the child. This is how we can adopt a different perspective. What is difficult is that some people may not have the maturity or the ability to think in others' shoes. Also, some people are really hard to comprehend. Therefore, putting ourselves in their shoes can be a challenge for many.
That would be all for now. Do look forward for future posts.
Childhood Memories and Court Case
Personal Response
1) What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?
When I was Primary 2, my classmates introduced me to a haunted place in the school, which was actually a quite deserted sand pit. They told me about how hands would rise from it at night and how people with green eyes would appear too. Claiming that people had actually seen it, I started believing what they said, but with some suspiscion. I did not believe in such things, but it just seemed too real. This was like how Scout believes in what Jem and other poeple say about The Radley's Place.
2) As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? least? Explain.
In the scenes played in the courtroom, there were three main characters related to the rape case: Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Bob Ewell. I put their names in such an order because this is the order shows the empathy level for them, in decreasing order.
I empathized most with Tom Robinson. He was questioned and accused by the lawyer, Mayella and Bob Ewell, although he had not done anything wrong. Just because he was a black, the jury also made him guilty although he did not commit the crime. I feel that it is very unfair for him and thus, I empathized with him.
I also empathized with Mayella Ewell. She was the victim of the rape case, and still had to protect the real culprit. Therefore, she accused Tom Robinson. I can see that she did not feel too good about it, but that was her only choice. She was also questioned very severely by Atticus Finch and she still had to protect the culprit. In addition, she was abused by her father at home when he drank too much beer. Therefore, she is also worthy of empathy.
I empathized least with Bob Ewell. I could not even empathise with him! He kept lying during the trial and made Mayella lie too. I feel that the behaviour is very incorrect and untolerable. Therefore, I empathized with him the least.
1) What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?
When I was Primary 2, my classmates introduced me to a haunted place in the school, which was actually a quite deserted sand pit. They told me about how hands would rise from it at night and how people with green eyes would appear too. Claiming that people had actually seen it, I started believing what they said, but with some suspiscion. I did not believe in such things, but it just seemed too real. This was like how Scout believes in what Jem and other poeple say about The Radley's Place.
2) As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? least? Explain.
In the scenes played in the courtroom, there were three main characters related to the rape case: Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Bob Ewell. I put their names in such an order because this is the order shows the empathy level for them, in decreasing order.
I empathized most with Tom Robinson. He was questioned and accused by the lawyer, Mayella and Bob Ewell, although he had not done anything wrong. Just because he was a black, the jury also made him guilty although he did not commit the crime. I feel that it is very unfair for him and thus, I empathized with him.
I also empathized with Mayella Ewell. She was the victim of the rape case, and still had to protect the real culprit. Therefore, she accused Tom Robinson. I can see that she did not feel too good about it, but that was her only choice. She was also questioned very severely by Atticus Finch and she still had to protect the culprit. In addition, she was abused by her father at home when he drank too much beer. Therefore, she is also worthy of empathy.
I empathized least with Bob Ewell. I could not even empathise with him! He kept lying during the trial and made Mayella lie too. I feel that the behaviour is very incorrect and untolerable. Therefore, I empathized with him the least.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A "Quote" - Food for Thought
Today, during IH lessons, at 10:05 a.m., my IH teacher and form teacher, Miss Yeo said, "There will be consequences for every decision you choose to make".
I agree with what she said to a very large extent. If we make certain decisions, we must be able to bear the consequences of those decisions. All decisions made would definitely cause a consequence. What we can do, is to do the right decisions in order to have a pleasant consequence. If not, the consequence might be unbearable for some. Such decisions do not have to be major or huge ones.
For instance, making a decision of which bus to take would also cause evident consequences. If we choose the bus that goes a longer route, we would reach our destination late, causing a lot of time lost. In my opinion, life is just like choosing which bus to take. There are four possibilities I can think of by using the analogy of the bus.
(1) Taking the bus which goes the longer route, we would still end up at the destination.
Though we would take a longer time to reach our destination, we would still reach it at the end. Sometimes, reaching your goals slower is not altogether bad. In the process, we can experience more things and learn valuable life lessons.
(2) Taking the bus which goes the shorter route, and reaching the destination faster than anyone else.
This route would be preferred by most, as we can get to our goals fast. I too like this possibility. However, when things do not turn out as good as we expect it to be, possibility 1 might not be a bad choice either. As the saying goes, failure is the mother of success. Once we have taken the longer route, we would, in the future, know the right bus to take.
(3) Taking a bus and alighting halfway before reaching your destination.
Peseverance is very important. Even if we find the short cuts in life, if we do not persevere and push on till the end, we would still end up with nothing. We should work towards our goals with all our strength, and not give up halfway.
(4) Taking a bus, alighting halfway, but taking another bus reaching a new destination.
Sometimes, when we realise that the goal we formerly wanted is not what we really want, I feel that we should have the courage to end it and strive for our real goals in life. However, I'm not encouraging everyone to keep changing goals frequently, as that would just cause us to fulfill nothing in the end. We should consider very hard and be very sure of our goals before we work towards them.
That is all for now, readers. This is only my opinion. Whether you agree or not is another issue. Do comment on this so that we can have a healthy discussion on this topic.
P.S. I hope that there is no offense taken by anyone because I was just voicing my view on what I feel that was quite meaningful. I know I drifted off from the quote, but I thought of the bottom part after hearing the quote, so I just wanted to share with all readers my opinion.
Just for more: "Meaningful Quotes"
Meaningful quotes might not just come from people who spend their whole day thinking of something smart to say. Meaningful quotes can come from anyone, anywhere and even anytime, be it when someone is feeling happy, sad or angry, when one is teaching students and it just naturally come out, or even when scolding students. I am not kidding. Many of these meaningful quotes can appear when a teacher is scolding students.
I agree with what she said to a very large extent. If we make certain decisions, we must be able to bear the consequences of those decisions. All decisions made would definitely cause a consequence. What we can do, is to do the right decisions in order to have a pleasant consequence. If not, the consequence might be unbearable for some. Such decisions do not have to be major or huge ones.
For instance, making a decision of which bus to take would also cause evident consequences. If we choose the bus that goes a longer route, we would reach our destination late, causing a lot of time lost. In my opinion, life is just like choosing which bus to take. There are four possibilities I can think of by using the analogy of the bus.
(1) Taking the bus which goes the longer route, we would still end up at the destination.
Though we would take a longer time to reach our destination, we would still reach it at the end. Sometimes, reaching your goals slower is not altogether bad. In the process, we can experience more things and learn valuable life lessons.
(2) Taking the bus which goes the shorter route, and reaching the destination faster than anyone else.
This route would be preferred by most, as we can get to our goals fast. I too like this possibility. However, when things do not turn out as good as we expect it to be, possibility 1 might not be a bad choice either. As the saying goes, failure is the mother of success. Once we have taken the longer route, we would, in the future, know the right bus to take.
(3) Taking a bus and alighting halfway before reaching your destination.
Peseverance is very important. Even if we find the short cuts in life, if we do not persevere and push on till the end, we would still end up with nothing. We should work towards our goals with all our strength, and not give up halfway.
(4) Taking a bus, alighting halfway, but taking another bus reaching a new destination.
Sometimes, when we realise that the goal we formerly wanted is not what we really want, I feel that we should have the courage to end it and strive for our real goals in life. However, I'm not encouraging everyone to keep changing goals frequently, as that would just cause us to fulfill nothing in the end. We should consider very hard and be very sure of our goals before we work towards them.
That is all for now, readers. This is only my opinion. Whether you agree or not is another issue. Do comment on this so that we can have a healthy discussion on this topic.
P.S. I hope that there is no offense taken by anyone because I was just voicing my view on what I feel that was quite meaningful. I know I drifted off from the quote, but I thought of the bottom part after hearing the quote, so I just wanted to share with all readers my opinion.
Just for more: "Meaningful Quotes"
Meaningful quotes might not just come from people who spend their whole day thinking of something smart to say. Meaningful quotes can come from anyone, anywhere and even anytime, be it when someone is feeling happy, sad or angry, when one is teaching students and it just naturally come out, or even when scolding students. I am not kidding. Many of these meaningful quotes can appear when a teacher is scolding students.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Narrative Viewpoints
This is on my opinions on when we should use first-person or third-person perspective.
I would use the first-person perspective when I want to develop the persona and show the story through someone's perspective, which is usually biased. For example, if I want to make a complex idea seem simple, I can have a young immature child as the narrator and I can show things through his/her eyes. This is very important as children and adults would have different experiences and maturity in thinking. Therefore, if we want to develop the character, first-person perspective would be a good choice.
Cons of using first-person perspective:
What the readers can know is very limited. Since it is written in first-person perspective, the author cannot possibly be omniscient. Therefore, if plot is an important part of the story, the author should not use the first-person perspective.
I would use the third-person perspective when I want to show a non-biased account of the whole story, and to show every detail of the story which none of the characters know everything that happens. A thrid-person perspective can be very useful when we want to develop the plot as the third-person perspective can allow the narrator to be omniscient.
Cons of using third-person perspective:
By using third-person perspective, there cannot be too much of characterisation for the main character as the author would have to show many different characters other than "I". Therefore, if characterisation is an important part of the story, the author should not use the third-person perspective.
This is my opinion on the usage of first and third person perspective. What's yours?
I would use the first-person perspective when I want to develop the persona and show the story through someone's perspective, which is usually biased. For example, if I want to make a complex idea seem simple, I can have a young immature child as the narrator and I can show things through his/her eyes. This is very important as children and adults would have different experiences and maturity in thinking. Therefore, if we want to develop the character, first-person perspective would be a good choice.
Cons of using first-person perspective:
What the readers can know is very limited. Since it is written in first-person perspective, the author cannot possibly be omniscient. Therefore, if plot is an important part of the story, the author should not use the first-person perspective.
I would use the third-person perspective when I want to show a non-biased account of the whole story, and to show every detail of the story which none of the characters know everything that happens. A thrid-person perspective can be very useful when we want to develop the plot as the third-person perspective can allow the narrator to be omniscient.
Cons of using third-person perspective:
By using third-person perspective, there cannot be too much of characterisation for the main character as the author would have to show many different characters other than "I". Therefore, if characterisation is an important part of the story, the author should not use the third-person perspective.
This is my opinion on the usage of first and third person perspective. What's yours?
Description of Beach - Setting
There was brown sand, with shiny white seashells concentrated at one area. The stark contrast between the dull sand the glittering seashells made me exceptionally attracted to it. As the waves splashed on the sand, I could see a whole line of white which stretched as long as the Great Wall of China. The splashes were sweet-sounding to the ears, as it acted as a little lullaby, making me drowsily attracted to the beautiful scenery. As I looked on at the blue-green sea which sparkled with white spots from the rays of the sun, I could spot a few ships in the distance. Tasting the salty air, I looked up and saw white clouds roll by, with some blue concentrated in the middle. "Such a beautiful scenery," I said to myself, while I awed at the beauty of nature. The seashells, the blue-green sea, the clouds, everything around me appealed to me.
Please give me comments so that I can improve. :D (especially Glenn because that's homework :P)
Please give me comments so that I can improve. :D (especially Glenn because that's homework :P)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Home Learning Assignment - Comic Strip
Below is the comic strip I did for the Home Learning Assignment.
Have fun! :D
- Why did you choose the different pictures or background(s)?
In the first three panels, it shows a dark background, showing the dull feelings of Ah Boy and his mum. In the fourth panel, as Ah Boy thinks about his acts, I chose a plain background as it shows how plain and innocent he is. In the fifth panel, we can see a bright orange background, showing the rise in the main characters' feelings. In the sixth panel, we can see that the teacher is loving as shown by the backgroud.
- How do they contribute to the elements (plot, setting, characterisation) of your narrative?
- How do they contribute to the elements (plot, setting, characterisation) of your narrative?
A dull background can indicate many things. It indicates a boring life of Ah Boy and how his mother feels towards Ah Boy's feelings. Brightness in the last two panels show how the feelings has risen. In the fourth panel, the plainess of the background shows the plainess and innocence of Ah Boy, the main character.
- How did you make use of the different elements to contribute to the theme you have chosen?
My theme is the importance of hardwork. There should be a motivation for hardwork, like how the mother not allow Ah Boy to eat his dinner. That is put simply as 6 panels are really too little to show what I want to show. Therefore, Panel 3 was made this way as people can identity with it too. Also, hardwork can cause a positive change in feelings, as shown by the colour change in the background.
That's all, readers. :P
Friday, January 14, 2011
Perpetrators and Victims of Prejudice
Dear Readers,
This is another post from me. This first paragraph acts as a disclaimer. This post is not intended to offend anybody or to put down anyone. This post is merely my thoughts and I hope readers do not be too sensitive as this may cause problem which can be very detrimental.
Q: Have you ever been in the company of a group of which you clearly were not included? Describe the circumstances. How did you act? How did the situation / event affect you?
Yes, I have been in a group which I was clearly not included. It was a fund-raising project and there was a committee being set up. I was in the committee. Then, a leader was chosen, but the leader was actually made leader just to facilitate the project.
So, we had our committee meetings. In one of the meetings, the committee made some decisions. One of the decisions made was to go to the member's house on the next day to settle the items for sale, so that if we cannot finish it, we can settle it on another day. Therefore, we informed one of the members of the committee to prepare some materials to make the items for sale. So, on the same day itself, I called the member who was supposed to settle the materials to inform her on how much materials was needed. After that, she went down with her family to Malaysia just to get the materials. After she left for Malaysia, I received an sms from the leader saying that we would not be making the items for sale on the next day, and instead, five days later. I replied to his sms asking why the decision, but he just simply said that it could be settled five days later and I did not have to worry.
Then, I kept trying to call the member who already was in Malaysia. However, the time when I managed to contact her was when she returned to Singapore and already bought the materials. I told her the news and she was a little disappointed too.
I felt very disappointed then. I felt that I was not included and the decision made during the meeting, which was suggested by me, was not respected. I felt that the leader should have stated it during the meeting and not send a last minute sms just to instruct me that we were not going to go to the member's house the next day, which I have been waiting for quite excitedly as I felt that it was going to be fun. However, I could do nothing, as I was just a little member of the committee and we still needed to listen to the leader.
After that incident, I learnt that if we want to be a leader, we should not be the ones asking for people to respect us. Instead, we should be respecting others. Leaders are to lead, not to instruct and make everyone agree to their thinking just because he/she is a leader. This incident left a great mark in me as I was greatly affected. I used to think that he would be a good leader, but after the incident, I had a totally different thinking. This was how much it affected me. My great impression on him was totally destroyed after that incident. Although I don't feel as strongly towards him right now, but certain negative feelings are still existent.
This is another post from me. This first paragraph acts as a disclaimer. This post is not intended to offend anybody or to put down anyone. This post is merely my thoughts and I hope readers do not be too sensitive as this may cause problem which can be very detrimental.
Q: Have you ever been in the company of a group of which you clearly were not included? Describe the circumstances. How did you act? How did the situation / event affect you?
Yes, I have been in a group which I was clearly not included. It was a fund-raising project and there was a committee being set up. I was in the committee. Then, a leader was chosen, but the leader was actually made leader just to facilitate the project.
So, we had our committee meetings. In one of the meetings, the committee made some decisions. One of the decisions made was to go to the member's house on the next day to settle the items for sale, so that if we cannot finish it, we can settle it on another day. Therefore, we informed one of the members of the committee to prepare some materials to make the items for sale. So, on the same day itself, I called the member who was supposed to settle the materials to inform her on how much materials was needed. After that, she went down with her family to Malaysia just to get the materials. After she left for Malaysia, I received an sms from the leader saying that we would not be making the items for sale on the next day, and instead, five days later. I replied to his sms asking why the decision, but he just simply said that it could be settled five days later and I did not have to worry.
Then, I kept trying to call the member who already was in Malaysia. However, the time when I managed to contact her was when she returned to Singapore and already bought the materials. I told her the news and she was a little disappointed too.
I felt very disappointed then. I felt that I was not included and the decision made during the meeting, which was suggested by me, was not respected. I felt that the leader should have stated it during the meeting and not send a last minute sms just to instruct me that we were not going to go to the member's house the next day, which I have been waiting for quite excitedly as I felt that it was going to be fun. However, I could do nothing, as I was just a little member of the committee and we still needed to listen to the leader.
After that incident, I learnt that if we want to be a leader, we should not be the ones asking for people to respect us. Instead, we should be respecting others. Leaders are to lead, not to instruct and make everyone agree to their thinking just because he/she is a leader. This incident left a great mark in me as I was greatly affected. I used to think that he would be a good leader, but after the incident, I had a totally different thinking. This was how much it affected me. My great impression on him was totally destroyed after that incident. Although I don't feel as strongly towards him right now, but certain negative feelings are still existent.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Prejudice - KWL
Know
Prejudice is judging someone without a logical reasoning, and this phenomenon has existed for a very long time. Prejudice can cause undesirable results as some people are not given the chances they deserve. Prejudice can come in many forms, against people of some skin colour, gender, age, nationality and many other examples.
Want
I would want to know about other forms of prejudice, so that I can better understand prejudice itself. I would also like to understand what prejudice exactly means. I would also like to know about why people have prejudice over others and form stereotypes about certain groups of people.
Learn
Prejudice is judging someone without a logical reasoning, and this phenomenon has existed for a very long time. Prejudice can cause undesirable results as some people are not given the chances they deserve. Prejudice can come in many forms, against people of some skin colour, gender, age, nationality and many other examples.
Want
I would want to know about other forms of prejudice, so that I can better understand prejudice itself. I would also like to understand what prejudice exactly means. I would also like to know about why people have prejudice over others and form stereotypes about certain groups of people.
Learn
Prejudice is the prejudgement before establishment of facts, understanding of situation and/or knowledge of the person.
Some Generalisations of Prejudice (Came up together with my Group):
Some Generalisations of Prejudice (Came up together with my Group):
1. There is always one or more perpetrator and victim in every case of prejudice.
2. Prejudice is caused because of some sort of differences from person to person, be it ethnic race, skin colour, religion or gender.
3. Prejudice occurs everywhere.
4. Prejudice is adopting an unfair judgement of one or more persons.
5. Prejudice is abstract, unless being acted out in the form of discrimination.
6. Prejudice is detrimental. Genocides (large-scale massacre of a whole race) and lynching (torture of a whole race) are the worst consequences, whilst the least serious consequences are being aloof to a party (ignoring).
7. Prejudice cannot be fully eradicated; it will always exist.
2. Prejudice is caused because of some sort of differences from person to person, be it ethnic race, skin colour, religion or gender.
3. Prejudice occurs everywhere.
4. Prejudice is adopting an unfair judgement of one or more persons.
5. Prejudice is abstract, unless being acted out in the form of discrimination.
6. Prejudice is detrimental. Genocides (large-scale massacre of a whole race) and lynching (torture of a whole race) are the worst consequences, whilst the least serious consequences are being aloof to a party (ignoring).
7. Prejudice cannot be fully eradicated; it will always exist.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Extract from a Prose
Extract from a Speech from SM Goh about the 5Cs
"This is my hope for Singapore. But you should have your own dream. I cannot dream for you; the government cannot dream for you. What the government will do is to create the fertile soil for you to sow and grow your dreams.
The first essential condition is a vibrant and growing economy. Such an economy will offer many opportunities and well-paid, challenging jobs.
The second essential condition is a quality education system. We will be spending more on education and life-long worker training."
My Opinion
This extract have left a deep impression on me as I feel that it is extremely meaningful. Indeed, no one can dream for us, only we can dream for ourself. Parents may have certain expectations for us children, but if these expectations go against your dreams, you should not be affected and give up on your dream.
Everybody should have a dream. Only with dreams can we have a target to work towards. Without dreams, our life would be meaningless and dull. With dreams, people get motivation to work harder and finally fulfulling their dreams. Many people would give up when they face obstacles or rejection. However, I feel that if the dream is worth chasing, we should not give up.
In addition, I also agree on how important education is to people. Having a quality education system is of paramount importance as that decides how much someone learns and the skills he/she picks up in school. This is greatly affect the future of a person as without any skills, one cannot survive in today's society. Therefore, to fulfill our dreams, we should, as students, work hard now in order to fulfill our dreams and sustain a living at the same time.
As Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Therefore, with a vibrant and growing economy and a quality education system, which acts as shoulders of giants, we can see further and fulfill our dreams.
This is why this extract left such a deep impression on me, and this is what I have learnt from this meaningful extract from Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's speech.
"This is my hope for Singapore. But you should have your own dream. I cannot dream for you; the government cannot dream for you. What the government will do is to create the fertile soil for you to sow and grow your dreams.
The first essential condition is a vibrant and growing economy. Such an economy will offer many opportunities and well-paid, challenging jobs.
The second essential condition is a quality education system. We will be spending more on education and life-long worker training."
My Opinion
This extract have left a deep impression on me as I feel that it is extremely meaningful. Indeed, no one can dream for us, only we can dream for ourself. Parents may have certain expectations for us children, but if these expectations go against your dreams, you should not be affected and give up on your dream.
Everybody should have a dream. Only with dreams can we have a target to work towards. Without dreams, our life would be meaningless and dull. With dreams, people get motivation to work harder and finally fulfulling their dreams. Many people would give up when they face obstacles or rejection. However, I feel that if the dream is worth chasing, we should not give up.
In addition, I also agree on how important education is to people. Having a quality education system is of paramount importance as that decides how much someone learns and the skills he/she picks up in school. This is greatly affect the future of a person as without any skills, one cannot survive in today's society. Therefore, to fulfill our dreams, we should, as students, work hard now in order to fulfill our dreams and sustain a living at the same time.
As Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Therefore, with a vibrant and growing economy and a quality education system, which acts as shoulders of giants, we can see further and fulfill our dreams.
This is why this extract left such a deep impression on me, and this is what I have learnt from this meaningful extract from Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's speech.
A New Year, A New Start
Dear Readers,
Welcome to a new year of my blog posting. This is 2011, meaning I am Secondary 2 this year. Have fun reading my blog posts and I hope you can continue to give me feedback so that I can keep improving.
That's my first blog post for the year. I would be posting up more posts very soon. Look forward to them.
Welcome to a new year of my blog posting. This is 2011, meaning I am Secondary 2 this year. Have fun reading my blog posts and I hope you can continue to give me feedback so that I can keep improving.
That's my first blog post for the year. I would be posting up more posts very soon. Look forward to them.
Monday, March 8, 2010
A "Quote"
Today, during RS lessons, my form teacher, Miss Yeo said, "Do not ask questions which would betray your intellectual ability".
I agree with what she said to a certain extent. If we ask "smart" questions, people would think that we are at least thinking through what we say and not just say all the nonsense or ideas (to put it in a better way) that comes to our brain. If we just speak our mind, if our mind is thinking the "smarter" ideas, then, it is fine. Having said that, it is still very dangerous. We cannot really control what we think. I still feel that we should always think through before even saying or doing anything.
That is all for now, readers.
P.S. I hope that there is no offense taken by anyone because I was just voicing my view on what I feel that was quite meaningful.
Just for more: "Meaningful Quotes"
Meaningful quotes might not just come from people who spend their whole day thinking of something smart to say. Meaningful quotes can come from anyone, anywhere and even anytime, be it when someone is feeling happy, sad or angry, when one is teaching students and it just naturally come out, or even when scolding students. I am not kidding. Many of these meaningful quotes can appear when a teacher is scolding students.
I agree with what she said to a certain extent. If we ask "smart" questions, people would think that we are at least thinking through what we say and not just say all the nonsense or ideas (to put it in a better way) that comes to our brain. If we just speak our mind, if our mind is thinking the "smarter" ideas, then, it is fine. Having said that, it is still very dangerous. We cannot really control what we think. I still feel that we should always think through before even saying or doing anything.
That is all for now, readers.
P.S. I hope that there is no offense taken by anyone because I was just voicing my view on what I feel that was quite meaningful.
Just for more: "Meaningful Quotes"
Meaningful quotes might not just come from people who spend their whole day thinking of something smart to say. Meaningful quotes can come from anyone, anywhere and even anytime, be it when someone is feeling happy, sad or angry, when one is teaching students and it just naturally come out, or even when scolding students. I am not kidding. Many of these meaningful quotes can appear when a teacher is scolding students.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Announcements and Advertisements (2)
Annoucements
1) I would like to applaud Nicholas for giving me valuable feedback on how to improve two of my posts. I hope more of you would do so too.
Advertisements
1) This to advertise what I have just announced. I hope all you readers can give me more feedback so that all of you readers can have better reading materials. I look forward to more valuable feedback from all of you.
1) I would like to applaud Nicholas for giving me valuable feedback on how to improve two of my posts. I hope more of you would do so too.
Advertisements
1) This to advertise what I have just announced. I hope all you readers can give me more feedback so that all of you readers can have better reading materials. I look forward to more valuable feedback from all of you.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Announcements and Advertisements (1)
Announcements
1) Please comment on my blog posts so that I can improve on them. This will allow all my readers, and you too, have a better time reading them.
2) I look forward to posting on term 3, which is about 3 months later. However, do not worry readers, I would post a few posts too in term 2 so that you won't get bored. :):D:P
Advertisements
1) Remember to join the Facebook Group "Monsters VS Aliens" today. Let's make it the most popular Facebook Group on Facebook. :):D:P
2) Please also remember to visit http://www2.hci.edu.sg/y10hci0126/home.html today. It's my ePortfolio for Infocomm Studies (IS). Please also give me valuable feedback at the contacts page's feedback form. Thanks. :):D:P
Bye...
1) Please comment on my blog posts so that I can improve on them. This will allow all my readers, and you too, have a better time reading them.
2) I look forward to posting on term 3, which is about 3 months later. However, do not worry readers, I would post a few posts too in term 2 so that you won't get bored. :):D:P
Advertisements
1) Remember to join the Facebook Group "Monsters VS Aliens" today. Let's make it the most popular Facebook Group on Facebook. :):D:P
2) Please also remember to visit http://www2.hci.edu.sg/y10hci0126/home.html today. It's my ePortfolio for Infocomm Studies (IS). Please also give me valuable feedback at the contacts page's feedback form. Thanks. :):D:P
Bye...
AAP Homework
The details are in the picture above...
To just explain because the picture above is not very clear, the advertiser has used extremely close-up shot to show just the hair and show clearly the hair problems. The advertiser has also used the aerial shot to show the hair clearly too. It also uses medium shot to show body language and facial expression.
That's all for now.
:) A short advertisement for all:
Join the Facebook Group created by me: "Monsters VS Aliens" and invite all your friends. Let's work together to make it the most popular group on Facebook.
The Lottery -- Themes
I have identified a few themes in "The Lottery". Some are blind leading the blind, self-preservation or self-interest, traditions and rituals, sacrifice and superstitions and ironies.
1) The first theme I have identified: Blind leading the blind
The villagers, in order to have good harvest, actually held lotteries and stoned people to death who picked the unlucky lot. Why did they do so? One point is that their ancestors have been doing this for decades, or even centuries, just a long period of time. They just follow blindly. This is just like the blind leading the blind. The ancestors just had a superstition (refer to point 5) that stoning someone to death would let them have good harvest. Are they sure? They were just like the 'blind'. Then, the descendants. They just followed blindly. Isn't this just the blind leading the blind?
2) The second theme I have identified: Self-preservation or self-interest
Another reason why they have this lottery is to 'preserve' themselves. Just for good harvest, they can actually just stone someone to death. The villagers want to preserve themselves. Have a better harvest, earn more by selling more in the market or having more to eat, and they are happy. They just look out for their own interest. I conclude from the above two points that the villagers that they are very simple-minded. All they want is good harvest. Sadly, they seek for it the wrong way.
3) The third theme I have identified: Traditions and Rituals
Traditions and rituals can be deadly. One example, the lottery. However, not all traditions are bad. Is giving angbows during Chinese New Year bad? In one of my previous posts on lottery, I have said that I opine that bad traditions are traditions that involves sacrifice or injury to one, especially one who could be so close to you.
4) The fourth theme I have identified: Sacrifice
In my above point, I have opined that bad traditions are those that involves sacrifice. Sacrificing someone in your village for a probable good harvest, is this fair to the person being sacrificed? I know, in a sacrifice, there is nothing known as fairness. There is no fairness in sacrifices. But, this lottery, this sacrifice, is it even necessary?
5) The fifth theme I have identified: Superstitions
The lottery, superstition or not? This question is subjective. To the villagers and the ancestors of them, the lottery is not a superstition at all! It is a fact, the truth. To many of us, we would feel that this is obviously a superstition. Let me give an example, one very famous superstition amongst my peers is something known as Friday the 13th. This day, falls on a Friday and the 13th of the month. For example, this year (2010), August 13th falls on a Friday. It is an example of Friday the 13th. It is known that on this day, unlucky things would happen to all. Some unlucky things just coincidently happen on that day and people would believe it. Bringing it back to the lottery, the villagers might have experienced good harvest the year they stoned someone, so they continued it. But, the good harvest could have been caused by other factors. Am I right?
Thanks for reading my long post. I apologise if this was too long. It just came naturally to me. :)
Another short advertisement:
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Friday, March 5, 2010
The Scarlet Ibis --- Was the narrator too much??
Why I think the story was called "The Scarlet Ibis"
I feel that it was called "The Scarlet Ibis" because it is a symbol of Doodle. The Scarlet Ibis was very similar in many ways. But, I am going to share only one main similarity between them.
It died because of an external force making it/him do something beyond its/his power. The scarlet ibis was forced to fly over long distances to avoid the storm. The external force here is the storm. And the thing it did beyond its power was flying over such long distances. In the case of Doodle, the external force was the narrator. It was the narrator that forced Doodle to do things that he could not do, but still did because the external force was too strong. In the end, both the scarlet ibis and Doodle died because of this external force, which can be so strong it is destructive.
A Little about the story
The Scarlet Ibis is a touching story about a brother trying to let his younger brother do things like a normal kid could do. The younger brother was verdicted to not being able to live more than 3 months. His parents actually asked a carpenter to make a mahogony coffin for the younger brother since he was going to die. The only person who trusted that the younger brother would not die was the person who delivered him, Aunt Nicey.
Naming Doodle/William Armstrong/narrator's brother
After three months, the younger brother did not die. The parents decided to name him William Armstrong. When the younger brother was two, he started to crawl and talked a lot. Since he always crawled backwards when he crawled, the narrator decided to name him Doodle. The narrator feels that "Renaming [Doodle] was perhaps the kindest thing [the narrator] eveer did for [Doodle], because nobody expects much from someone called Doodle."
My Opinion on the name "Doodle" given by the narrator
I would like to voice my view on what the narrator felt. Although looking superficially, it looked as if the narrator was trying insult his brother. However, looking deeper, what he said made some sense. He did so to not let people have high expectations on Doodle because if they had high exectations on Doodle, he might not even be able to meet any.
Doodle and the Go-Cart
Then, whenever the narrator went out, his mother would want him to bring Doodle out in his go-cart. The narrator wanted to discourage Doodle from coming with him, thus he would "run with [Doodle] across the ends of the cotton rows and careen him around corners on two wheels". The narrator was then, childish, and did not show much love to Doodle.
Doodle learning to walk
Going down the story, the narrator wanted Doodle to walk as he was tired of pushing Doodle around in his go-cart. The narrator "took [Doodle] by the arms and stood him up. He collapsed onto the grass like a half-empty flour sack." They tried this many times until Doodle could stand alone for a few seconds. Then, they continued and Doodle could finally walk. Without the narrator, would Doodle be able to learn how to walk? Wouldn't he just be lying in his bed, waiting for death?
I feel that it was called "The Scarlet Ibis" because it is a symbol of Doodle. The Scarlet Ibis was very similar in many ways. But, I am going to share only one main similarity between them.
It died because of an external force making it/him do something beyond its/his power. The scarlet ibis was forced to fly over long distances to avoid the storm. The external force here is the storm. And the thing it did beyond its power was flying over such long distances. In the case of Doodle, the external force was the narrator. It was the narrator that forced Doodle to do things that he could not do, but still did because the external force was too strong. In the end, both the scarlet ibis and Doodle died because of this external force, which can be so strong it is destructive.
A Little about the story
The Scarlet Ibis is a touching story about a brother trying to let his younger brother do things like a normal kid could do. The younger brother was verdicted to not being able to live more than 3 months. His parents actually asked a carpenter to make a mahogony coffin for the younger brother since he was going to die. The only person who trusted that the younger brother would not die was the person who delivered him, Aunt Nicey.
Naming Doodle/William Armstrong/narrator's brother
After three months, the younger brother did not die. The parents decided to name him William Armstrong. When the younger brother was two, he started to crawl and talked a lot. Since he always crawled backwards when he crawled, the narrator decided to name him Doodle. The narrator feels that "Renaming [Doodle] was perhaps the kindest thing [the narrator] eveer did for [Doodle], because nobody expects much from someone called Doodle."
My Opinion on the name "Doodle" given by the narrator
I would like to voice my view on what the narrator felt. Although looking superficially, it looked as if the narrator was trying insult his brother. However, looking deeper, what he said made some sense. He did so to not let people have high expectations on Doodle because if they had high exectations on Doodle, he might not even be able to meet any.
Doodle and the Go-Cart
Then, whenever the narrator went out, his mother would want him to bring Doodle out in his go-cart. The narrator wanted to discourage Doodle from coming with him, thus he would "run with [Doodle] across the ends of the cotton rows and careen him around corners on two wheels". The narrator was then, childish, and did not show much love to Doodle.
Doodle learning to walk
Going down the story, the narrator wanted Doodle to walk as he was tired of pushing Doodle around in his go-cart. The narrator "took [Doodle] by the arms and stood him up. He collapsed onto the grass like a half-empty flour sack." They tried this many times until Doodle could stand alone for a few seconds. Then, they continued and Doodle could finally walk. Without the narrator, would Doodle be able to learn how to walk? Wouldn't he just be lying in his bed, waiting for death?
Doodle after learning how to walk
The narrator was ambitious. After making Doodle learn how to walk, he wanted to teach Doodle how to run, jump, swim and fight like a normal kid could do. It would be obvious that they would face many challenges. Doodle woud have experienced pain. But would Doodle's life be so rich without the narrator?
Class Discussions
In our class discussions, we have come to a conclusion that the narrator is cruel to Doodle because he loves him. In love, there is always a fight for more power.
That's all for now. :)
The Lottery
When people hear of lotteries, most would envision grand prizes of a few hundred thousands of cash prize, a plasma television, a trip to Las Vegas and many other luxurious prizes. Most people would want to earn lotteries, but is it the case in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
In the lottery in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, villagers draw lots for their family. Then, the family who got the unlucky lot, everyone in the family would then draw lots. The one in the family which drew the unlucky lot would be stoned to death by other villagers as a tradition. This is so ironic as in my above paragraph, lotteries are meant to be good things and people who win it would be very happy. It is so much different in the story.
This tradition of those villagers was started off from a superstition that if they do so, they would have good harvest. Making someone die so painfully just for your own needs, I do not think it is fair. Moreover, this superstition might not even be true.
Are all traditions bad? If it is so, then giving angbows to other people would be bad too. Giving gifts during Christmas it bad too. To me, I feel bad traditions as those which involves injuring humans no matter physically or emotionally. Like in "The Lottery", it involved injury and even death to the villager who was unlucky to get chosen.
This lottery is very cruel. The villagers can actually be evil enough to stone someone who was living with them for so many years to death just for good harvest. This tradition might not even be true. As years pass by, the villagers would become more and more cold-blooded. They become inhumane. They become barbarians.
I have created a facebook group called Monsters VS Aliens. Join it and invite all your friends...:):D:P Look forward to as many people in this group as possible. Let's make it the most popular group on facebook. Yeh!! I am using propaganda techniques...
Thanks for viewing this blog post patiently. :)
In the lottery in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, villagers draw lots for their family. Then, the family who got the unlucky lot, everyone in the family would then draw lots. The one in the family which drew the unlucky lot would be stoned to death by other villagers as a tradition. This is so ironic as in my above paragraph, lotteries are meant to be good things and people who win it would be very happy. It is so much different in the story.
This tradition of those villagers was started off from a superstition that if they do so, they would have good harvest. Making someone die so painfully just for your own needs, I do not think it is fair. Moreover, this superstition might not even be true.
Are all traditions bad? If it is so, then giving angbows to other people would be bad too. Giving gifts during Christmas it bad too. To me, I feel bad traditions as those which involves injuring humans no matter physically or emotionally. Like in "The Lottery", it involved injury and even death to the villager who was unlucky to get chosen.
This lottery is very cruel. The villagers can actually be evil enough to stone someone who was living with them for so many years to death just for good harvest. This tradition might not even be true. As years pass by, the villagers would become more and more cold-blooded. They become inhumane. They become barbarians.
Another irony is that one of the villagers said that the village near them wanted to abort the lottery. What he said was that "next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves." This is ironic because the lottery is as savage and barbaric a ritual as any practiced by cave dwellers. He is criticising himself and his whole village without knowing it. They are so barbaric and they do not even notice.
Speaking of barbarians...A little off topic...so...I have created a facebook group called Monsters VS Aliens. Join it and invite all your friends...:):D:P Look forward to as many people in this group as possible. Let's make it the most popular group on facebook. Yeh!! I am using propaganda techniques...
Thanks for viewing this blog post patiently. :)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
E-Learning: Who would you want to be friends with in the Flowers for Algernon. Explain your choice.
I would like to be friends with Dr Nemur as I see that he needs friends very badly but he does not seem to notice. I am the kind who is not very sociable and would normally find friends who are less sociable than I am. Dr Nemur is one who cannot socialise well with people and is usually found having grouchy face, making people not like him. Through making friends with him, my laughter and happiness might be able to spread to him and he would live happier everyday. Moreover, I can see that Dr Nemur only aims for money and fame, but not looking for friends, which can be such an important part in one’s life. Therefore, I would look for him and he can continue pursuing his money and fame and have me as his friend as well. In addition, by being his friend, I might be able to change him bit by bit to not just pursue money and fame and pursue a bigger circle of friends to share his weal and woe with.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Facebook: Boon or Bane?
'Facebook' – sounds familiar? Well, Facebook is just simply a social networking site which allows users to '…share details of their lives with friends and loved ones, trading pictures of their memorable moments and participating in shared interest groups…', as quoted from a Straits Times article entitled Facebook User Made Police Report. Facebook, whether is it boon or bane, good or bad, beneficial or harmful, is a question worthy of debate.
Before we can even start on any discussion, we should understand the word boon. As defined in the Longman Dictionary, it is 'something that is very useful and makes your life a lot easier or better'. One cannot deny that Facebook has indeed many functions and applications which definitely enhance communication amongst friends and acquaintances through games, quizzes, groups, pages and photos being shared on it. No doubt, Facebook thus enables us to make more friends as we can know a friend, B, through an existing contact, A. Then, through B, we can know C, D, E and the virtuous cycle continues.
Having now highlighted the advantages of Facebook, it is time we consider the bane aspect. Longman Dictionary defines bane as 'something that causes trouble or makes people unhappy'. One cannot deny that Facebook has its obvious flaws. One very crucial blemish, which cannot really be controlled, is that anyone can join Facebook anytime, anywhere, and post any topic on it. Anyone on Facebook can also just create a social group and opine anything they like, post comments on their 'wall' and unfortunately, Facebook cannot restrict such activities if they are of malicious and offensive nature. The Facebook creator simply cannot possibly scan through everybody’s groups and 'walls' to verify anything considered harmful or uncivil. Although users can inform the site's moderator about anything impertinent, and many do; when the moderator is informed, then what? Remove the comment or group, ban the account user from Facebook or to take legal actions? The comment or group being removed can easily be created again, the user whose account was banned can always create a new one, and finally, taking legal action is tricky at times as the information provided can be dubious or unreliable and it would take a long time to track down the guilty.
The exciting part is here, so is Facebook boon or bane? In my opinion, it is unquestionably a boon if used appropriately and all users abide by the simple rules of Netiquette. Even if Facebook did not exist, there are still many different platforms available to post anything provocative or derogatory. Thus, boon or bane, it’s all our choice. It is our choice to make boon or bane. Undeniably, no matter how good something is, if the users misuse it, how good can it be?
Before we can even start on any discussion, we should understand the word boon. As defined in the Longman Dictionary, it is 'something that is very useful and makes your life a lot easier or better'. One cannot deny that Facebook has indeed many functions and applications which definitely enhance communication amongst friends and acquaintances through games, quizzes, groups, pages and photos being shared on it. No doubt, Facebook thus enables us to make more friends as we can know a friend, B, through an existing contact, A. Then, through B, we can know C, D, E and the virtuous cycle continues.
Having now highlighted the advantages of Facebook, it is time we consider the bane aspect. Longman Dictionary defines bane as 'something that causes trouble or makes people unhappy'. One cannot deny that Facebook has its obvious flaws. One very crucial blemish, which cannot really be controlled, is that anyone can join Facebook anytime, anywhere, and post any topic on it. Anyone on Facebook can also just create a social group and opine anything they like, post comments on their 'wall' and unfortunately, Facebook cannot restrict such activities if they are of malicious and offensive nature. The Facebook creator simply cannot possibly scan through everybody’s groups and 'walls' to verify anything considered harmful or uncivil. Although users can inform the site's moderator about anything impertinent, and many do; when the moderator is informed, then what? Remove the comment or group, ban the account user from Facebook or to take legal actions? The comment or group being removed can easily be created again, the user whose account was banned can always create a new one, and finally, taking legal action is tricky at times as the information provided can be dubious or unreliable and it would take a long time to track down the guilty.
The exciting part is here, so is Facebook boon or bane? In my opinion, it is unquestionably a boon if used appropriately and all users abide by the simple rules of Netiquette. Even if Facebook did not exist, there are still many different platforms available to post anything provocative or derogatory. Thus, boon or bane, it’s all our choice. It is our choice to make boon or bane. Undeniably, no matter how good something is, if the users misuse it, how good can it be?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Scarlet Ibis -- Tableau
Today, we went to the Space to have our lessons. When we reached there, we arranged our chairs in a circle and there was a huge empty space in the middle. Our LA teacher said we were going to be doing tableaus for that lessons.
Tableau
A tableau is simply, according to my understanding of our LA teacher's explanation, a mime without movement. It was just a still scene without sound and movement. One of our classmates suggested that it was like a 3D picture. Our LA teacher said it was something like that.
During the lesson...
Our LA teacher said he was going to choose people to act different roles. We did the first scene when Doodle as a baby. There was Doodle, the narrator (Doodle's brother), Doodle's mother and father, Aunt Nicey, and the carpenter who made a mahagony coffin for Doodle (because the doctor said that Doodle would die in 3 months). Our LA teacher said that in a tableau, facial expression, body language and the whole body told something. In addition, the physical distance between characters show how close their relationship too.
Then, in many scenes, our LA teacher would ask if anyone would like to improve on the current tableau. A few raised their hands and our LA teacher would tell him to replace the person acting the role in which he wants to improve. Then, after the improvement, our LA teacher would give his comments then go on to the next tableau.
Everyone had a chance. Then, it was the last scene. I thought I would be so lucky and our LA teacher would forget me. Unfortunately, he remembered. I played Doodle in the scene. The scene was Doodle during the storm, when the narrator went back to see Doodle dead. I had to hug my legs closely to myself, head looking down. Another classmate played the role of the narrator. At first, he was seating quite far and just stretched his hand to put on my shoulder like he was shaking me. Then, our LA teacher suggested that he moved closer to me and put his hands around me like a hug to show the close relationship between the narrator and Doodle at the end.
Our LA teacher too said through all these tableaus, the narrator gets closer and closer to Doodle until my scene.
Tableau
A tableau is simply, according to my understanding of our LA teacher's explanation, a mime without movement. It was just a still scene without sound and movement. One of our classmates suggested that it was like a 3D picture. Our LA teacher said it was something like that.
During the lesson...
Our LA teacher said he was going to choose people to act different roles. We did the first scene when Doodle as a baby. There was Doodle, the narrator (Doodle's brother), Doodle's mother and father, Aunt Nicey, and the carpenter who made a mahagony coffin for Doodle (because the doctor said that Doodle would die in 3 months). Our LA teacher said that in a tableau, facial expression, body language and the whole body told something. In addition, the physical distance between characters show how close their relationship too.
Then, in many scenes, our LA teacher would ask if anyone would like to improve on the current tableau. A few raised their hands and our LA teacher would tell him to replace the person acting the role in which he wants to improve. Then, after the improvement, our LA teacher would give his comments then go on to the next tableau.
Everyone had a chance. Then, it was the last scene. I thought I would be so lucky and our LA teacher would forget me. Unfortunately, he remembered. I played Doodle in the scene. The scene was Doodle during the storm, when the narrator went back to see Doodle dead. I had to hug my legs closely to myself, head looking down. Another classmate played the role of the narrator. At first, he was seating quite far and just stretched his hand to put on my shoulder like he was shaking me. Then, our LA teacher suggested that he moved closer to me and put his hands around me like a hug to show the close relationship between the narrator and Doodle at the end.
Our LA teacher too said through all these tableaus, the narrator gets closer and closer to Doodle until my scene.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Socratic Seminar Reflection (My 1st One)
Last Friday, 19 Feb 2010, we had a mock socratic seminar. That week, I was part of the audience and only voiced my view once (I did not know what to say). I had to take notes of what other people were saying during their discussions to write this reflection.
Opening Question
The opening question was "Do you think the government or the citizens should create national identity? How and why
Summary of key ideas
1) The people should be the ones creating national identity as they would live it out as they create it.
My opinion on this statement: I agree with this statement. If the government forced a national identity on us, we would either act it out reluctantly or just ignore it totally.
2) Language does not define Singaporean. It is the attitude.
My opinion on this statement: I agree to a certain extent. It is not what we speak [Singlish, English and Mother Tongue -- Chinese (Mandarin)/Malay/Tamil] that defines our national identity. It is how we treat things and how we do things that define US (notice this isn't United States, it is just 'us' in capitalized form to emphasize) Singaporean. However, to a certain extent, the language does affect our national identity as when people hear Singlish, they think of Singapore
3) Some foreign talents are not enthusiastic about the country.
My opinion on this statement: I agree totally. The panelist gave an example taken from an article that during the grand Beijing Olympics 2008, the flag-bearer of our country was holding it so lowly that it almost touched the ground when other flag-bearers of other countries were waving it in pride. Apparently, the flag-bearer was a foreign talent.
4) The government wants Singapore to be a clean and green city. The government is only showing the good part of the country.
My opinion on this statement: I agree. The purpose of being a clean and green city is, other than saving the environment and having "national identity", it is also to let foreigners see the good side of Singapore. The government is just showing the good side of the country, Singapore Zoological Gardens, Night Safari, Sentosa, the new Integrated Resort and many more. However, as the panelists brought up, the foreigners are unaware of red light districts. The foreigners also does not know there are actually vagabonds in this country.
Conclusion
Actually, during the discussion, we sort of went off the tracks and the panelists did not link the point they were talking about to the main topic discussed, "What it means to be Singaporean?". However, the teacher supervising us helped us a little but it still was not ideal. The teacher said that we were all lucky that that was a mock one, and if that was an actual one, all the panelists would have got a zero. (I forgot what exactly she said).
Opening Question
The opening question was "Do you think the government or the citizens should create national identity? How and why
Summary of key ideas
1) The people should be the ones creating national identity as they would live it out as they create it.
My opinion on this statement: I agree with this statement. If the government forced a national identity on us, we would either act it out reluctantly or just ignore it totally.
2) Language does not define Singaporean. It is the attitude.
My opinion on this statement: I agree to a certain extent. It is not what we speak [Singlish, English and Mother Tongue -- Chinese (Mandarin)/Malay/Tamil] that defines our national identity. It is how we treat things and how we do things that define US (notice this isn't United States, it is just 'us' in capitalized form to emphasize) Singaporean. However, to a certain extent, the language does affect our national identity as when people hear Singlish, they think of Singapore
3) Some foreign talents are not enthusiastic about the country.
My opinion on this statement: I agree totally. The panelist gave an example taken from an article that during the grand Beijing Olympics 2008, the flag-bearer of our country was holding it so lowly that it almost touched the ground when other flag-bearers of other countries were waving it in pride. Apparently, the flag-bearer was a foreign talent.
4) The government wants Singapore to be a clean and green city. The government is only showing the good part of the country.
My opinion on this statement: I agree. The purpose of being a clean and green city is, other than saving the environment and having "national identity", it is also to let foreigners see the good side of Singapore. The government is just showing the good side of the country, Singapore Zoological Gardens, Night Safari, Sentosa, the new Integrated Resort and many more. However, as the panelists brought up, the foreigners are unaware of red light districts. The foreigners also does not know there are actually vagabonds in this country.
Conclusion
Actually, during the discussion, we sort of went off the tracks and the panelists did not link the point they were talking about to the main topic discussed, "What it means to be Singaporean?". However, the teacher supervising us helped us a little but it still was not ideal. The teacher said that we were all lucky that that was a mock one, and if that was an actual one, all the panelists would have got a zero. (I forgot what exactly she said).
Monday, February 15, 2010
My FIRST Time Writing an Essay
??-?-2010
Our LA teacher told us that we had to do an essay on either the setting or the characterization. When I first heard essay, many thoughts went through my mind. Is it going to be hard? How would I write it? Is this homework? Will I get stuck? I just had tons of questions I did not know the answers of. Fortunately, our LA teacher told us that he would guide us along so that we could learn slowly. He said that we would be doing the essay in class during curriculum time and he would teach us how to do it. I felt relieved.
2-2-2010
Our LA teacher taught us how to write a simple five paragraph expository essay. It was made up of five paragraphs, as the term implies, with three different parts. Our LA teacher used a burger as an anology for the structure of our essay. The essay would be made up of the top layer of bun (introduction), vegetables(first para of body), patty(second para of body), cheese(or vegetables again I forgot)(third para of body) and the bottom layer of the bun(the conclusion). The first paragraph would be the introduction.
Introduction
The top layer of the bun. I knew what was an introduction, but I did not know how to write it. Fortunately, our LA teacher went through with us a sample essay The Three Africas and pointed out the different parts of an introduction. The introduction consisted of setting the context, "grabbers" to capture the reader's attention, the thesis and an essay map. I have heard of "grabbers" before. I initially thought that we could ask rhetorical questions to capture the attention. However, I found out that I was wrong when our LA teahcer returned the essay for us to do another draft on 10-2-2010 and he said to not ask questions in expository essays. In addition, when I heard the word "thesis", I did not fully understand the meaning. Someone else in the class raised his hand and asked our LA teacher. He explained that it was to tell the reader what the rest of the story would be about. Then, the essay map. Our LA teacher said it would tell the readers what the points of the body would be about. That brings me to my next point -- the body, which makes up the middle 3 paragraphs. (2nd, 3rd, 4th paragraphs)
Body
The vegetables, patty and cheese. Our LA teacher said that we have to PEE, of course not literarily, in every paragraph in the body. Our LA teacher explained that PEE simply stood for Point, Evaluate and Examples.
Conclusion
The bottom layer of the burger. Our LA teacher said that the conclusion was the restatement of the thsis and encourages further thought on the issue. Again, I thought encouraging further thought was similar to a "grabber" and again, I was wrong.
Now onwards
I learnt a lot through writing this essay. I look forward to learning more things from my LA teacher.
Our LA teacher told us that we had to do an essay on either the setting or the characterization. When I first heard essay, many thoughts went through my mind. Is it going to be hard? How would I write it? Is this homework? Will I get stuck? I just had tons of questions I did not know the answers of. Fortunately, our LA teacher told us that he would guide us along so that we could learn slowly. He said that we would be doing the essay in class during curriculum time and he would teach us how to do it. I felt relieved.
2-2-2010
Our LA teacher taught us how to write a simple five paragraph expository essay. It was made up of five paragraphs, as the term implies, with three different parts. Our LA teacher used a burger as an anology for the structure of our essay. The essay would be made up of the top layer of bun (introduction), vegetables(first para of body), patty(second para of body), cheese(or vegetables again I forgot)(third para of body) and the bottom layer of the bun(the conclusion). The first paragraph would be the introduction.
Introduction
The top layer of the bun. I knew what was an introduction, but I did not know how to write it. Fortunately, our LA teacher went through with us a sample essay The Three Africas and pointed out the different parts of an introduction. The introduction consisted of setting the context, "grabbers" to capture the reader's attention, the thesis and an essay map. I have heard of "grabbers" before. I initially thought that we could ask rhetorical questions to capture the attention. However, I found out that I was wrong when our LA teahcer returned the essay for us to do another draft on 10-2-2010 and he said to not ask questions in expository essays. In addition, when I heard the word "thesis", I did not fully understand the meaning. Someone else in the class raised his hand and asked our LA teacher. He explained that it was to tell the reader what the rest of the story would be about. Then, the essay map. Our LA teacher said it would tell the readers what the points of the body would be about. That brings me to my next point -- the body, which makes up the middle 3 paragraphs. (2nd, 3rd, 4th paragraphs)
Body
The vegetables, patty and cheese. Our LA teacher said that we have to PEE, of course not literarily, in every paragraph in the body. Our LA teacher explained that PEE simply stood for Point, Evaluate and Examples.
Conclusion
The bottom layer of the burger. Our LA teacher said that the conclusion was the restatement of the thsis and encourages further thought on the issue. Again, I thought encouraging further thought was similar to a "grabber" and again, I was wrong.
Now onwards
I learnt a lot through writing this essay. I look forward to learning more things from my LA teacher.
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