Week 8 Blog Prompt:

For this week, you may choose any current affairs topic that you feel strongly about and write a 200-word reflection on it. The topic you have chosen may be any article or issue that you have been reading about inNewsweek, Time, The Straits Times or any other platform. Do not limit yourself to the ideas covered in class. Your entry should reflect insights and thoughts to the theme/topic- no superficial glossing over of ideas please.

The topic for this post shall be about the Rebekah Brooks and Murdoch scandal.I felt shocked to the core of my very being when I read the article about the News of the world having hacked into the phone of a then murder victim.The hacker deleted the messages in the phone, hoping for more messages to come in. This caused the police to believe that she was still alive when she was not and the police continued on investigations which were a waste of the time of the police. Most people then thought it was just a small matter as hacking in the media then was rife but when the story mushroomed the whole population were on fire.The story had blown up to epic proportions as not only just the celebrities and the royalty's privacy was disturbed but also the family of murder victims and those who perished in the 911 incident.I feel that going to such lengths for juicy gossip for tabloids is unnecessary, well come on whats wrong with sitting down in a comfy armchair with a book instead.Do not think that we do not have any part in this case, it is us the readers who buy such tabloids, come on i do not see what is wrong with settling down in a nice comfy armchair and read a book instead. It is us who have caused a demand in the market for such gossip to be published for us to buy. Our demand has caused them to resort to such underhanded and treacherous means in or der to obtain such stories , breaching norms of journalism

Also concerning Rebekah Brooks I am disgusted with her denying that she knew about the hacking but not to such a large extent as i do not know of any editor that does not know about the origins of the very own stories that they are going to vet and decide its newsworthiness

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Week 6 Blog Prompt:

Read up on the Rupert Murdoch phone scandal. You can find some links (from TIME online) I posted up in Week 6, as well as read up on the Newsweek coverage of the news. In relation to the news coverage on the scandal, answer the question: "The news media should be blamed for the unhealthy paparazzi culture and going to the extremes for sensational news. How far do you agree?"

The news media should be blamed for using such unscrupulous and underhanded methods in acquiring sensational and sizzling scoops for the paper , phone hacking and hacking of emails is way too extreme. Ultimately i feel its not the news media fault entirely, we also have a part in this.What they are trying to do is just to earn a living and suiting to the demands of the readers so it is us the readers who demand for secrets of celebrities and such. They are just merely doing their job to meet this demand. If we do not demand for such news there would not be such a need for such news and them resorting to underhanded ways.So in order to stop this we must start from ourselves, to stop this kind of behavior we have to stop purchasing such papers to read and lower the demand so that there is no such need for such news.All in all we must start with a change of our very being.

Week 5 Blog Prompt:

By the end of the trial scene, do you think true justice and mercy was achieved? Reflect and write on the following questions:

1. Is there true justice? Why?

2. Is there true mercy, as expounded by Portia? Why?

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

I do not think that there was true justice as i fully empathized with Shylock's plight as he rightfully deserved his pound of flesh from Antonio. As i believe what one owes one must return but Portia came with a play of words on the agreement stating that there was no blood to be spilt and Shylock has to cut a pound of flesh without spilling a drop of blood else he would have broken the christian laws. Portia as a christian already has a biased opinion on Shylock as he is a Jew.But Portia and the duke had already given him 3 chances to do otherwise taking triple the amount Antonio owed him instead but Shylock refused till the end so Portia was faced with no choice but to force him to convert to Christianity and lose all his land and riches as i believed she did not want to do this , to hurt Shylock this badly. Justice and Law could be manipulated by people in power. Like the case in Merchant of Venice we see how the Duke of Venice said few words when Portia was speaking. Portia was disguised as a learned, young lawyer from Padua which Dr Bellario sent to take over him. Portia was the one who has the power to make the final verdict with only the Duke there as a representative of the Venetian Law to help grant Shylock's life. She bends the words and laws to slowly build her verdict.As in the modern world context justice and law is executed by humans and human in most cases would rather do things out of benefit for themselves not others but here is still some who would uphold the law fervently. It would really depend as humans can be manipulated, overcome with greed, as executors of Law so can justice and law be manipulated.

Week 4 Blog Prompt:

You probably have already heard that a Secondary Four student recently wrote a letter to the Education Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat, which generated much heated debate again about Singapore's much-discussed education system.

Read the article here:

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/07/12/an-open-letter-to-the-education-minister-from-a-secondary-4-student/

What are your views? Read the article and give your responses to the following prompts:

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

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

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

Yes I totally agree with Janelle concerning the matter that students nowadays are getting too rowdy and they do not get the freedom to express their views on a certain issues. Although its education system is top class but the teachers restrain us from expressing our thoughts even in tests on speeches we do not have the right to choose the topic that we are doing we have only a limited range to choose from.Teachers merely mark exam scripts with only reference to the answer script even though the answer may deserve some marks they just put a big fat cross in our faces.In terms of the letter i think that the level of politeness is indeed of an acceptable degree as it is an informal letter.She had been polite at the same time straight to the point spending no time on babbling nonsense.If I were to write a letter i would raise some of the problems more commonly faced by students example due to the stress inflicted on the students by their parents and peer pressure to do well or else they would be shunned and ignored by their peers. I would stress that the school were to have some counselling for cases like stated above.

Week 3 Blog Prompt:

In your opinion, is money important in a relationship? Consider the 'transactional' element observed in the relationships between the couples. Do you think there is an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other qualities? Provide examples for your responses.

In my opinion money is important in a relationship to a certain extent as one would have to have the money to pay for the gifts , the dinners also.But the sum need not be too big rather just a small restaurant with nice food and a nice setting would do fine.What is essential and of importance is that element of love where one could not do without each other. As money may not really be necessary but it can really bring up the rate of intimacy to a whole new level. But I do think that there is an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other countries as most parents want their daughters to marry to a financially secure man so that they do not have to resort to sleep on thee streets someday and they can provide for themselves.Since we also need money for virtually everything we need food water and also a good family home.For example in our present day society we do see young girls marrying to rich tycoons twice their age some more than THAT!!The people now would most probably see them as marrying her husband'[s money, as in marrying him just for his money but we cannot be entirely sure that she does not love him.

Week 2 Blog Prompt:

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

War is where millions die fighting for a cause which they support, some do not even have a cause they are just the innocent bystanders swept away in the heat of the conflict.War has evolved not only in the weaponry, from sticks clubs to swords and cannons to modern day war machines tanks ships submarines and and such. But not only the above have evolved but also the matters that we are fighting for most probably in the past in would just be warring lords and dukes challenging each other for a piece of land or trying to take over the country .In present time we are fighting to avenge the deaths of others , of people in power such as the man who was assassinated and therefore started WW2. Imagine the deaths of masses all because of 1 man being assassinated. We humans are rash beings declaring war just because of ones loved one being killed for no reason.

This is exactly why we have elections in our present day society, to let the people choose for themselves who they want to follow , who to make their decisions for them, who to lead them ,who could put the country before him or herself when in comes to the matter of the death of his loved ones, whether can he move on and lead the country as before or is he just a weak character shattered with just one blow.

Week 1 Blog Prompt: (Post reflection on "The Soldier")

Young men in Singapore, including you, will have to do National Serivce. Why do you think National Service is compulsory in Singapore and why is it important? In the poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country, England. Do you find this same spirit of passion and patriotism Singaporeans have for our country? Why? Do you have this same spirit of patriotism for Singapore? Why?

Consider your loyalty to Hwa Chong. Are you proud to be a Hwa Chongian? How have you shown your loyalty and pride as a student of Hwa Chong?

Yes, We do have to do National Service and my friends we have to do National Service in Singapore as in the case in Malaysia. Since I am Malaysia born i would be serving mine in Malaysia but that would not be much of a distance except maybe that we have to only serve a period of 3 months and both male and female are randomly selected to go for service but I guess It will not make much of a difference then. Well I think that National Service is compulsory in Singapore as we have a first handed experience the woe of not being able to defend ourselves and having to depend on others instead during WW2.It is also important in the case of Singapore, being a multicultural country there is bound to be quarrels between races with National Service serving as a platform to help them come together and understand each other.The spirit of patriotism can be found in Singaporeans but not all as they may see no point in defending it with the peace that we are having.In my case I am not really sure that whether I can be patriotic as actions are louder than words but I hope I would be able to be patriotic whenever my home country is facing threats.

Yes definitely I am proud to be a Hwa Chongian as I have sacrificed much to be here in the Hwa Chong Family losing sleep just to go to school and extra study time .How have I shown my loyalty? It would boil down to the definition of loyalty as there are many forms of loyalty but I shall strive to be one as I am not sure whether I have fufilled it, but anyway being loyal to your school is not jst a one time one moment onee deed matter it is ever lasting,

Angel by James Patterson

This book is a continuation of one of James Patterson's many best selling series Maximum Ride.The first book being The Angel Experiment.In this book it is basically about the many adventures a bunch of mutant genetically modified children save the world, raise awareness about global warming and saving friends.It is an action packed series where one cannot put down after a few pages.It is narrated in such a way that it feels that the main character the "flock" leader Max is telling you their experiences directly (by the way they were given avian genes, which means that they can fly have wings and pretty much other abilities such as mind control or reading your mind,but everyone of the flock has different abilities)

So in Angel,continued from the previous book Fang, Fang had left the flock to start his own flock.Fang found other mutants who had been grafted abilities too by the School (read the series to find out :D) SO Max who had a liking for Fang is missing him and they decided to meet up in Paris, where they uncovered a plan of a bomb which was going to be used on the common folk who had been hypnotized. So they kick butt but did not manage to diffuse the bomb which exploded but the people had been evacuated after breaking the hypnotism. The sad thing is that Angel was thought to be dead as she did not escape from the sewers little did they know that she had been captured.

So basically this the summary of the story with many parts being left out. If you have a taste for science fiction and adventure come on board and enjoy the ride.

How to make your very own banana split!

I will be teaching you how to make your very own banana split in a few easry steps!!

First of all, the ingredients. 1 banana, 3 scoops of different flavors of ice-cream of your choice chocolate and strawberry syrups, marshmallow creme and marshmallow cherries and of course, chopped nuts. Not to forget, a nice bowl that is intensionally made a fit a banana inside.

Firstly, peel the banana skin and slice it into 2 pieces. Next, place each slice of the of the banana into the bowl, leaving a small gap in between.. After that, scoop 3 of your favorite ice-cream in between the bananas. Next, squirt some hot chocolate over the ice-cream. If you find it not enough, you can squirt strawberry syrup on the the ice cream too! Top each ice cream with whipped cream. Sprinkle some nuts over the dessert to give you some extra crunchy taste!

Now your banana split is done! Remember serve it immediately after you are done else the ice-cream will melt.Enjoy!

LA home learning

Part 1

The conflict in the poem is about how children had been forced to fight in a war not given a chance to grow up.He strongly felt for them as it made their life meaningless not having a chance to enjoy their childhood being forced to mature quickly.

PART 2 --- Analysis of the poem
Steps in Analysis

Point

Evidence

Elaboration

1.Point of View
2.Situation and Setting
3.Language/ Diction
4.Personal Response


Point Of View
I think this poem was written in the point of view of a soldier who was fending of rebel forces , and had had to fight these children. The soldier had felt for their plight or it could have been a child who had once also walked down the path of war and was reminiscent about how life was for them then.

Situation and Setting
The setting shows us how children affected by war are forced to go down a path of gloom with nothing but gore and blood spilt around them. Not getting a chance to do what their hearts desire, to settle down and be educated, go to a school.

Language/ Diction
The poem used metaphors such as candles to signify hopes and darkness to signify the hopes and dreams of the children who were in the dark not getting to experience the joy of learning. The poet emphasized on the word "could" to get us to help the children ,showing his desire to educate the children who were implicated by the war when they should be learning.

Personal Response
I feel that war can really change a person from what he is.War affects lives, not for the better but a turn for the worse.If you think that war does not affect you, you are either very naive or absolutely in the dark. War affects everyone from the country, to the babies born. Going through war, fighting for your life, family and loved ones it can really change a person's roots seeing all the gory bloodshed and screams and groans from our fellow humans.

Essay Draft 2

It was the year 2025, our protagonist, Tom has already grown up, and is trying to adapt himself to the age of being thirteen. After all becoming thirteen years old is a new start for every citizen of Singapore.

Singapore was getting along well with the enhancement of technology , the education system level was also increased in order to keep up with the times. Kids these days were good in their studies but now it had become a must to do so in order to live in this society of theirs because everything was expensive and you needed a white collar job to sustain yourself, but with more people competing for those jobs one had to be the best of the best. Parents were training their children to be all rounded to give them an edge in this modern island city.

Now we come back to our protagonist, Tom, Tom during his primary school days was nicknamed as a pig not because he was dirty or anything but because he behaved like one, but certainly not about the gluttonous behaviour of a pig, just the fact that he was extremely laid back and lazy.

Tom’s parents were very worried about his future ,thinking how could he, a person as lazy as that forge a bright future ,but here is a twist ,Tom was a genius ,he could take any test standing on his head but his daily behaviour cost him his grades. He loved to play, if his parent confiscated his IPhone 8 he would play with his ps7 if not his Nintendo after all games were taken away he still had card games, books etcetera, the list went on, the point I am trying to make here is that he could always find something to entertain himself. This caused him to neglect his homework and get demerit points, which in turn affected his grades and so gave his parent the illusion that their son was not doing well academically.

The children of his time were so focused on their studies, leadership skills and many more in a bid to be the best of the best, that they always stayed at home revising doing homework and they do not go to the zoo at all for tours as they were very concerned about their studies. Tom obviously had not seen a pig before but he had an inkling what it was, from what was in his general knowledge but knowing him he would probably be just too lazy to do any research on it to find out why he was being called a pig. Tom then asked his mother what do pigs do to help us. Well he went off with the answer that pigs provided them with pork which left him wondering “Since pork is so good to eat in what way could pigs do bad? So why was he being called a pig?”

That very afternoon after much heated discussion Tom’s parents decided to take him to the Singapore Zoo to show him the animals and most importantly to see the pig that was being housed there under the farm animals section.

Tom after seeing the pig wanted to observe it trying to understand why he was being compared to it. The pig was smelly, fat and lazy. Tom after seeing the pig did not want to be known as that animal.

After PSLE, Tom achieved exemplary results after much hard work in a bid to get rid of his nickname (which he failed)and got into Hwa Chong Institution, a Secondary School that has implemented measures to keep up with modernization and therefore kept itself at the top of secondary schools.

As we say at the age of thirteen you experience bodily changes, become mature and also you begin a new school life so Tom decide to take this opportunity to begin a new chapter in his life to create a new social image at Hwa Chong to not be depicted as a pig, a lazy bum but as a leopard because of his alertness his speed in doing his worked with accuracy but also to his old classmates to show them a side of him that they were never aware of. Working towards his goal, he amended his bad habits along with his schedule. He cut down on his gaming and started to focus more on his studies.

With his intelligence, Tom easily climbed to the top of his class Tom’s parent were relieved and pleasantly surprised to see the sudden change but they were contented and wanted it to be that way. Tom’s parents felt assured that he would stay like that.

Tom after putting in all that hard work never wanted to be called a pig again, although his primary school classmates still call him that sometimes to tease him.

Dark clouds hung in the overcast sky lolling about refusing to budge from its position.The buildings stood waiting in apprehension for impending disaster.There was a flash of lightning it was anywhere and everywhere,followed up with a hearty "boom" of thunder.Electricity filled the humid air.

Settings of a story

1st story
The Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri

Calcutta, India.

Around the 1950s.

The setting tells me that the story is going to be sad, unhappy.
2nd story
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Baker street, London, Britain.
19th Century.
In the story, the person has around seventy cases which has studied about Sherlock Holmes, he has only recently made progress, discovery but however was not able to link the cases together. Sherlock Holmes lives in Central London and is a rich and reputable. since its Sherlock Holmes I get the impression that this story will be about mysteries and new discoveries.
3rd story
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Town in England

18th Century

This story is going to be something about a man who is rich and is in need of a wife, however he faces some problems when trying to get her.

In to kill a mockingbird, the first chapter is basically the background information of Jean Louise Finch and both family and friends, the start of her friendship with Dill. It is merely a general chapter of her background.

Telephone conversation

Q1. I think that the colours also represent feelings.
Red represents anger, Gold represents superiority over the persona.

Q2. The converation reveals that the landlady has a rascist mindset about blacks.She assumes that blacks are generally poor ,uneducated and dirty butwhen the persona proves to be otherwise she got scared.

Q3.The persona won in the end he used his witty remarks and sarcasm to prove the landlady wrong and show her the light, that rascisism is wrong and stupid.

Historical background V2.0

Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement was a series of nonviolent movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination of African Americans and granting all Americans full and equal rights.

A few examples: Brown v. Board of Education case, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Desegregating Little Rock. The Brown v. Board of Education was a court case regarding the segregation of black and white children into different schools, which ended in the Negro children being allowed to share the same education facilities as white children. The Montgomery Bus Boycott started when a black woman, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, resulting in her being arrested and tried, and a majority of African Americans boycotting the Montgomery Bus services and demanding a more humane transport system. As a result, the court ordered Montgomery buses to be desegregated, thus ending the boycott. The Desegregation of Little Rock happened when nine African American students entered the integrated Little Rock Central High School, and were harassed by the other white students as a result of the racial tension and supposed white supreriority. The incident ultimately ended with the whole education system of Little Rock being desegregated.

The Civil Rights Movement was supported by President John F. Kennedy. The ultimate outcome was racial discrimination being banned and African Americans being granted franchise. The novel was written at about the same period when the Movement was taking place, and reflects the social injustice found in the southern states, and allows readers to sympathise with the unfairly treated African Americans.

Montgomery Bus boycott and Scottsboro trials
Montgomery Bus boycott- On 1 December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, and was arrested, tried, and convicted. In response, African American leaders organised the Montgomery Bus boycott, and appoint Martin Luther King as President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organisation directing the boycott. A majority of African Americans joined the boycott, with both the MIA and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People demanding for the full desegregation of all public buses. The boycott lasted more than a year, enough to cause bus revenue to drop drastically, resulting in economic distress. The court gave in and ordered the Montgomery buses desegregated, and the boycott finally ended.

Scottsboro trials- On March 25, 1931, nine African American youths board a freight train with several white males and two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. A fight began between the two black and white groups, and the white males were kicked off the train. The black boys were arrested for assault by a posse that had orders to "capture every negro on the train". The African American youths were imprisoned in Scottsboro, Alabama, and thus were nicknamed the Scottsboro Boys. The two alleged victims of rape accused the black youths of raping them at knifepoint, along with the possession of a gun. A doctor examined Price and Bates, and reported that they showed no sign of having been raped. Samuel Leibowitz was called in as defence attorney for the youths, and worked on the case without charging them fees. In the first trial most of the youths were found guilty and sentenced to death, but an appeal provided them with a second chance. In the second trial, Bates confesed that she and Price had made up the whole story of rape, but Price maintained her original testimony. However, two of the boys, Patterson and Norris were given a guilty verdict and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court found the trials unjust and demanded a retrial. The judge halted Patterson's retrial and went on with the trials of the other boys. After a series of trials, most of the Scotssboro boys were sent to prison.

The trials have much in common with the trial of Tom Robinson in the novel. Both trials were in the 1930s and took place in Alabama. Both have a protagonist who goes against public sentiments while fighting against racial discrimination and defend African Americans, who were unjustly accused of raping white women. The all-white juries also ignored evidence, such as Tom Robinson's useless left arm and that the women suffered no injuries.

Trials of a true Southern Belle and Southern Gentleman
a. What were the rules of etiquette for Southern gentlemen and ladies?
Southern belle:
-proper etiquette
-penmanship
-ballroom dancing
Southern Gentleman
-humility
-respect
b. What did southern ladies do to pass their time (hobbies etc)?
Helping the community and schools
c. Pictures of Southern ladies and gentlemen.

d. Identify characters in the novel that fit the mould of true southern belles and gentlemen and those who don’t. Explain why they fit the mould and why they don’t.
Southern Gentleman :
Atticus- gentleman, believes in equality(humility), has proper etiquette.
NOT! :
Bob ewell- barbaric, uncouth, discriminates blacks.
Harper Lee
a. About the author
She was an avid reader and was only 6 when the scottboro trials took place.
She was well known on campus as editor of the politcially satirical student newspaper, graduated from the university and entered law school, leaving one semester short of receiving a law degree
b. Biodata
Grew up in 1930s - rural southern Alabama town.
Father - Amasa Lee - attorney who served in state legislature in Alabama.
Older brother and young neighbor (Truman Capote) are playmates.
c. Novels written by her
• -to kill a mocking bird
• Love—In Other Words". (April 15, 1961)
• "Christmas to Me". (December 1961)
• "When Children Discover America". (August 1965)
• "Romance and High Adventure "

d. Awards received
New York Times Best Seller list, it received five Academy Award nominations, winning three.
e. Why was TKAM a significant novel to her?
It was a time of tumultuous events and racial strife as the struggle in the Civil Rights movement grew violent and spread into cities across the nation, and into the American awareness on TV screens and the

Historical background on TKAM

Slavery:
a. When and how did slavery begin in the southern state?
Slavery existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776.
b. Which country were the slaves brought from? The first English colony in North America, Virginia, first imported Africans in 1619
c. Who traditionally bought and owned the slaves? Most slaves were black and were held by whites, although some Native Americans and free blacks also held slaves. Originally held by the Spanish colonies as early as the 1560s.
d. Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide by? If yes what were they? death penalty for those who "aid any slave in running away or departing from his master's or employer's service." Numerous states prohibited miscegenation, but this did not deter white men's abuse of slave women.
e. How does the notion of slavery relate to the novel? Does the study of slavery help you understand the novel better?
It helped me better understand discriminations against black people.

The civil war
a) Identify the southern states?
South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi
b) Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?
Abraham Lincoln
c) Why was the civil war fought?
The war was fought over slavery, the Union forces were fighting to free the slaves while the South fought in order to ensure the continuation of slavery.
d) When was this war fought?
It was fought from April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865.
e) What was the outcome of this war?
The Union forces won the war.
d) How does the civil rights movement relates to novel?
The civil rights movement relates to the novel through the fact that the historical background of the novel was in the era of the civil rights movement.

Jim Crow’s Laws

Jim Crow is a song written by Thomas Dartmouth ‘Daddy’ Rice, it depicts a black man singing the song. Jim Crow Laws were state laws enacted between 1876 and 1965, mandating de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly “separate but equal” status for black Americans. The black Americans were glad and very supportive of the laws put into use.However, they were being overturned by the Supreme Court in the 20th Century on constitutional grounds. Yes, Jim Crow laws surfaced in the book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee.When Tom Robinson was put on trial, black people and white people were supposed to be separated into different areas of the courtroom.

These are some forms of discrimination

1 Racial discrimination
2 special features discrimination
3 Age discrimination
4 Sex, Gender and Gender Identity discrimination
5 Employment discrimination
6 Sexual orientation discrimination
7 Language discrimination
8 Disability discrimination
9 Religious discrimination
10 colour discrimination

I would like to classify them into grroups of:

What you have:
2 special features discrimination
7 language discrimination
8 Disability discrrimination

What you are:
1 Racial discrimination
4 sex,gender and gender identity discrimination
8 religious discrimination
10 colour discrimination

What you are borne with:
3 Age discrimination
5 Employment discrimination
6 sexual orientation discrimination

Examples:
1 Racial discrimination:Indians being mocked because they are indians

2 special features discrimination:people being outcasted because they have reptile skin

3 Age discrimination:people not able to do what they want because they are too "young"

4 Sex, Gender and Gender Identity discrimination :A male would be recruited in a company rather than a female

5 Employment discrimination:A man who clears garbage would be taken for granted

6 Sexual orientation discrimination:A gay would be looked down by the society

7 Language discrimination:A person with an accent would be laughed at

8 Disability discrimination:A person who is a cripple would be bullied because he cannot retaliate

9 Religious discrimination:a person who worshipd certain gods would be disapproved by the people around him or her

10 colour discrimination:A white man would be given better treatment and service than a black man

comic strip

http://stripgenerator.com/strip/481514/be-a-role-model/#share

I chose white as my back ground to portray my thoughts and process of thinking. I chosse this theme because often people just criticise others when they also do the same thing themselves

Poem Reflections

I feel that messy room left the deepest impression on me as we should not criticise others and laugh at others before looking at ourselves because many a time we also commit the same things ourselves.We should take a good look at ourself before going about criticising others anyway we should not even criticise but we should advise so always check yourself before going about critisising.

Essay draft 1

In the near future of 2025 our protagonist has already grown up, trying to adapt himself to the new surroundings of thirteen. Well after all thirteen is a new beginning for any person living on the island country situated in the Malay Archipelago.
It was getting along well with the enhancement of technology, the education system level was also increased in order to keep up with the times. Kids these days were good in their studies but now it had become a must to do so in order to live in this society of theirs because everything was expensive and you needed a high collar job to sustain yourself but with more people competing with you for those jobs you have to be the best of the best. Parents were developing their child to be all rounded to give them an edge in this modern island city.
Now we come back to our protagonist which we shall name Tom, Tom during his primary school days was nicknamed as a pig not because he was dirty or anything but because he behaved like one but certainly not about the gluttonous behavior of a pig because his parents wanted him to be all rounded and well he loved sports.
Tom’s parents were very worried about his future thinking how could he a person as lazy as that forge a bright future but here is a twist Tom as you may not know it was a genius he could take any test standing on his head but his daily behavior costed him his grades. He loved to play if his parent confiscated his IPhone 8 he would play with his ps7 if not his Nintendo after all games were taken away he still had card games, book etc the list goes on, the point I am trying to make here is that he could always produce something to explain himself so he would neglect his homework and get demerit points which in turn affects his grades and so gives his parent the illusion that their son was not good academically.
The children of his time are so focused on their studies, leadership skills and many more in a bid to be the best of the best. Tom obviously has not seen a pig before but he had an inkling from what is in his general knowledge but knowing him he would probably be just too lazy to do any research on it. Tom then asked him mother what do pigs do to help us.Well he went off with the answer that pigs provide us with pork which left him wondering “pork is so yummy and so how could pigs be bad?”
That very afternoon after much heated discussion Tom’s parents decided to bring him to the Singapore Zoo to show him the animals and most importantly to see the pig.
Tom often seeing the pig wanted to observe it trying to understand why he was called to be like it. The pig was smelly, fat and lazy. Tom after seeing the pig did not want to be known as that.
After PSLE, Primary School Leaving Examinations. Tom achieved exemplary results and got into Hwa Chong Institution a Secondary School that has implemented measures to keep up with modernization and therefore kept itself at the top of secondary schools.
As we say at the age of thirteen you experience bodily changes, become mature and also you begin a new school life so Tom decide to take this opportunity to begin a new chapter in his life to give a new social image at Hwa Chong to not be depicted as a pig, a lazy bum but as a leopard because of his alertness his speed in doing his worked with accuracy but also to his old classmates to show them a side of him that they never knew of working towards his goal he amended his bad habits along with his schedule. He cut down on his gaming and started to focus more on his studies.
With his smarts, Tom easily climbed to the top of his class Tom’s parent were relieved and surprised to see the sudden change but they were contented and wanted it to be that ways.
Tom’s parents be rest assured he will stay like that. Will Tom change or have a bright future ahead this do not know with the world changing so quickly, anything is possible.

Shel Silverstein Poems

The Little Boy and the Old Man

Q1. What is the underlying message that is being conveyed in this poem?

The underlying message that is being conveyed is that adults do not give children or the elderly enough attention .Also it shows that in your old age it is similar to having a second childhood.Experiencing the freedom of childhood, just that you are not that active anymore.

Q2.Has Shel Silverstein used any particular poetic technique that brings out this message more clearly?

Shel Silverstein used conversation to bring out the message more clearly.

Messy Room

Q1.Can you say that the poem is humorous?If so how?

The poem is humorous.The Persona describes the room with distaste ,about the owner hanging his underwear on a lamp ,smelly sock stuck to the wall etcetera and in the end then he realized that it was his own room.

Q2.What aspect of human character has been highlighted in this poem?

The human character that people always blame people for their own mistakes as shown in the poem above.

Cloony the Clown

Q1.Explain the irony in this poem.

When Cloony the Clown tries to be funny everybody jeers and boos at him but when he tells everyone his true feelings , the sadness that he feels inside everybody finds it funny and starts to laugh.

Q2.Shel silverstein does bring out some harsh realities such as people gloating over others misfortunes and do not help people when they need help.

Q3.the poet uses repetition,irony and contrast to show differences