Term 3 Week 6: Justice and Mercy

I believe that Justice and Mercy can co-exist together as they are mutually exclusive.
To uphold Justice, the court has to abide to the law and prosecute offenders equally regardless of status, race or religion. However, there are other factors that constitute to the severity of a punishment, such as past achievements. Evidently, Justice can exist in the presence of other factors as it is unaffected if these other factors come from external sources.
Mercy is exactly a factor that can cause the punishment of multiple offenders to deviate according to the will of the victim. When the victim determines that the criminal can be forgiven, the court respects his decision and will change the punishment accordingly.
From many past cases, forgiveness will help a criminal in turning over a new leaf, and might even be for the greater good. On the other hand, there will be criminals who abuse this merciful act to relieve themselves from many years in prison, only coming out to become fiends of society, bringing more harm than good.
In my opinion, Justice and Mercy can undoubtedly co-exist, but should be determined based on situation.

Term 3 Week 5: Anti-Semitism

Shakespeare's main intention of creating Shylock, the protagonist, is to showcase the intense prejudice of Jews during the Elizabethan Era through the usage of a whole individual. This way, anti-semitism is brought out in a situation the audience can relate to, and makes his play a whole lot more interesting and convincing.
First, I would like to emphasise the comparison of character between Antonio, a Christian, and Shylock, a Jew. The biggest similarity among both of them is that they are filthy rich and can afford to give huge chunks of their fortune away. However, Antonio is perceived as a sincere and generous good friend, whereas Shylock is presented as a demanding and sly old miser. Of course, their character might have nothing to do with their religion, but this obvious contradiction persists throughout the entire play, indicating the bad nature of Jews.
Also, anti-semitism is shown through the numerous insults and criticisms of Jews by Christians, and is even a common practice throughout most citizens of Venice. It is evident that Christians have a higher status in society than Jews, and look down upon them as 'devils'.
The main reason for anti-semitism to be the theme of this play, 'Mechant of Venice', is most probably to satisfy the monarch of those days, Queen Elizabeth, as she was undeniable prejudiced against Jews. Her laws and policies banished Jews from society, and Shakespeare works on this fact to promote his own play.

Term 3 Week 4: Global Kids

Jim Rogers argues that the American education system is inadequate in preparing the younger generation for the challenges of the 21st century. His inclination is that kids need to be able to think and act through global perspectives.
I agree that 'globalised' kids will prevail in the future, and this is especially so in the interconnected world we live in currently. At the rate of technology advancement, the convenience of sending information from one end of the planet to the other might take less than the blink of an eye. With unimaginable possibilities and undeniable progress, bilingualism and mutual understanding have risen through the ranks to become top priorities in the needs of attaining success. Personal experiences count as a massive factor in helping children achieve such 'globalised' status, as these opportunities present themselves as learning tools for understanding and interaction.
'Teach less, learn more' was a education model Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong proposed many years back. This is the attitude educational institutions should adopt in order to education the younger generation to become independent and globalised learners and leaders.
Success needs motivation, and to find a cause for this drive, one has to feel this need with his heart and soul.

Term 3 Week 3 (Blogging Assignment)

Ultimately, the education system in Singapore is a failure in today’s society. Why? Schools teach students to memorise and express facts in a way too rigid for improvisation, too structured for understanding and creativity. The Singapore’s education system teaches people to accept facts as they are, and not truly understand the reasons behind these curious questions. As a result, what is being taught does not prepare them for the future and as working adults, but rather to get past the O-levels and A-levels to get scholarships to get into prestigious universities. Yet, it is our foundation and the true potential of our inquisitive mind that is compromised.

In fact, I speak from experience even though I am still at a young age of 13 years old. When my mind was developing at an even younger age, I was exceptionally quiet for a kid my age. Unlike many of the playful children that fool around all day, I retreated into my mind and embraced the many wonders around me; there were always an unlimited number of questions racing through my mind. I recall sitting my parents’ car and deriving mathematical questions from the view flashing across the window. Perhaps that is why my favourite subject is Mathematics now; it is the only source of knowledge that I can truly understand the roots of all my questions, because it is simply a matter of right and wrong, without the need to ask an adult.

As a matter of fact, an ideal education is possible, but not realistic in the context of our advanced society. True education is teaching people to be able to think for themselves, not to listen to facts that others have derived many decades, even centuries ago. Human civilization will become obsolete if we continue to follow, not create. Evolution is reliant on the species’ development and environment, and it is absolutely unrealistic to think that the convenience of obtaining knowledge will enable us to realize and find out about the mysteries of the never-ending realm that we live. When we live in such a convenient society where everything can be accessed at our fingertips, laziness will undoubtedly lodge into our daily behaviour.

What saddens me the most is that people invent new technology not for its future progress, but for the convenience it provides that can enable it to dominate in the competitive industries. Now, what use is convenience for in this case? Obviously, the answer is right in front of our eyes. Money is the bane of our quest to obtain knowledge. Knowledge has become a source of money nowadays, not a source of joy and progress. If this continues, our human civilization will be destroyed while threats triumph and we could not care less but fix our gazes on the pursuit of money. We will implode.

Term 3 Week 2 - The Religion of Water

Water, as a necessity for the survival of human beings, has been a hot topic of debate recently, mainly on the status of water on the market as a commodity. Water being an unaffordable daily need might seem unrealistic in the eyes of people like us, who have been living comfortably since young. However, the lack of water has been an increasing huge problem in poor third-world countries. As a result, I feel that water should be made affordable for every single human being as it is our human rights to have access to drinkable water.

Statistics show that approximately 1/8 of people on the planet face a lack of drinkable water in their daily lives. Also, 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease. These figures show the severity of the situation around the world and these problems have claimed more lives than any disease or wars in history. The only solution to these problems is to recognise water as a human right, instead of a commodity on the market. Take for example the prices of bottled water. They are ridiculously high for countries that do not provide drinkable and filtered tap water. Governments need to take action to provide drinkable tap water, a cheaper source of water. It is to not that water is scarce throughout the world; it is that the access to water has become limited.

It has become a known fact that people living in slums pay 5 times of what people living in the city pay for drinkable water. This vicious cycle can only stop when we unite and take action. Make it a right, for it is right.

Term 3 Week 1 (Blogging Assignment)

Veteran labour leader Halimah Yacob recently called for the legislation of weekly days off for maids working in Singapore. This has sparked off an intense debate amongst Singaporeans. In your opinion, should the giving of weekly days off be legislated in Singapore?

No, the giving of weekly day leave should not be legislated in Singapore. In today’s society, working adults face tighter schedules and less free time because of the high cost of living in Singapore. As a result, many Singaporeans who can afford it hire maids to take care of the house and their children when they are at work. Therefore, these maids are extremely important in the family to ensure that the household is properly taken care of.

Also, the giving of weekly day leave should not be enforced by the law. Instead, this practice should be negotiated between the employers and maids so that they can come to a uniformed decision without disputes and discontent.

Most importantly, some maids do not feel compelled at all to take leave and would rather stay at home to work for that day’s wages because they do not have friends or any interested places to go to. If so, it would be inconsiderate to enforce weekly day leaves on them.

It remains our responsibility to take care of our maids wherever they are, and we should always take their feelings into consideration when introducing new policies involving their lifestyles. To achieve a win-win situation, the best action would be to let the employers and maids come to a consensus on whether a weekly day leave would be beneficial to both parties, and not enforce it upon them. 

Home Based Learning - Task 2

Children in the darkness – Task 2

There are children in the darkness

Who have not seen the light

There are children in the darkness

Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be

To this door there is no key

From this life they can not flee

And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle

Could we give them half a chance

Could we teach them how to read

Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them

Their body and their soul

Will their life and blood be poured

Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness

From which there is no flight

Back into the darkness

Into which there shines no light

Point of view

Point:

 The poem is written from the point of view of a person who is more fortunate than those living war conditions and takes pity on them. He is writing through his feelings because he wants his readers to understand what he is feeling and what they should do.

Evidence:

1.      “And these children are not free”

-                      Lack of freedom

2.     “Could we give them half a chance”

-                      They require our help

3.     “Into which there shines no light”

-                      Their future is full of misery

Elaboration:

The misery in the lives of these children cannot be resolved by their own hands, and therefore require the intervention of our help throughout the world.

The poet is trying to spur support for the less fortunate by throwing his own feelings into this masterpiece. This way, readers can fully understand and empathise for a common cause.

Situation and Setting 

Point:

The situation that the poem depicts is the state of children’s lives in war-affected countries.

Evidence:

1.      “There are children in the darkness”

-                      Children living in bad conditions

2.     “Who someone will teach to fight”

-                      Teach the children to survive in times of war

3.     “Or will a war consume them”

-                      The children’s only aim is to survive

Elaboration:

The poem shows how helpless these children are in the battle against war. They do not have a bright future and no choice but to fight hard for their lives. In times of war, the living conditions are terrible and adults are left to no choice but to teach their children to fend for themselves. Even if they survive the war, it has a huge psychological impact on the children, which is irreversible.

Language/Diction

Point:

The poet used metaphors to describe the consequences of war.

Evidence:

1.      “Darkness”

-                      Terrible living conditions with no hope and happiness

2.     “Light”

-                      Glimmer of hope

3.     “Endless thirsty hole”

-                      Sufferings of war

4.     “Flight”

-                      Escape

Elaboration:

The usage of metaphors is commonly used by writers of prose to add ‘colour’ and ‘flavour’ to their writings. By using metaphors, it not only tells the reader what is being described, but also how it is described.

Personal Response

This poem is extremely meaningful and it is truly written from the heart of the poet, describing his feelings and thoughts towards this matter.

His purpose of writing this is poem is admirable – to raise awareness among those who are more fortunate to provide help and support for those who suffer in war.