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.