Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Task 2 - Home Learning 25/26 May,

Hello people!
This is my second task, a follow-up from the first one. Enjoy!

Task 2
Complete the template provided in Annex A, focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.

1)Point of view
2) Situation and Setting
3) Language/Diction
4)Personal Response

First of all, here's the poem:

Rainbow Death by Hubert Wilson
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

1)Point of View:
I think the poem was written from the point of view of somebody who had first hand experience in the Vietnam War, ie. the person had experienced fighting in the war before. It could be written by a soldier.
Evidence that the poem could be written by a soldier is that the persona explains and elaborates a lot about "agent orange", the toxin used largely in the Vietnam War. In the poem, the writer explains the effects of agent orange on people, such as that agent orange would result in illness, birth defects and premature death.
Hence, this shows how the persona understood the Vietnam War well and had experienced fighting in the War before.
2) Situation and Setting:
The setting and situation of the poem are most likely after agent orange was tried and tested in the Vietnam War. The persona's tone explains this as he elaborates on how bad an effect agent orange had on the war, causing illnesses, premature death, and such. The persona tries to show us how agent orange will affect the lives of the people exposed to agent orange, and why agent orange should not be used anywhere, whether in the war or somewhere else. Hence, the persona is trying to emphasise that agent orange is overall detrimental to the Vietnamese population and it should not be used anymore.
3)Language/Diction:
The writer and persona adopts a harsh, severe tone as he tries to show how war will have negative and detrimental effects on the Vietnamese civilians. By his language in the poem, especially when the writer uses the specific word "potpourri", we can pick up the tone of the poet. Since "potpourri", in this scenario, represents the many deaths of people because of the war, we can tell that the writer discourages war and is trying to bring across the consequences of war to the reader(s). Furthermore, the title "Rainbow Death" contradicts itself as death is usually not associated with something so positive like the rainbow. The poet could possibly be trying to say that the war is unpleasant as rainbows usually represent hope and death is usually representive of destruction. Perhaps, the rainbows could represent the herbicides used in the War. Hence, the writer could be trying to discourage the herbicides used in the war which would ultimately cause death and destruction.
4)Personal Response:
This poem is indeed skillfully written, using figurative language to convey an important message: that the consequences of war are never pleasant. Especially when a toxin such as agent orange is used. The poem is basically trying to convey the message that children can be orphaned, people can develop sicknesses, and the most obvious: lives can be claimed. And the source of this is just war. And war is only brought about when two countries only look out for their own interests and do not consider the feelings of the other countries. So the writer is trying to tell us that war can be prevented! There is no need for war at all if countries are not so selfish, if they are willing to sacrifice a bit to prevent war. In essence, the writer is trying to convince us to do our part to prevent war as the consequences of war will be harmful to everybody.

Okay that's all!


Monday, May 24, 2010

Task 1 - Home Learning 25/26 May,

Hey there (:
As part of the school curriculum, today i'll be writing a report on the conflict found in a particular poem, "Rainbow Death".

Task 1
Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.
Be sure to include your references and credit your sources.


Okay before I begin, i'm sure you all will want to know what the poem is about. Here's the link and introduction of the poem http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow.

Got it? Now I shall provide a brief introduction of Hubert Wilson, the poet. Hubert Wilbert was a Vietnam War veteran soldier, as were his four brothers. He served in the USAF Security Service and along with some intelligence school graduates, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, and expected to be sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in Southeast Asia in 1970. However, eventually, Hubert Wilson was assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, an extremely run-down and contaminated area!

Because of this, Hubert Wilson’s health problems started with headaches and limb pains. His central nervous system's condition gradually worsened with tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains and the like. To top it all, no doctor could diagnose the specific illness which Hubert Wilson possessed. Hubert Wilson’s most accurate guess is that the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during his year there as an intelligence analyst caused him to develop such symptoms.

Now, on to the poem.
The rainbow death which is mentioned by Hubert Wilson in his poem actually refers to the Agent orange, the substance which caused him to develop so many health problems. But what was Agent Orange specifically?
Agent orange was a chemical substance used against Vietnam during the Vietnamese war. Agent orange was a herbicide and defoliant- contaminated with TCDD or Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin.
In short, both herbicide and defoliant have the same meaning -- they both refer to weedkillers, substances used to kill plants.
TCDD, meanwhile, refers to a type of environmental pollutant and it became known as the most potent compound during the Vietnamese War.
Now, close to 5 million Vietnamese were negatively affected by Agent Orange and which resulted in about 400,000 deaths among the Vietnamese people and deformation of countless babies at birth.
So in essence, “Rainbow Death” tries to show how harsh the consequences of war can be. In his poem, Hubert Wilson wants to show that even after war has ended, the impact of these wars on the people affected would remain. And people affected by the war once can be scarred for life. On top of that, Hubert Wilson also wants to show how terrible modern warfare can be. As we go through technological advances, inevitably, our weapons becomes more severe and ultimately, more destructive.

Yup that's all! Be sure to check out the poem people!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Recent News: Chelsea Crowned Premier League Champions Last Night

Hello football enthusiasts (:

I'm sure most (or all) of you would have heard about Chelsea winning the coveted Premier League Title last night after a failure to win it after three years, since they last won it in 2007. Manchester United's 4-0 thrashing of stoke was a mere consolation compared to Chelsea's 8-0 victory which effectively handed them the title.

Personally i'm a Manchester United supporter, and I feel that it is rather disappointing that they gave up the chance to be the first Premier League side to win four titles in a row. And the fact that when they lost, they were just one point behind Chelsea, makes their failure to win worse. Failing to capitalise on winning key games such as the 0-0 draw at blackburn caused their failure to win the title. Of course, their over-reliance on Wayne Rooney as a main striker also caused them to fail to win the title.

However, credit to chelsea for having a strong, experienced and skilled squad of players. From Didier Drogba, striker-in-chief, to John Terry, their captain and most consistent defender, Chelsea's squad is full of footballers oozing class and skill. Of course, their experience also played a vital role in helping Chelsea to win the title.

To conclude, I feel that sometimes, football clubs will be disappointed with what they have achieved, as is the case in the real world, but such disappointments are more or less inevitable. Hence, even from the fact that Chelsea have snatched the title out from Manchester United's nose, I have learnt that we should make the best of every opportunity and capitalise on any chances we happen to get. Because some things only come by once.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Casinos - Boon or Bane?

Hey!

Okay first of all before I begin, I know many of you think that the topic i'm writing on is like really common and boring. Well, it is. I'm only writing on casinos because I can't think of anything else to write about. But nevermind, just try to read it okay?

I shall first elaborate on how casinos benefit our country. First of all, in a small country like Singapore where we do not have many natural attractions such as forests, parks, etc, the integrated resort is a great asset to our country. Neither do we have any historical monuments such as the Great Wall of China. As such, we have to rely on man-made attractions such as the Integrated Resorts and Casinos to boost our tourism rate.

Casinos, first of all, help by attracting tourists from foreign countries to our country. Casinos in Singapore not only have gambling facilities (obviously) but they also have departmental stores, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and so on. Hence, not only hardcore gamblers will be attracted to the casinos, but also families from other countries who are on vacation. Casinos have been developed to suit the needs of the entire family, and will hence help to attract more tourists, and at the same time bring in a greater revenue for the country.

Next, casinos will have a positive effect on Singapore's economy. Most gamblers bring a substantial amount of money to casinos as they are very likely to lose a small sum of money very quickly. Hence, with the average gambler spending about seven hundred dollars in cash, it will be greatly beneficial to our economy.

Casinos also provide job opportunities for people. The development of casinos have brought about new job opportunities for people including chefs, waiters, helpers, cleaners, etc. Hence, this will help the unemployed find job opportunities.

However, there are also problems. Casinos bring about high crime rates as most hardcore gamblers will be addicted to gambling and when they are out of money to gamble, they will find ways to get more money. And usually, murder, stealing, etc are brought about when gamblers need to find a way to obtain more money so that they can gamble.

On top of that, gambling will also affect the gambler's life, as well as his/her family's life. And this is especially so if the gambler is the sole breadwinner of the family. A gambler will only bring his family to ruin as his/her gambling will probably cause the family to run out of money soon. Hence, gambling can easily ruin and tear apart a happy family.

In conclusion, I feel that the benefits brought about by the casinos are definitely beneficial and will help our country greatly. However, the detriments brought about by casinos are also definitely serious enough to be considered. So is the casino a boon or bane? It all depends on how you look at it.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Facebook -- Detrimental or Beneficial?

Heyy people (:

I felt inspired to write this post after my group did a Statistical Poster Project on this topic. So here goes.

Basically our survey tried to find out the number of people who used facebook nowadays, as well as what people used facebook for, how many hours people spent on facebook, and etc.

So.

The people we surveyed consisted of mostly teenagers, and according to our survey, 100% of the participants used facebook. From the survey results, it is clear that there is an increasing trend of people who use facebook nowadays. Oh, out of teenagers though. Heh. Anyway, I shall refrain from giving an opinion on whether that is a good or bad thing. So, on to the next question.

We also found out from our survey that most people used facebook for communication, applications and "interacting" with people. Of course, some people also use it for stalking (: But anyway, this means that most people use facebook as a platform for communication, which according to my interpretation means that most people use facebook to get to know more people, to talk to their friends, and so on. This might be a good thing, so to say. I know a friend who has difficulties communicating with people because he is simply too shy. He rarely talks to people, and he has problems asking people questions, answering people, having conversations with people face to face. So, the solution? Create a facebook account! Facebook has helped him over the years to overcome his problem as he isn't as shy talking to people online, interacting with friends, and getting to know new people! Nowadays, his problem has been completely solved and he no longer has difficulties talking to people anymore. Hence, facebook might be a good thing in this sense.

However, a high percentage of people also used facebook for applications. As is the case with my class, lots of people play "Mousehunt" on facebook. Mousehunt is a popular facebook game which involves sounding the hunters' horn every few minutes, and as you progress further through the game, you are able to catch mice with greater point/gold rewards. But let's not go too into detail. After all, my point here is that mousehunt is ADDICTIVE. And not just moderately addictive. Like significantly addictive. Once a person starts playing mousehunt, he will want to continue playing mousehunt until he gets to a higher rank. And because the game is ever-changing and ever-developing, there will be no end to it. And how do I know it is addictive, I hear you ask. It's because I play it too. And I'm of the knight rank now, a fairly high rank. To tell the truth, I don't know when i'll stop. So that, in essence, allows us to conclude that facebook is detrimental to teenagers in the sense that it is addictive. I'll talk about the effects of addiction later.

Next, we asked how long teenagers spent on facebook. As well as whether they thought having a facebook account was important. According to our survey results, around 80% thought that having a facebook account was important. Also, around 50% of people spent 1-2 hours on facebook, while the rest spent 3 hours or more. From this, it is clear that facebook is addictive. This is evidently a detriment as teenagers need to focus on their schoolwork and not facebook. Perhaps, though, facebook could be used for relaxation after a long bout of homework. Apart from this, teenagers also think that having a facebook account is important. Hence, from these two survey questions, it is clear that facebook is addictive and might affect teenagers.

Personally, I think that facebook brings about more detriments than benefits. Facebook is not only addictive, it is also a time-waster and it might cause teenagers' studies to be affected. Though it is indisputable that facebook has some benefits, the detriments outweigh the benefits. In conclusion, I feel that facebook should be used in moderation, not too much, but it can also be used after homework, studying, etc. So, detrimental or benefitial? It all depends on how you use it.