eBooks vs Traditional Books

With the recent release of the Amazon Kindle, an eBook reader, many people have begun to wonder how long more traditional books will survive.

The case for the eBook – eBooks are light, energy efficient, and convenient. Despite misconceptions that eBooks cause more environmental damage, eBooks are actually very energy efficient and cause much less environmental impact when compared to the lengthy process of creating books – cutting down trees for paper, then shipping the paper, printing, and once again transporting the completed books to bookstores.

Furthermore, eBooks are lighter – tens of books can be held on a reader no thicker than a pencil and definitely far lighter than the average paperback. eBook Readers also come with a host of other features making them very versatile. Among others, they also feature an e-ink display, allowing readers to read outdoors without the glare of backlit screens, and also proving to be easier on the eyes.

eBooks also allow the reader to note down annotations neatly and easily, as compared to traditional books where the annotations were limited by the margins and size of the book. Annotations can be typed in quickly via keyboard to the required area. The eBook can also take down notes and save them to each book.

eBooks are also very convenient. When buying a traditional book, the buyer would have to either the book online or alternatively, head to a bookstore. However, eBooks can be purchased with the click of a button, without needing to leave the comfort of one’s home.

However, despite these convincing figures and reasons to switch to a eBook reader, why has the response to eBooks stayed low?

The first possible factor could be the fact that despite purchasing a book, the company who sold the book (In the case of the Kindle, Amazon) still reserves the right to the book. What does this entail? In other words, the company can delete your book remotely if there is a reason to do so. In such a case, readers of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm woke up to find their books deleted. Although the full price was refunded, the fact remains that Amazon did so without the permission of the consumers. However, in this case, they did not need to consult the consumer, as stipulated within their Terms of Service. This means that for whatever book owned, the company still reserves the final right to what will happen to your book.

The Second Factor may be that eBooks lack the physical attributes which books have. The ability to bookmark pages, to feel the paper in your hands, and even the smell of books have been cited as reasons to continue reading paperback books.

Furthermore, critics of the eBook may argue that it encourages impulsive purchases. This is especially since books may be purchased immediately at the click of the button with little to no consideration of the worth, usefulness and quality of the book.

I personally feel that the eBook Reader is a very versatile device, especially since it can compress multiple books into a small convenient package. However, I would recommend eBook Readers only to book readers who insist on owning collections of books. This is especially in Singapore where we have a comprehensive library system which has many genres of books, and considering that many new branches of libraries are sprouting around Singapore, this increases the convenience of being able to borrow books without the necessity of owning them. Furthermore, much can be said about travelling to a bookstore and browsing through the titles before deciding to buy one. It is definitely something which the eBook cannot replicate.

However, a category of which the eBook may appeal more to may be students. Students may value eBooks more than traditional textbooks as they are lighter, reducing the heavy bags which students have to shoulder, and host many other features conducive to studying. For example, students need not have to search through an entire book to find certain terms. They could use the search function to pick out the words conveniently and quickly. However, being a student myself, I think the best option would be to sell copyright protected textbooks in a format for Laptops. This is considering that many students already bring laptops to school, it would serve a dual purpose and also reduce the contents of a Student’s bag to just their laptop, while eliminating all other items.

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon – Book Review.

This book was written by Mark Haddon the author of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time”. The main characters in the book are George, Jean, Jamie, Katie and David. The main character, George, is suffering from a mental disorder in which he is constantly fearful of death and also suffers from panic attacks. He also insists that his eczema is actually Cancer, and refuses to believe the diagnosis of the doctor, who believes is incompetent (The doctor had once misdiagnosed Appendicitis as being a stomach ache)

This reaches a climax when George tries to cut his eczema off with a pair of scissors. This results in him losing massive amounts of blood (The book describes this very graphically) and he starts to suffer from shock. Reaching the phone, he manages to call an ambulance before collapsing on the floor. However, this results in his wife reaching the house and panicking when seeing the large amount of blood everywhere.

Furthermore, three other story arcs are also reaching a peak at this point. Jamie, George’s homosexual son, has just broken up with his lover, while Katie is facing problems with her soon-to be husband, and Jean is thinking of leaving George for David.

Despite the explicit scenes in the book, I think that the author managed to craft the book perfectly, showing the intertwining story arcs, which really makes the book seem to parallel real life effectively, with details being shown well, allowing the reader to imagine the scene for themselves.

The title also has two meanings (Although this is only my interpretation of the title – each person may have their own viewpoints) of the eczema which is bothering George, being a “Spot of Bother”, and how George dismisses his own illness to his family as being unimportant (initially, he tells this to Jean as he does not want her to interfere having seen her having an affair with another man.).

Therefore, I think that this book a definite must read!

Book Review- Jeffrey Archer’s Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less.

Book Review- Jeffrey Archer’s Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less.

This was Jeffrey Archer’s first novel. The story starts with four men being duped into buying falsely inflated shares in a company named “Prospecta Oil”. The Share prices rise quickly with a falsified report stating that there was oil hidden at the site which Prospecta purchased. However, the share prices plunge soon after as the shares have no value - It was actually a plot by “Harvey Metcalfe” to scam those men of their money (They were not specifically picked - It was a coincidence that those four lost the most money.). Having lost over a Million in total, they decide to team up and get the money back. Thus, each of them creates their own plots to fool Harvey and get their money back. The title, “Not a Penny more, Not a Penny Less” refers to how the protagonist states that they shall only take what is owed to them, no more, no less.

Despite this being Jeffrey Archer’s first novel, I think that it really comes across as being a fun read. The characters are meticulous and go through stages after stages of planning to complete their plots. Each character is also well described, with each character almost taking on a life of their own. Some parts of this novel will make the reader grip the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen next. The twist at the end of the story is also highly amusing!!

Book Review- 1984 by George Orwell

Book Review- 1984 by George Orwell

I would rank this book as the top in my list of favourites. I have always been very fascinated by Dystopias after reading Animal Farm and The Giver. Therefore, 1984 ranked highly on my “To Read list”.

The main character, Winston Smith, has highly different views (even criminal) from the rest of the populace, who generally agree with the views of the Upper Party, an authoritarian government.

There are three classes in Oceania (Which is a new boundary formed with part of Britain) - The Proles, the lower Party, and The Upper Party. The Proles are treated like animals, but have freedom not enjoyed by the lower party - they can marry freely, divorce, drink, and relatively little is expected from them. The Lower Party is kept in control by the upper party, and are constantly watched by Telescreens - they cannot have privacy even in their home. They must also control their emotions and their thoughts (Facecrime and Thoughtcrime in newspeak) or risk capture and imprisonment in the Ministry of Love. The Upper Party, on the other hand, enjoys privileges not accorded to either the lower party or the proles. These privileges include well furnished apartments, servants, and proper food such as tea and even wine.

However, Winston has managed to keep a low profile despite his thoughts against the government. However, he soon becomes involved in an explicit affair with another member of the Lower Party, Julia (her surname is never revealed). Soon after beginning their relationship, they believe that a member of the upper party, O’Brien, is part of a society against the government (The Brotherhood). They thus go to meet that member of the Upper Party, (where they also get a glimpse of the privileged life of the Upper Party) which holds a short meeting with them and promises to send them a copy of “the book” (Yes it is written in italics in the book.), which is a text written about the government in Oceania. However, they are captured soon after and imprisoned in the Ministry of Love.

Will Winston escape? Did O’Brien betray them? Does the Brotherhood really exist? Will they manage to help their two new members?

I felt that this book is truly a great read and portrays a great vision of a dystopia - there is no friendship between people, their children are turned against them, and may report them at any moment to the police, and people may disappear suddenly (As with some of Winston’s friends - Syme being the notable example). Even worse, is the fact that history in the book continues to be re-written constantly, with inaccurate speeches being rewritten and republished under the date of the old speech - nobody can even be sure of the current date, let alone of what is true and what is not. It is also impossible to tell when the telescreen is watching you. Always, or periodically? The dystopia in this book is wonderfully potrayed (pardon the irony) and shows the extent of how power can corrupt.

“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Book Review- Jeffrey Archer’s Prison Diaries

Jeffrey Archer was jailed for Perjury in 2001. He wrote his prison diaries (There are three novels comprising the entire set of diaries. The three novels are written with relation to the Prison he was in at the moment- depending on the category of the prison) For his three weeks in prison, he was in a High Security prison, before being transferred to lower security prisons, the last of which being an open prison, which has no walls, and each prisoner holds the key to their room. (It also has far less guards as the deterrent against escape is the possibility of being caught, which would prevent them from ever being sent to an open prison again.)

The Prison Diaries were really an insight into the life of a prisoner. Jeffrey Archer also talks about the bureaucracy faced in the prisons. He also talks about the several erroneous reports about him by the tabloids which state that he was living in luxury in the prison and that he had several privileges accorded to him (These allegations are obviously outlandish and unrealistic) such as being able to drive down to a pub nightly for beer.

Jeffrey Archer also focuses on the drug problems in prisons. He stated that many prisoners are willing to go to great risks to smuggle drugs into the prison. The Prison guards also know where the drugs are being hidden but are limited in how they can search each prisoner. Furthermore, some prison guards and some lawyers on Legal Visits also smuggle in drugs for their clients. The added incentive is that Drug Dealers usually earn much more from selling drugs in prison. This is as the drugs sold in prison are generally more diluted and also sell at a higher price due to the higher demand. However, this sometimes leads to the death of the prisoners - upon being released, many of them continue to inject themselves with drugs which are less diluted, but their body is unable to adjust to the higher dosage, resulting in them dying from overdosage. He also mentions that since heroin can be flushed out of the body faster than cannabis (Heroin can be flushed out by drinking more water than usual, whereas Cannabis can stay in the bloodstream for up to a month.). This has led to many prisoners coming up with innovative methods to escape their Mandatory Drugs Test (Which may be a random test or one based on Reasonable Risk). One prisoner even added that they could suck on a bar of soap or swallow a mouthful of “Smoker’s Toothpaste” to cloud the urine sample, thus granting them more time to clear their system of whatever drug they had consumed.

Jeffrey Archer also talked about how many first-time offenders for minor crimes ended up being imprisoned with hardened criminals. This is due to the fact that criminals awaiting trial or having just started their sentence are first placed in a “Category A” or High Security prison before they are classified into the other 3 Classifications (The whole system is from A-D). For example, he stated the case of several petty crime offenders who became hooked on drugs and soon became repeat offenders. He also stated the plight of long term prisoners who are unable to rehabilitate into society, as they have become institutionalized. Once such prisoner, upon being released, stole a purse from an elderly lady, and waited for her to call the police before handing the purse back. (A short story based on this appears in Cat O’ Nine Tales)

I would say that this book is definitely a worthy read.

Book Review - Jeffrey Archer's As the Crow Flies

Personally, Jeffery Archer is my favourite author. I most enjoy his collections of Short Stories, such as 12 Red Herrings and a Twist in the Tale. For this blog post, I will be talking about his novel, as the Crow Flies. As the Crow Flies is truly an huge story. It spans the life of Charlie Trumper from his Childhood to his later years. Charlie learns the art of trading from his grandfather, and after the death of his grandfather, takes over the family business (His father neglects the family) and takes care of his sisters. However, he leaves soon to enlist in the Army. The army seems to suit Charlie perfectly as he wakes up early than the other recruits and is more readily suited to the hardships they face. He is promoted quickly and they continue to train before heading off to their fist combat mission. However, soon after, his best friend in the army is murdered by an officer who has a grudge against his friend. After the War, Charlie returns to England, where he discovers that a Shop has been set up bearing his name by his Childhood Friend and Business Partner Rebecca. The rest of the story switches the Point of View through the different characters. (I will not spoil the rest of the story by revealing it here)

I find that although this was an extremely long novel, Jeffrey Archer managed to keep it interesting by changing the Points of View. It was also an effective story-telling technique as it allowed the reader to understand what happened during other parts of the story, despite the character not being there. Furthermore, despite introducing several characters, Jeffrey Archer manages to give characters depth in their mannerisms, which can be seen through different points of view. Furthermore, the characters are easy to remember, although many are introduced in the story.

Book Review - Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Considering the Recent "Firestorm" over the Book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother", I jumped at the opportunity to read it. Could her parenting methods really be that extreme? Was it hyped-up hyperbole to generate Media Attention? Or would it be more like Normal parenting which most of us experience in Singapore?

Basically, The "Tiger Mother" in the title is also book's author, Amy Chua. The book is her memoirs which are talking about her experiences with her two daughters. I found the book very interesting.

It also gave me an insight into how parents try their best for their children, and they sometimes have to make difficult choices for their children or for the sake of the family. It certainly gave me food for thought over how different cultures also have different parenting styles and rationale for their styles.

I could also commiserate with some of the feelings mentioned in the book. For example, she mentioned a time when her daughter felt joy and accomplishment after learning a song successfully. Even though I am not as good a pianist as her Daughter, Sophia (Who plays at concerts and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York), I can empathize with the difficulty one feels when trying to master a piece, as well as the sense of accomplishment when the piece has been mastered.

I think that overall, the book was very interesting and insightful for me.
Definitely Recommended!!

Reflections on Term Two Test

Reflections on term two test results

For my Term Two Essay, I believe that I could still have done better. This is that most of my sentence structure was repeated. For example, I repeated the word “used” very frequently, thus making the essay quite dry since the essay structure was very uniform.

Also, I failed to use linking words in between each paragraph. This resulted in my essay having a slightly disjointed feel.

However, I think I did well by using several examples in my essay from several areas, especially current examples, such as the middle east protests (See below post of essay). Furthermore, apart from using several examples, I also made them link to my topic sentence of each paragraph.

Therefore, I feel that I can still improve. I aim to improve by practicing other essays under exam conditions.

Term Two Test Essay - Social Media, a Blessing or a Curse? Dicuss.

Social Media - A blessing or a curse? Discuss.

(This essay was written during the Term Two LA test. It is reproduced in its entirety here.)

With the availability and convenience of modern day computers, social media has become more widely used. Social Media has been used before to allow people to share their views if the other forms of media are heavily censored by the state. Therefore, social media is a blessing if used for the proper means.

Social Media allows freedom of expression. This use of social media is most frequent in countries where other forms and types of media are heavily censored. For example, in recent protests in the Middle East, in countries such as Egypt and Syria, the social media websites were used to rally other protestors, and also to draw worldwide attention to their cause. Although the governments of the countries blocked their citizens’ access to these social media websites, the people managed to circumvent the blocks.

Also, social media has been used to generate public support and publicity. For example, after the recent Christchurch Earthquake, the Prime Minister of Christchurch stated that they would be appealing for funds to assist rebuilding efforts via Facebook. Charities also use social media platforms to garner support and donations. Apart from collecting donations or fund raising, social media can be used to reach out to the youth, as part of generating increased publicity. For example, in the ongoing 2011 General Election in Singapore, many political parties use social media to spread information and increase support for the party. Social media has also been used as part of advertising programmes, as social media is free and is already widely used.

Social media is also used as a form of entertainment. An example of social media being used as a form of entertainment is Youtube, an online video sharing community for people to share videos of all kinds, from instructional to entertaining. This service is also completely free. Since the videos are all made by users, although the quality of the videos may not be consistent, there is a mass variety of videos. Other examples include online websites which allow users to upload and share pictures. Image and file sharing websites allow users to share images and even artwork with each other.

However, there are some downsides of social media. Social media may be used as a tool for scammers to trick computer users into giving away personal information or money. Many such scams and tricks have been surfaced to the public’s attention but not before a member of an online community had already fallen prey to it . Such examples may include convincing the subject to send money to an obscure bank account to claim their winnings in a foreign lottery, or asking the user to send their personal details to claim a prize .

Also, information on Social Media is not always accurate. An example of this would be when a couple posted videos and daily updates about the relationship troubles they were feeling before they got married. Online netizens , touched by their sincerity , promised to help the couple . However, they were shocked to find out that it was an elaborate advertising programme for an insurance company. They were upset that they had been tricked. However, they could not deny that they were at fault for automatically believing what they had seen.

In conclusion, Social Media, when used properly, is a quick, efficient and convenient method to spread information. However, despite these factors, if social media is misused, the effects would be very widespread, considering the mass number of users who utilize Social Media. Therefore, Social Media is a blessing if used in a proper method.

Visit to MacRitchie Reservoir

Visit to MacRitchie Reservoir

MacRitchie Reservoir was the first reservoir built in Singapore, and is the oldest reservoir. The reservoir was completed in 1867 and has remained since. The reservoir has also undergone several renovations. The reservoir has several amenities, including a Fishing area, kayak lanes, etc.

Our class chose to visit the reservoir on the morning of 9 May, when it would be less sunny, and we would thus be more likely to see more animals. Upon reaching the reservoir, we began looking for the first checkpoint (Out of five on our list) --- A tree stump. Unfortunately, we read the map wrongly, and walked in circles for the first five minutes or so. Luckily, we found the tree stump soon, on top of a small hill, where there was some ongoing construction. The tree stump was next to a healthy adult tree- the tree stump was formed when lightning struck that part of the tree, while the rest of the tree survived. The stump had began to rot, and was a home to several organisms. We saw many plants including epiphytes and ferns. We also noted that there was a colony of ants living there, as well as several spiders. There were also several Tembusu trees growing around this part of the reservoir (The tembusu tree is pictured on the back of the Singaporean Five Dollar Note).

The next checkpoint on our list was the reservoir where the rainwater was collected. We noted the water quality - The water quality can be gauged through certain measurable criteria - The amount of debris in the water, the color of the water, the turbidity of the water (How murky the water is), the temperature of the water, the dissolved oxygen, and the pH level of the water.

Although the water of the reservoir was slightly murky, that was due to the tannin which is a brownish pigment from dissolved leaves. Since it was a nature reserve, rotting or decomposing leaves would be left alone so as not to disrupt nature in progress.

Heading onwards, we reached the kayak lanes, where several university students were carrying out kayaks for their training. They had set up several kayak lanes with buoys. Several people were also jogging, while some people were heading into the forest for nature walks. Also, we reached a fishing zone along the jogging path where no one was fishing yet. At the water’s edge, we could see some small fishes, red Dragonflies, and some Blue Damselflies. We then headed into the forest.

The forest was filled with different kind of plants and animals. However, since the gravel made a loud and obvious grating noise, most animals had long darted away before we reached them. We saw several types of plants, including rattan plants, which had long hard spikes to deter herbivores which might feed on it. We also saw a plant which bore large berries (The berries would turn red when ripe to attract animals to eat it.) However, since the fruit was meant to be safe to eat, I broke the fruit into two and licked the inner layer. However, the fruit was quite tasteless (being not fully developed).

Having finished most of the trip, we headed back to the amenities centre where we had a rest and a snack.

This trip was an interesting learning experience for me as I could see how what we learnt in class connected with nature. For example, the Turbidity in the water would change over the course of the day - The water would become murkier in the afternoon - as more tannin would be dissolved in the water. We could also see the human impact on the reservoir and nature - for example, the Kayakers would disturb the fish in the water, but also helps introduce oxygen into the water. Another example would be fishing - By fishing, people would decrease the number of fishes in the water, and fishes act as a natural control for mosquito larva - so the mosquito population might increase as an effect. However, on the other hand, there is only a limited zone for fishing, so the fishermen help to keep the predator population down.

GE 2011 Results

The 2011 General Election has attracted much attention from the day it was announced. All GRCs and SMCs were contested by opposition parties, with only one SMC, Tanjong Pagar, being a walkover. This is a large change as in previous years, 7 or more constituencies were walkovers. Several constituencies had never been contested for a decade or more .

The general election has also been widely followed online. Political Apathy is no longer a term that can be used to describe a majority of the youth in Singapore. Many youths, whether of voting age or not, were able to follow the election through social media such as Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. These examples of social media allowed opposition parties to get their message across and also reach out to the youth.

Furthermore, in an attempt to reach out to more youths, both ruling party, the PAP, and the opposition have fielded “Young candidates” who are supposedly more able to reach out to the younger generation of voters. These two candidates are Tin Pei Ling of the PAP, and Nicole Seah of the NSP, who were both contesting Marine Parade GRC.

Also, several issues have made this election a much more contested one. Several issues have struck a chord among Singaporeans young and old alike. For example, the rising cost of living, the Lack of Care for elderly citizens, etc. Many people have also been outraged by the significantly higher salaries of the ministers, while people from the lower class are struggling to make a living. These issues have been mentioned frequently by the opposition during rallies, finally resulting in PM Lee Hsien Loong giving an apology to the citizens of Singapore about those aforementioned issues.

Indeed, the results of the General Election have been unprecedented - this is the first ever time that a GRC has been won over by the opposition, in this case, Aljunied GRC. This PAP’s vote margin has also fallen significantly. What has caused this change in the attitudes of the electorate?

This change might be caused by the voters trying to vent their frustrations about the issues mentioned. However, it should also be noted that more talent is being recruited by the opposition. A good example of this would be Mr Chen Show Mao, part of the team which won Aljunied GRC. Mr Chen returned to Singapore to take part in the General Election. His motives were frequently questioned, as many were interested to know why he had chosen to return to Singapore at such a opportunate moment. However, it should also be noted that Mr Chen was a Rhode Scholar, and was very well educated, apart from being an excellent orator.

Thus, the General Election of 2011 is truly a “watershed” election..

War Poetry - In Flanders Fields

In class, we have started (actually restarted) poetry. In this case, we are doing War Poetry.

Most of the poetry we analyzed or annotated are from World War One. The poem which I found most poignant was In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

---

Background: This poem was written in 1915 by John McCrae, a field surgeon in World War One. He was inspired to write the poem after the death of his friend. McCrae later died in 1918 of Pneumonia. The term "Flanders Fields" actually refers to the general battlefield area in Part of Belgium and France. In this area, the most notable battles were the Three Battles of Ypres- This poem was written during the Second Battle of Ypres, hence the name.

Another Poem, We Shall Keep the Faith (Referring to the last stanza), was inspired by In Flanders Fields.

Furthermore, In Flanders Fields inspired people to use the Red Poppy as a symbol of Remembrance for Fallen Soldiers in World War One. The Red poppy is also worn on Remembrance Day to commemorate the soldiers who died .

The poem is also quite unique as the last line of each stanza actually breaks the rhythm of the line. This seems to emphasize "In Flander's Fields" since it is the last line of Two Stanzas.

EDIT: Also, I feel that the poem is very poignant. My favourite Stanza would be the second Stanza, as I feel that it truly brings out how abruptly the soldiers died. I feel that this is brought out effectively as the last line breaks up the rhythm, thus also emphasizing the sudden change in rhythm - seemingly conveying their sudden and unnatural death.

Appendix: We Shall Keep The Faith by Moina Michaels

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought

Postscript: Moina Michaels began selling red (fake) poppies to raise funds for disabled veterans of the Great War. In 1921, the red poppy was recognised as an official symbol of remembrance.

Maycomb Tribune - Tom Robinson's failed escape attempt.

The Maycomb Tribune

Negro convicted of rape tries to escape, Shot dead.

Maycomb, Alabama. Tom Robinson, convicted of Rape barely a week ago was shot dead while attempting to escape from the Enfield Prison Farm yesterday. Robinson had rushed towards the perimeter fence around the Exercise field, and had almost made it past the fence. Ignoring warning shots, he was shot as he reached the top of the fence.

A prison officer, who declined to be named, said, "He was running so fast, if he had two whole hands, the nigger would have made it. It was a close one. "

Robinson had been convicted of raping a Mayella Ewell, 19, in a much observed trial. Despite the best efforts of Mr Atticus Finch, the lawyer appointed by the state, Robinson had been convicted of his crime and sent to Enfield Prison Farm pending the outcome of his appeal. Before the appeal could be heard, Robinson tried to escape.

When interviewed, Mr Finch stated, "I didn't expect this to happen... I told Tom that we had a good chance of overturning the judgement..."

A Mr Ewell, the father of the rape victim, was not surprised on hearing the news. Mr Ewell stated, "These niggers (sic) have it coming to them. Living around here, devaluing my property, they'll all get what's coming to them. The Electric Chair is too Good for them."

The Challenges of Life bring out the best in young people. What are Your views?

I believe that the challenges of life helps to develop young adults to become more resilient, as well as develop other traits.Firstly, life poses many challenges to young adults who are have just headed into the world to begin a independent life. However, these challenges allow them to become more adaptable, etc.

Challenges can be broadly defined as a demanding situation which prompts a certain reaction. Thus, the challenges of life might refer to the difficulties one might encounter when going through the process of life. Therefore, such challenges may include finding a job, and adapting to different lifestyles, etc.

These challenges bring out the best in young adults in their response to the challenge. For example, a challenge might be difficulty in finding a job- if the individual is repeatedly turned down. In such a case, they would probably respond by working harder or trying to gain new skills to make themselves a better candidate for the job. This example encompasses the values of perseverance and hard work. These values will be valuable to them in the later stages of their life. Thus, these challenges do bring out the best in young adults.

Some people might say that young people might give up in the face of adversity. An example might be students who drop out of Secondary School or University. However, some of these dropouts actually learn more from life than from their school, and later become successful people. An example of a university dropout is Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed Collage. He later went on to establish Apple, an extremely successful computer company. Another such example would be Bill Gates, who after dropping out of university, set up Microsoft, a software company, which produced the widest used Operating System.

Therefore, the challenges of life does bring out the best in young people.

A Day in the life of a WWII housewife

We're fighting the war on the home front. They say that every day. In London, the streets now are littered with debris and corpses, that no one has cleared up yet. Both my children, have been relocated to the country, to escape the Luftwafte's cluster bombing, daily, nightly. The air-raid sirens have become our daily song of despair. Rations too are become stretched even tighter, the queues at the rationing centre stretching into the hungry hundreds hoping for their food. Everything is rationed. Food, meat, clothes. The war stretches ever longer, as the government tries to assure us that everything will go well.

When will the tide finally turn?

Descriptive Essay based on below picture

The soldier ducked as he leaped over the debris, an hour before, a peaceful village, another victim of cluster bombing. Smoke and gunpowder hung heavily in the air, gunfire breaking into their thoughts, the bitter acrid taste of burning villages around them, This was a destroyed village. They leaped over the shrapnel and crushed houses on the ground. A gate swung loosely on its crushed hinges, a slow rhythmic back and forth. Back and forth.

Main Themes of To Kill a Mockingbird

The main themes of To kill a Mockingbird would probably be the themes: Discrimination and Growing up, among other themes.

Discrimination is the most obvious theme of all - the Discrimination is seen between the Negroes and the White people, the Ewells and the other residents of Maycomb, as well as the Radleys and the Maycomb residents.

The discrimination against the Negroes can be seen with they are forced to sit in a separate court balcony, forced to live in a separate part of town, and use different facilities, etc.

The Ewells can be seen to be separated from the town - "She [Mayella Ewell] was as sad, I thought, as what Jem called a mixed child: white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn't have anything to do with her because she was white. (Ref Pg 198)" as well as "Maycomb gave them [The Ewells] Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand."

Next, the Radleys are portrayed as being antisocial and thus, the town is somewhat prejudiced against them for being different from everyone else, although more towards Arthur (Boo) Radley. "The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb."

Furthermore, Arthur Radley was believed to be a monster. This was further perpetrated by Miss Stephanie Crawford, who spread rumours that Boo Radley "looked at her" while she was sleeping. This shows that any difference which made a person stand out might also cause the town to be prejudiced against them. Furthermore, this prejudice lasted for a long time, as the town was unwilling to let go of their bigoted beliefs.

Quote: "Any stealthy crime committed in Maycomb were his [Arthur Radley] work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions." (Page 15.)

The second theme, The growth of Scout and Jem, can be seen throughout the story as Jem becomes disillusioned with the town after the trial and subsequent conviction of Tom Robinson. Although Scout does mature nearing the end of the book, she still maintains a slightly childish perspective on life. Furthermore, at the end of the book, Scout realizes how to look at life from some one else's point of view as she stands on the Radley Porch and comments on Boo Radley's life and perspective.

Newspapers.

Newspapers - We encounter them practically everyday either at home or at school. But how much thought do we devote to the humble newspaper?

The purpose of Newspapers is mainly to inform people. Of course, there are two major types of newspapers, each with their distinctive features. These two newspapers are the broadsheets and tabloids. Broadsheets have a large layout and inverted pyramid layout for major stories which places the most important information at the top of the page. Broadsheets mainly report on breaking news and international events. The tone is usually very formal and quite analytical. In contrast, tabloids focus more on visual pictures as well as very sensationalized stories, which mainly are human interest stories.

Furthermore, each section in the newspaper has a specific function to cater to a specific type of reader.

Lastly, there are also newspapers which fall into a "unclassified" catorgory, such as Singapore's Today, published by Mediacorp, which is given out for free, and contains snippets of news but with a tabloid layout. Today is also heavily sponsored by advertisers.

A Song - Strange Fruit

Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

This Song is composed by Billie Holiday, a black singer who was popular with both White people and Black people.

The song makes obvious references to Lynching - The fruit appears only in the South (Which was against the freedom of Negroes), it also has a few lines which refer to the Lynched Person - "The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth as well as Then the sudden smell of burning flesh"

The song is more poignant, as it only implies the Lynching, but it does not explicitly state it is a lynching. This increases the effectiveness of the Song as the listener automatically makes their own inference about the lyrics, so that the message is stronger. However, I also find the lyrics very poignant as it highlights the irony of "gallant south" since the message is conflicting - Gallant yet they bully and oppress others.

Comparison between Mississippi Burning and To KIll a Mocking Bird

Both TKaM and Mississippi Burning are set in the South during the same period - ie, after the American Civil War. Although specifically, Mississippi Burning is during the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi, and is loosely based of the true murders of three Civil Right Activists. TKaM could also be said to be loosely based off the Scottsboro Boys.

Mississippi Burning focuses more on the KKK and how they segregated and attacked Black People, specifically burning "black" churches as well as intimidating any blacks and preventing them from talking to the FBI about the missing Civil Right activists. The main examples cited in the movie are lynchings, burning of homes and houses, and beating informants. The other main method of intimidation was to place a burning cross near the house of whoever they wanted to intimidate as a warning.

TKaM however was more focused on general segregation of Negroes and also (to some extent) Human nature. This is emphasized when certain characters rejected the segregation of the Jews, but still supported segregating the Blacks. However, the book focused less on violent scenes, and focused more on day to day events in Maycomb.

However, this can be explained through the fact that Movies in general are more fast paced than books, so the movie would not focus on day to day events as the movie would be more boring. Furthermore, as Maycomb was described as an old and sleepy town, the likelihood of a Lynch Mob/Lynching occuring would very slim, despite the fact that a Lynching almost happened when Atticus was approached at the Jail.

However, in General, both Mississippi Burning and TKaM are focused on the same theme.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Ending of The story

Guiding Question - Did the ending of the novel surprise you? If you were the author would you have ended the story differently? Explain.

I think that if I was Harper Lee, I would still have ended the story in a similiar method, as the ending of the story encompasses several main points:

1. Appearance of Boo Radley
2. Death of Bob Ewell (End of the Conflict)

Therefore, the end of the story, also allowed for the closure of the main story arcs, being the Kindness of Boo Radley, and Bob Ewell's actions. The ending also shows how Boo Radley left the safety and comfort of his house to protect Jem and Scout, even though he might have endangered himself in the process. Also, the death of Bob Ewell ends the story on a calmer note. The last few sentences of the story, implies how Boo was actually like.

" 'An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things ... Atticus, he was real nice....' " (Pg 287)

Lastly, the last sentence of the story, ends the story on a calm and peaceful note, with Scout falling asleep in bed.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Character Analysis

My favourite character in TKAM is Miss Maudie Atkinson. I find that her defining qualities are how she is very sharp tongued, and also quite sarcastic.

She is also very witty, and her sharp tongued comments usually force the other party to give in. For example, when Miss Stephanie Crawford told the town that she saw Arthur Boo Radley staring at her at night, Miss Maudie replied, "What did you do Stephanie, move over in the bed and make room for him? That shut her up for a while." (Page 51, Chapter V)

Furthermore, unlike other characters in the book, Miss Maudie treats Scout and Jem very fairly (like Atticus), and does not hide things from them. She also tries to teach them about how all people are equal. She might also be seen as teaching Scout and Jem many lessons throughout the events of the book. For example, when Jem was upset by the outcome of the trial of Tom Robinson, she reassures him that the town was taking baby steps to become less prejudiced. Also, when Scout is embarrassed of Atticus, Miss Maudie tries to convince Scout that Atticus is quite talented, although Scout is only convinced after Atticus shot Tim Robinson.

Also, Ms Maudie is very strong, as even after her house burned down, she still continued her gardening, and did not seem to be deeply affected be the event.

Chinese New Year and Other News!!

Today was the HCI CNY celebrations! usually, after the celebrations, we would go visit our primary schools. However, today, there was a bit of a problem as Henry Park Primary celebrations ended at 10. However, HCI celebrations ended at about 10.30. This meant that we couldn't visit our teachers this time...

Anyway, the celebrations were as usual. We had the Lion Dance, Chinese Orchestra Performance, Choir, a few games, etc. However, in my opinion, last years CNY celebrations were more lively compared to this years! A good thing is that a performance area was set up in the middle of the hall, so everyone could have a great view. It was a great idea!!

Different points of View - First person and Third Person

Both first person and third person points of view have their own advantages.

Advantages of First person POV:

1. The narrator is mostly involved in the story
2. The narrator can experience most feelings firsthand
3. Certain stories can make use of unreliable narrators - Information can be filtered by the narrator to show only certain POVs

Disadvantages:

1. Character has limited vision only.
2. No access to other Characters' thoughts.

Advantages of Third Person POV:

1. Allows access to all of the thoughts of the characters
2. Omniscient and Omnipresent narrator - able to see things and narrate the story in non chronological order. For example, the omniscient narrator can skip foward slightly - "Jane thought it was all over, but little did she know that more was to come." However, first person narrators cannot do so unless it is a flashback.

Disadvantages:

1. The reader can feel alienated from the characters if they are not elaborated upon well.

Picture Description - LA Writing Exercise

This is a creative writing exercise for LA:

It was a beautiful day, nearing dusk. The vast expanse of sand, was nearly empty, as beachgoers had left. The clouds, were wispy, like little fields of scarlet cotton candy. There were various abandoned sandcastles, being swallowed up by the swelling tide. The sun disappeared behind a cloud, flooding the sky with crimson orange red. There were many boats preparing for the end of their working day, waves gently rocking the boat.

LA comic strip - Storyboard of Short Story - Identity

For panel three, I used that background as I wanted to symbolise the vastness of the entire world, so I chose a more abstract background. For the rest of the backgrounds, I chose them to work and fit into the storyline. I tried to compress the entire storyline into just 6 panels, and thus had to chose my words and scenes very carefully. Thus, I chose the scenes which were most vital to the storyline. Also, due to the limitations of Toondoo, I had to use the Man as the main character as it had the most postures, and was the easiest to resize.

LA Home Learning - My favourite poem

My Favourite poem is Digging by Seamus Heaney. We went through it last year during Language Arts, and it made a deep impression upon me, due to its imagery, which I find quite vivid.

Digging by Seamus Heaney

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rest; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner's bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up
To drink it, then fell to right away
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
Over his shoulder, going down and down
For the good turf. Digging.

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.

How is Imagery used in the poem?

The imagery in the poem is meant to appeal to all five of the human senses. Smell - "Cold smell of potato mould" Hearing - "Squelch and Slap" Sight - Seeing the Father digging, Touch - "Cool hardness in our hands" Taste - N/A. Other than that, the rest of the imagery focuses on how the Narrator's Father and Grandfather both had jobs which "dug" or required them to dig - E.g Cutting Turf, Digging for potatoes. This trend leads to the last line -- "I'l dig with it".

Why do i like this poem?

I like this Poem due to the effective use of Imagery, as well as how the poem is very vivid and detailed. Furthermore, the poem really allows me to visualize what is happening better than most poems. I also like the theme of the poem as it is about the previous generations of his family. However, he does accept that he cannot completely follow in his Parents and Grandparent's footsteps either. Therefore, I like both the theme, and the poem for the exceptional imagery.

About the author:

I also like many of this poet's other poems. For example, Mid Term Break and Blackberry Picking. I enjoy the former due to how poignant it is, and the effective use of imagery to convey the emotion to the reader. I enjoy the Latter due to how it shows the greed of a younger boy, even though he knew the Blackberries would spoil. The poem is also very vivid as the descriptions make up a significant part of the poem.

How To Kill a Mockingbird Short Analysis

Why is it necessary to understand the historical and cultural context of the Novel?

How does it help to understand the author’s background? Is it necessary to learn about the author’s background?

Is it possible to appreciate the text without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the novel/background of the novel?

It is necessary to understand the historical context of the novel, as because nowadays, prejudice is less common (though it is not eradicated) Therefore, we might not be able to properly understand the nuances of the novel itself. For example, a person who did not understand the background of the novel would not understand the true meaning of the novel, and would also miss out on some of the parts of the novel.

Knowing the author's background is important, and would help with understanding the novel, and the author's reasons behind it. However, it most books and cases, it is not really necessary to understand more about the author. Harper Lee (Actually Nelle Harper Lee). She wrote the novel in 1944, approximately 79 years after the conclusion of the American Civil War, which was fought to free Negroes from Slavery. The book is actually set a few years after the American Civil War, in a Southern State (Which supported Slavery and fought against the Union during the Civil War).

First post of Sec 2 LA Online Lesson - Prejudice

For our first LA lesson in 2011, we have a short free writing exercise. For today, the exercise is on Prejudice.

What I already know about Prejudice:

Prejudice is a form of discrimination against an individual, institution or group of individuals. The prejudice may be racial, religious, etc. For example, when Adolf Hitler tried to exterminate all the Jews, the unsuccessful genocide may be viewed as Religious Discrimination or Prejudice.

Such Prejudice was also seen in the USA during the Civil War period, where a war was fought between the Confederate and the Union, to free negro slaves. Although the war was won to free them, they did enjoy complete equality, until recent years. However, since Mr Barack Obama became president, it might be seen as a milestone that the country and its people have managed to overcome such racial prejudice.

What I want to know about Prejudice:

I want to understand more about how a prejudice can develop, and affect a society.