Term 2 LA ACE BLog Post 9 - HBL Part 2

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our rucks and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot We're leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can't define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost sons
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren't born they're earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

1)Point of View: This poem is written from the point of view of a soldier who had to fight on the battlefield. This can be seen from "I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more" and "We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks". These two sentences imply that the soldier had to shoot lots of bullets from his gun, and almost everywhere they went they fought enemies.


2)Situation and Setting: The setting in the poem is Afghanistan. The poet wrote this poem when he was serving as a soldier in his army years and he states that “The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives” in his poem. The Hindu Kush is is an 800 km (500 mile) mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The poet also states “Good men and bad men, Mothers lost sons”. This goes to show how bad the situation was at that time. Innocent people were killed mercilessly.

3)Language/Dictation: The poet used vivid descriptions in his poem. Some examples are “Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies” and “Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire”. These two sentences alone allow us to imagine the beautiful scenery of the majestic mountains and how much blood was dripped during the war.

4)Personal Response: I really enjoyed reading this poem. I feel that it is extremely meaningful and it truly brings out how much suffering, bloodshed and deaths which war results in. It also brings out the intense atmosphere in which one has to be vigilant at all times and never let their guard down.

Term 2 LA ACE Blog Post 8 - HBL Part 1

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our rucks and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We're leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can't define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost sons
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren't born they're earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

The poet describes the war he is going through in Afghanistan as a period of time in which he is in hell. Some signs of conflict were mentioned in the poem also. The poet was scared of the war and he did not want to fight, but he was forced to. He did not like the idea of war and going to the battlefield to kill people. He also stated that many people felt that blood was thicker than water, but he felt that lead was thicker than blood. Also, the poet feels that brothers are not borned but instead they are earned. He feels that two people can only get along well and become brothers only if they go through hardship together.

Term 2 LA ACE Post 7 - Joournal Entry of a War Soldier

World War 2
15 March 1940
Today, it was just like any other day of the war. I was out on the battlefield sacrificing my life and fighting for my country. I should consider myself really lucky to survive another day. Many of my friends died, shot by bullets and blown up to pieces by grenades and land mines. I really hope that the war will end soon. I cannot bear to see any more deaths and suffering. Why must there be so much hatred in the world? Why is it that there will never be peace?

The war cannot continue much longer. It has to end soon. Or else, the world will be destroyed. There are already millions of casulties, why must there be more? I really hope that all this will end immediately. I cannot take it anymore. Going to the battlefield in the fear of being killed everyday is really too much for me.

Blog Post 29 - Most Interesting Thing I Learnt in Home-Based Learning

The most interesting thing I learnt in Home-Based Learning is how to construct diagrams and graphs using an online educational tool,Geo-Gebra, during the Mathematics online lesson. Geo-Gebra was developed to allow students to learn algebra and geometry through a more exciting an interesting way. At the end of the lesson, we were expected to develop and construct a digram through using the tools in Geo-Gebra. I really enjoyed the lesson because I felt it was a fresh experience. We did not get to use online educational tools very often during normal lessons. I really hope that we are able to use more of such tools in future.

Blog Post 28 - Was the decision to assassinate bin Laden rather than bring him to trial a justified one?

Yes, the decision to assassinate bin Laden rahter than bring him to trial was a justified decision. Osama was an extremely cruel and heartless terrorist who has caused many people to lose their lives. He spare no thought for others. He was extremely selfish, and he killed without even blinking his eye. Take the 9-11 incident as an example. Osama bin Laden was the one who was in charge of that sucide incident. That incident killed thousands of innocent people. Surely he deserved death, after all the harm he has brought to this world. If he were to escape that night, the US army might have to search for another few years before capturing him again. Therefore, I feel that the decision to assassinate bin Laden rather than bringing him to trial is a justified one.

Blog Post 27 - History of Manned Space Flight

I agree that the drive to explore space and our solar system is still an important human endeavor. It is very important to understand what there is in our solar system, because we need to know what is going on out there outside Earth. Humans will be able to predict future phenomenons and can prevent disasters from happening. Example a meteorite is going to crash into Earth, scientists will be able to predict it and prepare for it. Thus I feel that the drive to explore space and our solar system is still an important human endaveor.

Blog Post 26 - Making NS mandatory develops Singaporean boys into men

I agree that making NS mandatory will develop Singaporean boys into men. Going through NS will allow boys these days to be thougher and learn to endure. They will be both physically and mentally stronger. Boys these days might be quite pampered and thus going through these trainings will allow them to develop into a man. Take my cousin as an example. He was very dependent in the past, but after going through NS, he became more independent and more like a man.

Blog Post 25 - Posters for General Election

I feel that the NSP's poster depicts more teamwork than the PAP's poster. In the NSP poster, the size of all the MPs competiting for Marine Parade's GE is the same. This shows that everyone in NSP are equal, and it gives viewers the feeling that NSP have a strong bond. However, in the PAP poster, Goh Chok Tong's face is the biggest. This gives viewers the feeling that he is superior to the other MPs, and it also gives viewers the feeling that there is not much unity among PAP.