LA ACE Blog Post 11 - What I Learnt From Mississippi Burning

I feel that the movie Mississippi Burning is a very interesting movie which has taught me many things. From the movie, I learnt that the Mississippi people in the past were racist and they discriminate the Negroes. The whites do not even respect the Negroes' human rights and do not treat them like humans. Instead, they treated the Negroes cruelly and badly, and tortured and abused the Negroes. The police force there were even more evil than the normal civilians there. The Ku Klux Klan burnt the Negroes' houses and killed Negroes mercilessly, but the law did nothing to punish them.

Luckily, the 2 FBI officers from Washington DC respected the Negroes' rights and treated them equally like the whites. They tried to help the Negroes have a better life but due to the biasedness of Mississippi, there was very little things which the FBI officers could do to help the Negroes escape from their suffering.

To me, I feel that everyone should be treated the same, regardless of race, nationality or religion etc. I also feel that law enforcers should be fair and not biased. The Mississippians should put themselves in the Negroes' shoes. I believe that the Mississippians would not enjoy being tortured and treated like animals. The Negroes are innocent and did not offend anyone but people just burn down their houses and kill them just because of their skin colour. I feel that the Mississippians are going overboard and I hope that they can stop being so cruel and evil. They would surely get their retribution if they continue behaving in this manner.

LA ACE Blog Post 6 - Favourite Neighbourhood Photo

1.The greenery of the park attracted people of all ages to come here and enjoy the cool morning breeze.

2.Sitting on the black seat of the swing, the teenage girl start swinging high into the air.

3.The rustling of the silver chain of the swing could be heard as the boy started swinging higher and higher.

4.Dead brown leaves could be seen scattered all over the grass.

1.The lush greenery made the park look as if there was a playground in the middle of a forest, and people of all ages were attracted to come here and enjoy the cool morning breeze.

2.The whistle of the wind caused the silver chain of the swing to make a rustling sound, making it sound as if the chain was whispering.

The lush greenery made the park look as if there was a playground in the middle of a forest, and people of all ages were attracted to come here and enjoy the cool morning breeze, laughter of happy children filled the air, the atmosphere was so relaxed and the air was only filled with happiness.

The cool morning breeze blew, caressing the faces of the people in the park. The sun shone brightly in the azure blue sky. The lush greenery made the park look as if there was a playground in the middle of a forest and it was so inviting that people from all walks of life went there on that Sunday morning to relax and enjoy.

Laughter and happiness filled the air. Children played on swings and slided down the slides. The elderly talked to one another and did some taichi exercises. Parents took this as a chance to take a break from their busy life and spent quality time with their children.

Dead brown leaves were lying all over the grass. The trees stood tall and provided shade for the park-goers. On a Sunday morning, this was the peaceful atmosphere at the park. It is certainly good to take a break from our fast-paced life and relax once in a while.

LA ACE Blog Post 5 - Character Sketch

For this ACE blog post, I will be writing about Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird. I decided to do this blog post on Atticus because I feel that he is a very great person who is fair, knowledgeable and demonstrates both tolerance and intolerance. One incident which he demonstrated intolerance is when he found out about Jem and Scout playing a game and acting out Boo’s big scene. When he saw Jem playing with scissors and tearing up newspapers, he said, “What are you doing with those scissors, then? Why are you tearing up that newspaper? If it’s today’s I’ll tan you.” This shows that Atticus does not tolerate his children’s misbehaviour and would give them a punishment if needed. (Page 46)

An incident which Atticus demonstrated tolerance is when he told Jem to be a gentleman and hold his head high when Mrs Dubose insulted him and Atticus. Atticus said, “Easy does it, son. She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s not your job to let you make her mad.” This shows how Atticus can tolerate with other people’s insults and how he does not get affected by them. (Page 106)

Found Poem - LA ACE 4

Hi everyone,

This is my found poem. Please enjoy!

Mrs Dubose was close to a hundred

And she was the meanest old woman who ever lived.

She spent most of each day in bed and the rest in the wheelchair

It was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol

Jem and I hated her

When we passed her porch

We would be raked by her wrathful gaze

But we could do nothing to please her

‘Hey Mrs Dubose’

‘Don’t say hey to me, you ugly girl!’

‘You say good afternoon Mrs Dubose!’

She was vicious

‘Don’t contradict me!’

‘What are you doing in that overalls?’

‘You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady’

‘You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways!’

‘Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!’

Jem stiffened.

I was terrified.

When she died, Atticus said ‘She was the bravest person I ever knew’

We did this poem from Scout’s point of view. By doing this poem, we are giving the readers the impression that Mrs Dubose was an extremely mean old lady who disliked children and treated them really badly. It also gives readers the impression that she liked to insult others, and she was very dangerous. This is supported by” It was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol.” Readers would also feel that Mrs Dubose was racist as she did not support the idea of people lawing for niggers. The last sentence “When she died, Atticus said ‘She was the bravest person I ever knew’ was used to leave the reader in suspense as to why Atticus thought that Mrs Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew.

The characteristics of Mrs Dubose in this poem is very much similar to the characteristics of Mrs Dubose in the book itself. However, in the storybook, it is finally explained why Atticus felt that Mrs Dubose was the bravest person. In fact, Mrs Dubose was a woman who doted on Jem and the reason why she wanted Jem to read to her everyday for a month was because of the fact that she felt lonely and wanted some company. However, in this poem, we decided not to include the fact that she felt lonely as we only wanted to give readers the impression that she was bad-tempered, mean and crude.

LA ACE Blog Post 7 - Reflective Writing on I'm tired

I'm tired... Indeed, I am extremely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Loads of school work are piling up, ACE assignments deadlines are nearing. Staying back for school activities and going for national team trainings almost everyday has caused me to become over-exhausted. I cannot take it any longer... I feel that I am going to fall anytime now.

I no longer have any strength to continue this type of lifestyle. I hope that I will be able to relax and have some fun.

Indeed, living this kind of lifestyle is not what I want. I just want to be an average teenage boy who is able to go to school to learn, socialise and have fun with my friends. I just wish that I can have more freetime and do the things that I want to.

LA ACE Blog Post 8 - Reflective Writing on Vivid Childhood Memory

A vivid childhood memory of an event that help to influence the person I am today happened when I was 6. My mum brought me to visit my uncle, who was a doctor. His house was extremely big and magnificent, and he had 2 sports cars. He also had many electronic gaming devices. I was inspired to be a doctor since then, so that when I grow up, I could earn lots and lots of money and buy the things that I want.

Since then, I decided that I would study hard, so that I can realise my dream in future. That memory really influenced me to be the person I am today. If that incident did not happen, I might still be a computer addict like I was before, instead of the hardworking boy I am today.

Since it is my dream to be a rich man in future and earn lots of money, it is my duty to work hard for what I want as nothing comes free in this world. Everyone is born with equal intelligence. It is the hard work that matters. I feel that it is better for me to "suffer" now, and enjoy in the future. I want to be able to look after my parents well in future and not be dependent on them my whole life.

ACE Blog Post 9 - How An Individual's Identity is Shaped

1. I feel that an individual's identity is shaped by their personality, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, and their trademarks. My personality is that I am very loyal, and I do not like to go out with my parents much. My hobby is playing soccer and computer games. I like to go out and fun with my friends and I dislike hanging around with strangers. I also have a very busy schedule but I try to cope with it. I also love my country very much!

2. Since I am loyal and would rather stay at home to guard the house than go out with my parents, I am like a dog.
Since I am very busy, I am like a bee.

Since I love my country alot, I can also be represented by my country's flag.

I feel that I am a person who is quite sociable and hardworking. I love to spend quality time with my family and friends instead of going shopping on my own. And when I play computer games, I usually play them with my friends instead of playing with the "bots" and other players online. I feel that I am patriotic to my country and loyal to my family and friends.

LA ACE Blog Post 3 - All Summer in a Day

1. After watching the movie and reading the story, I feel that all the children are held responsible for Margot's treatment. The children all treat Margot badly and despise her just because she was born in Earth and could remember how the Sun looks like. However, I feel that William is the most responsible for Margot's treatment. He hates her the most and he was the one who suggested locking Margot up in the closet. Even though Margot begged him to let her out, he ignored her requests and when the Sun finally came up, he forgot all about her and went out with the other children to enjoy the sunlight by themselves.

2.If I were one of the other schoolchildren, I would have protested against William's idea to lock Margot in the closet when he suggested it. If the other schoolchildren supported William's idea and went onto to help him lock Margot in the closet, I would secretly unlock the closet for Margot when the Sun comes out. I would also tell the teacher about the rest of the schoolchildren mistreating Margot, so that they receive their due punishment, and realise that it is wrong to mistreat others.

LA ACE Blog Post 10 - A Situation in Which I Collaborated Intensely at Length with Another Person

Last year, there was a soccer tournament held by the Ortus consortium, called the O!League. My class decided to take part in the competition, and I was a member of the team of 5. We planned a tatic before every match and we knew that teamwork was really important, so we had to co-operate with one another.

Our strategy worked out in every game, and we proceeded to the finals. In the finals, we had abit of slip-up after scoring 2 goals, and we conceded 2 goals also. During the half-time break, the team leader told us that we had to work together as a team and that we could not play solo, or we would lose. We heeded his advice and in the second half, we scored 3 goals and conceded 0. This just shows how important teamwork is. If we cannot get along well with one another, the team will fail. However, if we work together as a team and collaborate intensely with our teammates, the team will succeed.

I feel that the moat important thing in every team is not each person's ability, but everyone's ability to work as a team and cooperate with one another. Only then will the team be able to succeed. If everyone cannot agree with one another and keep quarelling and arguing among theirselves, the team will fail and achieve nothing. This is why I feel that teamwork is the most important thing needed for a team to succeed.

ACE Blog Post 2

Task A:

Task B:

The reason why I chose the background of a quiet room with only a table inside the room is because I wanted to give readers the impression that the room was a conducive learning environment for John. The readers would go on to think that John is a hardworking and obedient student who studies hard for his exam, because they would think that John had been studying in the room during the time his mother was out. By characterizing John as a hardworking student, I made a twist in the 3rd picture to show that John actually had not been studying, but in fact he was playing computer games. The readers would be surprised to find out that John was actually such a lazy student who cannot be bothered to study for his exams. His mother was not aware that John did not study and in the 1st picture, she even told John that she would buy him a new laptop if he does well in his exam. This just goes to show how little his mother interacts with him. She thought that John was studying hard and wanted to reward him if he did well in his exam. Actually, John has changed. Instead of his old hardworking self, he is now addicted to computer games. The 3rd picture shows burning the midnight oil to do some last minute preparation for his exam the next day.

The last picture was in the classroom, when the class was having their end-of-year Language Arts test. As John had slept so late last night, he was too tired to do his exam paper and fell asleep on the his desk. The moral of the story is that we should not cheat others, as by cheating others, we are actually also cheating ourselves. The result of John cheating his mother is that he had to stay up late into the night to complete his revision for his exam the next day and in the end, he was too tired to even do the exam paper.

LA ACE Blog Post 1

Q2.

Yes, I have. I am in the Wushu national team, and during the June holidays, we had to train twice per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In between, we had a three hour break where we would eat our lunch and rest before the next training starts.

Whenever we went out as a group for lunch, there would be a member of our group who was 'austrasized' by the others. The group would insult him and call him names. However, the victim would only keep quiet and ignore their unkind remarks. The victim suffered in silence, but the group continued to bully him verbally.

I felt really sad for the victim, and I told my friends to stop being so bad to him, but they just told me that they were just having fun. They also told me that he was actually very irritating and said bad things about people behind their back. They said that I should just ignore him and told me that he was not worth my pity.

Even though I felt sorry for the victim and tried my best to help him, there was nothing I could say that would make my friends stop bullying him. Even when I tried talking to him, he would just keep quiet or nod his head in silence. I hope that my friends would stop bullying him as I feel that he had not done anything wrong to deserve this kind of treatment.