In-class Online Lesson 9 Part 1

Passage A:

They are describing Cannons.

These "jackies" are common sailers, who served during the war-time. The sailors are singing war chanties because they came out victorious in a war.

“The shovel is brother to the gun” means to say that war and death are connected inevitably. The "shovel" represents Death, while the "gun" represents War. Sandburg wants to tell, through the poem, that war will inevitably lead to deaths.

Passage B:
It is to show how easily the soldiers and the citizens obey each other in the midst of war. As stanza 1 shows war in destruction and seriousness, shows how the soldiers destroy the citizen’s living area. While in stanza 2, it shows the hopeful side, as the soldiers sees the citizens having to rebuild the city they have lost in the midst of war.

The contrasting actions make the poem have 2 different sides, tones and point of view. The first stanza shows seriousness, while the second shows hope. The author’s attitude towards the soldiers are that they are only made for war, which he does not approve of, which also shows a negative attitude towards them. But the author’s attitude towards the citizens is mainly positive, showing how they rebuilding what seems not to be the first time.

I think its harder to build everything up again. This is because to destroy, not much effort is needed to destroy, but to build back up something is very difficult because no matter how hard someone tries to put back everything together, it will never be the same again. An example is the recent japan earthquakes. The tallest and strongest buildings all came down within a few minutes, and this shows how easily things are destroyed, and how hard it is to build everything up again.

Passage C:

The onomatopoeia represents new machines that no longer use motors anymore, yet to be invented by scientist, deadlier, stronger, better, faster.

Gaddafi is a good example. Previously he used to rule a lot of people and everyone has to follow his orders. But recently after a few days of rioting, he has fallen and now is wanted by the police. This is because the people had enough of him and does not approve of his style of ruling.

In-class Online Lesson 9 Part 2

Every day I go to the battle field terrified

And if I survive I count myself lucky

Every day I see thousands of dead bodies

And I always fear that I might be the next

One day I shot an enemy in the chest

I was shocked and could not believe it

I ran over to him immediately

He was bleeding profusely

The dying enemy was young

Less than 20 years of age

Yet he sacrificed his life for his country

Dying as a brave soldier on the battlefield

He lay still on the floor

Breathing his last breaths

He said his last words "Dad, Mom"

And he stopped breathing forever

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 Blog Post 6 - War: A Personal Response

This picture depicts the scene of 3 Malay men dragging an old man on the floor. 2 men are pulling him by his arm while the man behind is pushing him. The mood gives a sense of sadness, anger and suffering. The victim has his head down, as if falling in defeat and showing that he has surrendered. The atmosphere is very tense, as no one knows what the 3 Malays might do to the victim next. They look really angry and there are looks of hatred on their faces. The 3 men might torture the helpless victim very badly and the passers-by are looking at the victim in disgust. They appear to look down on him and feel that he deserves it. There is a very solemn mood too and it gives viewers the feeling that war is a very horrible and saddening thing and there is a lot of suffering. The victim looks as if he is feeling extremely hopeless and sad. The fact that his head is lowered in defeat shows that he is feeling very hopeless. He already knows that it is impossible for him to escape his fate. The cracks on the wall shows the destruction that war causes, which implies to tell us that war is terrible. The background shows us that the country’s future is very bleak. The paint on the wall has cracked and fallen off, and this shows that the country is falling also. The fact that a man of another race is being dragged by people of another race on the floor shows that there is lots of violence during this war. A lot of fighting must have occurred at that place during the war time. War is indeed a horrible thing, and we should avoid war at all cause to prevent more killings from taking place.

Term 2 LA ACE Blog Post 5 - Letter of Encouragement

Dear survivor,

I can understand how you are feeling now. After losing so many family and friends, you must certainly feel really depressed. However, you have to be mentally very strong at this point of time. In order to stand again, you cannot give in to your emotions.

Many people out there are giving you their support. Continue to live. God gave you a chance to survive this earthquake; you have to be strong-willed and continue persevering. I am sure your family members would not want to see you being so sad.

I have faith that you are able to overcome this disaster. Look forward to the future and forget the past. Leave your sadness behind, look ahead and walk forward. I am sure that you are able to do it.

Think about your future instead. There are many great things that you have yet to experience in life. Forget about this awful memory. Start thinking about what you want to accomplish, your goals and your dreams.

Right now, the country needs your help to rebuild it to the pre-earthquake days. Japan has always been known as one of the most developed countries in the world. You are extremely important as you have to play the part of rebuilding the economy. I am sure that you have the ability to help your nation stand again.

Victims of the Sichuan and Haiti earthquake are able to withstand the disaster. So can you. Continue to be strong, continue to persevere, never ever give up hope! I assure you that one day, your country will be life before with your help.

Wishing you the best for your future endeavor and may God bless you.

Term 2 LA ACE Blog Post 4 - UBIQ -- The Mysterious Magical Aerosol Spray!

UBIQ -- The Mysterious Magical Aerosol Spray!

UBIQ is the winner of many internationally recognised aerosol spray awards. Recently, UBIQ has come up with an all-new awesome aerosol spray! Lazy to bathe early in the morning but afraid that you will feel unfresh? Not to worry! The new UBIQ aerosol spray is just the perfect thing for you! With just a few sprays on your skin, you will feel extremely refreshed instantaneously! You can only feel the cool and undescribable effects of the all new UBIQ aerosol spray if you try it! Come down to any convenience store to purchase the mysterious magical aerosol spray and experience its magical and mysterious effects! Hurry up before all stocks are sold out!

Term 2 LA ACE Blog Post 3

Racial slurs should be illegal, I totally agree with this statement. Racial slur is defined as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or to refer to them in a derogatory (critical or disrespectful), pejorative (disapproving or contemptuous), or insulting manner. Racial slurs will lead to discrimination of certain races, and may even cause racial riots. All races should be united and treated equally, insulting other races and giving them nicknames is just a childish and lame act that should be banned as it will only cause social unrest in the community.

Reflections:

When I was in primary school, all of my classmates were Chinese, except for one, who was a Malay. Most of my classmates disliked him just becuase he was of a different race. They despised him and austracised him, and they even called him names such as "chocolate cake". I could tell that the victim was very deeply hurt, and a few of my classmates tried to stop the rest of my classmates from bullying the victim. At that time, I did not do anything to stop the bullying. Looking back, I feel very guilty about my actions then. I really regretted not helping the victim. If only, I had been a good friend to him that time, he might have felt better. He certainly needed a good friend to lend him support. That incident made me learn that I should never discriminate others of different races.

Term 2 LA ACE Blog Post 2 - Racism

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1. In my opinion, I feel that there is more that can be done to combat racism. In many parts of the world, racism still exists but not much is done to curb the problem. In those places, the whites treat the Negroes really badly. They torture the Negro slaves cruelly and mercilessly. However, nobody tries to stop the whites from doing so but instead encourage their unacceptable behaviour.

To me, racism is something that cannot be tolerated. I feel that we should treat everyone equally. Everyone have equal rights, why should we discriminate people with different skin colours and races? I believe that more can be done other than racial harmony day. We have to stop racism at all costs. Therefore, I feel that not enough is done to combat racism.

2. I feel that there can be a campaign to curb racism in Singapore. Instead of having racial harmony day once per year, we can also have other campaigns to promote racial harmony. As Singaporeans, we should also play a part against racism. We should all interact with people of all races and not discriminate other races.

I feel that the best way to stop racism is to control ourselves. We should all try to make friends of other races and understand their culture better, so that we will not despise them. We must respect all races because everyone is equal, regardless of language, race or religion.

Term 2 LA ACE Blog Post 1 - Recent CIP Experience

On the 21st of March 2011, my class went on a CIP to St. Andrew's Cathedral, Home for the Aged, to interact with the old folks. At the old folks home, we sang some songs for the old folks and chatted with them. It was really fun to interact with the elderly and get to understand more about them.

This was an extremely meaningful experience for me. I learnt that the society was neglecting the old folks and shunning them away. After speaking with the elderly, I got to know that many of them felt really lonely. The elderly told me that they really wish to see their children again, and I can sympathise with them. All parents love their children dearly and I am sure the elderly will miss their children a lot. I really hope that their children can afford to take some time out of their busy schedule to visit their parents at the old folks' home.

The biggest thing I gained from this experience is that we should all be filial to our parents and perform our duty of taking good care of them in future. After all our parents have done for us, it is only right that we look after them well in future, and not abandon them by putting them in the old folks' home care. I also learnt how to show care and concern for the elderly.

I really enjoyed this CIP and I hope to attend more of them in future.