Justice AND Mercy in MOV

1) I think there is no true justice at the end of the trial scene. I must frankly admit that I am a supporter of Shylock. The bond clearly stated that Shylock would be getting the pound of flesh from Antonio when Antonio was unable to repay Shylock the sum of money he borrowed. However the manipulative nature of Portia and her intelligence in spotting the loopholes in the bond, adding to it the biased Duke had contributed to the prevention of true justice. Firstly Portia manipulated the whole court, firstly she manipulated Shylock's feeling luring him into the trap (Shylock want to seek for true justice), and at the point of time Shylock was being lured into the trap Portia used the play of words. She said that since the bond only stated that Shylock would cut off the one pound of flesh from Antonio so there should be no drop of blood. This is JUST A PLAY OF WORDS, how can there be no blood when you cut off flesh from someone's body. In the end Shylock instead of Antonio was punished.

At this point of time, I would also want to defend Shylock for his deeds. Shylock is known as the "villain" in the text but look at how Antonio treats Shylock, don't you think that Antonio is also the "villain". When Antonio wanted to lend money from Shylock, it was him that told Shylock that think of lending money to him as ending money to an enemy not a friend. Antonio has already made it clear so can't we say that Shylock was just listening to his instructions. Although having empathy and being forgiving is a good quality, however how many of us would still be forgiving after being insulted like how Antonio insulted Shylock. How many of us would turn the other cheek to be slapped after being slapped once. We often say we must have empathy, be forgiving but how many of us really did that. Shylock is also a human, he too will feel angry and urge for revenge thus I do not think that Shylock should be considered a "villain".

2)I think there was no true mercy. "Mercy" in the trial scene is used by Portia as a tool to trap Shylock. When Shylock realized the loophole in the bond, he decided not to pursue the matter. Bassanio asked him to take the ducats and go but it was Portia, the one who talked about "mercy" who stopped him and forced him into the situation where there was no turning back. Antonio thought that he was being merciful to let Shylock convert to Christianity and sparing his life. However by taking away the means he live and his religion, was the actions of the Christian Characters true mercy?

3)I agree that Justice and Law can be manipulated by people in power. From the text the Christian Venetians are considered the powerful people and they certainly manipulated Justice and Law. Portia used the play of words and her manipulative nature and manipulated law and justice. She being under-covered as a fake scholar,using the twist of words and controlled the court and the law. There was no true justice achieved at the end! In our modern day lives, this is also the scenario. Look at the Lockerbie bombing, there was a;ready evidence to say that the mastermind behind the Lockerbie bombing was Gaddafi, however he was not being convicted for his instigating the killings.

However in Singapore, Justice and Law can hardly be manipulated by people in power. In the Michael Faye vandalizing case, the punishment for him was to receive caning and indeed he received the punishment he should get despite appeals by the President of the US, Bill Clinton. This is a example where Justice and Law cannot be manipulated by people in power.

Education in Singapore-Is it really that bad???

Greetings to all. I am Wang Ri Xin a Secondary 2 student from Hwa Chong Institution. After reading the letter by Janelle, thoughts and questions about our education system began flourishing in our mind. There are certain things she mentioned that were really true however also I do agree with some of her ideas about our education system.

Singapore has a high literacy rate and almost all of us here have at least received primary and secondary secondary education. However, Singapore's education system have always been a highly debatable issue. People always say that students in Singapore study not for knowledge but for exams. Assignments and tasks when not graded would not be done properly while those being graded and affect our academic grades, we would do them within the best of our abilities. For example, this blog post that I am currently writing, I am writing it because I want my marks.

Janelle stated that the beauty of education is to ask "why" and that "why" has became a taboo word in schools. I do agree curiosity and an inquisitive mind in important for learning to take place. However, when we are really curios with something, we will go out and venture and find out for ourselves, that's when real learning takes place. Look at Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, they asked "why" for many things but the reason why they are so successful is that in order to satisfy their curiosity and desire for more knowledge, they venture out and search for the answers to their questions. If you want to ask the question "Why?", then you must also ask yourself the question of "Why?". If you expect things to be spoon-fed to you, then what is the point of writing this article in the first place? The reason why the new generation are known as the strawberry generation because when things are not being spoon-fed to them, they would start ranting and complaining, but not take action and find out for themselves.

I personally do not find memorizing a problem but the most important part is whether you understand what you memorized. Memorizing plainly and memorizing with with understanding are greatly different. When you memorize with understanding that is when your knowledge taken in by your brain and that you how to apply what the facts you memorized. Furthermore, when you memorize with understanding thats when memorizing becomes something much easier. I do feel that Janelle's scope of our education is rather small. For example she only managed to look at primary school and secondary school education but what about JC and University education, what about GP in the A levels.

I think her letter to the Minister of Education is quite a well-crafted letter. Her tone and attitude clearly depicts that she is genuinely a student under the local education system. I think she used quite a number of good examples however ,thereare also some examples (why carbon is not a non-metal) that she used which I think are not good enough to question the local education system. Furthermore her tone and attitude gives me a feeling that she is not questioning the local education system but instead complaining about how hard her examinations are. Thus I think these are areas that she can probably improve on.

I personally thinkthat improvements to be made to our education would be adding in more skill-based questions, one of which would be inference and analytical skills. In terms of science, I think more applicational question can be added so as totest whether the student really understood the concept or not. Lastly, nowadays we students care too much about marks. Thus I would also like the Ministry of Education to take note of this and try to emphasize the study not for exams butfor knowledge and wisdom. Lastly, I also hope that our education system can turn us into someone not only intellugent but also courteous. The government should put greater emphasis on moral education. Lastly I would like to end off this post with a quote by Helen Keller, “One can never consent to creep when one feels the compulsion to soar” .

Boxing match: Money vs Love

Money, money, money. In the highly competitive and tense society of Singapore, money can be said as one of the most important things in our lives. Indeed, without money nobody can survive. When we switch on our televisions and watches those love soap dramas, it will probably tell us about how love can win over anything but let us ponder for a while. Can true love really win over money??

In my opinion, I agree that true love is sacred and should not be polluted by the "transactional" element. However true love with zero dollars is impossible to sustain a relationship especially in the practical society of Singapore. My way of sustaining a long-lasting relationship is that one must at least have the means to provide your partner with a good, comfortable life. If a man can't even provide his other half a good, comfortable life then he is just a irresponsible man and a failure in life. Imagine your life-long partner struggling earn money, this thought really disgusts me. Thus true-love but no money, there is no relationship but just suffering. Look at those couples who are so poor that they do not have the means to lead a normal, peaceful life, worrying about when is their next meal, if you call that a successful relationship then I am quite sure that no one would want to engage in relationships anymore.

I think it is normal to have a certain amount of "transactional" element as it is reasonable for you other half to know that do you have the means and abilities to support her and give her a good life, if she was to engage in a relationship with you. In a successful and long-lasting relationship, the "transactional" element and true love each of them weighs 50%. Losing either will lead to a failure.

I think that there is indeed an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other qualities One should value money in a relationship but not too much that it pollutes true love. However nowadays , women sometimes value money so much that they are willing to sacrifice their true love which led to many outrageous examples in our real-life society. For example prominent Chinese Scientist Yang Zhen Ning married a 28 year old lady at the age of 82. I began pondering on the fact that whether the lady really loved this guy which 3 and a half times the age of her. Is it because of money and fame which ultimately led her to this decision or maybe age wasn't really a problem. But to me, I find it hard and outrageous to accept this kind of relationships.

How has war evolved from past to present?

War is a state of organized, armed and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, societal disruption, and usually high mortality. Countless wars have happened since from the pre-modern times. As time passes, war changes, it evolves at every stage of history due to the fact that at every stage of history, humans seems to be more mature in their thinking and in this blog post, I will examine the changes in wars from past to present.

Technology has certainly brought evolution to wars. Weapons certainly plays an important part in warfare. With humans venturing out to posses new scientific knowledge, weapons in warfare had certainly be improved to bring greater destruction to the opponent. In stone-age, when our ancestors fought wars with one another, they used spears and arrows made of stone and animal bones. Then followed by the bronze age, no longer stone, but bronze is used to make weapons. This shows clearly how new knowledge acquired by the humans were put to application in the creation of new weapons used in war. In the 9th century, a new chapter was marked out in human history and also warfare history when Chinese Alchemists discovered gunpowder. Gun powder was at first used for recreational uses such as fireworks. As time passed, fireworks could no longer satisfy the curiosity of mankind and gunpowder was put to experiment on weapons. For the following centuries, knives, swords, bows and arrows were no longer widely used in warfare and it was the era of modern warfare with canons, rifles, rockets, pistols. However, humans' search for new technology does not just end here. The industrial revolution was followed up by the inventions of cars, planes, steam ships, which was also added into the packing list for wars. New terms for warfare have also been coming out, such as "biology-warfare" which uses germs and harmful bacteria as weapons. Now, the moment we think about war, the first thing we have in our minds is the word "nuclear". Nuclear energy is indeed a powerful weapon that can cause mass destruction to your opponent in war, just take a look at the infamous bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mankind's crave for technology would certainly not stop and who knows what would be the weapon list for "future" warfare.

Causes and reasons to go to war have also change. In the past war happened because of disputes in basic needs like water, food, farmland. But look at modern warfare, which wars' causes is to fight for basic needed for survival? None! War now fought over the greed and desire of humans. The recent Irag war is a highly debatable topic in the world. The Americans claim that they fought the war so as to eliminate terror rule and Saddam Hussein's crimes against humanity, but who know what is the real purpose of the US fighting the war, probably the US eyeing one the oil reserves in Irag.

Of course the destruction caused by wars have also evolved through out history.The use of high-tec weapons inevitably would bring massive destruction.In the past, the effect of war on future generations is not that serious and obvious but now with the use of these destructive weapons, the effect of wars are long lasting. For example in the Vietnam war, the use of Agent Orange by the Americans caused large number of fetuses to be deformed, this explain massive the destruction, modern warfare can bring.

The evolution of war through different stages in history, from the past to the present is very obvious. However there is something that will never change, "we know more about war that we know about peace, more about killing that we know more about living".

NS is for everyone. NS is a crime??

1) Why do you think National Service is important to Singapore?

National service is important to Singapore because Singapore is a country who is small in size, have a lack of human resources. Thus maintaining a large military, which both requires large amount land and people is very hard to achieve in Singapore. Thus National Service is important so that Singapore need not maintain a large military instead, every male citizen of her is part of the army and can defend the country. NS is also very important in terms of forging friendships and closer relationships between the different races. In NS these men would have a "live together, die together" spirit, where they will view one another as one big family. This will allow racial barriers to be broken down and this is vital for racial harmony and social cohesion in Singapore.

2) In the above poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country England. Do you have the same spirit for patriotism towards Singapore? Why?

I have the patriotism towards Singapore but at this stage of my life I don't feel that strongly to Singapore as the speaker felt to England. The sense of patriotism in me towards Singapore is due the reason that Singapore is my homeland where I grew up, received my education, made friends. Thus Singapore is the motherland that raised me up and I would never forget this place. However, although I feel a sense of patriotism but I believe that is not strong enough. I have that after I am enlisted is the NS it will help me further develop my patriotism towards Singapore.

3) Do you consider yourself a patriot to your country?

I have the patriotism towards Singapore but I do not consider myself as a patriot as a patriot is someone that speaks for his actions. I believe that only after I 've done something, made sacrifices to the country then I am considered as a real patriot because the real matter is not about whether you say that you are one or not but is actually that actions that truly matters, so I think that at this stage of my life I am not a patriot.

111 Balaysaisia Lane
Avenue 110
#20-299
Singapore 760820
30 March 2011

Dear Mr Jones,

It has already been few weeks after the devastating Earthquake that happened. I am sure the disaster had been a really dreadful experience to you. Tokyo, where you were living was also affected. With the buildings swaying likehell, I think if I were you, I would have fainted right on the spot. The radiation leakge from the nuclear generators were like adding salt to the wound, aggravating the whole situation.

I know that you are a British, but you take Japan as your second home. Its really sad to see the people around you falling one by one, getting crushed by the Earthquakes, washed away by the tsunami, affected by the radiation. But these disasters were unpreventable, who knew that all these would happen at same time. Japan is known as the Earthquake nation. With so much experience in earthquakes, I think Japan would surely recover from all these setbacks.

What the people of Japan needed to do now is to have faith in themselves . You must realisde the fact that we areall standing beside you, offering our helping hand. Our school has set-up a fund and my whole class is donating their money to fund. Artistes from the States had collaborated to form a charity album. Everyone is all helping Japan so you need not feel discouraged.

I believe that what affects Japan the most now is the radiation leak. The power of radiation is really so great that it can change human DNA. But, I think the Japanese have displayed really great spirit. Strength, bond among all Japanese. The workers of the plant were willing to sacrifice their lives for the survival of the nation. I can say this spirits cannot be seen in any country when they faced mega-disasters. Japan can survive!
日本が生き残ることができる！

Sincerely,
Wang RiXin

Fiiiiinal DRAFT

The moment Tom got off the plane, everything changed. It was so different from London. Eight years ago, when he was only four, he had left for London together with his parents and now he was back. His memories of Singapore faded as time passed and the only thing that he could recall was the face of his grandparent.

Outside the airport, the tropical heat was scorching him. Tom was already begginning to dislike Singapore. The streets were chaotic and disorganized, run down shop-houses could also be seen along the streets. A disgusted look appeared on Tom’s face.

Tom complained to his mother, “Mummy, this place is not suitable for us to stay. Its so hot and dirty!” Mrs Tan widened her eyes and gave an angry stare at her son. Tom knew what was going to happen if he complained more, thus for the rest of the journey, he did not speak a single word. The taxi stopped in front of a shophouse. Tom did not expect the place that he was going supposed to stay in for the next two weeks was a dilapidated shophouse. He cursed silently as he followed his parents into it.

An old woman was seating on a little wooden stool in the corridor. She looked really skinny, just like a match stick. Her skin was so dry to the extent that her veins could be seen from far. Holding a fan, she seemed to be waiting for someone. When she saw Tom and his parent, she exclaimed in a weird language that Tom had never heard before. His parents broke into tears and rushed up to the old woman. It was then Tom realised that the old woman was his grandmother, his only surviving grandparent. Amazingly, Tom did not feel anything.

“ Tom, come and hug your Ah-Ma ( grandmother in Hokkien).” Tom could not help but to go foward and give a hug. The old lady gave a pat on his head and said, “ Guai, Guai (good boy, good boy)!” Tom was showed around the shophouse. It was much smaller than the apartment he lived in London. He kept speculating as to when the ordeal would be over and when he could go back to England.

The few days of the stay at his grandmother’s house really seemed like years to him. Finally one week had passed and Tom was left with only another week. All day long, Tom felt bored and his grandmother was always seating in the corridor chatting with the other elderly residents, boasting about how clever and handsome her grandson was. The tropical heat dissappeared and it started raining and Tom wanted to have some fun. That was when he thought of playing in the rain. He dashed out of the shophouse, past his grandmother. It took a few seconds for the old lady to realise what Tom was doing. Tom shut his ears and did not bother what she said. Tom felt great when the rain drops hit on his back. It was the first time since he returned to Singapore he felt happy and refreshed. He did not notice that there was a pebble beside him and he tripped and fell. Blood dripped from the the wound. He groaned in pain, lying on the hard ground. It was then he saw a hand. It was the hand from her grandmother. The old lady had followed his grandson all the way. Her whole body was drenched by the heavy downpour. It was the first time Tom felt his grandmother’s love.

For the rest of the week, Tom’s grandmother took care of him. She told him about Singapore and the stories about her younger days. The old lady told her grandson about the Japanese Occupation, the riots, the racial tensions, the independence.

“During the Japanese Occupation, life was really tough. Your Ah Kong and I were anti-Japanese. We participated in a few dangerous sabotage missions. However, in one of the missions, your Ah-Kong was betrayed by a traitors and was recognised and killed by the Japanese, it was really a devastating blow to me. It was also then I know that I was pregnant with your mother. 1945, the war was finally over and your Ma was born. It was new start for me. There were riots and strike everywhere as people were unhappy with the government. The people wanted their freedom. I still remembered participating in a workers’ strike. Finally, it was the end of colonialism and Singapore was to join Malaya. At that time I could often see my Malay neighbours quarrelling with my Chinese neigbours, sometimes they would even have fights with each other. In the end Singapore was on its own.” From her eyes, Tom could see a sense of belonging towards the country. Being influenced by his grandmother, Tom felt the same way.

Tom looked around himself, the people, the food, it looked so familliar to him. He started thinking about where his true home was. Is it London, where he spent almost more than half of his life in or Singapore? However, good days would surely end, Tom needed to return to London. The old lady was really dissappointed as she hoped that her grandson could stay beside her for the last few years of her life. Tom went back to London with this question in his mind.

Three years later, Tom stood by the side of her grandma’s grave. He said solemnly, “I love you Ah-Ma and I also love your Singapore.”

setting

Behind the lush greenery was the ancient building.The fading yellow tiles on its rooftop represented the rain and shine it had been through for the four-hundred years. The carvings of the building were so delicate, showcasing the excellent craftsmanship. The mountain stood behind the building like a bodyguard, guarding it from the dangers of the outside world. It was no wonder why the emperors chose to be buried here.

Short Story

The moment Tom got off the plane, everything changed. It was so different from London. Eight years ago, when he was only four, he left for London together with his parents and now he was back. His memories of Singapore faded as time passed and the only thing that he could remember was the faces of his grandparents.

Outside the airport, the tropical heat was scorching him. Tom was already beginning to dislike Singapore. The streets were chaotic and disorganized, run down shop-houses could also be seen along the streets. A disgusted look appeared on Tom’s face.

Tom complained to his mother, “Mummy, this place is not suitable for us to stay. Its so hot and dirty!” Mrs Tan widened her eyes and gave an angry stare at his son. Tom knew what was going to happen if he complained more, thus for the rest of the journey, he did not speak a single word. The taxi stopped in front of a shop-house. Tom did not expected the place that he was going to stay forthe next two weeks was a dilapidated shophouse. He cursed silently as he followed his parents into it.

An old woman was seating on a little wooden stool in the corridor. She looked really skinny, just like a match stick. Her skin was so dry to the extent that her veins could be seen from far. Holding a fan, she seemed to be waiting for someone. When she saw Tom and his parent, she exclaimed in a weird language that Tom had never heard before. His parents broke into tears and rushed up to the old woman. It was then Tom realized that the old woman was her grandmother, his only surviving grandparent. Amazingly, Tom did not feel anything.

“ Tom, come and hug your Ah-Ma ( grandmother in Hokkien).” Tom could not help but to go forward and give a hug. The old lady gave a pat on his head and said, “ Guai, Guai (good boy, good boy)!” Tom was showed around the shophouse. It was much smaller than the apartment he lived in London. What was in his mind the thoughts that when the “ordeal” was going to finish and when he could go back to England.

The few days of the stay at his grandmother’s house really seemed like years to him. Finally one week had passed and Tom was left with only another week. All day long, Tom felt bored and his grandmother was always seating in the corridor chatting with the other elderly residents, boasting about how clever and handsome his grandson was. The tropical heat disappeared and it started raining and Tom wanted to have some fun. That was when he thought of playing in the rain. He dashed out of the shop-house, past his grandmother. It took a few seconds for the old lady to realize what Tom was doing. Tom shut his ears and did not bother what she said. Tom felt great when the rain drops hit on his back. It was the first time since he returned to Singapore he felt happy and refreshed. He did not notice that there was a pebble beside him and he tripped and fell. Blood dripped from the the wound. He groaned in pain, lying on the hard ground. It was then he saw a hand. It was the hand from her grandmother. The old lady followed his grandson all the way. Her whole body was drenched by the heavy downpour. It was the first time Tom felt the love of her grandmother towards him.

For the rest of the week, Tom’s grandmother took care of him. She told him about Singapore and the stories of her when she was in her younger days. The old lady told his grandson about the Japanese Occupation, Bukit Ho Swee fire, the independence movement. From her eyes, Tom could see a sense of belonging towards the country. Perhaps, being influenced by his grandmother, Tom had the same feelings too.

Tom looked around himself, the people, the food, it looked so familliar to him. He started thinking about where was his true home. Is it London, where he spent almost more than half of his life in or Singapore? However, good days would surely end, Tom needed to return to London. The old lady was really dissappointed as she hoped that her grandson could stay beside her for the last few years of her life. Tom went back to London leaving this question in his mind.

Three years later, Tom stood by the side of her grandma’s grave. He said solemnly, “I love you Ah-Ma and I love Singapore.”

Telephone Conversation

Q1. This poem is full of colours not just that of skin, what do you think these colours signify?
Each of the colours signify different things. The gold colour represents the fact that the landlady was rich. The red colour mentioned in the poem represents the anger that the speaker had toward s the landlady because some of things in the world have different colours, but they are still equal, however the speaker was being insulted because of his skin colour.

Q2. What does the dialogue in this poem reveal about these two characters?
The dialogue in the poem reveal the fact that the landlady disciminated the blacks and showed racism towards them. It also showed that the speaker was angered by the racism that was showed towards him.

Q3. The poet dramatises a battle, who wins and finally why?
At the end of the “battle”, the speaker wins. The lady kept asking what color was the different parts of his body. At last, the speaker insulted back the racist landlady asking her to see his bottom.

Setting of the StOrIeS

The QUESTIONS

1) Where has each of the above stories been set?
2) What time period has each of these stories been set in?
3) What clues do you get from the setting about the kind of story it is going to turn out to be?

The Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri

1) The story has been set in Calcutta.

2) The story has been set in probably the 1950s during the time when India just gained independence and when Pakistan and Bangladesh were being separated from India.

3) The setting tells me that the story would be a very sad story as it shows the fact that Boori Ma was stuck in poverty at the same time separated from her husband and her children, being very lonely in Calcutta.

The Adventure of the Specked Band

1) The story has been set in Baker Street, a rich area in London.

2) The

story has been set i

n Victorian times.

3) The setting tells

me that the story is going to be full of suspense as the excerpt already mentioned the fact that Sherlock Holmes is a very good detective at the same time, when an educated finds Sherlock Holmes, the suspense is already being presented.

Pride and Prejudice

1) The story has been set in a town in England.

2) The story has been set in 18th Century.

3) The setting tells me that the story is going to be about the marriages of women and also the title suggests the fact that how women at that time were not allowed to have "pride"and also "prejudice" that she is being married off to.

Q4. Now look at Chapter 1 of ' To kill a mockingbird'. Identify the setting of the novel in this chapter. Do you get clues about the story that follows from the setting?

The story was set in Maycomb, Alabama, USA, in the early 20th Century. Maycomb was an old fashioned town in Alabama, a southern state in the USA. The setting gives us a rough idea that the book was probably about prejudice that was taking place in the town. One of the examples was that Boo Radley that was being described as the town freak.

All in all the setting tells us that the story would be about prejudice and also the fact that how the children learn about it.

After You My Dear Alphonse

Would you have treated Boyd or someone who is not of the same race as you differently? Why or why not? This question is in reference to a short story written by Shirley Jackson, After you, my dear Alphonse.

I would surely not treat someone based on their race. In my point of view, humans are all equal and we should see someone from their inner heart and and not based on their race and their skin color. We should instead judge someone based on their inner beauty. For the past few centuries, the dark-skinned races are the ones that are being discriminated the most. Most people think that they are smelly, stupid, slaves. However I do not agree with this type of thinking as this is not the way we should judge someone. There are a few examples that are really contradicting to the prejudice towards dark-skinned races. President Obama is dark-skinned but he became the president of the United States, Gandhi was also a great person as he started the non- violence movement.

LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO END THIS POST BY SAYING THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE JUDGING AND TREATING SOMEONE DIFFERENTLY JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE!

TKAM understanding more......

The Civil rights movement
When did the civil rights movement begin?
The civil rights movent began on 1955.

What was the civil rights movement about?
The civil rights movement was about making racial discrimination to the Afro-Americans illegal and at the same time restoring their right to votein the southern states.

State some of the significant incidents that took place in the civil rights movement?
1) Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize.
2)The march on Washington which demanded the elimination of racial discrimination for employment.

Which American President supported the civil rights movement?
John.F.Kennedy

What was the outcome of the civil rights movement?
The Afro-Americans hold more rights and are as equal as whites, taking up better jobs.

In what way is the civil rights movement related to the novel?
The Afro-Americans hold more rights and are as equal as whites, taking up better jobs.

In what way is the civil rights movement related to the novel?
The novel was written and published during the civil during the civil rights era, thus it included the social inequality during that era.

Montgomery bus boycott and scottsboro trials
State the specifics of each trial and why were they specific?
Montgomery Bus Boycott- To object towards the racial segregation laws on public transit system.

Scottsboro trials- Nine black teenaged boys accused of rape in Alabama in 1931, as it deals with racism and a also American rights.

How is the Scottsboro trials related to the trial in the novel?
Both the Scottsboro trials and the trialinthe novel are about the blacks raping the whites and in both trials, the blacks are being accused due to their skin colour.

How are they simillar?
Both trials simillar in the fact that they show how the white society discriminated the blacks.

Trials of a true Southern Gentlmen and southern belle
What were the rules and etiquette for Southern gentlemen and ladies?
Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, the youngest of four children. From young, Lee was a tomboy and had a passion for reading, she was also a mature reader.

What did the southern ladies do to pass their time?
They baked cakes, did needle-work, read books, danced, etc.

Pictures southern ladies and gentlemen?

Identify characters in the novel that fit the mould of true southern belles and gentlemen and those who don’t? Explain why they fit the mould and why they don’t?
Atticus most fits the mould as a true southern gentlemen as he had good manners and at the same time show respect for others, is a man of his word while Miss Maudie most fits the mould as a true southern belle as she treats the children well and also nake cakes and share them with others.
The character that I feel do not fit the mould of a southern gentlemen is Bob Ewell as he does not have good manners, show no respect for others and do not care about his image.

Harper Lee
About the author
Southern gentlemen: They have good manners and show a great deal respect especially for women. In 1959, she completedTo Kill a Mockingbird and after it was published, it was an immediate bestseller and even won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961.

Bio-data
Nelle Harper Lee was the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Her mother's name was Finch. Her father was a lawyer, she was also a friend of Truman Capote, since childhood days

Novels written by her
To Kill a Mockingbird

Awards received
The most renowned prizes won by Harper Lee was the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Historical Background of TKAM(1)

Historical Background of To Kill a mocking Bird

Slavery
a) When and how did slavery begin in the southern state?
Slavery first began in 1619, and it was started first in Virgina, at that time which was a British colony. The state imported the the Africans, whcih was a practice started by the Spanish in the 16^th century.

b) Which country were the slaves brought from?
The slaves were brought from west and central Africa, which included countries like Cameroon, Senengal and Ghana.

c) Who traditionally bought and owned slaves?
The Europeans traditonally bought and owned. It was a practice started by the Spanish and Portuguese.

d) Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide by? If yes what were they?
Yes, there were laws that the slave had to abide by. For example, the slaves cannot redeem themselves, cannot not retalliate even if their masters mistreat them and also the fact that slavery is heriditary.

e) How does the notion of slavery relate to the novel? Does the study of slavery help you understand th novel better.
It let me understand more about why the characters in the novel had a certain level of prejudice and discrimination towards “negroes”.

The civil war
a) Identify the southern states?
South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi

b) Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?
Abraham Lincoln

c) Why was the civil war fought?
The war was fought over slavery, the Union forces were fighting to free the slaves while the South fought in order to ensure the continuation of slavery.

d) When was this war fought?
It was fought from April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865.

e) What was the outcome of this war?
The Union forces won the war.

d) How does the civil rights movement relates to novel?
The civil rights movement relates to the novel through the fact that the historical backgroung of the novel was in the era of the civil rights movement

Jim crow’s laws
a) Who is Jim Crow?
Jim Crow is not a person but the subject of a song performed by Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice, a white man who performed in blackfaceand denigrated Blacks through his music, his stereotypical behavior, and his rude jokes.

b) What were Jim Crow Laws?
The Jim Crow laws were legal social restrictions that separated Afro-Americans from white Americans in during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

c) What was the response of the slaves and the Blacks to these laws?
They started the civil rights movement to protest on these laws.

d) Do we see Jim Crows laws laws surfaced in the novel? If so then in which
part of the novel?
Yes, it surface in the Tom Robinson trials where he was found guilty due to his skin colour.

Online e-learning

The title of the comic strip is called "Discrimination". The theme of my story would be the discrimination of the public to those who had made mistakes in the past.

The story started out when Jay an ex-offender, turned over a new leaf and was released from jail. He was really delighted. His next step was to get a job so that he could support himself. However the public still view him as someone bad as he was an ex-offender. He went for many job interviews but he was still jobless. Deep down in his heart he knew that the main reason was because he was an ex-offender. He was really sad as he was not his old self any more but others were not willing to give him a second chance. The he saw a poster if with the words "Yellow Ribbon Project" and this project was started by social workers and they would help ex-offenders to get jobs and start all over again. Jay decided to seek help from the "Yellow Ribbon Project' and indeed they helped him get a job.

This story really depicts the discrimination that ex-offenders faced, even thought they turned over a new leaf. We should not look at them differently, thinking that they are bad. Everyone would make mistakes, and the public should forgive them and help them unlock their second chance.

1. Why did you choose the different pictures or background(s)?

In the first cell, the background I chose was a prison, to show the fact that the lead character just came out from prison. In the second cell, the background picture was an office and the lead character was ate the office looking for jobs. The background of the third cell was a park, I used the gloomy park as the back ground picture so as to bring out the sadness in the character. A bright office of shown , which indirectly showed that there was hope.

2. How do they contribute to the elements (plot, setting, characterization) of your narrative?

The pictures I chose have their own meanings. I change the facial expressions and actions of the main character to show his sadness and disappointment when he could not find a job. This also showed the fact that the main character was someone who was rather pessimistic. The different background also showed the change in setting . From a rural prison to a big modern city.

3. How did you make use of the different elements to contribute to the theme you have chosen?

The theme I have chosen is discrimination and prejudice, which was also the theme of To Kill A Mocking Bird. I thought that discrimination and prejudice of the ex-offenders was a rather "hot" topic so I decided to do something that. The plot, which was about how the main character could not find a job contributed to my theme and through this story I also wanted to show the fact that not all people would discriminate ex-offenders as at last in my story, a man decided to help him find a job.

Literature and Life : Shel Silverstein's Poems

The Little Boy And The Old Man

1. The underlying message that was being conveyed in the poem was that we tend to be selfish, concentrating only ourselves, especially in our adult stage. We do not care for our past and our future, which are the children and the old people, and they are often very lonely.
2. Shel Silverstein used dialogues in his poem to bring out the sadness and the loneliness of the children and at the same time, to show how selfish the adults are.

Messy Room

1. The poem is humorous. The speaker thought that the room was really messy. The wet raincoat was being stuffed in the chair causing it to be "mucky" and "damp", which implied that there were fungus growing out of it. Also the books were not in the bookshelf but instead in the closet, which was meant for containing clothes. Furthermore, there was a sock so dirty and sticky, stuck to the wall. However, the funniest part was when the writer realized that the room was his.
2. The aspect of human character that was being highlighted in this poem was that one is so quick to blame other and do not realize that when we point a finger at others, there are ten other fingers pointing at ourselves.

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Cloony The Clown by Shel Silverstein

1. The irony in this poem is that when Cloony tried to be funny, told jokes, acted silly nobody laughed but when he told the audience how miserable he was, they laughed.
2. The harsh realities that was being conveyed was that people enjoyed looking at other people's misery and it is also hard for others to understand you.
3. The poet used alliteration to emphasize on how miserable the clown was. Irony was also added in the poem to show how the people behave. He also emphasized the point by adding a dialogue, which showed how the clown felt when people laughed at his sorrows.

My Thoughts

The Poem that I can identify the most is "Messy Room". It is really true that people tend to point their fingers at others. Take me as an example , I always tend to blame my parents and my maid when I could not find my homework.

There was once I could not find my homework in my bag. Then I would start to blame my maid for messing up my bag. She was puzzled and did not know what she had done. However, I demanded her to help me find my worksheet. To no avail, the worksheet could not be found

The next day, when I went to school and it was only then I found out that I had left the worksheet under my desk and it was nobody's fault but mine. I really regretted my actions and it also taught me a lesson that I should not point fingers at others.

Thus, I feel that this poem is really a very meaningful one and it really puts me to thinking......

Discrimination!!!!

Definition of discrimination

1. an act or instance of discriminating.

2. treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against,a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that personor thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.

The different types of discrimination in the world

Physical appearance:

- age

In our present society, most employers tend to employ those who are below 50 years old, thus it is also harder of people above 50 to find suitable jobs for themselves.

-size

When we see someone who is rather large in size, we would normally deduce that he is unfit however this is being proved wrong as some fat people can swim really fast, and even do street dance.

-height

Some women prefer to have taller boyfriends than shorter ones.

-handicap disabilities

Disabled people are often not being hired by employers and at most of the time they were not even given to the chance to go for an interview.

Education:

-non-educated

The people without a degree would be much harder to get a job as compared to those with a degree, even though they have the same skills.

-scholarships

Students from good schools are more likely to receive scholarships from the government.

Sex:
- male

Males are less hardworking than females, in terms of studying.

- female
Most people feel that women are no0t as sporty as men, however this is not real true as some women are really fit and can run even faster that men.

- gays/lesbians

The gays and lesbians are not allowed in certain jobs in certain countries, for example being a soldier teacher, professor etc.

Race:

- skin colour

Black people are smelly.

- treatment

In the past, the Afro-American in the US were not treated fairly.

- hair colour

Blondes are stupid.

- physical appearances

Asians are smart but stupid.