Reflect on your recent CIP experience helping out the aged and underprivileged. What was the biggest thing you gained from this experience.
For this year, my class, 2O4, went to St. Andrews Cathedral Home for the Aged.
My impression of elderly is actually rather contrasting, being the type of family I come from. I did have visits to old folk's home before this year, but everytime I step into the home, I have his feeling of sadness and boredom, and when I look at the faces of the old folks, usually I just see men and women waiting for their time to come. My grandfather is actually the opposite of that, he used to be a pastor in a church, and now that he is retired, he spends his time playing computer games EVERYDAY.My grandmother however, had a stroke just last year when she was in her 60s, and is starting to become senile.My point here is that, just looking at my grandparents, I can see how two types of old people live their lifes. Many of the elderly in the old folks home are there, most probably because of family issues or problems, and most are just
waiting to die! After my visit on Founders' Day, and talking to some of the elderly, is that they don't really expect much from life anymore, they are just living on, "stuck in a hole" as quoted from one of them, without knowing what is really going on in their families or the world.
I think what really made them happy would be that they had someone to talk to. Being in the old folks' home, they would have been seeing the same people for years, and having students to lend a listening ear to them really brought something to look forward in their lives. Also during the performance, I was touched when I saw how happy the old folks' were, how contented they were, with just my class' simple performance.
I think there is a need to be more open, for me and everybody else in my class. Some of my classmates were rather hostile at first, but everyone managed to find an elderly to interact with at the end. What I strongly feel is that we should have some sessions on basic conversational hokkien or teochew before the CIP itself, as there was a serious communication breakdown during the CIP.
To be frank, there wasn't much that I gained from this experience, as I have been through this "experience" a few times. I was simply reminded about another side of the world, that not everyone is actually happy-go-lucky or stressing out with their busy schedules, that there are people, the aged and elderly, just waiting for their time to come.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
In-Class Blog-Writing Prompt #13 (Term 1)
What have I learnt from watching Mississippi Burning?
I have learnt that the fact that Barack Obama could, a black, become president of America, and even the winner of a nobel prize award, was no easy feat. Seeing how people treated the blacks last time, labelling them as "Niggers", set loose to pillage and burn, while the police stand at one side, having front row seats to the injustice being inflicted to the blacks.
I have learnt and seen, how harsh the whites were on the blacks, treating them like dirt, and the Mississippi, even the law isn't just, as seen when the judge lightens the punishment of four whites for burning down a black man's house, with the reason that these black men were, "Dirty, unhygenic...etc" and therefore provoked the whites to do such a thing. What on earth is wrong with this people.
Watching this has also allowed me to appreciate the racial harmony in Singapore, and serves as a reminder that we should not take this for granted, and achieving racial harmony was not an accident, not by chance, but by the work of many people, and constant tolerance in the society.
I have learnt that the fact that Barack Obama could, a black, become president of America, and even the winner of a nobel prize award, was no easy feat. Seeing how people treated the blacks last time, labelling them as "Niggers", set loose to pillage and burn, while the police stand at one side, having front row seats to the injustice being inflicted to the blacks.
I have learnt and seen, how harsh the whites were on the blacks, treating them like dirt, and the Mississippi, even the law isn't just, as seen when the judge lightens the punishment of four whites for burning down a black man's house, with the reason that these black men were, "Dirty, unhygenic...etc" and therefore provoked the whites to do such a thing. What on earth is wrong with this people.
Watching this has also allowed me to appreciate the racial harmony in Singapore, and serves as a reminder that we should not take this for granted, and achieving racial harmony was not an accident, not by chance, but by the work of many people, and constant tolerance in the society.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
In-Class Online Lesson #4
Look at the 10-12 photographs that you recently took of your neighborhood and posted on your blog. Choose your ONE favorite photo.
2a) This is a picture of a mostly white bungolow, the clean, fresh coat of paint shows that this house is new.
b) The angular, black roof gives this building a unique feel.
c) An abundance of trees and plants, the rustle of the tree leaves can be heard.
d) The many transparent windows and opaque shelters make the owners of the house seem well-to-do.
3)Passage A: from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
"Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole..." - alliteration"Perfectly round door like a porthole..." - simile
"tube-shaped hall like a tunnel..." - simile
Passage D: from Distances by Vandana Singh
"The narrow stone passageways seemed to press in closer..." - personification
"crawling across a two-d floor like a little desert roll-bug..." - simile
"caught her breath, quickened her footsteps, passed under the frieze..." repetition
4) This is a picture of a mostly white bungolow, clean and new, like the building had just received a fresh coat of paint.
b) The angular, black roof gives this building a unique feel as if curves don't exist.
6) The angular, black roof gives this building a unique feel, as if one was in Cubeland - where curves don't exist.
7) Staring at the large and magnificent building before me, I was dragged into a virtual reality. The building before me was angular in shape, and had a edgy roof. It stood out from the rest of the houses, as if it had been taken from another land.
"This definitely must be a building from Cubeland!" I thought to myself. It must have been lifted from there, and planted right here, along with the trees and plants. The sound of trees leaves rustling reached my year soon after. The building stood out from the others, and the "moderness" and "newness" of the building probably contributed to that, like it had just received a fresh coat of paint.
The numerous transparent windows and opaque shelters were smooth to the touch, almost as if it was just cleaned and oiled. It did not seem right, which dragged me further into my virtual reality, where the buildings were perfect; smooth, angular and pixelated.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
In-Class Blog-Writing Prompt #12 (Term 1)
"I'm tired..."
Today's Blog Writing Prompt is rather open, so what I'm going to do is take the lyrics of a song, Spose - I'm Awesome, and make a parody of it with I'm tired!
You'll find the original lyrics here: http://www.sweetslyrics.com/737769.Spose%20-%20I%5C
Here's my version of it:
Tired, tired, tired, tired...
I don't necessarily need to wake up today...
I'm gonna hug the pillows though...
Mother nagger I'm tired!
No you're not, dude wake up
I'm tired!
I'm shufflin around in my pajamas
I'm tired!
A quarter of my life gone by
And I met all my friends shut eye
Mother nagger I'm tired!
I will sleep during a brawl
I'm tired!
There's no voicemail, nobody called
I'm tired!
I can't afford to sleep till eight
And I talk to myself till the sun is bright.
So this is only part of the song, and I realised that it was pretty hard for me to continue due to the sexual connotations and abundance of vulgarities in the rest of the song. So i would guess this would have to do!
Today's Blog Writing Prompt is rather open, so what I'm going to do is take the lyrics of a song, Spose - I'm Awesome, and make a parody of it with I'm tired!
You'll find the original lyrics here: http://www.sweetslyrics.com/737769.Spose%20-%20I%5C
Here's my version of it:
Tired, tired, tired, tired...
I don't necessarily need to wake up today...
I'm gonna hug the pillows though...
Mother nagger I'm tired!
No you're not, dude wake up
I'm tired!
I'm shufflin around in my pajamas
I'm tired!
A quarter of my life gone by
And I met all my friends shut eye
Mother nagger I'm tired!
I will sleep during a brawl
I'm tired!
There's no voicemail, nobody called
I'm tired!
I can't afford to sleep till eight
And I talk to myself till the sun is bright.
So this is only part of the song, and I realised that it was pretty hard for me to continue due to the sexual connotations and abundance of vulgarities in the rest of the song. So i would guess this would have to do!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
My Poem about Calpurnia
Poetry about Calpurnia:
Calpurnia, she was something else,
She was all angles and bones, near-sighted;
She squinted, and her hand was as wide as a bed slat,
And twice as hard.
Our battles were epic and one sided.
Calpurnia always won, mainly because
Atticus always took her side.
She had been with us
ever since Jem had been born,
And I had felt her tyrannical presence
For as long as I could remember.
When she was furious, her
Grammar became erratic.
Atticus once mentioned that she
Had received more education than
Most coloured folks.
She yelled, “Don’t matter who they are,
Anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny!”
Just you wait, I’d fix you:
One of these days, I’ll drown myself in Barker’s Eddy.
However, my first year of school had wrought
An unexpected change in our relationship.
Her tyranny, unfairness, and meddling in my business,
Had faded to gentle grumblings of disapproval.
I went to much trouble,
Sometimes, not to provoke her.
Book References:
Pg 40 Paragraph 1
State the lines that will be included in the poem:
1. “my first year of school had wrought a great change in our relationship”
2. Calpurnia’s tyranny, unfairness, and meddling in my business had faded to gentle grumblings of general disapporval.”
3. “I went to much trouble, sometimes, not to provoke her”
Pg 30
State the lines that will be included in the poem:
1. “She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic”
2. “Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most coloured folks.”
3. “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny”
4. “I told Calpurnia to just wait, I’d fix her: one of these days when she wasn’t looking I’d go off and drown myself in Barker’s Eddy and then she’d be sorry”
Pg 11 & 12
State the lines that will be included in the poem:
1. “Calpurnia was something else again.”
2. “She was all angles and bones; she was near-sighted; she squinted; her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard.”
3. “Our battles were epic and one-sided.”
4. “Calpurnia always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side.”
5. “She had been with us ever since Jem was born, and I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember.”
Calpurnia, she was something else,
She was all angles and bones, near-sighted;
She squinted, and her hand was as wide as a bed slat,
And twice as hard.
Our battles were epic and one sided.
Calpurnia always won, mainly because
Atticus always took her side.
She had been with us
ever since Jem had been born,
And I had felt her tyrannical presence
For as long as I could remember.
When she was furious, her
Grammar became erratic.
Atticus once mentioned that she
Had received more education than
Most coloured folks.
She yelled, “Don’t matter who they are,
Anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny!”
Just you wait, I’d fix you:
One of these days, I’ll drown myself in Barker’s Eddy.
However, my first year of school had wrought
An unexpected change in our relationship.
Her tyranny, unfairness, and meddling in my business,
Had faded to gentle grumblings of disapproval.
I went to much trouble,
Sometimes, not to provoke her.
Book References:
Pg 40 Paragraph 1
State the lines that will be included in the poem:
1. “my first year of school had wrought a great change in our relationship”
2. Calpurnia’s tyranny, unfairness, and meddling in my business had faded to gentle grumblings of general disapporval.”
3. “I went to much trouble, sometimes, not to provoke her”
Pg 30
State the lines that will be included in the poem:
1. “She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic”
2. “Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most coloured folks.”
3. “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny”
4. “I told Calpurnia to just wait, I’d fix her: one of these days when she wasn’t looking I’d go off and drown myself in Barker’s Eddy and then she’d be sorry”
Pg 11 & 12
State the lines that will be included in the poem:
1. “Calpurnia was something else again.”
2. “She was all angles and bones; she was near-sighted; she squinted; her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard.”
3. “Our battles were epic and one-sided.”
4. “Calpurnia always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side.”
5. “She had been with us ever since Jem was born, and I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember.”
Character sketch on Atticus's tolerance
A description based on facts of how tolerant Atticus is:
What is it to be tolerant? The word tolerant is defined as “able to withstand or endure an adverse environmental condition”. The importance of tolerance is still relevant today. Without tolerance segregation would still be legal, minorities would still be oppressed and taken advantage of, and most of all it would make racism and bigotry acceptable, which by today’s standards, it is not. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” the author Harper Lee uses and teaches the theme of tolerance by using an array of colorful characters. First of all would be Scout Finch, the daughter of Atticus Finch, and the narrator of the novel. Next would be Mrs. Dubose, a seemingly nasty and horrible old woman afflicted by a horribly painful disease. Lastly would be Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout Finch, and a lawyer. These three characters convey the theme of tolerance the best of any characters in the novel.
However, Atticus Finch could quite possibly be the most critical character that conveyed tolerance and acceptance in the novel. As a respected lawyer in a small county, Atticus spoke with a voice of both authority and dignity. His decision to represent Tom Robinson infuriated the bigots and tyrants, and with good reason; Atticus is a man of high caliber and an excellent attorney who had a genuine interest in upholding justice. The mere thought of that would be enough to chill the bones of anyone who advocated hatred and prejudice. Even though Atticus loses the case and Tom Robinson is found guilty, he is still given an intense moment of respect for his fight for justice, tolerance, and acceptance. This is illustrated after court when he receives a standing ovation and Reverend Syke's says to Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, Stand up. You're father's passin'" ( Pg 211). This is why our group decided to do on Atticus.
Character: Atticus
“Let us leave it at this,” said Atticus dryly. “You, Miss Scout Finch, are of the common folk. You must obey the law.” He said that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. In certain circumstances the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges by the simple method of become blind to some of the Ewell’s activities
Taken from: Chapter 3 Pg 36
Shows: Atticus teaching Scout about tolerance, hence showing the fact that he has it in him.
Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness. He was much older than the parents of our school contemporaries, and there was nothing Jem or I could say about him when our classmates said, “My Father--”
Taken from: Chpater 10 Pg 95
Shows: Though Atticus was asked about “age”, which to some is a sensitive
topic, he still kind of joked about it and it shows he can tolerate such questions
and not feel hurt.
Atticus said to Jem one day, I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird...
Taken from: Chapter 10 Pg 96
Shows: Even though Atticus did not like guns, he knew that Jem did and could
tolerate that and not disallow him from shooting birds.
… “She’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are. Besides, sister, I don’t want you working your head off for us - you’ve no reason to do that. We still need Cal as much as we ever did”
Taken from: Chapter 14 Pg 142
Shows: Atticus understood that he had to accept things the way they were,
which shows tolerance to other people and things etc.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--” … “--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Taken from: Chapter 3 Pg 35
Shows: Atticus was tolerant of others’ behaviour, as he always tried to see things from their perspective. He was never judgmental without good reason, and would always see things from different perspectives before coming to a conclusion.
‘ "Atticus says cheatin’ a coloured man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man,” I muttered. “Says it’s the worst thing you can do.” ‘
Taken from : Chapter 20 Pg 207
Shows: Atticus’ intolerance for white people’s prejudice on blacks or other coloured people. A person must not be judged based on their appearances or skin colour. He feels that it is ten times worse to cheat someone who is already at a disadvantage.
In conclusion, Atticus is a man who respects every person was he would respect himself no matter if they were black, white, female, male etc. A good example of that would be that he respects his own children so highly that he has them refer to him by his first name(whole book) , because when you use a name like “Father” it gives the sense that he is above you, and Atticus doesn’t believe above anyone or anyone is above him.
The courtroom is not the only environment that Atticus contributed tolerance and acceptance to. In fact, the courtroom is only a small microcosm of his life where he was a just human being striving to instill tolerance and acceptance, among other qualities, into his children. As a single father, Atticus's efforts to teach his children the right way to live is extremely prevalent. Scout, as a young and rebellious as she is, seems to be very hesitant to really learn or accept anything from her father but proves that she actually does listen to her father when she recites one of his teachings "Atticus says cheating a colored man is ten times worse than cheating a white man".
What is it to be tolerant? The word tolerant is defined as “able to withstand or endure an adverse environmental condition”. The importance of tolerance is still relevant today. Without tolerance segregation would still be legal, minorities would still be oppressed and taken advantage of, and most of all it would make racism and bigotry acceptable, which by today’s standards, it is not. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” the author Harper Lee uses and teaches the theme of tolerance by using an array of colorful characters. First of all would be Scout Finch, the daughter of Atticus Finch, and the narrator of the novel. Next would be Mrs. Dubose, a seemingly nasty and horrible old woman afflicted by a horribly painful disease. Lastly would be Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout Finch, and a lawyer. These three characters convey the theme of tolerance the best of any characters in the novel.
However, Atticus Finch could quite possibly be the most critical character that conveyed tolerance and acceptance in the novel. As a respected lawyer in a small county, Atticus spoke with a voice of both authority and dignity. His decision to represent Tom Robinson infuriated the bigots and tyrants, and with good reason; Atticus is a man of high caliber and an excellent attorney who had a genuine interest in upholding justice. The mere thought of that would be enough to chill the bones of anyone who advocated hatred and prejudice. Even though Atticus loses the case and Tom Robinson is found guilty, he is still given an intense moment of respect for his fight for justice, tolerance, and acceptance. This is illustrated after court when he receives a standing ovation and Reverend Syke's says to Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, Stand up. You're father's passin'" ( Pg 211). This is why our group decided to do on Atticus.
Character: Atticus
“Let us leave it at this,” said Atticus dryly. “You, Miss Scout Finch, are of the common folk. You must obey the law.” He said that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. In certain circumstances the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges by the simple method of become blind to some of the Ewell’s activities
Taken from: Chapter 3 Pg 36
Shows: Atticus teaching Scout about tolerance, hence showing the fact that he has it in him.
Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness. He was much older than the parents of our school contemporaries, and there was nothing Jem or I could say about him when our classmates said, “My Father--”
Taken from: Chpater 10 Pg 95
Shows: Though Atticus was asked about “age”, which to some is a sensitive
topic, he still kind of joked about it and it shows he can tolerate such questions
and not feel hurt.
Atticus said to Jem one day, I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird...
Taken from: Chapter 10 Pg 96
Shows: Even though Atticus did not like guns, he knew that Jem did and could
tolerate that and not disallow him from shooting birds.
… “She’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are. Besides, sister, I don’t want you working your head off for us - you’ve no reason to do that. We still need Cal as much as we ever did”
Taken from: Chapter 14 Pg 142
Shows: Atticus understood that he had to accept things the way they were,
which shows tolerance to other people and things etc.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--” … “--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Taken from: Chapter 3 Pg 35
Shows: Atticus was tolerant of others’ behaviour, as he always tried to see things from their perspective. He was never judgmental without good reason, and would always see things from different perspectives before coming to a conclusion.
‘ "Atticus says cheatin’ a coloured man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man,” I muttered. “Says it’s the worst thing you can do.” ‘
Taken from : Chapter 20 Pg 207
Shows: Atticus’ intolerance for white people’s prejudice on blacks or other coloured people. A person must not be judged based on their appearances or skin colour. He feels that it is ten times worse to cheat someone who is already at a disadvantage.
In conclusion, Atticus is a man who respects every person was he would respect himself no matter if they were black, white, female, male etc. A good example of that would be that he respects his own children so highly that he has them refer to him by his first name(whole book) , because when you use a name like “Father” it gives the sense that he is above you, and Atticus doesn’t believe above anyone or anyone is above him.
The courtroom is not the only environment that Atticus contributed tolerance and acceptance to. In fact, the courtroom is only a small microcosm of his life where he was a just human being striving to instill tolerance and acceptance, among other qualities, into his children. As a single father, Atticus's efforts to teach his children the right way to live is extremely prevalent. Scout, as a young and rebellious as she is, seems to be very hesitant to really learn or accept anything from her father but proves that she actually does listen to her father when she recites one of his teachings "Atticus says cheating a colored man is ten times worse than cheating a white man".
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