It has been over a year since I stepped into the Hwa Chong campus as a proud Secondary 1 student. Now, approaching the end of year, I am leading an ordinary life as a Secondary 2 student, in a reputable class of outstanding students. This year has not been easy going for me. Under the constant reminder that this year is crucial in determining my path of studies, pressure from studies increased three folds. With the introduction of the new academic system, competitiveness is as intense as ever. I want to choose my future. What other ways to achieve my goals than to work for it?studying till 2'o clock in the morning only to wake up after 3 hours of sleep is a norm among us students.

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It has been over a year since I stepped into the Hwa Chong campus as a proud Secondary 1 student. Now, approaching the end of year, I am leading an ordinary life as a Secondary 2 student, in a reputable class of outstanding students. This year has not been easy going for me. Under the constant reminder that this year is crucial in determining my path of studies, pressure from studies increased three folds. With the introduction of the new academic system, competitiveness is as intense as ever. I want to choose my future. What other ways to achieve my goals than to work for it?studying till 2'o clock in the morning only to wake up after 3 hours of sleep is a norm among us students.



14th August 2010 marked the opening of the first ever Youth Olympic Games. Unless you have not known, it was hosted in our very own country, Singapore. Just like the current Olympic games, this inaugural event is planned to be held every 4 years, featuring athletes aged 14-18. In other words, the games only allow most people to compete once in their life.


The Finals are over. And we are pretty pleased with the outcome. Although we are still unaware of the results (I'll update at a later date :D), we knew very well that the judges were satisfied. Our mentor was satisfied, and we were satisfied.



Projects day has been in effect since Mr Tooh Fee San's reign as an alternative for the abolished Mid Year Examinations after Chinese High School was awarded the Special Assistance Plan by Ministry of Education 1979. It aims to develop independent thinkers our of students by facilitating teaching out of the classroom.


Children in the Darkness

There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light


Task 1

Henry was sitting in my hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 while trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. He was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. However, he was inspired when he looked at the news on TV. He saw a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. The words just came to him and the poem flowed out.

Task 2

Point of View:

The speakers takes on the view of a bystander with a strong moral sense of duty. His superiority is confirmed when he refers to the protagonists as "children". As a war veteran in Vietnam, children training to be soldiers are a common sight. The style of his writing is dramatised , highlighting his stand to grant children of their deserved rights. He is against the authorities for setting the destinies of the children, children who have not even "seen the light".
He does not support the fact that children are sent to war at such a young age. The reality is harsh and war is horrific. This children will be "consumed", only be scarred for life physically, if not mentally. He wants us to realised that children are served injustice at the moment and we should stop that.

Situation and Setting:

Social conflict is evident in the poem. Henry addresses the problem prevalent in society at the start of the poem. This are the "children" who should be served justice. The children should be receiving education, but they are denied that. They are forced to go on a path of war and terror.
The "chalk" and "blackboards" changes into "war" and "blood". The education all children deserves metamorphoses into the violence all adults are immersed. The innocence believed within children is hence destroyed without a choice for children. The poem is wrapped up with a statement of "back into the darkness". No progress has been made. The conflict has not been resolved. The poem in general is solemn.

Language and Diction:

There is an extensive use of figurative language in this poem. The children are "enslaved" in their childhood as symbolised by "darkness". This is then contrasted by "light", symbolising freedom. The first line is repeated to reinforce Henry's take that the children are trapped.
The children are not receiving education through "chalks" and "blackboards", but instead getting taught "to fight". Their pursue to freedom is useless there is "no key" to the "door" of freedom. This children are cannot escape their fate destined by the authorities.
The rhetorical question "Could we" is repeated in all four lines of the next stanza, showing the speculations of Henry that probably this children would be freed of their slavery. He sees a glimpse of hope in that they could "simply light a candle", giving them chance of freedom.
Then, in the fourth stanza, it starts with the word "or". With this single word, Henry wants to present to us the consequences of this inhumane situation. Hence, he paints a gruesome picture of war. War is personified as a beast which "consumes" on the children's "body and their soul". The war will take its toll on the children psychologically and physically. Their lives would be wasted for the sake of men who thirst destruction.

Personal Response:

This poem reaches out to me. Despite its simple language, the emotions conveyed are strong. I am able to feel for Henry's longing of freedom. Henry questions the corruption of men to sacrifice their next generations, the future pillars of the country. Will men lost all humanity to gain what they want? Are they willing to let their children immerse in violence at such a tender age? Life is cruel.
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Children_




Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Task 1:

This poem revolves around the military conflict, Vietnam war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975. It speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”. Accorading to Wikipedia, "Agent Orange" is the code name for an herbicide and defoliant —contaminated with TCDD (compound that causese indirect DNA damage through induction or activation of other DNA damaging compounds in the body). Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidial warfare program employed by the US military. Hence, the name of the poem - Rainbow Death, as millions of deaths were caused by this use of herbicides.

According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was reported 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to "Agent Orange", resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.

Here is a quote from Hubert Wilson:

"I am a Vietnam War veteran (as are my four brothers) who served in the USAF Security Service. I, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeat Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of us were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a MORE contaminated environment than Da Nang!
My health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago my central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. NO VA physician has ever rendered ANY medical assistance! My number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during my year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

Since my brain still functions moderately well (and I have mobility issues), I have turned to writing just like my late Father and the late singer (and writer) Johnny Cash."

Wars are not over even when wars are over. The effects of war does not even end together with the war. Not only does the present generation undergo these horrific experiences, the future generation has to suffer the consequences too. The cost of war is devestating.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!


Point of view:

The speaker is war veteran who fought in the Vietnam War. He was also a victim of the toxic agents and poor conditions during wartime. He felt the effects of the toxins many years after the war and eventually he was immobilized and decided to write. Therefore, his perspective may be a bit extreme and negative because he had gone through the turmoil of war and it changed his psychological aspect of life differently.

He expresses his rage over the decisions of America. However, this account would be mostly accurate because he has prior experience. This is evident from the poem " Nefariously America led astray - Generations untold WILL pay - Execrable effects of agent orange spray!" We can see from this that war will make a country become a "devil" as everyone is determined to destroy their enemies. Therefore, his perspective is negative in that in the instance of war, the country loses its conscience.

Hubert Wilson's poem has also stated facts about the effects of war. This is evident from "Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead." Victims of Agent Orange or other chemical agents do suffer terribly. For example, Hubert Wilson himself had suffered from Parkinsonian type tremors and mobility issues.

Situation and Setting:

Tension is created through the punctuation marks used. With the of use exclamation marks and question marks, Hubert Wilson not only emphasizes his frustration about the innocent suffering from war, he questions the innocence in man. He emphasizes the consequences of war by using capital letters for certain words like 'WILL'.
This is to reinforce his take on the consequences of war. As stated, "Rainbow Death". The rainbow refers to the different colors the chemical agents produce. Although these chemical agents produce vivid colors, they produce appalling results. He wants his readers to know of the horror of war not only in the present, but the consequences in the future.

Language and Diction:

Huber Wilson's tone of sarcasm is very obvious in this poem. "Potpourri" means a mixture of dried petals of roses or other flowers with spices, kept in a jar for their fragrance. It is to allow people to enjoy the fragrance of flowers but the death fragrance in this poem refers to the chemical agents which kill people, hence expressing the irony of the situation. Moreover, the question he poses, "and now thinking twice", just demonstrates his outright annoyance of the Americans. He mocks them for not thinking about the dire consequences later. And now, "innocent and the unborn" have to pay the price of countries going to war when it could have been resolved peacefully.

However, the "deceit coninues to spread" . The speaker is telling his readers that the government misleads the people when countries go to war to conceal the government's true purpose of going to war which is mostly negative. America, the most influential country in the world for many years, has deceived their people, harmed millions of innocent lives, all for their desire of destruction of the enemy. Ultimately, they have turned on the own principles of freedom. Are they still credible?

The poem is definitely ironic as Hubert uses positive words like potpourri in such a negative and harsh situation of the Vietnam war.

Personal Reponse:

Most of the time, wars can be prevented if countries are willing to resolve conflicts peacefully. However, many countries end up in wars. The people who decided to go to war do not feel the impact and consequences of war. Instead, it is the innocent people like civilians who are not even involved in the conflict that have to face the effects of war. These innocent and helpless people have become the slaves of the devils who do not appreciate peace and stability. Hubert Wilson wrote this poem to remind everyone in the world that peace is vital. He calls out to the governments of countries, "this is what you want, but is this what the people wants?" Are we willing to commit such atrocities, to betray our conscience, to wipe out our enemy?

BENEDICT


HI THERE. I'm currently a student in Hwa Chong Institution. Quite clearly meaning that I'm a male/female. I'm your extraordinary everyday kid who you see on the street.:D So if you ever recognise me, say 'HI'.


This blog is for work purposes ONLY. Feel free to browse through! And remember to comment and tag!

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