Rainbow Death by Hubert Wilson

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! Hubert Wilson

5 10

Point	Evidence	Elaboration
Point of view	Poet fought in the Vietnam war Has come into contact with and experienced the effects of Agent Orange, used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare programme in the Vietnam war Rendered immobile by the effects of Agent Orange “Nefariously America led astray”	The persona is a soldier in the Vietnam war The persona understands the full implications of Agent Orange on people Having experienced the painful effects of Agent Orange himself, the persona is bitter about the Vietnam and Agent Orange, when show itself most clearly when the persona states that his own country the U.S.A. is “nefarious[ly]” Reliable speaker
Situation and setting	“Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!” Punctuation marks of poem “WILL pay”	The events of the poem took place in Vietnam as Agent Orange is used only during the Vietnam War. Ethical conflict of the use chemical warfare Tension is created through negative words such as “WILL pay”, “nefariously” and the increased use of exclamation marks by the end of the poem Conflict unresolved, symbolises the effects (birth defects, death, disability) of Agent Orange people still suffer today even though the chemical itself has not been used for decades.
Language / diction	Negative words used: “nefariously”, “execrable” Exclamation marks used “potpourri”	Portrays a negative image of Agent Orange and war Shows the furiousness of the persona when he witnessed the effects of Agent Orange Ironic as “potpourri” means a jar full of fragrant flowers that allow people to enjoy their fragrance but in here it means the chemicals that kill people
Personal response	NIL	Mostly a very direct and straightforward poem Easy to understand Conveys message effectively within just two stanzas

Children in the Darkness

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

Henry M. Bechtold

“Children in the Darkness” is a poem written by Henry M. Bechtold. He lives in Beautiful Bucks County, in south eastern Pennsylvania of the United States of America (U.S.A.). He was drafted as a soldier to Vietnam at 1967 and 1968. Since then, he has made several trips to Vietnam as “my soul lives in Vietnam”.

Just before Christmas in 2009, Henry Bechtold made a trip to Vietnam. He was in his hotel room in Saigon trying to write a poem about the abused girls who work in the park. At first he found it difficult to write anything meaningful. He got his inspiration when he looked at the TV when the news broadcast on. In the background of the news broadcast was a small boy with a helmet and rifle. The poem just “flowed out” of his mind.

Below is an analysis of the poem:

Point	Evidence	Elaboration
Point of View: · Point of view of poet himself · Anti-war · A social point of view: dealing with the social consequences of war on children	· Understanding the situation of children stuck in the middle of a war · “Or will a war consume them”	· The whole poem talks about children suffering in a war · Show an understanding of the crisis children face in war, e.g. no education · The poet it himself was involved in the Vietnam war · Thus, the poem can be said to be written in the point of view of the poet himself. · The poet argues in his poem that war will, destroy, or “consume”, children · The children’s freedom of having an education. · “Chalk and blackboards will not be” in times of war.
Situation and Setting: · Children affected by war · Children are “consumed” silently in the midst of the chaos of a war · No education for children · inescapable	· “Who have not seen the light” · “Or will a war consume them” · “Could we teach them how to read / Could we teach them how to dance” · “From this life they can not flee” · “Chalk and blackboards will not be / To this door there is no key”	· Children who “have not seen the light” have never experienced anything but the tragedies of war · All the children understand is the situation in a war, where men fight till their death and the dark side of humanity: violence. · People are so engrossed in the war that they neglect the children’s need · An education for those children “will not be”, they could not run away from the situation at hand. · Destroys the children’s childhood.
Language and Diction: · Tries to connect t with the reader · Extensive use of juxtaposition/contrasts · Use of metaphor	· “Could we” · “darkness” and “light” · “endless thirsty hole”	· Use of “we” instead of “I” makes the reader feel connected, that he too could play a part in improving those children’s lives. · Used to compare the children’s lives to other children who had a “proper” childhood. “Light” symbolises the innocence of childhood · “Thirsty hole” used to describe the war, which destroy the children’s childhood
Personal Response: · Conveys the message of abused children · Brings awareness	· “Or will a war consume them” · “From this life they can not flee”	· Although the poem in itself has not much literature value, but it is a very meaningful poem.

References:

· http://asialife.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/historians-of-ho-chi-minh-city-part-3-return-to-the-scene/

· http://www.henrybechtold.freewebspace.com/index.html

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

Pollution

I finished all my tests for this term. At first, I felt giddy with joy, as always.
But, after a while, you would find yourself feeling very bored as you suddenly have nothing to do with all the free time.
Feeling bored today, I went to YouTube and watched National Geographic.
I was struck by how bad pollution is in Earth now.
Pollution is the trigger button for almost all environmental problems such as global warming. Yet, though many of us are aware of the issue, we act as though we are oblivious and unaware of the matter. People still throw rubbish everywhere despite heavy fines implemented, factories still release poisonous chemicals into rivers despite many warnings, and trees are cut down ruthlessly regardless of the implications of doing so.
Take for example, global warming as one of the consequences of pollution. Global warming may be a short word, but its implications are huge. With increasing temperatures, weather would become more violent as Earth tries to balance out the increasing heat on Earth. Properties will be destroyed, lives will be taken away.
One could really see how serious pollution is now when one see that even scientists decide that we will move to other planets one day.
I hope you enjoy the show!

IT home learning

Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.
I would want to be friends with Atticus Finch.
I would want to be friends with Atticus Finch as he was a democratic person. He treated everybody with due respect, regardless of the person's skin colour, race, or religion, and opposed towards prejudice towards the blacks. I think this is important as it shows that Atticus Finch treated people fairly and judged people only according to their deeds I would not not want a person who treated people or me unfairly. Furthermore, with an unfair person as a friend, my image would be potrayed as if I was an unfair person too.
I would want to be friends with Atticus Finch as he was also a polite and friendly person. He always greeted Mrs. Dubose when coming back from work. Despite Mrs Dubose constant insults towards Atticus, Atticus never retorted Mrs Dubose and remained gracious the whole time. This shows that Atticus was a friendly and polite person. I find it much easier to talk to a polite and friendly person compared to a rude and bad tempered person. Friendships between me and and Atticus would last long. Hence, I would want to be friends with Atticus Finch.
Atticus Finch was also determined to admire the good while understanding and forgiving the bad. Atticus Once told Scout that a person has both good and bad qualities, and that she had to step into a person's shoes to understand the person. Atticus shows he was an understanding person here. I would like to be friends with Atticus as I wished for a friend that would understand that I have bad qualities and forgive my bad qualities.
In conclusion, I would like to be friends with Atticus.

IT home learning

Design an obituary for Mrs. Dubose

Reading

I love reading.
I love reading, not just any types of books, but in particular Chinese and English novels.
Many would ask, novels are novels, why the need to categorise it to Chinese and English in particular?
People who never read any of the two languages of novels will never understand the difference between the two.
I feel that it is important to understand the cultures behind the two languages, namely the western culture and the Chinese culture because it helps the understanding of the novels when reading them.
I prefer reading thrillers when reading English novels. I like the cracking paced action, the adrenalin rush, the ruthless turn of events, but I would never read a Chinese thriller fiction. One of the features of western culture is its focus on science and technology. The west was the first to invent computers, steam power, telephone… That is the reason why I like reading English thriller fiction. The story would often be filled with exciting and surprising facts, together with the action, it would make an enjoyable read for me.
But when reading Chinese novels, I prefer reading the family drama genre. The Chinese are peace loving people. When we looked at China’s history, rarely does China had the notion to invade other countries(except during the Spring and Autumn period and the warring states period, when China was divided into many independent states, which eventually got conquered by the Qin state, forming the Qin dynasty); conflicts that happen are usually internal conflicts. The Chinese are often too engrossed in their affairs to bother about war. The Chinese lists filial piety as the most important value that all Chinese should uphold, showing that the Chinese are peace loving and does not like causing arguments. That is always why I like to read about the family drama genre when reading Chinese novels. I like to see the characters when they struggle through life with conflicting values that they learn such as the need to be the universal, the same with others as compared the currently promoted value of being unique and having one own way of thinking.
Reading is enjoyable, yet one should know how choose the correct types of books when reading.

Multiple Intelligence test

If you have not done your learning profile/ style assessment last year, please go to the following link to find out more about your learning profile/ style. http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm Post your learning profile on your blog and write in no less than 100 words the implications or what you feel about the Multiple Intelligence test.

Learning Profile Result (Highest to lowest)
1. Intrapersonal
2. Linguistic/logical
3. Naturalistic
4. Visual /Spatial/Naturalistic
5. Kinaestheic
6. Musical/Interpersonal
The Multiple Intelligence test gave me much insight on my learning style. Hence, I will be better informed and will be able plan my learning activities better according to my learning style.
I would be able know what are my weaknesses and strength. My strength, such as “intrapersonal”, can be used when studying for tests and exams; my weaknesses, such as musical and interpersonal, should be spent time on developing, so that I will be a multi-sided intelligent person.
According to http://www.mypersonality.info/multiple-intelligences/intrapersonal/, an intrapersonal person is:
· Introverted
· Prefers working alone
· Philosophical
· Self-aware
· Perfectionist
· Often think of self employment
· Enjoys journaling
· Intuitive
· Independent
· Spends time thinking and reflecting
· Likes learning about self
Based on this report, I will:
· Study alone. I enjoy working alone. I will not do well studying in a team as I do not like to socialize.
· Continue to spend some time a day thinking and reflecting. Reflecting on past events allows me to evaluate my performance on those events. Based on my performance, I can then decide on the amount of practice I need to improve or at least maintain my standard of my performance.
Musical /interpersonal being my weakness, I will avoid learning styles involving musicality and interpersonal as I will not be able work well with it.
I hope with this information, I will be able to study better.

Stress

I was checking on the test booking website for any coming tests when the webpage finally got downloaded.
What I found got me cry in despair.
I had a week crammed full of tests, averaging on about 2 tests a day, with the dreaded history test included in it.
That was a week ago, and I must say, it was an “enlightening” experience.
Stress is often part and parcel of student life. Everybody needs a little stress to get things done well. But sometimes, stress can be overwhelming and unhealthy.
Therefore, how should we reduce stress? I think below are some of the main ways to reduce stress:
i) Consult a teacher/friend/counsellor when you feel stressed. Do not keep all your stress/worries in your mind. You need to vent out your frustration. Do not be afraid of other people knowing your personal affairs. If you do not trust your friend, find another reliable friend.
ii) Get a hobby. Do not just think about studying the whole time. Take up a hobby, and do it as a relaxation activity for yourself. You would be surprised how effective this solution is!
iii) Do not always think about past disappointments or failures. Think about how you can improve on your work in the future instead. Be optimistic, not pessimistic. You will just give yourself unnecessary stress.
iv) Understand that there are some things in this world that we cannot control. Do not feel sad over your lousy test marks if you had a fever when you were taking the test.
I hope by providing you these tips, your stress can be reduced and your life would be more enjoyable.

The Coming Together Of People

Today's society has seen many cases of racial tensions/clashes, fighting among people. What causes such events? Some say it is the disunity of people, the racial differences of people. Are such reasons really the causes of such events? Take, for example, the recent hot debate in Malaysia about the usage of the word “Allah”. Just because of this hot, even maybe violent, debate, racial tensions between the Muslims and Christians has been escalating. Some even went as far as burning churches.
Such events really are saddening, but I believe, no matter how bad racial tensions get, or how much people fight about things, there is always a deep compassion within a person for others around, even of it is his enemy, people just do not seem to realise such abilities of theirs.
The 2010 Haiti Earthquake which happened at 12th January 2010 is a very good example. The Haiti Earthquake was a 7.0 magnitude Earthquake and struck near Léogâne, approximately 25km west of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake has resulted in an estimated 200, 000 casualties.
Faced with serious casualties and huge losses in terms of the destruction of the buildings due to the earthquake, Haiti was in a dire situation. But, Haiti was not to face the situation all alone. Many countries responded to the earthquake with appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams. This goes to show that every person has a compassion for others deep in their hearts, and people always unite together in the event of a disaster.
Remember the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake? It was an undersea megathrust earthquake which epicentre was off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake triggered waves of tsunamis which spread across the whole Indian Ocean and affected countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.
Similar to the Haiti earthquake, many countries responded by providing humanitarian aid to the badly affected countries.
Is not this all proves to a human’s compassion for others? Every person has a compassion hidden within him/her. After all, we are all human, and by right should be united to promote a better tomorrow for the next generation, not fighting among ourselves. If so, is not it logical for us to stop all these fights about racial rights, power and various issues?