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I am going to analyse the poem "Rainbow Death" today to complete the E learning homework(Task 2)
Okay, I shall put the poem here for reference
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!
By Hubert Wilson
Point Of View
I believe the poem is written from the perspective of someone or had encountered and seen the effects of Agent Orange.He knew about the "Execrable effects of agent orange spray" meaning he was there to see it since he could tell what " America did not foresee" He could not have foresight and should be there when Agent Orange was released and stayed there to see the devastating effects of it to tell the tale.He is retelling his experience of Agent Orange.The fact that he could know so much about the horrible effects of Agent orange such as "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" and "Toll on the innocent and unborn" showed he had first-hand experience with it.From the reference of background information,he was a person that went to war in Vietnam since he was a Vietnam veteran so he should be able to see the effects since the war was about a span of 20 years.
Situation and Setting
The setting of the poem is after Agent Orange has been used.It can been seen that the poet is talking about the devastating effects of the Agent Orange and reflecting and feeling regretful.Since he had experienced it himself, it is shown in the poem that the poet feeling quite emotional about this. He wishes to show that the devastating effects of warfare or herbicide warfare(found in background information)and that many times,people are unable to foresee how badly war can affect a country. He sets the story in the aftermath of Agent Orange to show the reality of the use of herbicide on the people "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" To fit in historical background, Agent Orange was used in the Vietnam War and it caused 400,000 deaths. I guess the main purpose of the poem is to show people how modern warfare can destroy lives and thus needing the setting of aftermath of the war or the use of herbicide.
Language and Diction
Well, when I looked at the title " Rainbow Death" I was puzzled.These two words were never meant to be together.I soon realised it was an oxymoron. I checked the web that rainbow actually symbolizes heavenly glory or they serve as a bridge between earth and paradise.However used in this poem which is a war poem is very unsuitable since it is talking about many people dying from the effects of Agent Orange from herbicide warfare.To fit in the context, the rainbow could be referring to the different colored herbicide used in warfare such as Agent Orange and Agent Green which caused death and deformities.Rainbow is a pathway to glory or heaven or so to speak but this rainbow, a pathway leads to death.It is trying to convey that fighting(the bridge) is not glorious, it just lead to gruesome death.Rainbow here is like a bridge to hell.
The poet also uses "potpourri" to describe death.There are two meaning to potpourri. One is a mixture of dried flowers and leaves used for making a room smell nice or a mixture of things that were not originally meant to form a group.I have two interpretations. Since it is "death potpourri", it could be an oxymoron. Death does not usually go with something pleasant smelling.It could be scolding the Americans for turning a herbicide ,supposed to help man, into a war tool which kill lives.Or it could be referring to the unusual mixture of"Green, pink, purple" and "death" Death is obviously a negative word. The colors shown are mostly vibrant colours which some symbolises life.However,these bright colors had led to death.(Bright colours = death?) seemingly harmless product could have caused death.This is something quite unexpected. It could show that the Americans did not foresee the effects of the Agent Orange(representing the colours)such as the death of thousands.
Personal Response
This poem made me feel very uneasy yet at the same time pity for those who suffered from the war.From the first line "America did not foresee" it actually started from a very ominous note.It foreshadowed the bad that would follow.The fact that he uses oxymoron leaves the readers puzzled and uneasy since it is not very clear what he was talking about until the very end when he said "agent orange spray" He describes the atrocity the Americans had done using words like "Nefariously" to describe them. It meant the Americans were wicked.It elaborate about the heavy and devastating effects of the war such as" illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" while the Americans had been "Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn" This creates an image that a powerful person had caused a major and terrible effect to the people of a weaker country like a bully bullying the weak.He tells the reader what had caused the death of thousands at the very end in hope of evoking some anger or outrage in the readers.
The poet had effectively conveyed his message that modern warfare can cause the death and suffering to over hundreds of thousands of people.He hoped through this poem,he could make people aware of the atrocity of war and perhaps prevent anymore innocent bloodshed from happening again.
It may seem futile but a man can hope.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Rainbow death
Task 1
Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2
So here is the poem
Title: Rainbow of 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!
By Hubert Wilson
Who is Hubert Wilson some may ask. Well, he is a US Vietnam war veteran.The Vietnam war was a Cold War military conflict which lasted from November 1, 1955 , to April 30, 1975, about 20 years.Hubert served in the USAF Security Service along with a dozen of school graduates.His team was sent to Shemya Island, an Agent Orange hot spot.About fifteen or more years ago, he started to have health problems such as headaches and limb pain. Soon, his central nervous system deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors. He suffered severe headaches and progressive limb pains. The doctors did not know how to cure him or know what he was suffering from. He guessed it was the contaminated water of Agent Orange he drank when he was at Shemya Island.The effects of toxins could take up to 20 to 30 years before they are shown.
( This is from a source which I am not too sure whether it is reliable)
Ok, by now some would be asking what is Agent Orange? Agent Orange is a herbicide developed for the military, which use it in tropical climates.The purpose of such a herbicide for the military was to was to clear the possible enemy cover and concealment in dense terrain by defoliating trees and shrubbery where the enemy could hide. This seemed to be a very helpful tool in warfare but it came with unforeseen circumstances.
There are different type of this herbicide while most people would just refer to them as Agent orange as it is by far the most widely used the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" used in the warfare.There is Agent Purple,Pink etc.They are made up of different chemicals thus different names.
To find out more you can click this link
Agent orange was used in the Vietnam war by the US military to clear the dense forest of Vietnam. However, this herbicide was contaminated with Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin( A very long name for TCDD).This chemical can cause DNA damage indirectly.At that time,it was thought that Agent Orange would not hurt anyone only the trees.
Agent Orange was a mix of two chemicals, 2,4,D and 2,4,5,T. The mixture was then mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft and hand spraying.19 million gallons of Agent Orange were estimated to be used in during the Vietnam war.
After the war,it was made known that 4.8million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange.This caused 400,000 deaths and disabilities and 500,000 babies born with birth defects.Affected Vietnamese lived with genetic diseases and Agent Orange had poisoned their food chain.The chemical has been reported to cause serious skin diseases and as serious as cancer(lung).Children born in areas where agent Orange had been used would suffer from health problems such as cleft palate, mental disabilities and extra fingers and toes.
Agent Orange not only affected the civilians but also the soldiers of the country that used the herbicide too.The figure of the US soldiers affected was not recorded but I believe the number is not a few.
Later,scientists tested the effects of Agent Orange on animals in the laboratory.The animals showed evidence of DNA Damage and resulted in death.The effects of Agent Orange is still felt in Vietnam today.Many still have deformities passed down by their family. This just goes to show the devastating effects of war
Through this poem,the poet was trying to show that modern warfare can be as devastating as it can be.It has appalling effects such as death and deformities.War had scarred many people even after the war is over.I guess he is trying to express regret for the Vietnamese people and those affected like him but it is important to note that the people at that time did not know the effects of the herbicide.The poet wants to show that war has a high price to pay not just economically.
Credits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://www.lewispublishing.com/orange.htm
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html
Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2
So here is the poem
Title: Rainbow of 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!
By Hubert Wilson
Who is Hubert Wilson some may ask. Well, he is a US Vietnam war veteran.The Vietnam war was a Cold War military conflict which lasted from November 1, 1955 , to April 30, 1975, about 20 years.Hubert served in the USAF Security Service along with a dozen of school graduates.His team was sent to Shemya Island, an Agent Orange hot spot.About fifteen or more years ago, he started to have health problems such as headaches and limb pain. Soon, his central nervous system deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors. He suffered severe headaches and progressive limb pains. The doctors did not know how to cure him or know what he was suffering from. He guessed it was the contaminated water of Agent Orange he drank when he was at Shemya Island.The effects of toxins could take up to 20 to 30 years before they are shown.
( This is from a source which I am not too sure whether it is reliable)
Ok, by now some would be asking what is Agent Orange? Agent Orange is a herbicide developed for the military, which use it in tropical climates.The purpose of such a herbicide for the military was to was to clear the possible enemy cover and concealment in dense terrain by defoliating trees and shrubbery where the enemy could hide. This seemed to be a very helpful tool in warfare but it came with unforeseen circumstances.
There are different type of this herbicide while most people would just refer to them as Agent orange as it is by far the most widely used the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" used in the warfare.There is Agent Purple,Pink etc.They are made up of different chemicals thus different names.
To find out more you can click this link
Agent orange was used in the Vietnam war by the US military to clear the dense forest of Vietnam. However, this herbicide was contaminated with Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin( A very long name for TCDD).This chemical can cause DNA damage indirectly.At that time,it was thought that Agent Orange would not hurt anyone only the trees.
Agent Orange was a mix of two chemicals, 2,4,D and 2,4,5,T. The mixture was then mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft and hand spraying.19 million gallons of Agent Orange were estimated to be used in during the Vietnam war.
After the war,it was made known that 4.8million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange.This caused 400,000 deaths and disabilities and 500,000 babies born with birth defects.Affected Vietnamese lived with genetic diseases and Agent Orange had poisoned their food chain.The chemical has been reported to cause serious skin diseases and as serious as cancer(lung).Children born in areas where agent Orange had been used would suffer from health problems such as cleft palate, mental disabilities and extra fingers and toes.
Agent Orange not only affected the civilians but also the soldiers of the country that used the herbicide too.The figure of the US soldiers affected was not recorded but I believe the number is not a few.
Later,scientists tested the effects of Agent Orange on animals in the laboratory.The animals showed evidence of DNA Damage and resulted in death.The effects of Agent Orange is still felt in Vietnam today.Many still have deformities passed down by their family. This just goes to show the devastating effects of war
Through this poem,the poet was trying to show that modern warfare can be as devastating as it can be.It has appalling effects such as death and deformities.War had scarred many people even after the war is over.I guess he is trying to express regret for the Vietnamese people and those affected like him but it is important to note that the people at that time did not know the effects of the herbicide.The poet wants to show that war has a high price to pay not just economically.
Credits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://www.lewispublishing.com/orange.htm
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Sharing and giving
Recently,I have been slamming my class for its attitude problems and the result of them. Well,I guess it will be not right to totally say my class is the worse class because it is not. There are some fine and fun people in my class. I believe everyone is fine in the inside. Anyway, I decided to move away from the recent problems of my class and talk about a wider topic about sharing and giving.
What is sharing? The more scientific or at least more profound term is to distribute portions of something between two or more persons. I feel another interpretation of sharing is helping or giving someone when you have the capability of doing so.Giving is, well,it is just giving. We share a lot of stuff in daily lives. We share food with our families,share knowledge through the internet and share even friendship. However,in this competitive and face-paced society, have we forgotten the art of sharing and giving.
Every year during Christmas, the act of giving is publicized. There are many posters of advertisement promoting people to give others presents. If you think about it, these companies are not really promoting giving but rather their products.What other best way of promoting their own products than during Christmas.Many people buy many things for many other people. How many actually realized the reason of giving or the passion for it? Many people just await the presents they would receive like many people like you and I do.
Is it common for people to give to others they do not know? I am not sure. There was once when my mother and I took a bus, a young man,teenager in fact stood up and gave my mother his seat. I marveled and applaud his attitude of giving to others.He did not know my mother but he gave up his seat and this is something to be impressed at. However, on my way back home on the bus on several occasions, the bus is usually packed and I regularly stand on the bus. There are some seats in front of the bus that are supposed to be reserved for the elderly, handicapped, pregnant woman or the young. Well,there was an old man on the bus and he looked as if he was going to fall.He had trouble standing. The bus was packed as usual and nobody gave up their seats for him. I couldn't help him as I was not sitting. The poor man just stood till the bus reached his destination...
I did some sharing a week ago. It was a small matter but still it was sharing. After training, my friend and I started to make way home.I bought a snack called "Pocky".It is sticks with chocolate on it. I bought it and started to eat and my friend ask if he could eat too. I said it was fine.You know the feeling when somebody else takes more than he should and you feel a bit irritated. I felt this at first as he continued to snack on it. However, he is my friend and a friend should do what friends do and that is to share.So i shared with him till the last stick and I gave him. There was one thing he did that made me kind of happy. He smiled and said "Thank You"
There is another kind of sharing which is to share knowledge. This is more applicable to a class. Okay,people come to me as they want to clarify some questions or get some answers.(I have a reputation?^-^)When a person studies very hard, he does not want other people to get the knowledge as easy as asking. Many people have this protective nature of their knowledge and unwilling to share. I dare not say I do no have this feeling. Everyone has this feeling at any one point in time. I do get a bit frustrated when people keep coming to me for questions. Some fear that by telling others knowledge, they would become smarter and beat them in tests or whatever form of examination where a comparison can be derived. However, we are all friends from the same class and there should not be hatred. I believe in sharing. Friends help friends in need if they have the capabilities to help. That should be the way.Even if those people have the sole intention of getting the answers by asking and not studying themselves, I believe we should still help.We can guide them by a series of questions so they do not get the answer directly but rather make them think and get the answers themselves but we your assistance.That should be the way. When a person comes to you for help,share what you know because you should feel proud of yourself since others want your help. It should be sort of a privilege since you not only help others,you also help yourself by reteaching yourself and getting on better with other classmates.We can get happiness from sharing with others. Perhaps one way to help my class bond is through sharing. You never know the extent of power of sharing.
We humans as I believe are selfish by nature. However, this is a sin. Even though it is a nature, it doesn't mean we need to conform to it. We are protective beings and we constantly isolate ourselves from others. We need to open ourselves by sharing with others. When we welcome and share with others with open arms, I believe everyone will be happy. Sharing helps improve two person's friendship and the more we share, the more friends we befriend. We need to curb the constant urge of keeping our knowledge to ourselves. By sharing and giving,we help not only others but ourselves. When you successfully give to others because you feel its right or share things with another person, you should feel a true sense of happiness that you would rarely experience.
So what have you given or shared with others? How did you feel?
What is sharing? The more scientific or at least more profound term is to distribute portions of something between two or more persons. I feel another interpretation of sharing is helping or giving someone when you have the capability of doing so.Giving is, well,it is just giving. We share a lot of stuff in daily lives. We share food with our families,share knowledge through the internet and share even friendship. However,in this competitive and face-paced society, have we forgotten the art of sharing and giving.
Every year during Christmas, the act of giving is publicized. There are many posters of advertisement promoting people to give others presents. If you think about it, these companies are not really promoting giving but rather their products.What other best way of promoting their own products than during Christmas.Many people buy many things for many other people. How many actually realized the reason of giving or the passion for it? Many people just await the presents they would receive like many people like you and I do.
Is it common for people to give to others they do not know? I am not sure. There was once when my mother and I took a bus, a young man,teenager in fact stood up and gave my mother his seat. I marveled and applaud his attitude of giving to others.He did not know my mother but he gave up his seat and this is something to be impressed at. However, on my way back home on the bus on several occasions, the bus is usually packed and I regularly stand on the bus. There are some seats in front of the bus that are supposed to be reserved for the elderly, handicapped, pregnant woman or the young. Well,there was an old man on the bus and he looked as if he was going to fall.He had trouble standing. The bus was packed as usual and nobody gave up their seats for him. I couldn't help him as I was not sitting. The poor man just stood till the bus reached his destination...
I did some sharing a week ago. It was a small matter but still it was sharing. After training, my friend and I started to make way home.I bought a snack called "Pocky".It is sticks with chocolate on it. I bought it and started to eat and my friend ask if he could eat too. I said it was fine.You know the feeling when somebody else takes more than he should and you feel a bit irritated. I felt this at first as he continued to snack on it. However, he is my friend and a friend should do what friends do and that is to share.So i shared with him till the last stick and I gave him. There was one thing he did that made me kind of happy. He smiled and said "Thank You"
There is another kind of sharing which is to share knowledge. This is more applicable to a class. Okay,people come to me as they want to clarify some questions or get some answers.(I have a reputation?^-^)When a person studies very hard, he does not want other people to get the knowledge as easy as asking. Many people have this protective nature of their knowledge and unwilling to share. I dare not say I do no have this feeling. Everyone has this feeling at any one point in time. I do get a bit frustrated when people keep coming to me for questions. Some fear that by telling others knowledge, they would become smarter and beat them in tests or whatever form of examination where a comparison can be derived. However, we are all friends from the same class and there should not be hatred. I believe in sharing. Friends help friends in need if they have the capabilities to help. That should be the way.Even if those people have the sole intention of getting the answers by asking and not studying themselves, I believe we should still help.We can guide them by a series of questions so they do not get the answer directly but rather make them think and get the answers themselves but we your assistance.That should be the way. When a person comes to you for help,share what you know because you should feel proud of yourself since others want your help. It should be sort of a privilege since you not only help others,you also help yourself by reteaching yourself and getting on better with other classmates.We can get happiness from sharing with others. Perhaps one way to help my class bond is through sharing. You never know the extent of power of sharing.
We humans as I believe are selfish by nature. However, this is a sin. Even though it is a nature, it doesn't mean we need to conform to it. We are protective beings and we constantly isolate ourselves from others. We need to open ourselves by sharing with others. When we welcome and share with others with open arms, I believe everyone will be happy. Sharing helps improve two person's friendship and the more we share, the more friends we befriend. We need to curb the constant urge of keeping our knowledge to ourselves. By sharing and giving,we help not only others but ourselves. When you successfully give to others because you feel its right or share things with another person, you should feel a true sense of happiness that you would rarely experience.
So what have you given or shared with others? How did you feel?
Sunday, May 02, 2010
What is wrong with our class? Part 2
Okay, I have been thinking and I thought some of the reasons for our behavior of my class.This is a compilation of some of the feedback given in the comment section of the previous blog and my own personal reasons.I feel it is time to review our attitude since it is not getting anywhere better.It is saddening as part of the class that because of our behavior so many things are happening to us......
Reason 1:Apathy
People in our class have this trait.They do not seem to care for the class.Let's take our class cleanliness for example.No body is caring for the class.The floor is very dirty and the tables and chairs are horribly arranges.Firstly,I like to point out that some people do not do their duty.They feel it is a chore and they are really lazy to do their part for the class.Some do their duty but they do it in a hurry.They either want to go home or need to go somewhere as it is urgent.However,it is no excuse.They can request a change in duty time slot if they cannot make it.Some just do not like the duty so they do not perform to their utmost to help keep the class clean.If you think it is only the fault of the duty personal, you are wrong.Our whole class is at fault including myself.We should keep our class clean by throwing our rubbish in the outside bin instead of on the floor.After school,I can seen a few bottle of drinks from the canteen on several table.They are all empty yet not thrown away.People have a tendency to throw the newspaper away on the floor.It could be that it flew away but they should have kept the newspapers properly or threw it away(recycle).No body really take this problem seriously. Cleanliness affects our learning attitude whether we admit it or not.Even now when we have made many teachers angry,I doubt many of them actually treat this problem seriously.Our Geography teacher is getting angry even though he is not that type.He has repeatedly told us to be considerate and clean up.Did we actually listen to him or were we all sleeping?
Reason 2:Our Childishness
We are very childish for our age.We laugh at people's pronunciation or grammar.We laugh at everything we can possibly laugh at.During the assembly,the whole level was noisy and our level in charge scolded us.The level started to cough and sneeze on purpose during the assembly.It was totally obvious that many had done that deliberately.Some of our classmates have done that too.Even at the black box,they ran in the darkness and they played with the lights.They switched them on and off quickly and did not stop when the teacher came.They ran,screamed and played in the dark.We are so not acting our age.Isn't all this resemble to a childish 5 year old actions?It is fine if you are a little playful but the important thing is to know when is the appropriate time for certain things and know when to stop.My classmates do not know when to stop.They go overboard and result in angering our teachers
Reason 3: Our distraction
Laptops have a horrible effect on us.I do not think we are capable of handling this technology.The school gave us this privilege of bring laptops to school but how do we respond to our school?My classmates play computer games in class.I am not trying to air our class dirty linen but just to state the truth.If they played them after school,I am fine with it but they do it in class.Not a very smart thing to do.The temptation of these computer games is too strong.They are unable to pull themselves away when it is time to study.Our grades have dropped and our learning attitude has too.They want to play and not study.I refuse to accept the reason that computer games are for relaxation.They do it in class and affect their grades.Isn't it time to say "Hey,I shouldn't do this.It is not right"Yes, mouse hunt in class is still playing computer games.Our grades plummet but my classmates seemed oblivious or fine with it.I think if our class don't buck up or play less computer games,I feel that we do not deserve to be a future class.
Reason 4:We take things for granted/Lack of respect
We take our teachers for granted.Many feel that teachers have to teach us because it is their job.I believe this way of thinking is wrong.To be a teacher in our school,I believe they are more than qualified to be a teacher in other schools or even can take on another job.They choose to teach us as they feel the need to educate the next generation.Some actually quit their jobs to teach and others start to teach as it is their passion.They work hard to prepare lessons.They do readings on their own.We have many friends to help.We do one composition and we complain about the workload.They have to mark 34+ scripts.Let's see whose workload is more.Don't say it is their job,they are not obliged to give you work.They can just teach and do not give work.They can let you fail your tests but they do not because they want to teach.Yet,many fail to see the hard work put in by teachers.How do we respond? We complain or we don't do our work on time.Some classmates do not want to do while others just simply do not care.We do not put in effort when they ask us to research.We make noise to disrupt their lessons.We give teachers little respect as if they are supposed to teach us.We do not appreciate our teachers or make attempts to appreciate.Not finishing work on time is just messing up the teacher's schedule, giving him or her more trouble.Teachers do not owe us anything.We owe our teachers.Yes,sadly to say, it is true that we are ingrates.
Reason 5:Complacency
Many people think it is not to late to buck up.Last year,our MSG was going downhill and luckily we were knocked to our senses after term 3 and did exceptionally well for our end of year examinations.I believe many people think that they can achieve this feat again.They enjoy life now and neglect their studies then when the end of year examinations come,only then do they start to study. We are too satisfied with our last year's performance.Not many are taking their studies very seriously in this point in time since many indulge in computer games.The signs are clearly shown in our term 1 results and term 2 has not been promising with all the scolding and cold war with out teachers.Yet,many do not seemed to have the urge to change.They feel they have to time to salvage their grades so they keep putting off their studies or not focusing fully on them.Few feel that we need to make a change now.Do we not want to change for the better.We need the determination.However,we need the correct mindset first.Pride comes before a fall.Complacency causes the destruction of a class.
Our class have not been perfect but there is always a way to solve the problem.It is time to change and we need to change now.I know that change needs time and instant change is not possible but a least we should start with a small step.Perhaps just realizing the problem first would be good.Sorry if my tone was a bit harsh,I am just quite appalled at what is happening recently.I am not excluding myself from the blame as everyone has played a part and we are all from the same class.Sigh...
What more do you think we need to change so we can improve not only in our grades but also our attitude.Attitude is very important.Please comment in the comment box below.
Reason 1:Apathy
People in our class have this trait.They do not seem to care for the class.Let's take our class cleanliness for example.No body is caring for the class.The floor is very dirty and the tables and chairs are horribly arranges.Firstly,I like to point out that some people do not do their duty.They feel it is a chore and they are really lazy to do their part for the class.Some do their duty but they do it in a hurry.They either want to go home or need to go somewhere as it is urgent.However,it is no excuse.They can request a change in duty time slot if they cannot make it.Some just do not like the duty so they do not perform to their utmost to help keep the class clean.If you think it is only the fault of the duty personal, you are wrong.Our whole class is at fault including myself.We should keep our class clean by throwing our rubbish in the outside bin instead of on the floor.After school,I can seen a few bottle of drinks from the canteen on several table.They are all empty yet not thrown away.People have a tendency to throw the newspaper away on the floor.It could be that it flew away but they should have kept the newspapers properly or threw it away(recycle).No body really take this problem seriously. Cleanliness affects our learning attitude whether we admit it or not.Even now when we have made many teachers angry,I doubt many of them actually treat this problem seriously.Our Geography teacher is getting angry even though he is not that type.He has repeatedly told us to be considerate and clean up.Did we actually listen to him or were we all sleeping?
Reason 2:Our Childishness
We are very childish for our age.We laugh at people's pronunciation or grammar.We laugh at everything we can possibly laugh at.During the assembly,the whole level was noisy and our level in charge scolded us.The level started to cough and sneeze on purpose during the assembly.It was totally obvious that many had done that deliberately.Some of our classmates have done that too.Even at the black box,they ran in the darkness and they played with the lights.They switched them on and off quickly and did not stop when the teacher came.They ran,screamed and played in the dark.We are so not acting our age.Isn't all this resemble to a childish 5 year old actions?It is fine if you are a little playful but the important thing is to know when is the appropriate time for certain things and know when to stop.My classmates do not know when to stop.They go overboard and result in angering our teachers
Reason 3: Our distraction
Laptops have a horrible effect on us.I do not think we are capable of handling this technology.The school gave us this privilege of bring laptops to school but how do we respond to our school?My classmates play computer games in class.I am not trying to air our class dirty linen but just to state the truth.If they played them after school,I am fine with it but they do it in class.Not a very smart thing to do.The temptation of these computer games is too strong.They are unable to pull themselves away when it is time to study.Our grades have dropped and our learning attitude has too.They want to play and not study.I refuse to accept the reason that computer games are for relaxation.They do it in class and affect their grades.Isn't it time to say "Hey,I shouldn't do this.It is not right"Yes, mouse hunt in class is still playing computer games.Our grades plummet but my classmates seemed oblivious or fine with it.I think if our class don't buck up or play less computer games,I feel that we do not deserve to be a future class.
Reason 4:We take things for granted/Lack of respect
We take our teachers for granted.Many feel that teachers have to teach us because it is their job.I believe this way of thinking is wrong.To be a teacher in our school,I believe they are more than qualified to be a teacher in other schools or even can take on another job.They choose to teach us as they feel the need to educate the next generation.Some actually quit their jobs to teach and others start to teach as it is their passion.They work hard to prepare lessons.They do readings on their own.We have many friends to help.We do one composition and we complain about the workload.They have to mark 34+ scripts.Let's see whose workload is more.Don't say it is their job,they are not obliged to give you work.They can just teach and do not give work.They can let you fail your tests but they do not because they want to teach.Yet,many fail to see the hard work put in by teachers.How do we respond? We complain or we don't do our work on time.Some classmates do not want to do while others just simply do not care.We do not put in effort when they ask us to research.We make noise to disrupt their lessons.We give teachers little respect as if they are supposed to teach us.We do not appreciate our teachers or make attempts to appreciate.Not finishing work on time is just messing up the teacher's schedule, giving him or her more trouble.Teachers do not owe us anything.We owe our teachers.Yes,sadly to say, it is true that we are ingrates.
Reason 5:Complacency
Many people think it is not to late to buck up.Last year,our MSG was going downhill and luckily we were knocked to our senses after term 3 and did exceptionally well for our end of year examinations.I believe many people think that they can achieve this feat again.They enjoy life now and neglect their studies then when the end of year examinations come,only then do they start to study. We are too satisfied with our last year's performance.Not many are taking their studies very seriously in this point in time since many indulge in computer games.The signs are clearly shown in our term 1 results and term 2 has not been promising with all the scolding and cold war with out teachers.Yet,many do not seemed to have the urge to change.They feel they have to time to salvage their grades so they keep putting off their studies or not focusing fully on them.Few feel that we need to make a change now.Do we not want to change for the better.We need the determination.However,we need the correct mindset first.Pride comes before a fall.Complacency causes the destruction of a class.
Our class have not been perfect but there is always a way to solve the problem.It is time to change and we need to change now.I know that change needs time and instant change is not possible but a least we should start with a small step.Perhaps just realizing the problem first would be good.Sorry if my tone was a bit harsh,I am just quite appalled at what is happening recently.I am not excluding myself from the blame as everyone has played a part and we are all from the same class.Sigh...
What more do you think we need to change so we can improve not only in our grades but also our attitude.Attitude is very important.Please comment in the comment box below.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
What is wrong with our class? Part 1
My class was never the best class to begin with. Last year the class was fine, the noise level was tolerable. The teachers liked us and we actually put in effort to do work. We had fun as a class and though there were theft cases and our MSG (Mean subject grade), we managed to turn out alright. The teachers were proud of us and our MSG got a 1.83 if I remembered correctly. We boasted about our achievement of getting the 2nd place in the level. After the year 2009, everything went from top of the mountain to the deepest part of the ocean. Everything went wrong.
2010 started off badly. We were allowed to bring our laptops to help us in our learning. Yes, I specify it is for learning.We had done well last year and the school decided to choose a few classes for the new education program called the "future class “The teachers would use the laptops to teach the students as the pupils are exposed to a wide variety of information that could prove beneficial to one's learning. However, our term 1 grades plunged. We were behind many of the classes we had won in terms of grades last year. We were around the tenth position and about 8 classes had overtaken us. There were only 15 classes so we were below average. It was not a promising sign.
We managed though not intentionally, "pissed off" some of our teachers especially in term 2.First it was our Chinese drama teacher. We had to go a an area known as the "Black box " It is surrounded by black walls and when the lights were off it was completely pitch black. The teacher had arrived late and many of my classmates took advantage to play. They switched off and on in quick succession resulting in some light bulbs to burst. People were running in darkness screaming and it was chaotic. I did not take part in this like few others. We sat on the floor waiting certain doom. We knew the teacher would come. It was hopeless to stop those other classmates. When they started to play, it was almost impossible to stop them without a teacher. So the teacher finally came and the people still did not stop. He was very angry and scolded us; it was not that bad at first. When it was time to greet him farewell for the day, many started to move around, not paying the teacher respect. He blew his top. He was really really furious. The tone and facial expression was all showing his immense anger. We stood there shocked and some were still LAUGHING! I do not know why they were doing it and we stayed there standing for 30 minutes longer. He reported it to our dean and teacher but did the class change. We did not!
Our science teacher had a slight problem pronouncing his words. Many laughed at him but I made effort to control it. Many rumours started about him being a terrible teacher so many did not try to pay attention in class. Therefore, many were clueless and blamed it on the teacher being incompetent. In the lab, many were talking while the teacher was teaching and some were playing. They had no respect for him. After many lessons, he sent some boys out of the class as they were talking. He was actually very nice. He did little scolding and punishment. There was one time where he almost blew his top but he manages to control it. He was quite angry but our class got away with it. Time will only time if we would push his anger to the limit. Sigh...
We also made our Inforcom studies teacher so angry till he refused to teach for that lesson. Once again, we did not respect him, talking in his lesson. What is wrong with us? If we put masking tape on our mouths, will we die from lack of talking? I don't understand.
One of the most major blow out of a teacher occurred yesterday. This time it was our English teacher. Our English teacher was angry at us last year for not answering her questions. Everyone chose to remain quiet and ignored her. She was so fed up that she did not teach for a few days. It was quite bad. Only after a few weeks did she start to teach again. We tried hard to reconcile with her and we did especially when we topped the level for Language arts during the end of year examination. However, this changed for the worse yesterday. She was teaching us on war poetry. We were supposed to do research on some wars to understand why men take up arms. Our class was silent when she asked questions and the lesson moved at snails pace. We did not research and remained silent. She was livid. She said that she had spent a whole night preparing the PowerPoint and she read up to teach us but we did not even try to put effort in any research or show any interest in the lesson. She threw the white board marker on the floor with deadly force. I have never seen a teacher so angry like that. She stormed out for the class. I just wanted to point out the possibility that we were so nervous about the history test on the next lesson that we could have been so preoccupied with our thoughts that we did not show much interest in the lesson. It was not right of us to do that still as we did not show respect or appreciation to the teacher. We were at fault. Once again, another teacher was angry at us.
What is wrong with our class? I think our class is the most problematic. We had angered a lot of teachers to the point where they did not want to teach us anymore. Something is seriously wrong with our attitude. I cannot find an adjective yet to describe it. Maybe more reflections are needed. We really need to sit down and think why so many teachers are angry at us. Is it our attitude or something about us our teachers hate? I just hope that the coming weeks will help cool down the temperature in the classroom.
2010 started off badly. We were allowed to bring our laptops to help us in our learning. Yes, I specify it is for learning.We had done well last year and the school decided to choose a few classes for the new education program called the "future class “The teachers would use the laptops to teach the students as the pupils are exposed to a wide variety of information that could prove beneficial to one's learning. However, our term 1 grades plunged. We were behind many of the classes we had won in terms of grades last year. We were around the tenth position and about 8 classes had overtaken us. There were only 15 classes so we were below average. It was not a promising sign.
We managed though not intentionally, "pissed off" some of our teachers especially in term 2.First it was our Chinese drama teacher. We had to go a an area known as the "Black box " It is surrounded by black walls and when the lights were off it was completely pitch black. The teacher had arrived late and many of my classmates took advantage to play. They switched off and on in quick succession resulting in some light bulbs to burst. People were running in darkness screaming and it was chaotic. I did not take part in this like few others. We sat on the floor waiting certain doom. We knew the teacher would come. It was hopeless to stop those other classmates. When they started to play, it was almost impossible to stop them without a teacher. So the teacher finally came and the people still did not stop. He was very angry and scolded us; it was not that bad at first. When it was time to greet him farewell for the day, many started to move around, not paying the teacher respect. He blew his top. He was really really furious. The tone and facial expression was all showing his immense anger. We stood there shocked and some were still LAUGHING! I do not know why they were doing it and we stayed there standing for 30 minutes longer. He reported it to our dean and teacher but did the class change. We did not!
Our science teacher had a slight problem pronouncing his words. Many laughed at him but I made effort to control it. Many rumours started about him being a terrible teacher so many did not try to pay attention in class. Therefore, many were clueless and blamed it on the teacher being incompetent. In the lab, many were talking while the teacher was teaching and some were playing. They had no respect for him. After many lessons, he sent some boys out of the class as they were talking. He was actually very nice. He did little scolding and punishment. There was one time where he almost blew his top but he manages to control it. He was quite angry but our class got away with it. Time will only time if we would push his anger to the limit. Sigh...
We also made our Inforcom studies teacher so angry till he refused to teach for that lesson. Once again, we did not respect him, talking in his lesson. What is wrong with us? If we put masking tape on our mouths, will we die from lack of talking? I don't understand.
One of the most major blow out of a teacher occurred yesterday. This time it was our English teacher. Our English teacher was angry at us last year for not answering her questions. Everyone chose to remain quiet and ignored her. She was so fed up that she did not teach for a few days. It was quite bad. Only after a few weeks did she start to teach again. We tried hard to reconcile with her and we did especially when we topped the level for Language arts during the end of year examination. However, this changed for the worse yesterday. She was teaching us on war poetry. We were supposed to do research on some wars to understand why men take up arms. Our class was silent when she asked questions and the lesson moved at snails pace. We did not research and remained silent. She was livid. She said that she had spent a whole night preparing the PowerPoint and she read up to teach us but we did not even try to put effort in any research or show any interest in the lesson. She threw the white board marker on the floor with deadly force. I have never seen a teacher so angry like that. She stormed out for the class. I just wanted to point out the possibility that we were so nervous about the history test on the next lesson that we could have been so preoccupied with our thoughts that we did not show much interest in the lesson. It was not right of us to do that still as we did not show respect or appreciation to the teacher. We were at fault. Once again, another teacher was angry at us.
What is wrong with our class? I think our class is the most problematic. We had angered a lot of teachers to the point where they did not want to teach us anymore. Something is seriously wrong with our attitude. I cannot find an adjective yet to describe it. Maybe more reflections are needed. We really need to sit down and think why so many teachers are angry at us. Is it our attitude or something about us our teachers hate? I just hope that the coming weeks will help cool down the temperature in the classroom.
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