Blog Prompt #3 10 minute writing

How would the world be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic ?

In my opinion, the world is partially driven in a cycle that fuels on optimism . Think about it , if the world was all pessimistic , depressive, and even oppressively despondent, then there would be no positivity but negativity everywhere . The world relies on optimism for everybody to function effectively in life, fulfilling their ambitions, and maybe predicting the future . Everything goes on optimism, and if human beings were not optimistic , though it might be virtually possible just to feel so , everything would slow down, and negativity would overwhelm .

In recent times, France has been declared the most pessimistic country for economic aspects . French people emerged as the most pessimistic people of the 53 countries surveyed, with 61% of the people thinking that 2011 will be riddled with economic problems for their country or them personally. Consequently, they start to think that being pessimistic is good , whereby expecting the worst is a good way of preparing yourself to tackle difficulties. Now the whole country's economy is not really doing as well as it should be . They are not optimistic, and more pessimistic , and therefore their economy went down . In a generic view, it seems optimism is the key factor in success, in the previous example, France's economy. The French were not entirely pessimistic, though they carried little optimism . This is because French, as of all people, all have optimism hard-wired in us . The difference is the amount of positivity one carries . The French were more negative . Seeing that the French just lack the sufficient optimism , and such an impacting consequence could come up, one cannot fathom how devastating the world might be without optimism at all . 

One the other hand, optimistic countries have very excellent outcomes . For example, China is a very economically optimistic country . 86 % of the Chinese have high expectations and utopian futures for their economy. Currently, China is one of the economic powerhouses taking over Japan, and now aiming for America . There you can draw a link, that optimism can and will lead to success . Unlike the French, the Chinese possess a certain factor which escalates their success and pushes them far beyond their capacity . 

I am contrasting these two extremes , China, which is superbly positive and optimistic , with France, unnaturally pessimistic . The difference in optimism can lead to huge consequences and circumstances . The economy, the society , the bonds , the patriotism , can all be affected by optimism . If the world lacks optimism, we would have to struggle and survive through negativity . We cannot enjoy as much success, and live like a conveyor belt , to take anything that comes in life, unable to choose your own path.  The future would be rigid and our lives would be mundane . Fortunately, we do possess the optimism in us , but we have to unleash it like an orange flame , ever so potent in future endeavours. So put on your rose-tainted glasses and start predicting the future and carving your life ! 

Narrative piece in one sentence .

There seemed to appear in it a melancholic gloom which shrouded the room in despair and despondence for it was he who sat it the middle of the room reading a torn and tattered book with such sorrow that the decrepit plastered four walls of the room seemed to loom and leer towards him evoking suffocation till he was irrevocably oblivious to the boisterous honking and constant chit-chattering outside his constrictions that set the atmosphere .

Benedict (:

ONLINE LESSON #9 POEM .

Was it Japan ,
or was it Germany .
Who took and tortured,
the lives of many .

Blood and honour ,
shed in the battlefield .
No one would have thought
that such a war caused distraught .

Corpses
as well as debris ,
evoked a yellow air
in the tenebrous night .
Staggering, struggling, the soldiers suffered in
sorrow .

It was all for one
and one for all ,
not until a nuclear bomb struck
the small , innocent state of Japan ,
which ceased the war which knew no end .

Lives were lost ,
innocent lives were lost ,
all at the mercy of
the disastrous explosion .

Benedict (;

ONLINE LESSON #9

1. “Guns / Long, steel guns / Pointed from the war ships” (lines 1-3). What type of
gun is Sandburg describing here?

Answer : Sandburg is describing battle guns, that were suitable for war battle, be it rifles, sub-machine guns, canons on ships. The guns were all suitable for war and are designed specially for battle .


2. “Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses, / Sitting on the guns singing war songs,
war chanties” (lines 8-9). Who are the “jackies” in these lines, and why would
they be singing “war chanties”?

Answer : The jackies in these lines are the war soldiers in the navy army . They sit on their guns, to have a sense of closeness to the guns, and they are proud of their guns for achieving victory in battle. The war chanties signify that they have won a war, and are celebrating after a tough fought battle .


3. “The shovel is brother to the gun” (line 16). Explain what Sandburg means by
this statement.

Answer : This statement means that war, is the harbinger and confirmation of death . The shovel signifies the instrument to dig graves, and bury the dead , hence it goes to symbolise death . Whereas the guns, which are used in war so frequently, are therefore associated with war, and battle. When Sandburg said that they are brothers, he means that war and death are inter-related , and there might be a cycle . If a country dominates another nation, and kills innocent lives, vengeance will take over , and war might spark again . And obviously, when there are more wars, there are more deaths .

4. What is the significance of the poem’s title, “And They Obey”?

Answer : It may be used to signify the power and control a war can possess to strike fear in one, until he succumbs to it, and obeys . The abolishment and destruction all strike fear in the nation, as this emphasises the perpetrator's superiority, and from there, they have no other choice but to obey and surrender .


5. What is the effect of the contrasting actions between stanzas 1 and 2 (smash/
build, knock/set up, break/put together)? What is the persona’s attitude toward
the soldiers and citizens in the poem?

Answer : This shows the persona's trust in the nation as a whole, that they possess the courage to stand back up of their feet, and rebuild themselves . He has absolute confidence the soldiers can win back the war, and the citizens can pull through this ordeal . By contrasting the two very different expressions, he tries to encourage the masses not to give up in an ordeal, as everything will be built/constructed back to normal .


6. In your view, is it harder to tear a society down, or to build it back up again? Use
examples from current events to support your answer.

Answer : I think it is much harder to built a society back up again. When Singapore survived through the Japanese Occupation during World War 2 in the 1940s , many suffered psychologically and physically . This includes torture to one, and one exposed to torture of his/her loved ones . The brutality and cruelty  had a significant effect on the innocent civilians . It took Singapore a few decades to gradually build her infrastructure and construction , while it took the Japanese a few years for a tumultuous occupation . Singapore, as a society , hung on till their last breath , and endured as one . Despite the occupation being history, many surviving war veterans today may be scarred of devastating images in their minds still, etched and persistent . There was a wound impossible to heal, a mental barrier , constantly internalizing trepidation in the minds of them . Physically , Singapore can regain her former infrastructure, but emotionally, it remains a wound too deep .


7. Explain the progression of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. What do you
imagine the sounds of the future wars represent?

Answer :
From the 'drum of hoofs' to the 'hum of motors' to the 'silent wheels' . From the words " drum, hum and silent ", there is a gradual progression from loud to soft, in the onomatopoeic expressions . And from 'beat of shod feet ' to 'tread of rubber tires' to whirr of rods' . The words " beat , tread, and whirr " , show a progression from loud to soft again . From these two expressions, the wars get from loud to soft . Thus I imagine the sounds of future war to be pretty soft, and that there will be many silent deaths . There will be little fight , but the advanced technology will provide various killing methods . One method I can think of is radiation and chemical bombs, which kill their victims over time . Such wars , known as chemical wars, or nuclear wars, must and should be avoided . These wars are soft, and are different from the loud sounds from bullets, or tanks .


8. “In the wars to come kings kicked under the dust” (line 9). Taking an example
from current events, discuss one “king” that has been “kicked under the dust” in
recent times.

Answer : One king that has been kicked under the dust, is the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced to step down and leave the country earlier this year, where he laundered money and trafficked drugs . 

Would Singapore legalise same sex marriage ?

Would Singapore legalise same sex marriage ?

I doubt the possibility of a legal policy pertaining to same sex marriages in Singapore, as there are many negative effects .The Singapore Government has rather rigid policies , and are rather firm and direct. Although they are inflexible and firm, the policies are mostly accurately planned and far-fetched. Physically, it is a huge deterrent in our population , as the same-sex partners are unable to reproduce, and hence they cannot enhance the population . Being a key factor, the government cannot risk any more decline in the population. America has states allowing such marriages, but they have huge amounts of populations; so physically, it does not affect them . But for a geographically small and minute country like Singapore, we have to stand as a nation and overcome such constraints. The government will not allow such to happen, as of my opinion .

Psychologically, this is a huge influential barrier . Imagine seeing same-sex marriages around you . The orientation is not only wrong, it is also unsightly . And once there is one couple, more and more couples would sprout . This policy bears a contagious influence . The social dynamics in the country would change, and the people would turn apathetic and immune to the likes of transvestites, or homosexuals . This definitely would discourage tourists from coming to Singapore . One may argue that this would turn out into a "beautiful tradition and culture" , but I still stand firm , that it is impossible for homosexuals to engage in marriage in Singapore .

Benedict (: