Comments done so far:
1) http://wangshiyao.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/to-kill-a-mockingbird-personal-response-4/#comment-19
2) http://ivanlablog.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-kill-mockingbird-chapters-12-21.html#comments
3) http://literature-diary-of-an-ordinary-teen.blogspot.com/2011/02/mississippi-burning-review.html#comments
4) http://language-artist.blogspot.com/2011/02/putting-yourself-in-another-persons.html#comments
5) http://spongebobsayshitoyou.blogspot.com/2011/02/putting-yourself-in-another-persons.html#comments
6) http://spongebobsayshitoyou.blogspot.com/2011/02/childhood-memories.html#comments
7) http://spongebobsayshitoyou.blogspot.com/2011/01/narrative-viewpoints.html#comments
8) http://literature-diary-of-an-ordinary-teen.blogspot.com/2011/02/who-i-empathise-with-most-and-least.html?showComment=1298788173431#c3792778045871517946
9) http://yapjianshern.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/atticus-finch/#comment-18
10) http://kaiensblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/characters-in-courtroom.html?showComment=1298791712517#c2977480270411260556
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Mississippi Burning - Did I like it?
Essentially, Our teacher let us watch a Movie today about racial segregation in South America.
Plot Summary:
In 1964, three civil rights workers from the North disappear in a small Mississippi town and the FBI are sent to investigate. Agent in charge Alan Ward does everything by the book. Agent Rupert Anderson however was a Sheriff in Mississippi before joining the FBI and understands the local culture. He's also prepared to bend the rules a bit if it will help in the investigation. They focus on the Sheriff's office and Deputy Clinton Pell in particular as they think he may be the weakest link in the conspiracy. As the investigation intensifies however, the KKK launch a series of attacks against the local African-American population. With no one on either side prepared to talk, Ward agrees to Anderson using his own unorthodox methods to learn what happened that night and who killed the three men.
Taken from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095647/plotsummary
How did I find it?
On the overall, I must admit that I enjoyed the film, although there are times when the horrors in the film get to me. I feel that the most importantly emphasised point would be the huge racial segregation between the blacks and the whites. However, even good films has its own cons. Let us take a closer look at this.
Pros:
The movie is very vividly described. For example, the way people lived there was portrayed so well I could imagine myself being there and witnessing the whole thing myself! The camera showed us through parts of the house, showing old wooden blocks of wood that supports a weary roof. In stark contrast, the white's house was shown as large, grand structures where the wood was well furnished and painted. The vivid description is also seen from other parts as to how the blacks were tortured and how whites themselves were not spared. The details in which this movie captures is amazing and therefore I think this would make one of the key selling points of the film.
To make the movie contain a certain level of authenticity, the movie is actually based on a real life account. In 1964, FBI agents were indeed sent to Mississippi to investigate a crime involving the disappearance of three civil rights agent. It does not strain or exaggerate facts. This can be seen from the reactions from the two FBI agents and how the county police behaved. This makes the film very logical and believable.
Cons:
I find it much too violent. The reason for this was actually supposed to be a good thing - vivid description. What was most uncomfortable, I found, was listening to the vividly described ways of torturing the blacks and whites. An example would be the part where the wife of the police officer was beaten up so badly. Another scene would be the black man being tied around the neck and left to hang on a tree beside a house on fire. These scenes were just unbearable, but maybe this is just because I despise violence of any sort.
A slightly smaller issue would be the slow pace of the movie. This was because the scenes took a long transition period as there were many similar points that were being repeated, making the development of the story slow. Nevertheless, I feel that these scenes had already been well made up for through vivid description.
Plot Summary:
In 1964, three civil rights workers from the North disappear in a small Mississippi town and the FBI are sent to investigate. Agent in charge Alan Ward does everything by the book. Agent Rupert Anderson however was a Sheriff in Mississippi before joining the FBI and understands the local culture. He's also prepared to bend the rules a bit if it will help in the investigation. They focus on the Sheriff's office and Deputy Clinton Pell in particular as they think he may be the weakest link in the conspiracy. As the investigation intensifies however, the KKK launch a series of attacks against the local African-American population. With no one on either side prepared to talk, Ward agrees to Anderson using his own unorthodox methods to learn what happened that night and who killed the three men.
Taken from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095647/plotsummary
How did I find it?
On the overall, I must admit that I enjoyed the film, although there are times when the horrors in the film get to me. I feel that the most importantly emphasised point would be the huge racial segregation between the blacks and the whites. However, even good films has its own cons. Let us take a closer look at this.
Pros:
The movie is very vividly described. For example, the way people lived there was portrayed so well I could imagine myself being there and witnessing the whole thing myself! The camera showed us through parts of the house, showing old wooden blocks of wood that supports a weary roof. In stark contrast, the white's house was shown as large, grand structures where the wood was well furnished and painted. The vivid description is also seen from other parts as to how the blacks were tortured and how whites themselves were not spared. The details in which this movie captures is amazing and therefore I think this would make one of the key selling points of the film.
To make the movie contain a certain level of authenticity, the movie is actually based on a real life account. In 1964, FBI agents were indeed sent to Mississippi to investigate a crime involving the disappearance of three civil rights agent. It does not strain or exaggerate facts. This can be seen from the reactions from the two FBI agents and how the county police behaved. This makes the film very logical and believable.
Cons:
I find it much too violent. The reason for this was actually supposed to be a good thing - vivid description. What was most uncomfortable, I found, was listening to the vividly described ways of torturing the blacks and whites. An example would be the part where the wife of the police officer was beaten up so badly. Another scene would be the black man being tied around the neck and left to hang on a tree beside a house on fire. These scenes were just unbearable, but maybe this is just because I despise violence of any sort.
A slightly smaller issue would be the slow pace of the movie. This was because the scenes took a long transition period as there were many similar points that were being repeated, making the development of the story slow. Nevertheless, I feel that these scenes had already been well made up for through vivid description.
Friday, 18 February 2011
My Favourite Character in the novel: "To Kill A Mockingbird"
Harper Lee’s novel is full of interesting and richly painted characters. Which character was your favourite and why?
My favourite character in this novel is Atticus Finch. He is not only intelligent, but also shows calm and respectful wisdom. Atticus is respected by everyone, including the very poor. He functions as the moral backbone of Maycomb, a person to whom others turn in times of doubt and trouble. Let me take you through his traits one at a time.
Firstly, he has a strong conscience. He does what is write no matter what, even if he is unable to abide by the town’s comfortable ingrained racial prejudice; this is shown when he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man. He did not mind taking all the teasing by people because he broke this tradition, which shows just how courageous he is. However, during the child, he simply impressed everyone, and he seems destined to be held in the same high regard as before. Besides that, he also trusts his conscience that it is not right for him to have a gun. This is shown during the mad dog incident. He could use a gun really well, but he did not bring it anywhere he went. He believed that things would spark of because of his possession of a gun, and therefore he did not even bring it to places where his life was in danger, for example the county jail. This just shows how much he trusted his conscience, no matter the circumstance.
In addition, Atticus is devoted to his children. Atticus is the children's only parent, and as a father, he respects his children, but at the same time maintains strict discipline with them to make sure that he could past on his moral values to them. At many times, he uses his intelligence to rationalise with the children, making them believe in him more. For example, when Scout said she did not want to go to school after the first day in class, Atticus calmly explained the importance of going to school. Not only does he rationalise with his children, he tries his utmost to refrain from using force on his children. "I had been getting past with threats" shows that he had never beaten his children before. This just shows how wise he is to make the children believe and trust him, and not be rebellious.
Lastly, Atticus practices the ethic of empathy and understanding and never holds a grudge against the people of Maycomb. For example, when old Mrs. Dubous was making fun of Atticus, Atticus did not even get angry, instead empathised with her pain and sufferings she was going through. He recognizes that people have both good and bad qualities, and he is determined to admire the good while understanding and forgiving the bad.
My favourite character in this novel is Atticus Finch. He is not only intelligent, but also shows calm and respectful wisdom. Atticus is respected by everyone, including the very poor. He functions as the moral backbone of Maycomb, a person to whom others turn in times of doubt and trouble. Let me take you through his traits one at a time.
Firstly, he has a strong conscience. He does what is write no matter what, even if he is unable to abide by the town’s comfortable ingrained racial prejudice; this is shown when he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man. He did not mind taking all the teasing by people because he broke this tradition, which shows just how courageous he is. However, during the child, he simply impressed everyone, and he seems destined to be held in the same high regard as before. Besides that, he also trusts his conscience that it is not right for him to have a gun. This is shown during the mad dog incident. He could use a gun really well, but he did not bring it anywhere he went. He believed that things would spark of because of his possession of a gun, and therefore he did not even bring it to places where his life was in danger, for example the county jail. This just shows how much he trusted his conscience, no matter the circumstance.
In addition, Atticus is devoted to his children. Atticus is the children's only parent, and as a father, he respects his children, but at the same time maintains strict discipline with them to make sure that he could past on his moral values to them. At many times, he uses his intelligence to rationalise with the children, making them believe in him more. For example, when Scout said she did not want to go to school after the first day in class, Atticus calmly explained the importance of going to school. Not only does he rationalise with his children, he tries his utmost to refrain from using force on his children. "I had been getting past with threats" shows that he had never beaten his children before. This just shows how wise he is to make the children believe and trust him, and not be rebellious.
Lastly, Atticus practices the ethic of empathy and understanding and never holds a grudge against the people of Maycomb. For example, when old Mrs. Dubous was making fun of Atticus, Atticus did not even get angry, instead empathised with her pain and sufferings she was going through. He recognizes that people have both good and bad qualities, and he is determined to admire the good while understanding and forgiving the bad.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
To kill a mocking bird: Personal Response
Did the ending of the novel surprise you? If you were the author, would you have ended the story differently? Explain.
Yes, I was really surprised at first for the sentence that Tom got in the trial. But thinking back at it now, I think that this ending was the only suitable one. In our society, we all go by the concept of justice and nothing else matters. After much influence from our society, we tend to forget that some places like Alabama are still highly prejudiced. After that unfaultable defence Atticus gave, I would have expected that Tom would be acquitted. Well, but now thinking back at it, I feel that this is the only feasible way a judge there could act. I think that judge Taylor could not act otherwise as it might lead to protests, and unrest in the community. There would be riots and unrests, so to prevent this, the judge had no choice but to vote in favour of the whites.
However, I feel that this ending is just perfect to for this book to showcase how hard it is to change the minds of people. It reflects the stupidity of societies which are prejudiced against certain races, even though the people of those races could be much more valuable than the race that the society supports.
Yes, I was really surprised at first for the sentence that Tom got in the trial. But thinking back at it now, I think that this ending was the only suitable one. In our society, we all go by the concept of justice and nothing else matters. After much influence from our society, we tend to forget that some places like Alabama are still highly prejudiced. After that unfaultable defence Atticus gave, I would have expected that Tom would be acquitted. Well, but now thinking back at it, I feel that this is the only feasible way a judge there could act. I think that judge Taylor could not act otherwise as it might lead to protests, and unrest in the community. There would be riots and unrests, so to prevent this, the judge had no choice but to vote in favour of the whites.
However, I feel that this ending is just perfect to for this book to showcase how hard it is to change the minds of people. It reflects the stupidity of societies which are prejudiced against certain races, even though the people of those races could be much more valuable than the race that the society supports.
Superstitions
What are superstitions?
Superstitions can be defined as, "irrational beliefs, especially with regard to the unknown"
(Collins English Dictionary)
Examples of superstitions:
Bad luck:
Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.
Seven years bad luck to break a mirror. The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.
Unlucky to see one magpie, lucky to see two, etc..
Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck.
Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.
Good luck:
Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are featured on many good luck greetings cards and birthday cards in England.
Lucky to touch wood. We touch; knock on wood, to make something come true.
Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.
White heather is lucky.
A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside down.
Horseshoes are generally a sign of good luck and feature on many good luck cards.
On the first day of the month it is lucky to say "white rabbits, white rabbits white rabbits," before uttering your first word of the day.
Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have good luck. Every leaf means a lucky month next year.
Cut your hair when the moon is waxing and you will have good luck.
Putting money in the pocket of new clothes brings good luck.
Experiencing a superstition:
I remembered 3 years ago, when we my family and I were in China, we came to a spot full of clovers. I was told from my father that I would be lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves. I did not know understand the rational behind this, but outof curiousty, I started searching for one anyway. Not too long later, I found a four leaf clover. I was fascinated; Ii had never seen a four leaf clover until now. On the rest of the tour, I held it close to me, despite my parents persuasion to throw it away.The day before we left China, there was this lucky draw, and with my amazing luck, I won a thumbdrive. This was one of the better prizes, worth (S$20) then, instead of pens pencils etc.
From that incident, I regarded my clover luck charm as my hero. I kept it in the cupboard until it rotted away..and now my luck seemed to melt away too..
Superstitions can be defined as, "irrational beliefs, especially with regard to the unknown"
(Collins English Dictionary)
Examples of superstitions:
Bad luck:
Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.
Seven years bad luck to break a mirror. The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.
Unlucky to see one magpie, lucky to see two, etc..
Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck.
Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.
Good luck:
Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are featured on many good luck greetings cards and birthday cards in England.
Lucky to touch wood. We touch; knock on wood, to make something come true.
Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.
White heather is lucky.
A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside down.
Horseshoes are generally a sign of good luck and feature on many good luck cards.
On the first day of the month it is lucky to say "white rabbits, white rabbits white rabbits," before uttering your first word of the day.
Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have good luck. Every leaf means a lucky month next year.
Cut your hair when the moon is waxing and you will have good luck.
Putting money in the pocket of new clothes brings good luck.
Experiencing a superstition:
I remembered 3 years ago, when we my family and I were in China, we came to a spot full of clovers. I was told from my father that I would be lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves. I did not know understand the rational behind this, but outof curiousty, I started searching for one anyway. Not too long later, I found a four leaf clover. I was fascinated; Ii had never seen a four leaf clover until now. On the rest of the tour, I held it close to me, despite my parents persuasion to throw it away.The day before we left China, there was this lucky draw, and with my amazing luck, I won a thumbdrive. This was one of the better prizes, worth (S$20) then, instead of pens pencils etc.
From that incident, I regarded my clover luck charm as my hero. I kept it in the cupboard until it rotted away..and now my luck seemed to melt away too..
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Focus activity: Putting Yourself in Another Person's Shoes
1) What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?
To me, "putting yourself in another person's shoes" means to be empathetic. This quality enables a person to understand and feel concern for others situation or feelings and to identify with the problems or situations of people, together with understanding their thoughts and feelings. Also, when there is conflict, empathetic people will always look for the best solution for both parties, and do not like to impose his or her own opinion as he can comprehend and understand other people from their perspective on the view of the matter. Besides the basic of being empathetic, one must also be respectful and caring. If a person does not even respect or care for other people, how is he ever suppose to understand him as he will never even be bothered to think about other people.
2) What makes it possible to adopt a different perspective? What is difficult about the experience?
It is possible to adopt a different perspective if you have ever experienced it for yourself. After experiencing it for yourself, feel the pain personally, then you will be qualified to be able to empathise with another person facing the same problem as you had. You can never fully understand anything without experiencing it for yourself. For example, when we see handicapped people with casts or broken or fractured legs, we would normally express our condolences to that person, but we never really understand actually how pain he feels because we never experienced it for yourself. Therefore this makes empathy hard as we are unable to experience so many things for ourselves and are therefore unable to fully put ourselves from other people's perspective.
To me, "putting yourself in another person's shoes" means to be empathetic. This quality enables a person to understand and feel concern for others situation or feelings and to identify with the problems or situations of people, together with understanding their thoughts and feelings. Also, when there is conflict, empathetic people will always look for the best solution for both parties, and do not like to impose his or her own opinion as he can comprehend and understand other people from their perspective on the view of the matter. Besides the basic of being empathetic, one must also be respectful and caring. If a person does not even respect or care for other people, how is he ever suppose to understand him as he will never even be bothered to think about other people.
2) What makes it possible to adopt a different perspective? What is difficult about the experience?
It is possible to adopt a different perspective if you have ever experienced it for yourself. After experiencing it for yourself, feel the pain personally, then you will be qualified to be able to empathise with another person facing the same problem as you had. You can never fully understand anything without experiencing it for yourself. For example, when we see handicapped people with casts or broken or fractured legs, we would normally express our condolences to that person, but we never really understand actually how pain he feels because we never experienced it for yourself. Therefore this makes empathy hard as we are unable to experience so many things for ourselves and are therefore unable to fully put ourselves from other people's perspective.
Friday, 11 February 2011
Personal Response: Childhood Memories and Court Case
1) What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?
When I was small, Scout reminded me of how picky and calculative I was. I was easily agitated and rash. I remembered when I was in Kindergarten, I would not even let my brother exceed even half a minute on the computer. One time, I remembered he refused to budge, and asked me to give him half an hour more. Half an hour? That was way too long according to my books. I continued pestering him and nudging him away from the computer, but to no avail. Soon, I started losing my patience, with all my might, I pushed him of the chair.
Shocked at my sudden use of violence, he fell like a sack of potatoes. As he fell, he scratched his leg, and it started to bleed. However, as naive and ignorant I was, I could not care less about his injury. I continued sitting there playing the computer.
With relation to Scout, she gets picky and agitated when her sibling Francis calls her father a nigger - lover, and would lose no time to punch people in the nose should they agitate her. I think as kids, we all have the same behaviour, but we must grow quickly out of it, less it be stuck with us for the rest of our lives.
2) As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? least? Explain.
I empathized most with tom Robinson. He was a good, decent, hard-working black man with a family to take care of, and has been falsely accused of raping a white woman. In addition, the writer sets the tone of Tom Robinson to that of innocence. It is very hard to believe that Tom Robinson would have lied during the court case. An example would be "I's scared I'd be in court...scared I'd hafta face up to what I didn't do." He was stuttering, which further portrays that he is genuinely scared.
According to him, he helped her all this while without even accepting a penny. Not only was he not thanked, but he was now facing a charge which would most likely end him up in prison. This seriously makes us empathise with her, and if we were in that courtroom, we probably would have tried to help him too.
He was in court because of the colour of his skin and the impudent ego of Bob Ewell's wounded pride. It was completely unfair, and he seemed to have little chance of winning this trial although all evidence pointed otherwise. The whole county was against him and was ready to convict him of a crime he never did just because he was discriminated, something that we can really empathise and feel for.
I could not empathize with Bob Ewell at all. The false accusation Tom can all be traced back to him. Although Mayella Ewell started it by even letting him come into the house, I can safely say that Mayella at least hat somewhat of a conscience. Even though she did a despicable thing in going along with accusing Tom of raping her, I think that Mayella Ewell is a character that people can at least feel sorry for.
From the court case, first of all, we can learn that Mayella got beaten by her father. Next, although they were given relief funds, her father used it to buy whisky, and can occasionally beat his children. Bob Ewell, which I would not even consider as a human, was terribly selfish and self centred. He could not even the least bit of affection for his children, let alone his wrongdoings of discriminating people according to their skin when he is actually much worst of than them.
When I was small, Scout reminded me of how picky and calculative I was. I was easily agitated and rash. I remembered when I was in Kindergarten, I would not even let my brother exceed even half a minute on the computer. One time, I remembered he refused to budge, and asked me to give him half an hour more. Half an hour? That was way too long according to my books. I continued pestering him and nudging him away from the computer, but to no avail. Soon, I started losing my patience, with all my might, I pushed him of the chair.
Shocked at my sudden use of violence, he fell like a sack of potatoes. As he fell, he scratched his leg, and it started to bleed. However, as naive and ignorant I was, I could not care less about his injury. I continued sitting there playing the computer.
With relation to Scout, she gets picky and agitated when her sibling Francis calls her father a nigger - lover, and would lose no time to punch people in the nose should they agitate her. I think as kids, we all have the same behaviour, but we must grow quickly out of it, less it be stuck with us for the rest of our lives.
2) As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? least? Explain.
I empathized most with tom Robinson. He was a good, decent, hard-working black man with a family to take care of, and has been falsely accused of raping a white woman. In addition, the writer sets the tone of Tom Robinson to that of innocence. It is very hard to believe that Tom Robinson would have lied during the court case. An example would be "I's scared I'd be in court...scared I'd hafta face up to what I didn't do." He was stuttering, which further portrays that he is genuinely scared.
According to him, he helped her all this while without even accepting a penny. Not only was he not thanked, but he was now facing a charge which would most likely end him up in prison. This seriously makes us empathise with her, and if we were in that courtroom, we probably would have tried to help him too.
He was in court because of the colour of his skin and the impudent ego of Bob Ewell's wounded pride. It was completely unfair, and he seemed to have little chance of winning this trial although all evidence pointed otherwise. The whole county was against him and was ready to convict him of a crime he never did just because he was discriminated, something that we can really empathise and feel for.
I could not empathize with Bob Ewell at all. The false accusation Tom can all be traced back to him. Although Mayella Ewell started it by even letting him come into the house, I can safely say that Mayella at least hat somewhat of a conscience. Even though she did a despicable thing in going along with accusing Tom of raping her, I think that Mayella Ewell is a character that people can at least feel sorry for.
From the court case, first of all, we can learn that Mayella got beaten by her father. Next, although they were given relief funds, her father used it to buy whisky, and can occasionally beat his children. Bob Ewell, which I would not even consider as a human, was terribly selfish and self centred. He could not even the least bit of affection for his children, let alone his wrongdoings of discriminating people according to their skin when he is actually much worst of than them.
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