Justice or Mercy

Let me start of with the meaning of both Justice and Mercy. Justice is just behavior or treatment, and the quality of being fair and reasonable. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. These two are shown in the Merchant of Venice. The outcome also shows which supersedes the other.

Shylock wanted justice and refused to show mercy at all. Even when given ten times the debt Antonio has to pay, Shylock' s mind was all about killing Antonio. On the other hand, Antonio believed strongly in mercy, and in the end, had the last laugh.

It is clear that Justice is inferior to Mercy. Justice is the belief of having fair treatment. If someone punches you, he is most likely to get punished by law as there is justice. However, justice is a little like revenge, which is wrong. We should just love our enemies and let everything happen naturally. When Mercy is shown, it is double blessing.

Justice can lead to a lot of problems. For example, when a person does not show forgiveness and compassion, the victim might go for revenge and in the end, every party will suffer. If mercy is shown, not only will the victim be blessed, because he is forgiven, the giver is free from possible harm and also feels good as he did something morally upright.

In the end, it all depends on what circumstance it is in. If the bad deed is murder, it is not right to let the criminal go unpunished, as he did something too serious. However, if it is like stealing a small amount of money, I believe mercy should be shown.

This is the clear differentiation between Justice and Mercy, and the decision to show any of them lies with us.

Why is Shylock introduced into the merchant of venice

I think that Shylock is created because he is very important for the plot to be good. Every story needs a protagonist, and antagonist. Can you imagine a story without bad people but only good people? It will be any typical and boring children story book. Furthermore, without Shylock, Shakespeare cannot convey the message of Justice and Mercy, Racial Discrimination, Friendship. Today, I will be talking about why Shylock is important for the above themes.

Firstly, justice and mercy. This is very obvious. Shylock is the bad guy, the one who is cunning and manipulative. He comes up with a superb plot in order to kill the good guy, Antonio. In the end, the plot backfires, and Antonio escapes Shlock's trap unscathed. This shows that justice will still prevail in the end. Without Shylock, there will be no theme as without an antagonist, there will not be any justice at all. Next is mercy. Antonio and Shylock' s creation into the Merchant of Venice also show the different contrast between the two characters. While Antonio strongly believes that Mercy is the key, Shylock feels otherwise. The contrasting relation provides the basis of the storyline, where Antonio, despite almost being killed by the merciless Shylock, was still able to show mercy and spare Shylock his life and some money.

Secondly, racial discrimination is any theme in the story that is of great importance. Shylock is a Jew and he is portrayed as the bad guy. On the other hand, all the Christians are good. This adds flavor to the entire story, as it is not only about Justice-good or bad, but it conveys a deeper meaning, that Christians are the true religion, and all Christians will have a happy ending. This story is actually about Christian VS Jews. In the end, Shylock was also converted into Christian, showing the superiority of Christianity in Shakespeare's opinion.

Finally, it is Friendship. Shylock s introduction to the story distinctly shows his greed for money, and what defines a good man. His view of friendship is one that has money, like Tubal, his only friend on the story. His life is about money. On the contrary, Antonio and Bassanio had a strong friendship, in their case, meaning loyalty. The introduction Shylock shows the contrasting views.

In conclusion, Shylock' s introduction to the story is of great importance, as Shylock presence conveys a deeper meaning of the theme, and also adds a lot of decoration to the story. Without him there will be no story at all.

I think that Jim Rogers is trying to say that children now need to have global experience, instead of just " bravery, hardwork, curiosity and compassion". He said that US is now a depleting superpower, as the government did not emphasise on education. " Only a quarter primary school offer any language instruction at all". This shows that other than English, Americans simply do not care about their future by learning other languages etc. Now, the rising super power is the East, not the west, and the creditors are from the East, while the debtors are from the West.

That is why he travelled half the world, just to seek a bilingual school in Singapore, to make sure that his daughter receives the best education he thinks. Jim Rogers feel that in order to prepare his daughter for the future, she needs not only the chinese langauge, but appropriate education. Singapore provides this well.

I do agree with his argument as I feel that to become a global citizen. One needs to be open to the world, and most important, understand their culture and communicate well with them. It is necessary to do that, as communication is the root of all success. If one person does not know the culture of another when discussing business, he or she may accidentally insult the other party. That is why to be a global citizen is very important.

I feel that what he is doing is very good for his daughter. This is because the daughter will now know chinese language and it is China that is tipped to be the next superpower. I feel that America should change their education policy in order to remain as the superpower. They do not emphasise on important aspects of education, and the new generation of Americans are no more the dominant generation.

My comments on Janelle Lee's letter

Firstly, I
admire Janelle Lee’s courage to speak up. Not many students dare to voice their
disapproval of the education system in Singapore. To a certain extent, what she
said is true. After all, the point of education is to gain knowledge, and one
way to do so, like Janelle Lee said, is to ask why. However, there are some
things that cannot be answered, and impossible to ask why.

Definitely,
it is true that one cannot just memorize their textbook to learn and gain
knowledge. One has to understand instead. By memorizing, it is impossible to
remember a particular piece of knowledge. However, by understanding, one can
grasp the basis of this piece of knowledge, which can be used not only to get
more A1s, but also to apply it to daily life. For example, if you learn
biology, say ecology by memorizing model answer’s, chance of you getting A is
very high. However, do you actually understand what you are learning? Have you
have appreciated the magnificent world of Biology, the flawless system of how
the food chain works? Instead, if you understand how the food chain works, you
can apply your knowledge for a wide variety of questions, just by
understanding. As you can see, memorizing is a very dead way of studying, and
makes the whole process a dull and uninteresting one.

Only by
asking why can one understand. However,
in the education system, if one lacks certain keywords, you can have all the
answers in the world, but never a correct answer. This, I feel is the major
problem. Yes, memorizing is not the way to study, and it is necessary to
understand. However, where the education system is flawed in Singapore is the
criteria to getting a full and complete answer. I feel that the education
system should award marks based on what level of understanding of a certain
topic. Also, there should be more application questions, to test the level of
understanding, instead of those that can be memorized.

Next is
about moral education. Janelle Lee mentioned that she learned civics and moral
from a textbook. She mentioned that this is not the way to teach moral
education as teachers are just doing it for the sake of doing it. However, I feel
that this is not the case. The civics and moral textbook is used as a guide on
how can one learn to become a better person. Also, teachers are often very
passionate and they do teach us moral values instead of doing it for the sake
of doing it. However, what Janelle Lee said about teachers using civics and moral
lessons to teach other subject, it is very true. Some teachers may be too
concern when it is very near the exam period. This is not the way as no matter
what, the moral education is the first priority. Therefore, I hope that rules
must be implemented to stop this from happening.

I feel that
it is impossible to have an ideal education system. This is because there are
always students who disrupt the teacher, students who are not up to standard
academically, and also half-hearted teachers. These entire elements will slow
down the rate at which the teachers teach. In the end, memorizing will still be
the ideal way to learn. In the world now, it is no more about understanding, as
not all things can be understood, and many students detest learning.

In
conclusion, I feel that Janelle Lee’s points all do make sense, but there are
no immediate solutions, and in order to change the mindset of people, it will
take a long time.

The religion of water

Water is a necessity in our lives. Without water, we will all die. Definitely, water is a commodity as it is very valuable. However, I think it is more of a human right. This is because the absence of water will cause a person to die. Every one of us has the right to live, and so, we should treat it as a human right, not a commodity.

Water is very important to us. Almost everything we do requires water. Our body needs water so that our system will be replenished with water, and unwanted substance can be removed through the flow of water. Water is used for a wide range of activities, ranging from bathing to irrigational purposes. The absence of water is definitely impossible without water. Earth is the only planet that supports life as it is the only planet with water. As you can see, water is not a commodity. It is “compulsory”.

There is a difference between human right and commodity. A commodity is something very valuable, but human right are rights that are justifiable to every humans. According to the above definitions, if water is treated as a commodity, it means that water is very valuable, but may not be necessary. On the contrary, human right, in this case, is the right to be able to drink water. This is the difference between what is human right and commodity, and it clearly shows why water should be treated as a human right instead of commodity.

In the world today, no matter what race or religion one is, no matter how smart one is, every man on this earth is entitled to the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. Similarly, everyone should be given the right to have water.

Should the giving of weekly days off to maids be legislated in Singapore?

Recently, there is an intense debate on whether maids should be given day off. Giving maids day off has its pros and cons. According to Veteran labor leader Halimah Yacob, giving maids a day off might help to minimize some issues such as stress and overwork that domestic workers are facing now. Although she has a point, there are many more factors that should be taken into consideration.

Firstly, many think that maids should be given off as maids , as humans, should be given the right to have freedom. Imagine having to stay home for a few years without going out! This would result in the maid going crazy, and the maid may even find ways to try "escape" from home, thus giving a lot of problem to the employer.

Secondly, like madam Halimah Yacob said, giving the maid a day off would help to minimize stress and overwork. A day off to breathe some fresh air and to take a break from such a stressful environment will not only satisfy the maid, but it may also increase productivity. I guess many people would also like to have occasional breaks, just like students have their holidays, and working adults have the freedom to take leave.

However, there are also many disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the employer do not know what the maid might do outside home. The maids, when hanging out with friends may be influenced. They may learn how to rebel against their employers or harm their employers. This is what many people are worrying about if they give their maids a day off. You will not know what your maid is up to when you are not keeping an eye on them.

Also, maids may be easily cheated. Singapore is not the home ground of these maids. The maids may be easily deceived. They may be cheated their money. In a foreign country, one is not familiar with the surroundings and people, and that increases the chance of these maids being deceived. Not only that, many perverted men may want to take advantage of these innocent maids. This will result in the maid being affected for life.

Actually, it is possible to give maids freedom, as well as keep the maids safe. The employers can personally bring the maid out. For example, if the employer wants to go for a walk in the garden, the maid can tag along. Not only can the maid take a break and breathe the refreshing air, the employer will make sure that the maid is safe. Isn't it a simple yet feasible method?

In conclusion, although there are many good and bad effects, the problem can be easily solved.

(1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response

The point of view is from a third persons perspective. He is adopting a point of view where he feels sad for the children. He is trying to show the contrast between the way children are living there and the right way children should live. The situation is that the children lives are torn by poverty and war, and the world is darkness to the children. The language involves some rhyming, metaphors and require a level of understanding and interpretation. I feel that this is a good poem cause it is very meaningful. The massage it is trying to convey is very important. 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

Background of poem

Children in the darkness
Probably, Henry Mc Bechtold was a fighter in the Vietnam war and he felt the children there are very pitiful, because their lives are torn apart by war and corruption. When he was fighting in Vietnam, he felt that the children, instead of fighting the war, should be sitting in the classroom and receiving proper education. He feels angered because he thinks that children should not live such a life of no meaning, therefore, writing this poem to vent his anger and frustration. The title children in the darkness already what he is going to write about.

References
http://keyserzone.blogspot.com/2010/05/poetry-analysis-children-in-darkness.html

Does nuclear energy have a part to play in the society

I think that nuclear energy has a very important part to play in our society although it may be very dangerous. Nuclear energy has its good and bad.

Nuclear energy can be used to generate precious energy. For example, in Japan, nuclear energy provides up to one third of the electricity. Electricity is now an important part of our lives as it allows us to do many different things. One of the biggest reason why we need electricity is for rest and relaxation. Surely, we cannot survive if there is no television , or hand phone for us to watch and use. Our lives will become very bored. Electricity also plays an important role for human communication. The telephone is so convenient for us to contact someone else. Another use of nuclear energy is to make lethal weapons which can be used to protect your country against attacks. It gives the citizens a sense of security.

However, there is a price to pay. If a natural disaster occurs, it may cause total chaos in the country. Take Japan as an example. They had a powerful nuclear plant with four nuclear reactors. One moment Japan was flourishing economically, and all of a sudden, there was chaos. Building the nuclear plant has its disadvantage too.

In a nutshell, one must take safety precautions when building the nuclear plant so as to prevent the disadvantages of building a nuclear plant as mentioned above. If not, the nuclear energy can bring great benefit to everyone.

War

I chose the first photo as I felt that it clearly shows the dire consequences and pain that a war can cause. I will now describe the photo, focusing mainly on the mood and atmosphere of the photo chosen. My objective is to evoke emotions of my reader through the description of the mood and atmosphere of the picture.

The war is still ongoing. However, there are many casualties. The man here is only one of the many. There was probably a bomb which ruthlessly and mercilessly destroyed the whole place and the soldier had no chance at all. The whole place was in total chaos. Imagine the pain of looking at a fellow soldier getting blasted into "smithereens". The two fellow soldiers are seen tending to the dead soldier, probably feeling sad that they had lost a friend. It is a sad scene, and the other soldiers will feel dispirited and low on morale. Not everyone can withstand the pain. Somehow the place seems so dull, so saddening. All the joy had vaporized the moment the soldiers saw their comrade’s dead body. What is the point of winning the war, if so many people had to sacrifice themselves? Anytime, a soldier may be caught unaware, and they will be killed. Life is so fragile, is this what we want? War.