Rainbow Death Task 2

Point of view:

Hubert Wilson writes this poem from the point of view of a by-stander. He writes the poem in a very detached manner. Hubert Wilson does not tell the poem through the point of view of an American soldier. We can see this from where he says “America did not foresee” he doesn’t use the word “We” but rather “America” which shows a slight detachment.

Situation and setting:

This is situated during the Vietnam war from 1955 to 1975. In this poem, we can evidently see the emotion anger. From strong sentences like “Nefariously America led astray -/Generations untold WILL pay -/Execrable effects of agent orange spray!” , we are able to understand that the writer of this poem does not like the idea of America using such weapons to attempt to end the war. He feels that it is unfair for the innocent to bear the consequences of the war even when they had not started it.

Language and diction:

Potpourri refers to dried and fragrant plant materials mixed together to produce a natural scent. However, in the poem, the potpourri is no longer just a tool to produce fragrance in the house. Instead, potpourri was used as a weapon to kill.

The word toll used in the poem to show how the “innocent and unborn” would suffer and bear the consequences of the war. He tries to show how unfair it is for these children.

Personal response:

War would definitely bring about many harms. We should not start a war impulsively. Instead, we should think about the implications the war would bring to the other generations.

Rainbow Death

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Hubert Wilson

This poem is by Hubert Wilson. Huber Wilson was a soldier who was involved in the Vietnamese war. Hubert Wilson served in the USAF security service He was sent to a Agent Orange hotspot during the Vietnamese war. As agent orange was used a lot in those areas, the environment was contaminated and it affected him. His health problems progressively got worse. At first it was only headaches and limb pains, then his central nervous system deteriorated and he started to experience spasms, severe headaches and worse limb pains. However, nobody could detect any specific medical conditions. Thus, he was not able to receive any medical help or assistance from any doctor.

The rainbow death which Hubert Wilson mentions in his poem refers to the Agent orange. Agent orange was a chemical substance used during the Vietnamese war against Vietnam. Agent orange was a herbicide and defoliant- contaminated with TCDD or Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin). Approximately 4.8million Vietnamese were affected by Agent Orange and which resulted in about 400,000 deaths among the Vietnamese people and many more babies deformed at birth.

This poem “Rainbow Death” is basically to bring up the issue on the consequences of war. He tries to show that even after war has ended, the effects of these wars would still stay. Hubert Wilson also tries to show us the horror of modern warfare. As technology continues to improve, our weapons of war becomes more powerful and more destructive.
Resources:
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange

Violence off the rugby field

Recently, there has been a case of rugby violence between Anglo-Chinese school (independent) and Saint Andrew's secondary school. In this incident, I feel that both parties are in the wrong. Both the aggressor and victim of this incident showed an apparent lack of sportsmanship. The aggressor showed that he could not control his emotions and allowed himself to get emotionally affected by the victim's taunts and also not being able to accept his loss graciously. The victim had also shown the lack of sportsmanship. Although he had won the match, he should not have been so arrogant and went to taunt the aggressor. Should either party had shown some restrain, the incident would not have happen. This incident has not only affected the two students, it has also tarnished their schools reputation. Schools have reputation to uphold and if any of their students act rashly and get into trouble, it would ruin the school's image. This students should really think before they act.

Besides, this incident has given out the wrong message just before the start of the Youth Olympic Games(YOG). The YOG is starting this year with Singapore as the first host of the event. The YOG like any other sports competition is meant to be a symbol of sportsmanship. Sports is not all about winning or losing. Sports is character building. Through many years, we have lost the true meaning of sports. Perhaps it is time for us to refocus on the meaning of sport.

Interpersonal: interview with my sister

1) What is your definition of prejudice and discrimination?

ANS: Prejudice and discrimination happen when we give different treatment to people with a particular characteristic which is irrelevant to the matter at hand.

2) What is your opinion of prejudice and discrimination?

ANS: I feel that it is inherent in everyone and every society. It is natural for us to be able to relate to someone who is more similar to us. But it does not mean such actions are right. Prejudice and discrimination can be seen every where, whether in developed or undeveloped societies. For example, in Australia, although there are laws that are anti-discrimination, discrimination and prejudice still exist. It simply cannot be erase.

3) Is it possible to do away with discrimination?

ANS: I do not think so. No man is equal. Be it race, gender, wealth or religion, man is divided. All of us are different and the disparities set one group apart from the other. Thus, it is impossible that there is a solution which would end discrimination.

4) What role can education play in this matter?

ANS: The only things education does is tell the children that this is wrong. Prejudice may still exist, only that the children would try to hide it. They would not dare to reveal their feelings even if they disagree that discrimination is wrong.

Intrapersonal: Dairy extract of Jeremy Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Maycomb is not as it seems. I once used to think that Maycomb was probably the best place to live, everybody was friendly towards you. After today's events, my perception of Maycomb has changed. It now seems like this community a cold and heartless place. Prejudice against those who are different and racism can be seen every where.

Why should a person be punished for a crime he did not commit? Why should those who are different be excluded from society? Today, I attended Tom Robinson's trail. He was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Although Atticus had managed to bring out many strong evidences to prove that Tom Robinson was innocent, Tom Robinson was still convicted. Why? Because he was a Negro, because he was different from them. Tom Robinson may be a Negro but does that deny him of his rights to get a fair trial. Why is racism so common in today's society? It is the ideas about the Negroes which have been passed down from generations until now. Perhaps, if we change the perception of people about the Negroes, we would be able to end this chain of discrimination. Only when all this prejudice ends then the Negroes can walk on the streets with pride without having to endure all the discriminating stares shot at them and also all the unfair treatment they receive. Why won’t anybody stand up for the Negroes? I am sure many people know that this discrimination against the Negroes is wrong. Perhaps, they fear they would be shunted by society if they do so.

How can place with nice people be blinded by their prejudice and disregard the truth? It is not right to be prejudice against people just because of their skin colour. It is just not right.

Multiple Intelligence Test

Multiple intelligence is indeed an interesting topic. Just finding out one's intelligence quotient is insufficient to find out more about a person. One's abilities are more then just intelligence alone. Although a person's intelligence quotient may not be very high, but the person may have other astonishing abilities which this multiple intelligence test would be able to show.
This multiple intelligence test may have been an interesting and fun test to complete but I feel that this test may not be very accurate. Apart from the answers which are not very detailed which many of my other classmates have mentioned, I also feel that the test might not be very accurate because you are the one who actually answers the questions. The answers you give would only be based on what you think about yourself, which may not always be accurate. A more accurate test would be a test in which other people related to you are also surveyed to find you what people think about your abilities. This would make the results of the test more accurate.

Fake IDs used by students

Recently, a newspaper article was published in The Straits Times. It was about the students buying fake identification cards and using them for illegal things like buying cigarettes underage and also buying alcohol. According to the article, The Straits Times had surveyed 80 youths and about half of them admitted to owning fake ID cards. This result is indeed unexpected. The students are actually willing to pay for fake ID cards even though they know that it is illegal. I feel that the youths these days no longer care about the law. As long as they are able to get what they want, they would do it through any means.
These youths are using their illegally obtained fake ID cards also to go to clubs. This is an illegal act and these clubs should do more then confiscate their identification cards and let them off with just a stern warning. I feel that they should hand these youngsters to the police.
I think that the parents are responsible for such incidents. Nowadays, both parents go out for work and no longer have the time to constantly supervise their children. Thus, without supervision or proper guidance, these youths fall prey to such vices like drinking and smoking.
The government should step in and take harsher actions on these shops which actually create fake IDs and sell them to the youngsters. With such an easy mean to obtain fake IDS, I am sure that this would lead more youths to get their hands on one. Shouldn't the government try to stop this trend rather then waiting for police reports from either stalls or pubs?