Great Expectation by Charles Dicken

The impression of the adults at the dinner table

Adults in this extract are failures as role models in life for children. They misuse their authority, creating an adverse effect rather than a healthy one on the children. The adults in the extract are seen to perceive themselves as morally superior, physically violent and also depicted as bullies to the children. It is not what an adult should be doing to children, much less being much younger than the adults themselves.

At the dinner table, it was obvious that the adults were bullies to the children. The adults were obviously bullying the children and this is shown when the narrator said that “if they would have left me alone. But they wouldn’t leave me alone.” This shows that he had been a victim of constantly bullying like a child who in school is constantly bullied by a person who is much stronger than him and that victim would certainly hope that the bully would just leave him alone and stop pressurizing him for any of his desires. Also, the adults, or otherwise known as the bullies, always “stick the point into me.” This shows that in everything that they do, they always include the narrator, in which it has become a habit to them to constantly bully the narrator. This also emphasizes that the adults were irritating and constantly annoying the narrator, such that the narrator believes that they were mocking him and jeering at him every time. Not only that, at the dinner table, the adults were having a conversation and the narrator “knew he (one of the adults) was going to lug me in” to the conversation. This reiterates my point on that the adults always made the narrator the main focus of their topic and jeer at him and mock him. By misusing their authority as an adult, over a small, innocent child, it definitely brings to show how children were bullied by the adults.

The adults at the dinner table were also physically violent to the children. It is depicted when the narrator said that there was a “Pumblechookian elbow in my eye”. This embodies the fact that the children were constantly subjected to violence and were being physically abused. The adults were also shown to be very violent and they did not care about the welfare of the children nor did they care about the consequences of their actions. They are shown not only to be physically violent but also shown to be unthoughtful and uncompassionate towards the children. Their violent acts had not only caused an emotional distress but also cause the children hate adults even more. Also, at the dinner table, the narrator is also depicted to be abused when he sat at an “acute angle of the tablecloth with the table in my chest.” He would be injured heavily and this would fall under the adults being physically abusive.

Another point that would be worth mentioning is that the adults felt and perceived themselves as morally superior over the children. The example shown is that the narrator got “so smartingly touched up by this moral goads.” This reemphasizes on my point that the narrator was painfully abused by these adults who were in fact very arrogant to perceive themselves as morally superior and also that the adults were in fact the trouble-makers of the moral world. They only perceived themselves as morally superior because they feel that they are much more mature than the children. However, they are simply just ignorant and just more immature than the children. They themselves are never grateful and appreciative of everything that has been done for them , yet they themselves feel that they are morally superior and say “be grateful, boy, to them which brought you up by hand” and also when Mrs Hubble said that “Why is it that the young are never grateful?” when they themselves are not grateful. The adults are a role model to the children and whatever that they do, the children just follows, such as them being not grateful. However so, they still see themselves in a different way, being that they are morally superior than the children, which is totally the opposite of what is depicted in the extract.

As shown from the extract, the adults have been failing in trying to educate their children and resort to such indespicable acts, such as physically abusing the children and yet the adults who should be more matured in terms of their acts and thoughts are ironically more immature than the children themselves.

Reflection for the Museum Sabbatical

So after the museum sabbatical, I did a reflection and here it is for everyone to view:

After the museum sabbatical , I feel that my knowledge of Singapore’s history has increased drastically. I am able to develop better speaking habits, and not slurring the words. I also feel that I am more confident when I speak and I know how to develop good eye contact with my target audience. These speaking skills will make us a good speaker and allow us to develop better public speaking skills in the future. Learning good habits and skills from young will allow us to develop it when we are older and thus cause us to display a high Emotional Quotient and being able to socialize better with the society. I have also understood how we should stand when we are presenting an area of interest to my audience. Not only so, I have also understood my friends more in depth and how to communicate more effectively with them.

I feel that communication is very important, because in our museum sabbatical, we are doing one part per person. Therefore, when we are passing the time on to the next person, we must know what he is doing and say, “ Now, I shall pass on the time to Zhu Cheng, who will tell you more about the earliest stages of Singapore”.

We, as museum guides, must also know how to interact with our audience during the guided tour and make them seem involved in this tour. We must also begin with an arresting start like “Do you know how old Singapore is?” and capture their attention in the beginning. This would be able to make them seem that they have a part to play in the tour.

It is really a place that brings history to all through exhibitions and displays .Yet it also acts as a lecture theatre and an education and resource centre. It is also a family place for everyone to learn about the past and present in a relaxing way.

Now back to the topic on hand. After the museum sabbatical, I had made a lot of new friends from overseas such as those from Australia, Hong Kong and much more. I also learnt that girls are not to be afraid of and we should be more direct when conversing with them… You know what I mean…

Thank you

National Museum Of Singapore -- Bilingual Museum Guide Training

Introduction
It is the oldest museum of Singapore with the youngest and most innovative soul. The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee. It was called the Raffles Library and Museum.

It is and iconic architecture bringing together the old and new on one single site-The National Museum Of Singapore. It was designed in Neo-Palladian and Renaissance style and consists of two rectangular parallel blocks, with a dome at the front of the building. Its architects were Henry McCallum who designed the original version and J.F. McNair who designed the scaled down version of the building.

To me, the most unique part of the building is the Rotunda Dome. On the exterior, the dome is made up of tiles that look like fish scales. It was popular in that era and therefore they used more than a thousand pieces of these tiles. It was there since 1887 when the dome was constructed. It is the same as the dome which is present in Calcutta, India. As for the interior, it is made up of 50 pieces of stained glass which marked the 50 year reign of Queen Victoria, Jubilee. It is a small dome which is 90 feet high from the ground floor.

This is just the introduction of the museum when the visitors just arrive. However, we must also introduce the History Gallery of Singapore. I am in charge of the 1st part which is the introduction to the visitor about the Singapore 360 degrees. There is a musical video below from YouTube and the emphasis is on the music, not on the surroundings.

Here is my speech for everyone's perusal:

Good afternoon to you. So now, we have just entered the gallery of Singapore’s history. Firstly, we have a short film about a day in Singapore. Can you hear that there is some background music? Yes, there is indeed a background music! This musical score was composed by a Russian composer – Vladmir Martynov. He stayed in Singapore for a short period of time and was especially impressed by the hustle and bustle of Singapore. Therefore, he composed this musical score for Singapore. This special piece of musical score embodies the quick pace and how fast Singaporeans rush about and lead their life.

Now, as we move downwards, on your left, you will see a magnificent building which consists of 72 floors. Can you guess what that building that is? That’s right! That is the Swissotel! It is the tallest building in Singapore. It holds the annual Vertical Marathon in which participants have to climb up the stairs from the ground floor to the rooftop. You will be appalled when I tell you the timing of both the male and female record holders of this annual event. The male record holder has a timing of 6 minutes whereas the female record holder has a timing of 7 minutes! Can you do that?

Now, on your left, there is an unusual art piece. It is named as “Transformation”. It was created and designed by a fulfilling and young artist, whose name is Tan Teng Kee. This art piece “Transformation” is made of flexible structures and the design of it is changed annually. From what I infer, this was probably made because of the cartoon called “Transformers”, as both can transform. What do all of you think?

Dairy of Model United Nations at Overseas Family School 2010

January 2010

I was asked by my classmate to join this conference with him one day. We were shortlisted for an interview by our school teachers and smoothly we were selected and went through a few stringent trainings with all the other MUN members, such as people from Secondary three and four, which includes those that are attending THIMUN, SCMUN, OFSMUN, and many other MUN Conference.

The mission of this conference is to cultivate communal and international awareness and understanding, to encourage international and intercultural communication and collaboration and to support the ideals of the IBO learner profile. It gives an opportunity for students to develop greater knowledge of world issues by combining individual ideas and visions, and to find solutions to them. The main goal of MUNOFS is to provide an opportunity for students to participate in a ‘training’ style conference and to gain the necessary experience to attend international conferences worldwide. Through detailed research and the exchange of ideas during debate, students will find it a thorough learning experience, both academically and socially.

After a few training sessions, Mr Tommie Chen announced to all delegates that those delegates participating in OFSMUN from our school was allocated with the country of ‘Brazil’ and I was assigned to the HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL. There are various committees that will be shown as follows:

1) General Assembly (GA)
a) Global trafficking in opium
b) Claims of sovereignty over Antarctica
c) Resolving conflicting territorial claims over Kashmir
d) Global responses to serious and rapidly spreading pandemic illnesses

2) Human Rights Committee (HRC)
a) Question of child labor
b) Question of asylum seekers in South East Asia region
c) Question of secret and forcible movement of people across international boarders

3) Economic and Social council (ECOSOC)
a) Question of forced labor
b) Measures to combat malaria and its effects
c) Fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals on education
d) Measures to protect the cultural identity of indigenous peoples in South East Asia

4) Environment Committee (ENV)
a) The issue of endangered species
b) Ensuring access to safe and adequate water supplies
c) Measures to control the environmental impact of plastics

5) Disarmament
a) Landmine removal from post-conflict areas
b) Measures to prevent the weaponization of otherwise legitimate biological research
c) Prohibiting the use of phosphorous and cluster weapons where civilians may be affected

6) Security Council (SC)
a) Iran’s nuclear program
b) Peace and stability in Pakistan
c) Question of the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

It was really a challenge to race with limited time. Not only did I have to cope academically, but also I have to juggle with my Squash training schedules and my other council duties. I was really busy and due to the different commitments, I had lesser amount of sleep yet I spent my time efficiently. This year has been really challenging and full of new opportunities.


February ‘2010

We had a mock MUN training. The presentation had been disclosed on my last blog that was dated 22nd February.

Forum- MOCK debate session
Committee-Human Rights Council
Delegation-Mexico



March ‘2010

Conference dates-5th -7th March 2010

Venue-Overseas Families School, Singapore

Expected total participants- 300 delegates


This is my first MUN-- OFSMUN that I had attended. I should say that rare opportunities are hard to come by. Not only so, but I also need to thank my school for giving me a chance to showcase my undiscovered talents and most importantly thank my buddy (which I shall disclose as of now)Zhang Haowei Elvis, for encouraging me to go through with him for the MUN interview. Without all these, I wouldn’t have ever dreamt that I could, without fear, discuss global topics in public, with so many girls from all walks of life looking at me, staring at me, and for the first time in my life, I feel that it was the most courageous act that I have ever done. In conclusion, MUNOFS was really enjoyable, both on social and intellectual basis. It had allowed me to read more on current affairs and not be afraid to rebut others when they say something which is undesirable. I hope that all pupils who are interested, such as a few pupils in our class to participate in this MUN programme and follow us to different MUNS!!!!

Another collection for my Musical Plays

It’s really a pity that I know NOTHING about music. I can neither play any musical instruments nor can I sing well as I am totally not inclined in to music. However, I am proud to say that many of my classmates play many different varities of musical instruments and they have already got their grade 7 or 8 or even a Diploma in Music. However so, I think that since I can’t be a performer, I would rather choose to be a good audience, and enjoy every opportunity I am given.

I love watching musical plays especially those from Broadway. I watched Lion King at New Amsterdam Theatre which is located at the Theatre District in the heart of Time Square, New York City and I watched it again with my ex-Catholic High classmates in Pentages Theatre at Los Angeles. I watched Mama Mia in Los Angeles as well as in The Esplanade, Singapore. I don’t really appreciate Phantom Of Opera yet I love listening to the songs sung by the ex-wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber -- Sarah Brightman. And so is the musical “Cats” which I watched it last year and I wrote a blog on it too. Les Miserables is the only one that I would want to watch it again and again if I have the chance.

Last week, my friends and I watched ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at Drama Centre, National Library. This is the second time that I have watched a local play in this Drama Centre. It is a mid-sized performing art centre occupying the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th of the National Library. It is owned and managed by National Art Centre. It has a seating capacity of 615 people and also has an orchestra pit on the lift that can also form a front stage extension. Of course, it can’t compare with The Esplanade and other world class theatres but yet it is good enough to provide a stage to promote our local artistes and productions.

It lasts about 120 minutes of a musical play. However, the play and the book of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ share the same morals. They also portray the same basic storyline although the play lacks in terms of details contained in the book. I should say the director of this play did a satisfactory job involving what he thought was the main point of the book.

In the last Language Arts E-learning, we were asked ‘Who would you want to be friends with in the novel?’ My answer was “Atticus’. After the play, my answer is still ‘Atticus Finch’. Besides the reasons that I have stated in my last blog on the E-learning of To Kill A Mockingbird, I would have also enjoyed the relationship that he had with his 2 promising kids- Jem and Scout. He allowed Scout to call his first name ‘Atticus’ undoubtedly showing the closeness and the mutual understanding between them. This happened in the 1930’s – which was the era of the great depression and it was also during the era of social unrest. But in our modern society, we are not allowed to call our parents by their names. It is regarded as unrespectful to our parents. However, both in the book and in the play, he also allowed his kids at times, to make their own mistakes and he believed in giving them sufficient freedom to choose what they wanted for themselves. Atticus Finch was surely kind yet firm with his children. He had patience with them and listened openly to their opinions. In contrast, Boo Radleys’ father was unlike Atticus, was narrow-minded and stubborn, and treated Boo like a toy and slave with no respect towards his son’s feelings.

After the show, I deeply felt that what made a father successful, it was not only his financial and social status, but most importantly it was his good relationship with his kids and the attitudes and actions of his kids. Jem and Scout were curious, intelligent, polite and consistently showing tolerance and respect that Atticus had instilled in them since young. This made Atticus Finch a great friend and father who everyone hopes to have.

So here is a video for all to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I3zrkLnh4I&feature=related

Hope that you will leave a few comments here!!!!

Language Arts E-learning

So here it is. Please leave a comment or two!

Naturalist:

a. Do a research on the natural habitat of mockingbird. In your research, include the kind of flora and fauna you think exist in Maycomb and explain why the mockingbirds live in Maycomb.

Year-round the Northern Mockingbird is found in areas with open ground and with shrubby vegetation like hedges, fruiting bushes, and thickets. When foraging on the ground, it prefers grassy areas, rather than bare spots. Common places to find Northern Mockingbirds include parkland, cultivated land, suburban areas and in second growth habitat at low elevations.

This shows that the flora and fauna of Maycomb that exists include hedges, fruiting bushes and thickets, accompanied with a thick grass land and surbaban land with secondgrowth habitats for other animals. They also feed on mainly insects in summer but switch to eating mostly fruit in fall and winter. Among their animal prey are beetles, earthworms, moths, butterflies, ants, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, and sometimes small lizards. They eat a wide variety of berries, including from ornamental bushes, as well as fruits from multiflora rose. They’ve been seen drinking sap from the cuts on recently pruned trees.

The mockingbirds live in Maycomb because firstly, the mockingbirds are the main theme of the story and since the story is set in Maycomb, therefore, they must live in Maycomb, secondly, it has all the correct habitats and requirements of a correct habitat for a mockingbird to live. Thirdly, the food and fruits and insects found there, fit their taste.

Intrapersonal [pick one]:

a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.

I would want to be friends with Atticus because he is a noble and respectful hero in the novel who dares fights against all odds and any conventions and he also fights for what he thinks is right when he helped Tom Robinson in the court trial. He knew that Tom was innocent whereas others thought he was the person who raped Mayella Ewell. However, Atticus knew the truth and he had the courage to be the minority to fight for the rights of Tom and do what he thinks is right. This is what is innate in him: courage. He has the courage to do what others don’t do and what others think is wrong. This shows that he is a courageous person and a unique person. With this kind of characteristics , I would like to make friends with him as I would like to learn from his good character and his good personality, I would like to learn from him and look up to him as a role model. It would be good if I could become his good friend and mold me into a better person with all his good characteristics.