My own poem

I could not post on the wikispace ,thus i posted the poem on my blog.The poem analysis will be in the following post.
6 years in a place, where we must meet and face
challenges and obstacles,all set in place,
yet we were so young and chaste (meaning plain and simple).

We had fun learning,exploring ,having fun,and had the
occasional fights and strife, but we stuck together nevertheless,
until one day all that ends.

Good ole memories with friends,but some people do seem to change,
we couldn't see eye to eye, and thus our friendship was never the same again.

Another sadistic little thing, by the name of PSLE,
which drove us to a crossroads,where we may never meet again.

After 6 years in that place,where we had to meet and face,
challenges and obstacles all set in place,
while we were so young and so chaste(3rd meaning in dictionary),
I still can't stop recalling,what we went through those days,
these memories in my heart,will always have a place.

Poem analysis

I was unable to post on the wikispace as they needed me to sign up as a member first.I complied but to no avail.

Firstly,I do not think the author is a handicap.

The first stanza talks about the author and his old school motto which he does not remember.That could show that he did not like his school very much.

The second stanza mentioned the crows trying to hinder their singing of the national anthem.This, I think, is showing that the author was not really paying attention to singing the national anthem,instead being distracted by the black crows.

The third stanza states that his shoes were usually dirty especially on Wednesdays.This could show that the author was very active in sports and games,especially on Wednesdays,where maybe he has his CCA's or PE lessons.

The fourth stanza shows his admiration of the scouts working hard.

The fifth stanza could show that how he envied his rich friends having chauffeurs to pick them up after school.However,I genuinely d not understand why 7 to the power of 5 is unreasonable.

The sixth stanza shows Mrs Lee celebrating Chinese New Year though she is a Malay.That could show the harmony of the four races in Singapore.He also mentioned that the capital of Singapore was Singapore which shows that though it is a small country,the people still live together without strife.

The seventh stanza shows that the author thinks highly of his friend when he chooses to answer his Chinese Multiple-Choise Exam with all A's.This could show that the author admired bravery.

The last stanza showed that the author was thoroughly enjoying himself,pushing somebody's wheelchair and even his picturre was taken and posted in the yearbook.However,his eyes were closed which would have seemed slightly awkward.

Favourite Poet

"It is difficult for us to read that essay without reflecting that if Poe plotted out his poem with such calculation, he might have taken a little more pains over it: the result hardly does credit to the method."My favourite poet is Edgar Allan Poe.He lost both of his parents , both proffesional actors, at the age of 3.His father abandoned his family and his mother died a year after.He was adopted by a wealthy man, John Allen,who sent him to the most prestigous schools in Virginia.He exceled in his studies but was later kicked out of his school as John Allen had owed money and did not repay them.He joined the US millitary but was again forced to leave because of financial difficulties.He then decided to write for a living which was theoratically impossible in the US during that time.However,he proved everybody wrong when his works became famous.is poems are epic and have many emotions in them.His poems and stories are written such that it invokes the reader to continue and ponder over the complicated affairs.They are truly very thoguht-provoking and of high literary standards.Poe died in 1849 and the most peculiar thing was that the last thing he said was "Lord help my poor soul."

Famous poems he wrote :Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827)
Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems (1829)
Poems (1831)
The Raven and Other Poems (1845)
Eureka: A Prose Poem (1848)

I do not want to put down the poems as they are extremely long

References:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/130

Favourite Poem

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Hyperbole:The usage of O God! shows his grief and is repeated twice.
Personification:None i can see
Metaphor:The usage of flown away is to describe having lost.
Simile:None i can see
Symbolsism:The dream is a symbolism in this poem as the dream refers to the author's days with his/her lover and the sands are like what dreams are,just dreams.It is a close to reality but just a desire,thus the author describes it as few and wants to have a tighter clasp.The pitiless wave is a symbolism of the sadness that comes when something is claimed from you.The surf tormented shore represents the cruelty of reality.


(The above may not be correct as it is my perception only.)


Why I like this poem:The author first starts with how he loses his loved and then describes his days with his/her lover as a dream.The author also mentions 'All that we seem or seem'which emphasizes on how much they perceive is really true.The author then expertly depicts the scene whereby a person who has dreamed but is roughly pulled back by reality.He is sorrow and hopes for his loved one to come back but he knows that even this itself is wishful thinking,a dream within a dream.This whole poem is pieced together very well and it rhymes perfectly.It is abstract yet understandable in a certain sense.The poem is well desribed and there are many symbolisms.

Will having fun make you happier than studying?

In my opinion,it really depends on the situation.I used to think that the holidays were for students to relax and have fun.However,over this holiday i felt increasingly lonely and longing to be with my friends again.Studying can also be fun if the teacher has the ability and the correct method.In fact,having fun can be applied for studying.Of course the teacher also has to have a learning outcome from his or her fun way of teaching.If having fun can make a person happier than studying,then i would think that having fun studying would be much better.Now back to the main point.During the holidays,I felt extremely lonely, at home everyday,mooching around and watching the television.When i went for my Chinese Drama Camp,I was able to meet up with my friends and have fun together.We could stay up late playing card games and work together trying to complete tasks during the amazing race.The camp was a smashing success and after it ended,I wished that the camp could be extended.Back at home,it was dull, boring and always had a sleepy feeling clinging on to me.During the camp,it was invigorating,fun and memorable(Fun is truly an understatement here :P). I long to return to school and meet my friends.Obviously,the reason we go to school is also to study.

If many people think something is true,is it true?

In my opinion,no.These may be rumors spread by rumor-mongers which many people believe in.For example,many believed that in the Second Millenium,the earth would perish.What rubbish is that?It is now 2009,9 years after the predicted ending.Many people believing something is true is usually because some people started believing in it.Then,they started spreading their rumors,which spreads even more.People would start following the "truth" blindly without even asking for evidence.If nobody can prove that it is true,you should not believe in it.However,this cannot be controlled if the person who started it is a very charimatic one,able to speak and can convince the common people that this is the fact.A solid fact still remains.There is no truth with no lies and no lies with no truth.In fact,if you check the meaning of truth in the dictionary, "the true facts about something" it does not make sense.For example,if i asked you to prove if the Earth is a sphere,you would say "Because my science teacher says so" and then the science teacher would say "Because the MOE syllabus says so" and MOE would say "Because NASA says so" and NASA would say "Because i can go to space and look at the Earth from far and I see that it is a sphere,thus the Earth is a sphere."Is visual evidence reliable?Is oral evidence reliable?Is science reliable? In my opinion,nothing is reliable.
(the thing about NASA saying the earth was a sphere i think i got it wrong.It was a person but i do not know who it was.)

So we control technology or does technology control us?

In my opinion,in the modern society,technology controls us.More appropriately,technology controls our lives.Teenagers are now the ones who are mostly affected by technology.There is peer pressure or jealousy when one person sees that his friend has the latest model of iPod or handphone.He would not hesitate to have one too either to get back into the trend or having a chance to show it off.They usually squander their money on newer models,a deadly influence of technology.Another influence is computer games.Youngsters may be hooked onto these games and spend most of their time playing them.This attitude may lead to unpredictable complexities like the not-so-recent case in Singapore about the NTU stabbing incident.That may have been caused by an overdose of addiction or over exposure to violence and killing in computer games.Computer games can also induce fatigue,loss of appetite,insomnia,myopia,and in extremely severe cases,insanity.Besides this,people are also controlled by the facts produced by technology.For example,people tend to ignore the prospect of apocolypse BUT they start believing when it says, "Scientists estimate the world would end in XXXX year".The people would always link the word "Science" or "Scientists" to technology,super computers and complicated prediction devices.This is overwhelming proof that technology has a definite influence over us and maybe in years to come may control us.

What is the right way to live?

In my opinion,the right way to live is to live with happiness and to live giving happiness.This is easy to achieve as it has a two-fold effect.If you are happy and you share your happiness with someone else by satisfying their needs,you would feel happy too as the chinese proverb of
乐于助人,which is to help somebody and feel a overwhelming sense of happiness.People nowadays however,live their lives fraught with guilt and anger.They are dishonest and lie or cheat and do not heed their elders advice.They are reckless and easily angered which cause them to lose relationships with friends and family.These in turn would also sadden the person and becomes a two-fold negative effect.In the modern society,people care more about having fame,earning money and wielding power.There are three gods that control us, Fame,Wealth,Power.These "gods" are actually only distracting us from our true way of life which is to live with happiness and to share your happiness with others.There are many who lose sight of the true meaning of life and cause their love ones to fret over them.A person who is selfless does not seek fame,fortune or power.Instead,they would do something which benefits the world,making their lives easier and in turn,making them happier.These people have grasped the true meaning of life.In conclusion,the right way to live is to live with compassion,lending a helping hand to those who need it.

Could there ever be a perfect world and what would it be like?

In my opinion,there is never going to be a perfect world.World peace would be the meaning of a "perfect world".There is no possibility of having a perfect world as peace can only exist with conflict, thus there can never be peace without conflict and war.A perfect world is therefore,just a fantasy.If a perfect world were to exist,my opinion is that there would be peace and harmony between all life,which also includes the animals.Everybody is happy and work to his or her capacity.There is no killing of humans OR animals.Nobody is greedy or would be dishonest.This is my vision of a perfect world.If all these aspects can be achieved by all around the globe,a perfect world may be possible.However,nobody can ever be dishonest neither can they remain selfless forever as we are all human.To exist peacefully with other life forms like animals is also impossible.The animals would always prey on one another and humans would be at the top of the food chain as they are the main predators.Equality is also very important in perfection.There can be no power over another object.There can be no domination.There can only be one way of governing which is democracy whereby the people all agree on something before it can be accepted.Therefore,I would think that a perfect world is impossible.