Rock Lee

1b) How is the tone of anger in this poem illustrated?

2009-09-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

1b) How is the tone of anger in this poem illustrated?

The poet uses mainly the poetic device diction in this poem to illustrate the tone of anger. The poet uses the words “When will this bell ring and end this weariness?” to show how tired and frustrated the teacher felt while teaching her students. Normally, a teacher would feel happy and energetic to teach and impart her knowledge to her students, but instead in this poem, the teacher is feeling tired. This must show that her students are giving her a hard time and that she had reached her limits whereby she felt that she could teach any longer.

The poet also uses the words “Of several insults of blotted pages”, “Of slovenly work” and “scrawl” to show how untidy and slipshod the work of the students were. This also indirectly tells us that the teacher would feel very enraged after seeing how they treated and did their homework. Being their teacher, she would obviously feel that the standard of their slipshod work is an insult to her intelligence and would be extremely furious.

The poet also uses the words “No longer now can I endure the brunt” to show how pressurized and frustrated the teacher felt while teaching her students. “No longer” tells us that she has probably been enduring the pressure from teaching her students for a period of time. She has probably reached her limits and felt that she could not take the stress that her students are giving her anymore and probably wants to stop teaching.

My favourite food

2009-08-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

My favorite food is fried chicken wings. I remembered the first time my mum fried chicken wings for me to eat. When I sunk my teeth into a chicken wing, I was immediately overwhelmed by its taste. The crispy skin of the chicken wing that is so crunchy when bitten and the tender and succulent meat is simply delicious. I loved it so much that every time I would always pester my mum to cook some for me.

My mum would usually buy some frozen chicken wings from the supermarket and season it with some sauces and coat it with some special flour before deep-frying. Every time I see or smell a chicken wing, I would drool as the sight of it is simply irresistible and the smell of it is very fragrant.

Sometimes, I also patronize a western food stall at the Clementi hawker center near my house to eat chicken wings. I love the chicken wings sold there as they are coated with a special honey sauce. The sweet taste of the honey chicken wings is simply mouth-watering. I urge you strongly to try out this delicious delicacy at this food centre. You will certainly like it very much.

Lesson 2

2009-06-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Famous Poet - Shel Silverstein

I like this renowned poet as his works are very original and creative. His works are also relatively short and not complicated, making it easy to read and suitable for children. I also like him because he writes and describes his poems very vividly and good. He also uses figurative language to describe his poem.

Biography

A truly unique and multi-faceted artist, Shel Silverstein was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Best known for his immensely popular children's books including The Giving Tree, Falling Up, and A Light in the Attic, Silverstein has delighted tens of millions of readers around the world, becoming one of the most popular and best-loved children's authors of all time.

Born in Chicago on September 25, 1930, Sheldon Allan Silverstein grew up to attain an enormous public following, but always preferred to say little about himself. “When I was a kid,” he told Publishers Weekly in 1975, “I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn’t play ball. I couldn’t dance. So I started to draw and to write. I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style.”

Shel Silverstein’s first collection of poems, was published in 1974 and was hailed as an instant classic. Its poems and drawings were applauded for their zany wit, irreverent wisdom, and tender heart. Two more collections followed: A Light in the Attic in 1981, and Falling Up in 1996. Both books dominated bestseller lists for months, with A Light in the Attic shattering all previous records for its 182-week stay on the New York Times list. His poetry books are widely used in schools as a child's first introduction to poetry.

Cited from: "http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/biography"

His poems

- Messy Room

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

-The little boy and the old man

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.

-The Toucan

Tell me who can
Catch a toucan?
You can.

Just how few can
Ride the toucan?
Two can.

What kind of goo can
Stick you to the toucan?
Glue can.

Who can write some
More about the toucan?
You can!

Lesson 1

2009-06-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.

I like this poem as the way the poet described it is very unique and good. He uses many different poetry techniques, such as hyperbole, similes and mainly personification to make his poem more interesting. He describes that trees are similar to humans and just like us needing food and water to survive, they need water and sunlight. It made me think differently then the way I used to think of trees. It also relaxes me and makes me feel good when i read it as It expresses its meaning
in a very smooth way.

Lesson 1

2009-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

"A poem as lovely as a tree." This is a simile and the poet used this figurative language to compare two similar objects (the poem and the tree) using like and as.

"A tree whose hungry mouth is prest" This is a personification and the poet described the tree as though it is a human who is hungry.

"And lifts her leafy arms to pray;" This is a personification and the poet described the tree as though it is a human who lifts his arms to pray.

"A tree that looks to God all day," This is a hyperbole and the poet used the figurative language to exaggerate on the tree looking up.

Lesson 1

2009-06-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks to God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Term 1 Week 4 - Blog Prompt Q1

2009-03-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Tay Ching Leon. I am going to discuss about the topic "Age and experience are important to the workforce in any country." Indeed, this is true. Nowadays, when you apply for a job, the employee will look at your age and your experience in the aspect of the job and decide whether to give you the job.

For example, if a young man and an old man are competing with each other for a job as a construction labourer, the employee will choose the young man as he is stronger and is much more fit than the old man. However, the circumstances will change if the young man and the old man are competing for a job as a construction foreman. The old man will be offered the job as he has more experience than the young man.

For a workforce in a country to be successful, it would require young experienced workers. Hence, youths should constantly improve themselves by learning new skills so that they will have more experience and will be able to help and contribute more to the workforce.

In my opinion, I feel that companies should have a balance of young and old workers so that young workers can learn new skills from the old workers and they can co-operate and help each other along.

I have come to the end of this discussion. Thank you.

Term 1 Week 4 - Blog Prompt Q2

2009-03-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Tay Ching Leon. I am going to discuss about the topic "The human body today is laden with processed foods that are bad for it." Indeed, this is true for my diet. I consume processed food like potato chips and soft drinks daily. Although I know that these junk food are detrimental to my health, I still continue to eat them as I find it very convenient. Besides, these food are very filling and eating them can keep me full.

Among all processed foods, the worst type is processed meats. They are made with trans fats, saturated fats and large amounts of sodium and sugar. Eating too much of these meats may increase your risk of kidney and stomach cancer, thus, we should avoid overeating those food. Processed meats include hot dogs, ham and other packaged lunch meats.

However, there are also healthy processed foods. For example, milk would be considered a processed food because it is pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep fats from separating. Although some people prefer to drink raw milk, most people consume the "processed" version which we will find commonly in our supermarkets.

Another healthy example of processed food is frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables have preserved vitamins and minerals inside them and they are convenient to cook and eat. Fruit and vegetable juice is also examples of healthy processed food. In fact, some orange juice is fortified with calcium to make it even more nutritious.

If you are shopping for processed foods in a supermarket, be sure to look for products that are low in sodium and calories and free of trans fats. Make sure you also pay attention to the serving size.

I have come to the end of this discussion. Thank you.

Alternative ending to Nothing But The Truth

2009-02-25T04:15:00.000-08:00

This is my alternative ending :

When Phillip Malloy heard that Miss Narwin is planning to resign and go to Florida to live with her sister, he felt extremely remorseful and regretted his actions. He knew that it was all his fault and the least he could was to apologise to Miss Narwin for his mistakes, but it was against his character to do so. After contemplating for a long time, he finally made up his mind to apologise the next day.

Phillip Malloy paced up and down the corridor outside the staff room. Now and then, he would walk up to the door and back down again. Obviously, he was having second thoughts about apologising to Miss Narwin. His mind was conflicting with questions like "Should I go in?", "Will she be mad at me?". After a while, he finally mustered up enough courage and decided to enter.

Right at this moment, the staff room door opened and standing at the door was none other than Miss Narwin. As he stared at her, tears streamed down his face involuntarily and he started apologising, "I am sorry, Miss Narwin, I know that I am in the wrong. I should not hate you just because you gave me a failure for my english exam and I could not get into the school tracks team as a result. I hope that you can understand as I love sports and not being able to get into the tracks team is a great blow to me. I really hope that you will not resign......" Then, Miss Narwin replied, "I am glad that you have realised your mistake. I had intended to resign and go to Florida, but I have changed my mind. I will stay and continue teaching here. Besides, purchasing an air ticket to Florida can be quite a hefty sum of money." After Miss Narwin finished speaking, she turned to go, leaving Phillip Malloy relieved and over the moon.

Term 1 Week 3 - Blog Prompt Q3

2009-02-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Tay Ching Leon. I am going to discuss about the socio-economic impact of the Three Gorges Dam.

As I speak, you must be wondering what the Three Gorges Dam is. The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric river dam that spans the Yangtze river in China. It is also the largest hydroelectric power station in the world.

The Three Gorges Dam is built mainly to control flooding, which is a major problem of a seasonal river like the Yangtze. Millions of people live downstream of the dam, and many large and important cities like Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai lie next to the river. Plenty of farm land and the most important industrial area of China are built beside the river.With the dam, it is expected that major floods can be controlled.

The Three Gorges Dam also discharges its reservoir during the dry season between December and March every year. This increases the flow rate of the river downstream, and provides more fresh water for agricultural and industrial usage. It also improves the navigation conditions during dry season.

I have come to the end of this discussion. Thank you.

Term 1 Week 2 - Blog prompt Q1

2009-01-18T02:10:00.000-08:00

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Tay Ching Leon and I am a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals. I will be delivering a speech to raise the awareness of the cruelty of whaling in Japan.

In Japan, whale meat is a delicious delicacy and many people love to eat it. However, have they ever thought about the dwindling whale population? The answer is no.

Due to the popular demand of whale meat, fishing industries hunt for whales to supply to restaurants although it is illegal. They use whaling harpoons to shoot at the whales and catch them. Then, they will cut away some good parts of the whales that they want and throw the half-dead whales back into the sea to leave them to rot.

In a year, about 1,330 whales are being slaughtered. As a result, whales are now considered endangered animal species. However, is it worth hunting a species like the whale to extinction so that some people can eat its meat while other food is preferred and far more available?

I hope that the Japanese government will force stricter laws on illegal whale hunting to deter people from doing so and to save the decreasing whale population. In addition, the government can put more emphasis on scientific research on how to save the whales. Hopefully, one day, the whale population will not be endangered.

Thank you for listening attentively to my speech.

Term 1 Week 2 - Blog Prompt Q3 - Silver Workforce

2009-01-12T04:13:00.001-08:00

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I have been invited by the Manpower Ministry to give a short speech on why you should hire older workers. By hiring older workers, you only stand to gain as there is a "Advantage" scheme created by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency which pays the companies money for recruiting, retaining and re-employing older workers. A single company can be provided up to a maximum of $400,000 for recruiting workers aged 40 and above, retaining workers aged 55 to 61 and re-employing workers beyond 62.

Another reason is that older workers are more experienced than younger workers. When they were young and working, they had faced many challenges and gone through a lot of hardships, thus they would have learnt from their mistakes and would perform better in their work.

I feel that the government could expand more employment opportunities for older workers, enhance cost competitiveness of them, raise the skills and values of them and shape positive perception towards them. Hopefully by 2010, more older workers will be re-employed and the economy in Singapore will pick up.

I have come to the end of my speech. Thank you.