Book Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Dorothy lives in a farmhouse in Kansas with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. When a tornado sweeps through the farmland, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry get into the cellar, but Dorothy and her dog Toto are still left inside the small farmhouse when the tornado hits them. The house, Dorothy, and Toto are pulled into the tornado. After a while, when it finally puts them down, they find themselves far from Kansas and in the Land of the Munchkins in the Land of Oz.

Have you heard of this story? It's been quite well known. It hasn't lost any of its popularity since last time. Dorothy and her friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, have more adventures on their way to the Emerald City. You will know what they encounter along the way.

L. Frank Baum created a fantasy world for his family that has become a favourite classic. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a book to be enjoyed by all people young and old. I first read it when I was in Primary School. I can even remember reading the sequels too. The last time I read it was around two years ago. Despite that, I had fun reading it again this June.

If you haven't read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, read it today!

Book Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was written close to a hundred years ago by Mark Twain. Tom is as popular today as he was then. The mischievous boy is well known by all. We all know a child as mischievous as Tom.

In 1840, along the Mississipi River, Aunt Polly is raising Tom, his half-brother Sid, and Mary. Sid and Mary are very good children. Tom, on the other hand, is always getting into trouble. Even when he doesn't do something wrong, he finds a way to be in trouble. When the weather is good, he skips his school and goes swimming. He also goes out play-acting as Robin Hood with his friend Joe Harper when he should be studying. He also sneaks out at midnight to meet Huckleberry Finn at a graveyard with a dead cat. Aunt Polly is trying her best to get Tom to behave but to no avail.

Tom knows how to exchange treasures for his own gain. Tom uses his treasures to get a impress people, show his love to girls, or even to bribe his friends. He is definitely an a very good entrepreneur.

The adventure into the cemetary has brought unwanted trouble for Tom and Huckleberry. They witnessed a murder that Injn Joe commited. They were afraid for their own lives and swore to keep their mouths shut. They knew Injun Joe would kill them if he knew they had seen his act of murder. However in the end they could no longer keep it inside themselves and confessed to the adults.

This book is unforgettable and leaves a deep impression in my heart. I was laughing out loud at his adventures throughout the book. I could identify the young romance Tom had with a girl he liked called Becky Thatcher. This book is worth reading and even re-reading. The books clearly shows the joy of childhood.

E-Learning T2 (2010)

A Poem About my School Days

Instructions: Write a poem of about your school days in not less than 4 stanzas. Your memories of school days could be happy, sad or funny. Post the poem on your blog.

Today's yet another day
To school I go again
To work, learn and play
Or so the teacher says.

School can be fun
School can be boring
Sometimes when school's just begun
I'm waiting for the bell to ring.

School can be exciting
Or sometimes a little annoying
But when today's about writing
Now that's not very delighting.

Sometimes I like school
And sometimes I don't
For in school there are so many rules
I don't remember them all.

Around the corner there lurks
Oh heaps and piles of work
For our own good, it is
But free time--that I miss.

School made me friends
And some enemies too.
But to say the truth, at my expense
Actually school's quite cool.

The Poem- Red, Red Rose/ My Love is like a Red, Red Rose ( Both are commonly used ) by Robert Burns
Written in Scots in 1794

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry:

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

Questions and Answers

1.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?

He says that he will love her until the seas dry up, rocks melt in the sun, and all the sands of time run out. It means that he will love her forever. Robert Burns uses this to describe how long his will love the girl.

Symbol: The title itself is a very common example of symbolization. The red rose stands for deep, passionate love. He emphasises on this, saying red, red rose, instead of the common rose or just red rose.

In line 1 & 3, the speaker directly compares his love with a rose and a melody using "like". These are examples of similes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ref:

"O my Luve's like the melodie"

"O my Luve's like a red, red rose"
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Hyperbole: There are over-statements here to show the depth of love; those are hyperbolic statements. Lines 7-8, 9-10, 15-16 are examples of hyperboles:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ref:

"And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry:"

"Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:"

"And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile."
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Metaphor and Emphasis: Burns' poem is charmingly simple and direct in its method of praising his lover and most significantly describes how much he loves her: "As fair art, thou my bonny lass/So deep in luve I am."

He then tells her how much he loves her:

"I will luve thee still, my Dear,

While the sands o'life shall run."

"Sands o' life" in line 12 is a metaphor, since here life is implicitly compared with the sand-clock, where every moment of life is like the every drop of sand in the clock.The implication is that he will love her forever, that is, infinity. As long as human life exists on this earth he will love her. Burns uses hyperbole, that is, exaggeration to convey to his lover the depth and intensity of his love for her. In the previous lines,

"And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry:"

"Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:"

he has told her that he will love her till all the seas dry up, and the rocks melt from the heat of the sun. But he is not satisfied with that, because he feels that there is a possibility that all the seas may indeed dry up, or the rocks might melt from heat so he says that he will love her till all human life comes to an end on the planet. Also, he is emphasising his love for her with this line continuing his description of his love.

It is this hyperbole which foregrounds the extent and nature of his love.

Parallelism: In the first stanza, the first two lines are parallel to the second two lines. The parallelism is connected to the poet's intensity of feeling.

Ref:

"O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune."

Repetition: The phrases "Till a' the seas gang dry" in line 8-9 and "And fair thee well" in line 13-14 are uttered twice. The repetitions emphasise the speaker's expression. Thus the theme of love gets foregrounded.

Euphony: The words used in the poem are mostly very soft to the ear, and they sound very pleasant. Consequently, a melodious tune is created which is related to the theme of the poem.

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

This poem is charmingly simple and direct in its method of praising his lover, and sounds sincere and convincing. The imagery in the poem is so vivid that even today, this old traditional poem is still very popular. I also like the fact that the excessive use of hyperbole, passionate sentimental similes and a strong love metaphor in the title, while seeming insincere and a little weird to actually say to someone, they are actually quite common in poetry, although in Burns's it is more than usual, it is quite acceptable. Figurative language is meant to be taken figuratively, not literally or word for word, and in Burns’ it actually makes the poem seem more sincere, rather than insincere, as in some other poems. ( Word Count: 124 Words )

Using hyperbole, the poet ignores the commonplace implications of the simile of female beauty to a flower and makes it more emphatic and dramatic. for example that roses fade and so young maidens should make the most of their youthful energy and give themselves to their lovers immediately.

LA E-Learning Day 1

Question:
Write a 250- word (interpreted as "at least 250- word" ) response to the hypothetical question from Miss Kinnian: “I feel sad when I see Charlie lock himself up in his room and refuse to let anyone in. I want to help him, but he does not want to see me and I don’t know else todo. What can I do to help Charlie?” Your response will be published in an Aunt Agony Column of a newspaper.

Answer:
In my opinion, there are many things Miss Kinnian can do to help Charlie.

Firstly, the most discreet way she can help Charlie is to leave him alone, letting him go over his own thoughts and ideas. This will allow him to do some self-reflection and possibly enable him to quickly get over his problems in the most "personalized" way that suits him best.

Secondly, she may be able to help Charlie by asking the people Charlie meets most often to speak to him about his problems and be more supportive and helpful towards him,as well as encourage him. She can also utilize her status as the person Charlie loves to "counsel" Charlie and boost his self-esteem and help him solve his problems by providing a shoulder for him to cry on. She can get Charlie to pour out his problems to her one by one, listen to them and comment and provide feedback and solutions, as well as supportive statements, to Charlie. Surrounded by caring and supportive people who have suddenly all turned into friends, in this warm environment, Charlie will definitely feel much better and this could put an end to all of his problems.

Thirdly, Miss Kinnian could build a structure, or show Charlie something that is meaningful and represents Charlie and his troubles. Then, removing something or, showing charlie something else, or just by talking, she can tell Charlie how his troubles can be removed.

Fourthly, if she ,too, reciprocates Charlie's feelings towards her, she can confess to him of her actual mutual feelings towards him. This will surely brighten Charlie up and using her new status in Charlie's heart, discuss with him his problems and do some leisurely activities with him to improve his mood and possibly in the process get him to speak about his problems and quite possibly solve them.

Written by: Columnist Darryl Chan

LA E-Learning Day 1

As can be seen in the above images (Sorry for the bad quality, but they were taken by a 5 MP cellphone camera, because of a problem with my 12.4 MP camera and scanner), my learning style is INTERPERSONAL.

I find the results of the Multiple Intelligencess Test surprisingly accurate in most ways.I would like to consider myself a person with interpersonal abilities and good communication techniques and qualities. I have some close friends and a wide circle of acquaintances and I am unhappy when people are dissatisfied or uncontented with me. I also feel very bad when people close to me are disappointed with me, as though something is clutching at my heart and guts and refusing to let go.

I am a very expressive person and sometimes, in expressing my views, I disregard others' feelings and always end up regretting it. I do not think this is a quality of being a linguistic person.

There are times when people find me irritating or annoying because of my above character trait. I would then keep quiet and leave them alone. I too recognise this trait of mine which tends to be useful sometimes, but mostly make people "turn off" to what I say. I tend to be friendly to people popular and otherwise, but am not very defensive of my acquaintances. I am however very protective of my close friends and personally take offense at what people say to them. I only have less than ten currently and have never exceeded this number. I like to SMS or chat with my friends online and maintain a Facebook profile, MSN Messenger account, and a private blog, which I let only a select group of friends and myself view. I normally visit only my close friends' houses, as is the same with most people. I like to have as many friends as possible, for reasons both related to "work and play". I do not feel strongly against anyone, even if they might against me. I like to enjoy myself with my friends and have as much fun with them, sometimes more, as with my parents and cousins. I mix better with people my age but do not feel at a loss in front of most adults. With people around my age group, even my cousins in National Service, I can talk casually with them and be quite outgoing. I can do the same with my parents. However, with some strangers, I will be more shy and I believe that internally that is actually my personality.

I believe in the test results however and do not doubt that I may be an interpersonal person.

Chinese New Year- Wishing you a Happy Tiger Year!

This is the first post actually containing any useful content. I shall begin my blogging with a very HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

I trust we have all had a wonderful new year, a long-awaited break from the continuous stream of homework flowing down at us. I think we deserve this break. After all, it is only the beginning of a new year in brand new school with almost triple the number of subjects. In the midst of all the hard work in trying to adapt to the new environment, I think we should have some hard-earned breaks. After all ,if we just keep working, the workload will eventually overcome us and we will just gradually give up from all the stress.

Anyway, enough of the new year greetings and views. It is time for me to share with you how I passed my new year.

For starters, I must say that some problems between my parents complicated matters and my mother, well, she refused to go visiting for the first, most important day. Even on the second day she didn't want to go, until finally she, after some self-reflection, decided to go on her own. Throughout the four days of celebrations, she was quite moody, dampening the new year atmosphere for everyone related to us. I shall not comment on this, however, or elaborate on this whole matter anymore, as new year is supposed to be a happy occasion, so why all those unhappy talk. Hence, I shall set those aside.

At least, though, my parents made an effort and the new year turned out to be okay after all. Well, one the first day we went to my uncle's house for a rich lunch and went to my grandmother's place within three minutes' of walking to go visiting and have a homemade steamboat dinner there. It was the most delicious steamboat ever and nothing outside could compare with it! They used charcoal to make it more fragrant and though the ingredients were no many, it was still very enjoyable, seeing everyone eat together.

On the second day, it was mostly visiting. Every day of the new year, we went to my grandparents' place for lunch and dinner, except for today and the third day. Today, we went to my maternal grandparents' place for dinner and also had steamboat, although not a tasty. We gambled small change and played a bit of computer with my cousins.

On the third day, we went for lunch at my paternal grandparents' place and "bummed around" for the whole afternoon, as there were not many relatives to visit. After which, for dinner, we went to my maternal grandparents' place and did exactly the same things that we did the day before.

On the fourth day was the day to complete all those untouched homework to be done over the new year. Sadly to say, I had a terrible headache and the 2 hour homework took me more than 5 hours to do. I ended up sleeping at around 12am, although I had started in the early afternoon. Today's dinner and lunch were just standard everyday fare, nothing special at all.

I gobbled pineapple tarts and love letters up wherever we went, but my younger brother beat me to the tarts at home. We wolfed up half the tub in no time. The original plan was to catch a movie today afternoon after my brother and I had completed all our homework, but we ended up not going because of my headache. The movie outing was postponed to the coming Sunday. Basically, I wasted most of the fourth day of new year and I regretted it.

However, doing so will not change anything or help matters, and I decided to just forget about the whole thing and continue with my life without useless regrets.

No point saying "if only" I had done this and that either, which I did say to myself. Here's a quote:
“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.”

Regret:

“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” Jonathan Larson

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Alexander Graham Bell

“Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.” Victoria Holt

With these last words, I conclude this post.