Money in Matrimony

In your opinion, is money important in a relationship? Consider the 'transactional' element observed in the relationships between the couples. Do you think there is an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other qualities? Provide examples for your responses.

I feel that money is important in a relationship to a certain extent, however the nature of marriage is true love. There is indeed heavier weightage on financial matters in marriage as shown in The Merchant of Venice, as well as a "transactional" element, shown when Bassanio borrows money from Antonio to court Portia, to cover his expenses to Belmont as well as to impress her into marrying him. Some say that Bassanio married Portia because of her wealth, this is untrue, however, proven in Act 3 Scene 2, where both of them express their mutual "love at first sight". Another example involving money entwined with love in The Merchant Of Venice occurs in Act 2 Scene 3 to 6, where Jessica devises a cunning plot to "make fast the doors and gild myself with some more ducats, and be with you straight", showing how money can buy happiness to a certain extent, however the source of Jessica and her lover's happiness stems from their true love, which is in truth what holds a marriage together. Copious amounts of money are insignificant compared to pure, true love, and will not sustain a marriage for long.

Some people marry others for the materialistic purpose of living off their wealth. Such people can be likened to parasites, draining away the money of others without giving anything in return. Marriage is not only a union of financial resources, but a union of hearts and minds. Pooling financial resources help the couple to "buy" a certain amount of happiness as well as support the family and meet their basic needs, however those who live off others for the sole purpose of enjoying an extravagant and luxurious life, taking advantage of this financial union and not appreciating the true love that should be felt and enjoyed when a man and woman meet in matrimony. The opposite is also true: a couple who are financially weak can still enjoy the warmth of each other's company. I feel that the statement regarding an upward trend in these "gold diggers" is untrue, however, as people in modern society tend to aim to strike a balance between the two: they look for a mate whom they understand, appreciate, and admire, but also wish to be secure and comfortable financially so that they can enjoy their marriage more.

Revolution of War

The 100 years war, the battles of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms, the siege of Troy, the conquests of Genghis Khan and the rise of the Mongol Empire- Even in the past, man has relied on war as a solution to his problems, a tool to get what he wishes, be it blazing ambition, raging desires, morality, religion, or the tangled web of power and politics. Even when problems can be solved by negotiations and compromising, Man resolves conflicts with what he sees as the simplest of ways: war. Human greed is insatiable, likewise human opinion, beliefs, and morals are hard to quash. Man has always let his heart rule his mind, labeling massacres and bloodshed with honor and valour, backing them with causes he deems "worthwhile", fueling the furnace of war. Menelaus besieged Troy simply due to desire: he was willing to risk his army for Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships. Genghis Khan the conquerer slaughtered and slaughtered again to expand the vast, ever-growing Mongol Empire to cover most of Eurasia.

However, war is also waged within the animal kingdom: wolf packs tear each other apart upon meeting, Jane Goodall herself documented a war between groups of chimpanzees in 1974. In fact, the essence of war is similar to that of the wild: kill or be killed. Therefore it can be argued that "war" is a manifestation of this animalistic aggression displayed in the wild, the human version of this animal behavior. While animals fight due to territoriality and competition, this behavior, perhaps, manifests itself in Man as warfare, which Man supports with reasons such as desire (not unlike animal survival and competition) as well as beliefs, led by decisive leaders who seek war (e.g. Napoleon and Hitler).

While the nature and the essence of war remains unchanging, its manifestations shift from shape to shape throughout the ages. The first men fought with primitive spears of wood and sharp stone, clubs of stone and wood. Following that, swords and spears were forged with metal, increasing their potential for destruction. Human ingenuity has also spawned various weapons such as the cannon, developed with the discovery of gunpowder, and the chariot, pulled by beasts tamed by man for the sole purpose of war. As the modern age approached, ornate armour of bronze morphed to camouflage uniforms, arrows were replaced by pellets of metal and heat-seeking missiles, steeds and mounts of war were transformed into machines with pelts of titanium and steel. The destructive potential of these weapons constantly increase as mankind adds its emerging technology to boost its capacity for war. The advancement of technology has accelerated the destructiveness of human modern warfare to unacceptable and irrational levels.

Reflection on "The Soldier" by Robert Brooke

1) Annually we need young men in Singapore to do National Service. Why do you think National Service is compulsory in Singapore and why is this important?
Singapore has a small population, and as such, does not have the luxury to make serving in the army a regular job, in which people are paid to defend the nation; even if it was, the army of regualrs would definitely not be sufficient to maintain a strong military defence force. Furthermore, the nation does not have enough financial resources to pay those working soldiers who serve the army as a job.

National service is important as it forges between Singaporeans from all walks of life, and fosters racial harmony between the various ethnic groups, allowing them to find a common identity and purpose in serving their nation. It also develops ruggedness in Singaporean men, pushing them to their physical limits, thus allowing them to achieve physical fitness and be ready to defend their nation if need be, reservist or recruit.

2)In the poem the speaker expresses his love for his country, England. Do you have this same spirit of patriotism towards Singapore? Why? Do you find this same spirit of patriotism in Singapore? Why? Do you consider yourself a patriot to your country?

The speaker evidently views his country as a great mother figure, which provides him with a last gift, an English heaven, and peace even in death. I do feel patriotism towards Singapore (though not to the extent of being a patriot, as I have not shown any actual devotion), being the country in which I grew up and was nurtured, a country which guides me - and possibly other Singaporeans- toward success, allowing us to soar and achieve our dreams. It is both home and a metaphorical "mother". Yes, I do find patriotism in Singapore: the glory of our soldiers in serving their nation, the cheers of the people when they fly the flag, the way their hearts soar as they sing the anthem, and the pride that the elders, veterans, and even MM Lee, show when they share the story. That is evidence of patriotism.

LA home based learning- poem analysis

We Slept With Our Boots On

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell


Steve Carlsen


Task 1:
Background information
Steve Carlsen was born and resides in Dowagiac, Michigan. He joined the US Army in October 2000, went through Infantry Basic Training and Airborne School. He was deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 for peacekeeping operations, and following that, to Afghanistan in December 2002 to take part in the war.He was honourably discharged from the army in 2003, and currently attends Southwestern Michigan College, where his professor, Dr. Michael Collins, challenged him to write about his experiences. Therefore, the poem is written from Steve's firsthand experiences, most likely in a negative light.

LZ: Landing Zone

Hindu Kush: 500-mile long mountain range located in Afghanistan to Pakistan

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html

Task 2:
The poem is written from a first-person point of view, as opposed to poems in second-person point of view, which often describe the scene in general instead of from the perspective of a single individual. This suggests that the writer has memories and has experienced the war firsthand, which is further confirmed and supported by his background information- his history as a soldier in the war.

The poem is written in past tense, thus implying it is a recollection by the writer, set in Afghanistan, supported by the mention of the Hindu Kush as well as the writer's background information (having fought the war in Afghanistan). The poem narrates the writer's feelings and experiences as he fights battle after battle day after day, revelling in the thrill of the fight but also overshadowed by the fear ("beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink"). The poet does not mention much of the enemy they were fighting on the physical plane, but instead reveals the true enemy to originate from the emotional and psychological aspect of their thoughts. Therefore in this case the theme is Man vs Oneself, where the writer struggles with glorifying the war ("washed in the blood, baptised by fire") and rejecting it out of guilt and fear ("everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns"). "Lead is thicker than blood, brothers aren't born, they're earned"- this shows that the writer's perception of the war has been slightly warped; he glorifies the brotherhood formed with his comrades through battle and bloodshed. The writer makes his stand unclear until the last 11 lines in which he reflects and lastly concludes that war= hell ("Another paratrooper reporting for duty, sir I spent my time in hell").

The poem follows an AA BB rhyming pattern where the last word of the first line rhymes with the last word of the next line. The writer narrates the scene in a oxymoronic and contradictory manner (e.g. "Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink" and "who knew hell was so close to God"). The writer also manages to bring out the desperation, the rush, and the turmoil of war through the fast pace of the poem in which the writer and his comrades continuously rush from place to place, fighting chaotic battles ("We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks, from house to cave, to house to creek"). Adjectives such as "tremendous" and "dirty, tired, hungry, and scared" are used to describe the battle and its effects and outcomes.

I feel that this poem does manage to bring out the essence of war through the writer's thoughts and experiences. The rhyming pattern gives the poem a slightly "catchy", fast-paced rhythm which aids in the description of war and the battle in general. The writer also manages to bring out his inner turmoil, (thrill vs fear) and finally rejects war in the concluding lines of the poem. Ultimately, the theme is Man vs Oneself.

War- a personal response (descriptive)

The soldier lies amidst the wreckage, his faint heartbeat ebbing away, with his two comrades racing frantically to save his life. Blood flows freely from his battered, worn face, like an old mask that has been worn for far too long. He feels the familiar weight of the ammunition resting upon his chest, and the rifle lying by his side. One comrade is bent down with despair, mourning the soon-to-be loss.

How many more will suffer his fate, never to see the light of day or feel the warmth of his family again, to die on a battlefield of death and despair, when they can pass away peacefully on their deathbed, surrounded by the love of family, surrendering their lives to the so-called noble cause of war? How many more families, Vietnamese or American, who suffer the heart-wrenching pang that comes with the loss of a family member? How many more times must the bloodstained blade of war fall again and again to severe threads of lives, and along with them, love? Compared to the care and warmth of friends and family, war seems puny, insignificant, and immature. Why kill each other when we can live happy lives in harmony? For our own reasons that we deem "right"? Are there truly weapons of mass destruction, or do we seek to seize oil supplies for our own good? Why impose idealogies on others and reinforce them with violence? Are we so immature, so dependent on the opinions of others, that we cannot stand others taking another path, not doing things "our way"? Yet, in spite of all this, war is being fed like a furnace being stoked, and one day, as H.G. Wells once said, if we do not end wars, wars will end us. There is only one fuel, one fuel for the fires of war that ignites the sparks of hate and rage. Us. Our volition. The choice whether to ignite the fires of war or to extinguish them lies within us.

War- A personal response (Narrative)

The world faded in and out of focus. The soldier's consciousness teetered on the edge of the void, yet somehow managed to grip on. His unfocused gaze slid past the wreckage which once was the Viet Kong headquarters building, to the rifle lying on his limp hand, and focused on the pair of bright green eyes, which were filled with such intense emotion that the soldier was momentarily jolted to alertness. He tried to sit up, but a nerve-wracking pain surged through his abdomen, and he gave a hoarse cry of agony. All around him, the ground was littered with bloody corpses, some twisted and some scorched, as though a monstrosity of some kind had passed by and carelessly scattered corpses like ashes over the battlefield. In his half-conscious state, the soldier heard voices, voices that were filled with emotion that threatened to overwhelm him with crushing pressure.

"The explosion... Viet Kong escaped... secret tunnel"

"Splinter...punctured vital organs...not...live"

"Johnson...Johnson..."

The voice called to him, filled with emotion, and it took all his willpower to resist the pull of the void. The voice, the voice of his friend, whom he had fought side by side with, whom he had promised he would live through the war. Then he thought of his family and his children, whom he would never see again. To think he would die on this battlefield of death and despair, instead of on his deathbed, living with his wife and children to a ripe old age. He looked around the battlefield for one last time. How many more were there like him, he thought. How many who would not live to see the light of day or feel the warmth of family? He gazed, once more, into those green eyes, from which tears now freely flowed, and mouthed his friend's name, as his parched throat could not voice a word. Then he drew his thoughts and feelings around him like a shroud, and , with one last smile, with an explosion of emotions, let go of his life.

Fried egg and ham sandwich

You will need 8 slices of white bread, 0.125 kg of cheddar cheese , 0.25 kg of sliced pre-cooked ham, 4 eggs, 0.028kg of butter. Butter both sides of each slice of bread with 2 tablespoons of butter.


Heat the remaining butter in a pan and crack each egg into the pan about 5 cm away from each other after the butter has melted. Season the eggs to your taste with salt and pepper and pan-fry them for 2 to 3 minutes till the yolk is runny and the white is firm. Meanwhile, get down to constructing the sandwich by spreading the melted butter over the bread and dividing the cheese among four slices of bread. Divide the ham into four portions and place them on top of the cheese, followed by the four fried eggs. Place a piece of bread over each of the four "stacks" to complete the sandwich. Pan-fry the sandwiches on both sides until they turn golden-brown. Serves 4 (a sandwich for each person). To be served warm.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/fried-egg-and-ham-sandwich-recipe/index.html