The news media should be blamed for the unhealthy paparazzi culture and going to the extremes for sensational news. How far do you agree?
It was a fact that 80%~90% of Singaporeans does not like national service. However, 80%~90% of my classmate say that they like national service and show patriotism for Singapore. Eh? don't you feel strange? Or they really get influenced so much by the poem 'The soldier'?
Have you ever receive a rude and insulting comment? When reading the comments of some my classmates on our blogs, I feel that some of the comments really annoyed me, which shows disrespect to the writer and some even sound like commanding the writer ' you must not....' Isn't comment used as a way to provide constructive ideas and encouragement to the writer? Instead of copying everything down on-line, I hope that you could visit the following website on how to write a good blog comment:
1. Is there true justice? Why?
I think that there is no true justice in the scene. Shylock seek justice to take revenge against Antonio but in the end, the justice was twisted by Portia where he was allowed to take the penalty he seeks, Antonio's flesh, but could not take a drop of Antonio's blood. Portia uses justice to twist the law which it was impossible for human to take flesh without dropping a drop of blood. Thus I believe that the court was more of a trick to trap Shylock instead of giving true justice to Shylock.
2. Is there true mercy, as expounded by Portia? Why?
I think that true mercy was indeed given to Shylock. Portia and Bassanio requested Shylock more than 3 times for mercy, and I think that it is true mercy given to him because I believe that Portia already know how to trick Shylock into her trap but still giving him a chance to rescue himself. Also, I believe that Antonio has also given Shylock mercy by allowing him to convert to Christianity. Although this could be seen as an insult to Shylock, but I believe that Antonio did view it as mercy given to Shylock.
3. Justice and Law can be manipulated by people in power. Comment on this with reference to the text and other real-life cases and examples.
Open letter to the Education Minister
I am a Secondary Four student at Nan Chiau High School, and am due to take my O Levels this year. Being shown first-hand what the education system is like, especially from a fairly unflattering point of view, has made me realise much about the education system that I do not like. Of course, I am fully aware that no education system is perfect, yet in the spirit of transformation the PAP has hopefully adopted since the 2011 General Elections, I write this letter to you in the hope that some of these problems with our system will indeed be changed, or if not, at least reviewed.
I speak just for myself, and not for all other graduating students in Singapore when I say this, but I do feel strongly about many methods being employed in secondary schools, especially for graduating classes. For one, I have come to realise the serious emphasis the education system has placed on factual memorisation. Perhaps it is just used in my school, or maybe even a method most autonomous or government schools apply, but based on personal observation, I have come to the conclusion that students are often not taught to ask ‘Why?’
Children are curious and inquisitive, asking their parents questions many parents themselves are not able to answer. As a parent yourself, I believe you can testify to this. Too often, I have heard toddler cousins asking their parents why the grass on my front lawn is green, and how their baby sister was created, or why fruit punch is reddish-pink. I therefore strongly believe that the education system is indeed stifling to a child’s inquisitive and curious mind.
Albert Einstein once said: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” Yet, what is it we are doing to our students today? We are training them not to question, Mr Heng.
I once had to do a Chemistry paper in which I was asked ‘Why?’ for many things, such as ‘Why is carbon a non-metal?’
Perhaps it is just my school’s teaching methods, but for the life of me, I was never once taught why carbon was a non-metal. Since I started with Chemistry in Secondary Three, I learnt that the staircase line divided the Periodic Table into metals and non-metals, and that metals and metals took part in metallic bonding.
That, I believe, is one of the key flaws in the education system. This is a flaw that is not only serious, but also has wide-reaching effects. The most common definition of education is the one provided by the Cambridge dictionary, which states that education is ‘the process of teaching or learning in a school or college, or the knowledge that you get from this’, but I prefer the one found in the students’ favourite dictionary. Education itself, as defined by Dictionary.com, is ‘the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.”
The beauty of education is to ask ‘Why?’ and have those questions answered. To be aware of knowledge one never knew about. To constantly discover new insights and new things every day, to answer questions lurking in our minds. But far too often, we are taught not to ask why, to just memorize. To get an A1, all we have to do is memorise our textbooks inside out and upside down, and be able to regurgitate them on the very day, tweaking them minimally to answer the questions asked. In the pursuit for grades, I believe we have lost the beauty of education: The ability to ask ‘Why?’
Maybe I’m still a teenager. Still sixteen, still not quite mature in my thinking processes and ways of speech. Maybe I don’t know exactly what type of education system I want, but I know one thing: I want a system where I’m not a product on a factory line, but a real human with an inquisitive mind, always taught to ask and wonder. Memorizing is indeed the fastest way out. Fastest way to good grades, the fastest way out of poverty, the fastest way to a good job and a good salary and a good life. The fastest way to a First World Country. But is it really the best way to educate?
Minister, the purpose of education is to ‘prepare oneself or others intellectually for mature life’. Singapore is a First World Country with developing quartenary industries and a high Human Development Index. It has a stable economy, a thriving political landscape and top-notch healthcare systems. No longer can we adopt the same methods it took us to get here. Instead, what the country needs is more thinkers, more creators. People who dare to ask ‘Why?’ and ‘Why not?’. People who are not slaves to change, but create the change. How do we train the leaders of the nation, if many of our brightest young minds are not bright because they can think, but are bright simply because they know how to maneuver their way around school exams and the education system? It is no surprise then, that many of our local policies are all recycled from those of other countries. They lack imagination and creativity, because it is my deep-set belief that other than curiosity, those are the other things the local education system kills.
My friends are constantly telling me that Singapore has no talent. They are constantly swooning over foreign celebrities, actors and actresses, but in comparison, the support and fanbase for our own local talents are negligible, save for a few. I do not believe that Singaporeans lack talent. In fact, I truly believe Singaporeans are a talented bunch. Art, music, dance, you name it, I can name someone who’s good at it. So what is the problem here, you may ask. The problem is that Singaporean youths are often not taught as individuals with separate talents, but as a collective who are all the same. Often, we suppress our own natural talents for what the education system wants. I have had so many Chemistry and Biology answers marked completely wrong just because I used my own words to express the same idea. ‘Cambridge wants this, so we will give them this’ appears to be the mindset of most of the teachers, who throw us model answers to be memorised. We cannot change the markers at the University of Cambridge, but I am sure you would agree with me that this is not the way to educate youths. Many times, in English, I have been told to follow a certain structure and certain format for even free writing tests. Youths are brimming with creativity and fresh ideas, but we lack that same outlet to express them. Why do you think social networking is such a crazy trend? Social networking gives students a voice that the education system never gave them.
How do we cultivate talent in this manner, by not giving youths a voice? By memorizing tons and tons of model answers and essays to be submitted? In this way, the education system is sending a message to Singaporean youths that it is not wrong to have a voice, but it is wrong to use this voice in the system of education. What it does not realise is that it is the education system that is supposed to give Singaporean students their voice! By educating students, we are giving them the ability and knowledge to speak their minds, yet take this privilege from them away all at the same time.
Is this really what education is? Stifling voices in favour of appeasing examiners, memorizing facts to get that A1, yet all of these are forgotten by the time we start work?
Call me naive, because I am still young, but I believe an education is not about imparting facts and figures and making students digest it all. It’s about shaping a mindset. Creating a person. Nurturing what God gave each one of us. I fear that in the pursuit for the Singaporean Dream, we have lost the initial purpose of education: to create a person, who is opinionated and articulate and creative and imaginative. Who is not afraid to think out of the box and come up with new ideas and policies.
We may be a First World Country, but if our education system still holds the belief that we are in a Second or Third World Country, and need to furiously cram facts in our head to get out of the cycle of poverty fast, then we will never truly raise First World leaders. Leaders who can think about the solution to an exact problem, and not recite whatever they learnt in their political science or economics courses in university.
—
Another gaping flaw in the education system is the premise of character development. From the way it is taught in schools, it often feels like schools are introducing character development just purely for the sake of it, and not for inculcating values important to working life.
Mr Heng, we are taught Civics and Moral Education from a FILE, and from TEXTBOOKS. We are given CME EXAMS. Surely you would agree this is not the way to go about teaching values? Values cannot be taught, so the education system tries to force it down our throats by teaching us morally-correct behaviour.
Since Social Studies in primary school, we have been fed the system’s easy way out. Instead of actually having values instilled into us, we are taught to give morally-correct answers. We are taught to help old ladies cross roads when they look like they need assistance. Though the last sentence may be a bit of an exaggeration, one cannot deny that it is true. Character is not the knowledge that we should help the old lady cross the road, but the actual act of helping her do it.
The sad but true reality is that most teenagers know that the old lady needs assistance, but would rather continue checking Facebook statuses and giving Twitter updates on their smartphones rather than going over and helping the poor soul.
Granted, who am I to make a generalisation and say that all teenagers are this way? I know that there are teenagers and youths out there who are truly compassionate, who would truly go out of their way to help, but I have no arguments in my bag of tricks to argue for the stand that this behaviour is taught by Civics and Moral Education lessons in schools. Rather, more often than not, it is good parenting that leads a child to do so, not CME lessons.
Teachers often ‘eat up’ our CME lessons to have their own lessons, for one. Though this may not be a commonplace occurence, it happens extremely often for graduating classes when teachers are rushing to finish up the syllabus. Again, the system sends out another message: As long as you can get all A1s for your O levels, your character does not matter.
I am sure this is not the intended message, but it is certainly what most of us are hearing. The common mentality is ‘So what if you have a good character? You’re failing most of your subjects.”
I find this rather peculiar, because I for one have always found that with a strong character, good grades come naturally afterwards. With self-discipline and self-motivation, a student can certainly get good grades. Thus, character development should in fact be more important than academic education, because after all, an education is not about pure academics. Instilling values in a child is certainly an important part of preparing them for maturity, for maturity does not come with grades, but with wisdom and growth no amount of midnight-oil-burning can develop.
—
As a Secondary Four student, I experience first-hand the ugliness of the flaws the education system has. In fact, I spent one hour and forty-five minutes writing you this letter. Though I am not sure if you will ever get to read it ever in this lifetime, but this is something that I believe in. I believe in being the change I want to see in the world, or at least in my environment, as cliched as that sounds. Every one else will tell me that this is a waste of time, because I have Preliminary examinations next week and I could have been studying instead of typing this long Facebook note out.
This is the type of education system the Ministry of Education’s policies have cultivated. A system where fighting for things one believes in are seen as a ‘waste of time’, where reading anything non-school-related is seen as yet another waste of time. Is this the type of education a First World Country should have, one where students’ thoughts and abilities to express themselves are confined within the front and back cover of their textbooks, where it is better to be passive and just study hard under the system than fight to change it and waste one’s time, where having your own thoughts is a liability.
Have we lost the true meaning of education somewhere in the paper chase, buried under all the degrees and diplomas and paychecks? Or were we lost all along as to what education truly means?
I have not given up hope that there is still space for change. I have not submitted myself to accepting that ‘this is the Singapore system and I cannot do anything about it’. I am fighting for the changes I want to see in the best way that I can, because I believe that someday, my children will be educated in such a way that they are taught to never stop asking, and to always care about the people around them. I believe that you have the power to make these changes happen, and if not, at least a thorough review of the policies made by your predecessors.
Thank you very much for your time.
.
Janelle Lee
- Taken from http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/07/12/an-open-letter-to-the-education-minister-from-a-secondary-4-student/
Regardless past or present, war is something that nobody will wants, because it takes away innocent lives due to it's unchanged characteristic, violence and killing. However, war does changed and evolved into a more and more serious disease to humans, which the wars nowadays will cause much more deaths than the past due to the advancing technology.
-> 
-> 
-> 
-Although one couldn't survive without money for basic needs, money should not be the priority in a relationship. If there is true love, regardless of the economic status of the person you love, you will still love each other. (adapted from Wikipedia)
I feel that different people has different requirement to built relationship with each other, some serve money as the priority but some does not.
Although money did bring people basic needs and comfort living, but money should not be the priority in a relationship. A relationship ‘built by money’ wouldn’t last long, and the relation is fake. It is the relation between human and money instead. And of course, the couple will be unable to feel the true love from each other.
In the other way round, a relationship that does not make money the priority, but the human itself, the relationship would not break easily as the relationship was built by the love from each other and their understanding of each other.
When a rich man married a woman who is poor, the women actually serve as a maid instead of wife. This situation is created due to the richer ones look down on the poorer ones, which the couple could hardly feel the love of each other at all.
I feel that there is an upward trend of relationship/marriage valuing money above other qualities. Nowadays, many couples broke up because of money. More courts about couples compete for support payment can be seen from news, or even when one dies, the other even compete for heritage with the family member. Also, besides news or media, many movies or dramas nowadays also reflect such problems.
Book review #2
I really enjoy reading this book as this novel is filled with excitement, and I enjoy reading adventure stories.
Book review #1
During the holidays, I have read a book named as '20000 thousand leagues under the sea’; this book is written by Jules Verne, an adventure story writer, who has also written novels such as 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' and 'Around the earth in 80 days'.
This story is mainly distributed into 3 sections, the first section is about how professor Aronnex, his manservant, Conseil and Ned Land land on the Nautilus, and how they met captain Nemo, the second section is about the exciting adventurous that they have done during the journey. The last section is about how the three people escaped from the Nautilus.
This book is a science fiction book which talks about the thought of the ‘submarine’ that hasn’t been investigated on that time. The story opens in the year 1866. Everyone in Europe and America is talking about a mysterious creature that has been sinking ships. Finally, the United States government decides to send out a ship named as “Abraham Lincoln” to capture and identify the creature. On board the ship are Professor Aronnax, his manservant, Conseil, and Ned Land, the king of harpooners. The Abraham Lincoln is attacked by the creature sometimes later. Aronnax, Conseil and Land go overboard.
The three men then find themselves on top of the mysterious creature, which is actually a submarine vessel, the Nautilus. They are taken on board and placed in a cell. Then they meet Captain Nemo, the commander of the vessel. He tells them they can stay on board the ship and enjoy freedom as long as they return to the cell if asked. They are never to leave the vessel again. Ned Land says he will not promise that he will not try to escape. Captain Nemo treats the men very well, especially Aronnex. The three people have their freedom to wander around the vessel at their leisure. During the board, Aronnex has write down what he has observed during the journey.
During their time on the Nautilus, the men experience exciting adventures. They hunt in underwater forests, visit an island with angry natives, visit the lost city of Atlantis, and fish for giant pearls. One night, while off the coast of Norway, Aronnax, Conseil and Land plan an escape as they realize they are heading toward a giant whirlpool—one that no ship has ever survived. Amazingly, in only a small dinghy they emerge safely. They awake in the hut of a fisherman. In the end of the story, Aronnax is awaiting his return to France and write down his memories of the journey that with Captain Nemo.
I really enjoy reading this book as this novel is filled with excitement, and I enjoy reading adventure stories.
Q - Young man in Singapore, including you, will have to National Service. Why do you think National Service is compulsory in Singapore and why is it important? In the poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country, England. Do you find this same spirit of patriotism for Singapore? Why?
Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.All the deceit continues to spread.Nefariously America led astray -Generations untold WILL pay -Execrable effects of agent orange spray!Hubert Wilson
This poem was written by Hubert Wilson, who was a veteran of the Vietnam war. He serve in the USAF security service during the war and probably having painful experience during the time he expose to the chemicals. After years and when he started to have mobility issues, he started writing.
The language of the poem shows sarcasm to the America from phrases such as 'Now thinking twice?' which indicates that America doesn't think of the consequences before starting the war. The poem follows a-a-b-b-c-c rhyming pattern and the first alphabet of each sentence form 'AGENT ORANGE'
Personal Respond:
I feel that chemicals can cause terrible effects to human and environment if use for sin purposes such as wars, which even after the war ends, the effect will continue which would harm the next generation. I could feel the anger of the poet toward wars and the 'Agent Orange', while also to the Americans. I have the same feeling with him after reading the poem which shows how many people dying and harmed by the chemicals.
This photograph is taken in Hue, Vietnam by year 1968. The photograph is most probably showing people the negative impact on wars. The photograph has shows the consequences of wars which man suffers and destruction. The photograph is taken in black and white which firstly shows that it was an historical photograph which happens long time ago and secondly it adds on to the feeling of sorrow in the photograph.
The photograph shows three soldiers which probably one was heavily injured and a man is trying to aid him. This scene gives people a sorrow feeling by showing people suffer due to the war and this scene probably seems to convey that war bring pain to human and make man suffer. This scene also creates a serious atmosphere which the man would probably die anytime. This scene thus gives people a sense of hatred which man suffers due to wars.
The surrounding shows a mess scene which created by shattered buildings probably created due to a war. This shows the destruction of the previous war, which seems to conveying that wars destroy human’s property. This scene also adds on a hatred feeling to the picture which a kind of mess and destruction.
From the soldier’s expression which haggard and pain shows that they are probably suffer from wars and tired of it. This adds on to the sense of suffer and hatred and seems to convey that people are tired of wars and which wars bring no good to humans.
Banana splits are a great dessert to have at anytime. Usually large enough to be shared, they are an excellent way to satisfy that ice cream craving.
In order to make a delicious banana split, you need some ingredient such as 3 scoop of ice cream of different flavour, some hot fudge topping some fruit syrup toppings of your choice, whipped cream, some cherries, some nuts, and a ripe banana. You also need some equipment such as an Oval ice cream bowl and an Ice cream scoop
Firstly, cut the banana lengthwise down the middle and arrange the 2 pieces side by side with a gap in-between on the serving plate with the inside of the banana facing up.
Now place three scoops of ice cream of your flavour in the centre, and spoon hot fudge over the scoops of ice cream. Now you can add the fruit syrups to your liking to the ice cream. Traditional flavours including strawberry and pineapple.
Finally, decorate the banana split using the whipped cream, nuts and cherries. The banana split is now done. You may choose to serve it warm or cold.
673 Bukit Timah Road,
Singapore 123456,
30th March 2011.
Dear Mr. MICHAEL WINES,
I am Lim Yuet Tung, a secondary 2 student from Hwa Chong Institution. I happened to read your article and feel the urge to reply you. But before you start to read the letter, please look around you.
Everyone is working hard, not only deals with Japan, but the whole world, like a team, when someone was injured, others will support him. The whole world is doing its best helping Japan to recover, showing the spirit of teamwork between humans, you are not alone.
The earth tremble on 11 March 2011, but with the strong spirit Japanese have demonstrated during this crisis, I am sure that this isn’t an end, but a new start for the Japan.
I feel sorry and sympathize for the victim of the disaster; but this is perhaps the best time for us to take a moment to reflection ourselves and the human spirit. I am sure that Japanese will recover from the disaster very soon, like they always do.
I believe in human spirit, those with strong human spirit could always overcome any disasters, overcome sorrow, no matter what happens, there is always hope in their heart, they will not concede.
Japan is a strong country, and it will not lose to any natural disasters. Japanese was a strong nation that is always respectable and honoured by humans.
I believe that the people who went missing will come home soon, and everything will be fine as long as the spirit remains. At here I will end my letter, please remember there is always hope, so please do not give up no matter what.
Regards,
Lim Yuet Tung
Today is founder's day and our class are doing CIP in old folk's home. Also, our MSG was released today.
IH
Today's motto: -
reference:
http://www.google.com.sg/images?hl=en&biw=1362&bih=583&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=kite+eating+tree&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m3&aql=&oq=
The surrounding is quiet, only the tree branches oscillating sound could be heard in the dark, dark night. The kite seems like being tightly pulled by some creatures, the kite could not be release from the tree no matter how hard he pulled it. "Wh...What's that!" Suddenly the kite has been released from the tree and make him fall back, just at the moment when he fell, he saw a pair of red-eye blinking at him from the tree.
Thirteen of May 1969, there was race riot in Malaysia; he became one of the refugees. Year 1970, great flood of Malaysia made him homeless.
He lives in a poor family since he was born; his life became worse since 1969, as the Malays had taken away all the valuables his family had. He was the only one who can afford to study in his family, he work hard, always got number one in his school. He also helped to deliver newspaper every morning in order to earn money for his family, while he was only 10.
He couldn’t afford to eat anything better than porridge and pickles and bread, which he never fully filled his stomach, except once.
Until now, he couldn’t forget the day when he had his first wantan noodles. He remember clearly that day, after the flood in Year 1970, when he was 10, walking back home from school. He saw an aunty busy selling wantan noodles. His pocket got no money, and he never dare to eat this kind of expensive food. He walked to the stall, gazed at the aunty, smell the free sweet smell of the wantan noodles. He really envied those customers who could afford the wantan noodles, regardless the fact that he has coveted. He took his bag and prepared to leave.
Then he saw the mountain of bowls behind the stall. The afternoon time was boring to him. Without thinking, he squat in front of the mountain of plates and started to do what he used to do every day.
Nobody noticed him, he didn’t notice anybody either. To him, it’s a good way to spend his afternoon time. This could be a kind of entertainment to the children from poor family. He had nothing to think of; he concentrated on cleaning the bowls.
He prepared to leave while the sky turned dark. He took his schoolbag, then he noticed a bowl of delicious wantan noodle on a table.He curiously walk over to the table, the bowl of wonton noodle was still warm, seemed like just cooked by the aunty.
That was his remuneration, the aunty had prepared that for his hard work, The aunty had left, leaving a note under the bowl of wantan noodle “Thanks for your help; this bowl of wantan noodle is specially made for you.”
Warm steam slowly rising from the bowl, that was the most delicious food he ever had in his life. He didn’t expect for any reward. The sky turned dark as cold breeze blew, tears dropped from his face when the he drink the warm wantan soup. He felt so hungry after a day of hard work, but this was the first time he slowly, slowly tasted his dinner.
When he grew older, and success in his business, his memory makes wantan noodle his favorite food. Although he has tasted infinite types of wantan noodles, for an unknown reason, he feels that the most delicious wantan noodle that he ever ate was that first bowl of wantan noodle.
Harper Lee
1) About the author
Her full name was Nelle Harper Lee and she was born in 1926.
2) Biodata
She was born in Alabama. As a child, Lee was a tomboy and a good reader, and was best friends with her schoolmate and neighbor, Truman Capote (as known as Dill).
3) Novels written by her
- "To Kill a Mockingbird." (1960)
- "Christmas to Me". (December 1961)
- "When Children Discover America". (August 1965).
- "Cold Blood" (1966)
- Capote and Lee collaborated "The Long Goodbye" (mid-1980s)
4) Awards received
- Pulitzer Prize (1961)
- Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1961)
- Alabama Library Association Award (1961)
- Bestsellers Paperback of the Year Award (1962)
- Member, National Council on the Arts (1966)
- Best Novel of the Century, Library Journal (1999)
- Alabama Humanities Award (2002)
- ATTY Award, Spector Gadon & Rosen Foundation (2005)
- Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award (2005)
- Honorary degree, University of Notre Dame (2006)
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (2007)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2007)
5) Why was TKAM a significant novel to her?
Scout Finch's childhood from To Kill A Mockingbird is very similar to her own childhood. It was as if she was talking about herself in the book.
Trials of a true Southern Belle and Southern Gentlemen
1) What were the rules of etiquette for Southern gentlemen and ladies?
The Southern Belle must know how to cook, do needle work and must also know ball dance skill, while the southern gentlemen must be polite, honest, kind and also repect a lady.
2) What did southern ladies do to pass their time?
Baking cakes, like Ms Maudie
3) Pictures of Southern ladies and gentlemen
4) Identify characters in the novel that fit the mould of true southern belles and gentlemen and those don't? Explain why they fit the mould and why they don't.
Calpurnia is a southern belle as she has good culinary skills and Atticus is a southern gentleman as he respect not just Anut Alexandra but also everyone around him. Bob Ewell is not a southern gentlemen as he disrespected Atticus by spitting on him.
Montgomery Bus Boycott and Scottsboro trails
1) State the specifics of each trail and why they were significant
--On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks, a 40 year old black seamstress, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on the bus. "...the only tired I was, was tired of giving in," says Rosa Parks. She was also part of an organization, called the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.) The NAACP played a huge role in trying to stop segregation. The NAACP was looking for someone that would stand up to the court system in a test case. Before Rosa Parks was chosen for the test case, there were two women before her that were arrested for not giving up their seats, and the NAACP tried to use them for a test case as well. Neither of these women proved to be suitable candidates for the test case that would end segregation. The day Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat; the NAACP knew that she was the perfect test case.
(taken from http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/bus-boycott/)
--During the Great Depression of the 1930s, poor people would ride in railroad freight cars, trying to get to a town that might have work. In 1931, two white women were riding the trains along with two groups of men: one white and another black. A fight broke out between the two groups of men. The blacks won and threw the whites off the train. The whites reported this to the local sheriff, and the train was stopped in Scottsboro, Alabama. Everyone on board was arrested. Victoria Price was in serious trouble because her friend, Ruby Bates, was a minor. It's a federal crime to take a minor across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. In order to get out of trouble, Victoria and Ruby said that the black men had raped them. In 1931, rape was punishable by death. Considering the races of the accusers (white) and accused (black), the normal response would have been a lynching (hanging someone who is suspected of a crime). But the people of Scottsboro held a trial, instead. Of course, the result had been decided before the trial began. The Scottsboro Boys were convicted and sentenced to death - at the first trial.But that was only the beginning. The Scottsboro Trials - we will examine two of them - dragged on for six more years and resulted in two Supreme Court rulings.
(taken from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html)
2) How is the scottboro trail related to the trail in the novel?
In both trail, the white girls claim that they were being raped but evidently not. However, the innoncent men were punished to death plainly because they are black.
3) In what way are these trails similar?
Both are biased. The black is going against the white and white against the black. But the Black always lose.
1)When did the civil rights movement begin?
From year 1950 ~ year 1980
2) What was the civil rights movement about?
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law.
3) State some of the significant incidents that took place in the civil right movements.
--The civil rights movement in United States aimed to to abolish public and private acts of racial discrimination.
--The civil rights movement in Northern Ireland settle the tensions between the Catholic and Protestant community.
--Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
4) Which American President supported the civil right movement?
5) What was the outcome of this movement?
6) In what way is the Civil Rights movement related to the novel?
Jim Crow's Laws
1) What/Who is Jim Crow?
Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system.
2) What were Jim Crow Laws?
Jim Crow Laws was a set of rules targeted towards the black, making them look like they are dogs (or even worse).
3) What was the response of the slaves and the Blacks to these laws?
The blacks felt unfair and tried to break the law but failed.
4) Do we see the Jim Crow laws surface in the novel? If so then in which part of the novel?
Yes. The black and whites go to different churches although they have the same god
The Civil War
1) Identify the southern states.
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
2) Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?
Abraham Lincoln ----->
3) Why was the Civil War fought?
The war was fought over the freedom of the slaves in the south.
4) When was the Civil War fought?
year 1861 ~ year 1865
5) What was the outcome of the war?
The south surrender and the slavery was abolished.
6) How does the Civil Rights movement relate to the novel?
Atticus is fighting for a black, which is similar to the North fighting for the blacks slaves in the South.
1) When and How the Slavery begin in the southern state -
Slavery started when the colonies were first set-up in Virginia The first batch of African slaves came to America in 1619.A Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of Africans for food in 1619. The Africans became indentured servants.The popular conception of a racial-based slave system did not develop until the 1680's
2) Which country were the slaves brought from -
Probably most of them were from Africa
3) Who traditionally bought and owned the slaves -
The white Southerners that lived that time
4) Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide by?
Yes
What were they?
The slaves could not read and write,
The slaves did could not have a weapon,
If the slaves were caught escaping, the owner will beat and slash the slaves.
All shows that the slaves does not have any rights and freedom. They were treated even worse than dogs.
5) How does the notion of slavery relate to the novel?
Because of the incident of slavery, the white has a mindset that white > black , the whites look down at blacks and treated them as dogs. Similarly, in the novel, Reverned Sykes said that "I've never seen a court that black wins the white." Shows that the discrimination of blacks is so serious that even court which 'all men are created equal' also look down on Tom Robinson.
Does the study of slavery help you understand the novel better?
Yes, it shows why the whites always look down at the blacks.
