English commentary 2! --> Smoking

Many people die from it each year and yet some experience living hell without it. Smoking. Something detested by many, yet relied on by more. Some can’t stand the smell of smoke, yet some just can’t get enough of it. Clearly, the people’s views on this topic are divided. I personal detest the act of smoking, although I respect the right of others to do so.

Smoking is a profitable commodity. And many countries earn much money just from the taxes they impose on cigarettes. Especially in a country like Singapore, where the taxes imposed on cigarettes are high, it helps to boost and stimulate the economy. At $10+ for each packet, cigarettes certainly do not come cheap in Singapore. The main part of the price of a cigarette pack is tax from the country. The Singapore government has slowly increased the price of cigarette packets to discourage people from smoking. The government’s actions are not without reason.

Smoking is extremely harmful to both the person smoking, and the people around them. It causes multiple problems such as lung cancer, heart problems, and stroke etcetera. This is caused by the harmful substances in cigarettes such as nicotine and tar. These smokers also cause harm to those around them, as the smoke particles do contain carcinogens (Cancer causing substances) which do cause harm to other innocent bypassers. Smoking is also extremely dangerous for children and babies, who have a low body mass and are hence more easily affected by this. Smokers tend to live 10-15 years shorter than Non-smokers due to the many health problems that smoking causes. It is clear that smoking is extremely bad for the members of the public.

Smoking is also extremely disliked by many members of the public. Many people find the smell of smoke disgusting, and few may even vomit upon the slightest bit of it reaching their olfactory organs. It is not an uncommon sight for people to move away from smokers when they start to click their lighters. Many people care for their own health, and feel uncomfortable in the presence of a smoker. Smokers are isolated into their own corners, because of the fear generated from the harms of smoking.

However, smoking is the choice of the people. If they choose to smoke, nothing can be done by the government, except attempts to dissuade them not to smoke. We also have to accept the fact that smokers are not capable of just getting rid of their addiction just like that. It takes great amounts of willpower to be able to resist something. The fact is that cigarettes, just like nicotine, are drugs. Although cigarettes are far less addictive, it is still difficult to shake off such an addiction. The seemingly cheap price of cigarettes also led many smokers to the illusion that smoking is not as expensive as they think, even though some smokers are capable of spending hundreds of dollars every month. These hundreds of dollars each month could be spent on many other things, such as to be saved up for rainy days, or to be used for the enjoyment of other family members.

Smoking does not only drain money on a daily basis, it is also capable of draining large amounts of money at a go, especially when the smokers fall sick from the hazardous substances in the smoke, and have to go for surgery or treatment. These treatments can be extremely expensive, and without the savings that they could have had if they did not smoke, it is unlikely that they would be able to pay for their medical fees. This especially applies in the real world since many smokers are from a lower social class, and are less educated, so most of them earn slightly less.

Singapore is a country where smoking is rather unsupported by the government. This has been shown repeatedly in the new laws that have been passed by the government in the past few years. Singapore is progressing towards providing an environment with fewer smokers for its people. However, it is unlikely that Singapore would be able to be fully smoke-free due to the massive number of smokers in the society. The only thing that we can do, is to convince those around us to help maintain a smoke-free environment.

ERP

1a) 'Growing Up'

Even though a long time has passed since it happened, the scene at the hospital remains imprinted deep in my mind. I can never forgot how I felt then, when I saw my mother lying on the hospital bed, too weak to even sit up straight.

It happened quite a number of years back, when I was a small little boy, still woefully unaware of many things around me. The day she left us, everything went on as normal, my sister and I still went to school, we came back home together, and had dinner, as if nothing had happened. However, there was a gloomy atmosphere, as if something important was missing. Even the young me could sense that something was not right.

When dad came home, his face was full of worry. Despite our numerous attempts to find out what was wrong, he wouldn’t tell us. Just then, my sister and I realised something. Where was our mother? My father would normally pick her up from work, but she didn’t come back home with him today. As my mind drifted slowly away, wondering what could have happened to my mother, a sudden cry pierced the silent night. My sister, thinking that my mother had abandoned us, was starting to cry. My dad, seeing my sister so upset, had no choice but to reveal the truth. My mother was suffering from appendicitis and had to be hospitalised. He promised to take us to see her the next day.

That night, I couldn’t sleep at all. I should have known that my mother was sick. For the last few days before then, she frequently complained about her stomach hurting. I regretted not caring for her back then, not comforting her as a good son should have done.

The next day, the three of us went down to the hospital. For me, it was the first time there, and it scared me. Inside, the people were either malformed in one way or another, having an oddly bent elbow, having a bandaged leg, or were wearing those strange white uniforms. These people spooked me. I stayed close to my father, placing my small hands in his.

And then we reached my mother’s room. And what I saw scared me. She lay on that white bed, both eyes closed, face paler then I’ve ever seen before. She was connected to various medical equipment, some measuring heart rate, some giving her vital nutrients needed to sustain her. Seeing my mother like that, my sister burst into tears. Hearing her cries, my mother was awoken. She looked down on my sister, and raised her hand weakly. Seeing how weak she was really made me feel sympathetic and helpless. She was in so much pain, and yet I could not do anything to help her. I could not do a single thing to relieve her pain no matter how much I wished I could do so.

Of course, she survived the ordeal after undergoing an operation.

After that experience, I learnt how to care for my family members when they were sick, before their condition worsened. My bond with my mother increased in strength, as I learnt how to care for her as she did for me when I was young.

The stick wars

1. The central issue raised by this article is whether students should be caned. The article discusses the psychological effects of caning on both the caned student himself, and those watching. It also discusses whether these caning is effective in preventing these students from repeating their offences. The article takes a stand that these children should not be caned as caning is not efficient in ending out the correct message. The article argues that it is a “Display of Barbarity” and that caning should not be supported.

2. To cane or not to cane? If you were a parent, would you agree for your child to be caned in public for a serious offence like stealing? Some people believe that caning is an act or barbarity, while some believe that it is the most efficient way to send the message out to both the student being caned and those observing, that what the student is being punished for should not be done.

Firstly, caning is should always be used a last resort, when the student is a repeat offender that cannot understand why what he is doing is wrong. The student should not be used as a tool to send out a message to the rest of the student population. The act of caning should always be the best course of action for the student. Some may argue that caning is never the best option for the student, and that counseling is always a better solution. However, so what do you do if even after multiple rounds of counseling, the student continues to make the offence? Threaten him with a reduced grade point if he does not stop? Obviously caning is the only option left. Caning is not about the pain, but about the shame. When the student is punished in front of the entire school, the student feels a lot of shame. This shame is what will prevent the child from doing it again. If what we do is to counsel the child after he steals, he’ll only think that he is allowed to do it and that it’s okay to steal. When he is caned, he will finally understand how severe his offence is.

However, some people may argue that caning is not an option for the rational human being. Caning uses violence to solve problems, and it brings out the barbarity in the people. It brings gives people the idea that people always have to be punished using force. What kind of impression would the act of caning young children give to members of other countries? If caning is continued, Singapore may even be seen as a barbaric society, where violence is used to solve problems.

The act of caning could affect the other students watching. They might think that force is the only way to solve problems and engage in fighting with each others to solve problems in the future. The act of caning is a public display of violence which may disgust many who are watching. In the article the author’s child is clearly disgusted when she thinks “No one should be caned, especially not in public.” The young innocent minds of the children could be suffering from serious effects as they might not be able to take trauma of seeing others being caned. However, this is exactly the effect that the disciplinary board wants to attain.

Caning is not only about punishing the student, but also about sending out a message to the rest of the student populace. If they see their fellow schoolmate being caned, they will also feel disgusted, and would not want to be put in their shoes. This would be a strong motivation for them to not commit any crimes in the future. Some may say that this is not the correct way to send the message out, but is there a better way? Caning is extremely effective as it allows all the students to identify as they all can feel what it feels like for them to be standing up there waiting to be caned. The sense of dread before the caning applies for both the person being caned, and the audience.

As they say, spare the rod and spoil the child. If these children are not caned, how would they be able to understand the true consequences of their actions?

Random

Have fun reading. Or else.

Next guy. Clicky here

Writing a personal commentary

Scrap the CCTs

He sits there, frantically scribbling on those long black lines that seem to extend to infinity. He panics as he desperately searches his vast pool of knowledge for the answers and fails to find what he needs. This student is taking the dreaded CCTs, or else known as the Common Class Tests. So why should we take these CCTs? They're not liked by any of the students, and cause so much stress, and yet they are still there, tormenting these poor souls. Why are these students tortured so? Why are these students forced to stay up late to study for these CCTs so that they can achieve good grades?

The reason is simple. CCTs is an important way to find out how much students understand. Without CCTs, teachers won't be able to find out if students actually understand what they are being taught during lessons, or if the students were actually paying attention. If the students didn't understand what was taught during class, what would be the point of going to school? It would just be a huge waste of time. To be better able to teach the students, CCTs were created. This way, teachers could understand their students level better and be better able to educate the students with a more efficient method.

However, so what if the teachers knew how much the students can understand? Do the teachers have time to teach each student about the topic, and explain to them what they do not understand? Is each and every student willing to learn more about the topic? Obviously not. There are always students who are unwilling to learn anything, and most teachers do not have the time to conduct extra lessons for those who need them. So what's the point of CCTs being conducted if it is not able to facilitate the education of the students?

Furthermore, CCTs create a lot of stress for the students. Already extremely busy, these students have to study and revise things that they have already learnt, wasting precious time. These students have to squeeze in time in their busy schedules so that they have time to study. With all this studying for CCTs going on, how can they have time to play? As we all know, fun and games is an important part of child's life. With no fun, how can these children and students enjoy their young lives?

CCTs are a pathetic waste of time. They waste our time, and cause us stress, so why should we not scrap the CCTs?

Controversial Statements

Murderers should be executed (Pathos)

Murderers are evil. They take life away. So why shouldn't their lives be taken away too? They take away life from the innocent, causing pain and grief to the family and friends of the deceased. Life is sacred; how can these murderers just take away something so sacred from the innocent? Did these victims do anything wrong? No. Did these people deserve to die under the hands of someone so evil? No. Murderers are cruel and heartless.
We must punish them by executing them. They cannot be let off so easily.

What is exposition?

Exposition is a literary device, used to explain things through conversations, flashbacks or narratives. It is used in commonly used in expository essays where a topic is discussed and expositions are used to emphasize a point.

From wikipedia: "Exposition is one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose of exposition is to inform, the readers about the plot, character, setting, and theme of the essay/story."

Reference:

(2009, March 29). Exposition(literary technique) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Exposition (literary technique) Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposition_(literary_technique)