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?