Author: kaker16186@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

What are my course goals/aims/hopes? 

Through this course, I hope to deepen my understanding of both the famous literature texts and explore the world of language, be it in the avenue of songs by The Weeknd/Travis Scott – my favorite musical artists – or the avenue of propaganda and speeches. Songs by these 2 artists have been of unparalleled importance to me, so gaining a deeper appreciation of the same would definetely prove satisfying.

I also hope to improve my composition skills; I have perenially enjoyed writing narrative pieces, opinion editorials, or scientific research reports. I believe that by deepening my understanding of the language that governs everything from everyday conversation to the most potent of speeches, I will be able to apply my newfound understanding and become a more compelling writer.

Think about a memorable experience you have had, then try to consider how you feel studying this course could help you understand it/them/yourself better, whatever that may be and link this to your course ‘goals’

To elaborate on some of the previous points, perhaps the most memorable array of experiences I have had with language are in the field of music.  Attending The Weeknd concert back in December 2018, listening to songs by The Weeknd & Travis Scott regularly, and attempting to analyze their songs both out of personal interest and as an alternative to yet another prose/poetry (which I do enjoy doing, simply not as much) are just some of the treasured experiences I have had with music. As mentioned earlier, being able to more critically view language and more importantly, understand authorial intent & discern whether it is of great depth or of surface level nature are some of my key goals for this course.

Another memorable experience I have had with language is my time as a Trump supporter when I was only an impressionable, young 7th Grader. At the time, I was enamored by his distinctive and harsh yet also humorous rhetoric. It would undoubtedly be interesting to fully comprehend the mechanisms by which his language was not only able to enthrall myself, but also convinced another 63 million people into voting for him whilst also helping him achieve a 51% approval rating today. This is in spite of him being perhaps once of the most unorthodox politicans in American history.

1st Verse of the Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face”:

The following are two things about my essay writing that I am proud of:

1. My ability to deeply explore a quote/piece of evidence.
2. My ability to bring it all together at the end, especially in the concluding paragraph.

Through practice, I’ve learned that I’m really good at connecting a quote/evidence and a play to its deeper implications in literature because I’ve demonstrated that I am adept at analysing proses, poems, and plays and searching for deeper meaning. However, I know I need to work on being more concise and only including as much writing as necessary as I am frequently pressed for time. I plan to do this by practicing more and working on thinking of 1-2 sentences, then combining them into 1 concise one to be shorter and be able to cover a broader range of evidence.

Introduction to Issue:

Migrant workers classified as Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) in Singapore are citizens of neighboring, less developed countries (India, Phillipines, Bangladesh etc) who come to Singapore under the FDW Work Permit Visa. Of the nearly 250,000 that work in Singapore (ChannelNewsAsia, 2018), almost all conduct work designated as “menial” by society, such as being in house resident helpers/maids or doing construction work. They normally migrate to Singapore due to the promise of a higher income that will better support their family back home.

On the forefront, the situation does not seem like a huge problem. After all, most FDWs earn an income in SG far exceeding prospective jobs back home. For example, a typical filipino FDW would earn around $5400 USD a year in SG (HelperChoice, 2017), versus the Filipino GDP per capita of $2,895.3 USD a year in 2017 (Mourdoukoutas, 2017). Meanwhile, families in Singapore do not have to conduct the “menial” work they would otherwise do. This means a lower opportunity cost for SG residents and perhaps a better economy as SG resident’s higher skills could be dedicated towards a professional job, rather than on managing the home. This methodology towards the situation is a utilitarianist belief, which we learnt about in the Faith Ideology Ethics unit, later applying it to the Charlie Gard case.

The associated sustainability issue is with regards to how these FDWs are treated within the workplace and Singapore society. (This connects well to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth alongside other SDGs regarding social wellbeing) Numerous such workers report poor working conditions, unfair working hours, and exploitation in their workplace. As per a recent survey, around 37% of foreign domestic workers across Singapore reported that they received less than their stipulated salary. 26% also reported that their employers made unauthorized deductions from their salaries (Lyon, 2017). Other factors like inordinate working hours sometimes in excess of 16 hrs a day alongside bad living conditions have led to over 60% of domestic helpers in SG being exploited in some form, as per a recent survey. (Channel News Asia, 2017).

Moreover, the rights of FDWs throughout SG tend to be inadequate. For instance, employers are allowed to keep their FDW’s passports, dictate when they may leave the house, and are not prohibited from confiscating worker’s possessions like phones. Until this year’s new regulations by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) (Mei, 2018), employers could even hold possession of all their FDW’s money including already paid salaries.

Though these matters do not compare with the horrors of human trafficking eminent in other parts of South East Asia, they are surprising for a highly developed nation and can be compared to a toned down version of modern-day slavery. Fortunately the government is taking actions to denounce such practices, though these efforts still have a long way to go.

My take on why this issue exists:

There are numerous reasons for why this issue may exist in the progressive, highly developed society Singapore. The predominant reason is that employers hold superfluous power over their FDW’s. In addition to the control they already enjoy as previously mentioned, employers are also allowed to terminate their helper’s contract, end their legal stay in SG, and send them back to their home country on a flight, all on the same day. By comparison, if an “expat” were to be fired from his job, he would have 28 days to find a new one. I believe that when considered with the already vulnerable setting of a foreign land and home, this harbors a sense of power within employers whilst harboring fear within the helpers. (A similar view is taken by the Supreme court of Singapore, who in a 2017 judgement stated that “[t]he courts have unwaveringly recognised domestic maids as vulnerable victims and a category of persons in need of constant protection”).

As demonstrated by the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (Stanford Prison Experiment, 2019) as reported by the Smithsonian (Smithsonian, 2012), power has an inherently corrupting effect, being prone to misuse. Exploitation of these workers is thus more likely to occur.

Another contributing factor is the meritocratic nature of Singaporean society. This characteristic has led to many FDWs being viewed as inferior; after all, few of them have an education beyond middle/high school and they do not earn a respectable salary by Singapore standards, both characteristics of a failure in SG. Characterizing FDWs as “beneath us” further leads to their exploitation since it prevents them from receiving adequate respect.

This worker exploitation is a sustainability issue as it entails indecent working conditions and a lack of social wellbeing, since FDWs are part of Singapore society.

Relevant Local and Global Perspectives:

A prominent local non profit on the issue is the Transient Workers Count 2 group. Founded in 2003, it is “dedicated to improving conditions for low wage migrant workers” in Singapore (TWC2, 2019). They do this by offering legal support, residency to runaway domestic helpers in their shelters, and meals to construction FDWs. Their actions are concomitant of their vision for society where “All labour is dignified” and is “treated with respect and consideration”. They also believe that no worker regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender should be subjected to degrading or inhumane working conditions, a belief in line with the Dignity of Labor philosophy. Some of their notable impact includes serving over 1,000,000 meals to construction FDWs (TWC2, 2018). The influences on their beliefs are likely a result of the past experiences held by the board members and their founders, as it is our experience that nurtures our beliefs.

Perhaps the most prominent organization dedicated to ameliorating working conditions on a global scale is the International Labor Organization (ILO). Their aim as stated on their website is to, “set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men” by developing their own programmes and working with governments. Potential influences would most likely include the United Nations, as it was the organization that initiated the ILO. This indicates that SDGs number 11: Decent work and Economic Growth, and UDHR articles relating to the same would have been major influences. So far they have run over 600 programmes in a 120 countries dedicated towards their mission (ILO, 2019). Interestingly enough however they do not provide solid information about these programme’s impact, implying that either they have not made any solid impact or believe not in advertising numbers but rather their mission and stories of those who they have helped. Nonetheless, their impacts have been lauded with the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor suggesting major impact on their part.

A Individual/Local Perspective straight from my home:

In order to understand how foreign domestic workers, specifically helpers, feel about their lives in Singapore society, I decided to interview our households’ domestic worker from India, Paramjit for a first hand perspective. Paramjit is a 36 year old Indian woman who came to Singapore in 2008 via an agency to become a domestic helper. She was married when she was only 14, having her first child at 15. Her children are 21, 19, and 15 years old. Her motivation for moving to Singapore was to support her children’s education.

Our family has employed foreign domestic workers like Paramjit for numerous reasons. The primary reason is that it allows both my parents to work full time, as they do not have to spend substantial time managing the house. It also permits for other conveniences like being able to come back from work/school to a clean home with a warm, home cooked meal awaiting us.

***The interview is submitted as an mp4 video.

SG Government Viewpoint summary:

The SG Government operates on this issue through the Ministry of Manpower. To further alleviate the issue, the government has begun to repeal some of the more injust laws like the law where employers can keep their FDWs money (Mei, 2018). This particular law was subjected to removal earlier this year as it supposedly created tension between employer and FDW, whilst giving the employer too much power over its employee. The government still has a long way to go, but does not have a shortage of non profits to support it, with HOME

Relative Importance of these perspectives:

In terms of relative importance, the most is the International Labor Organization, given its global presence and wide reaching impact. Followed by it is the SG Government and finally the TWC2 given the decrease in size and global presence. I would not however, classify our foreign domestic helper as having the least important perspective. Rather, I feel hers is equally important to some of the aforementioned listed ones given that she is one of those affected by the situation, even if not in the negative way. Hesr and other FDW’s perspective are perhaps some of the most valued when making future laws.

Current Solutions Conducted with UWC:

School partnership with the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) –

In the recent years our school has partnered with the HOME NGO, a non profit dedicated towards the betterment of FDW’s lives. The NGO does this by offering legal support, appealing to the government Our school has made impact by helping the group run training sessions on UWC campus for foreign domestic helpers, in order to help them understand Singapore better, improve their competitiveness in the Singapore labor market, and make them aware of various helplines available to them.

Proposed Solutions:

One solution to alleviate the issue is to incorporate education regarding foreign domestic workers into the humanities program of schools in SG, starting with our very own. This will help spread awareness on the matter, promote greater understanding, and predate kinder behaviours towards FDWs. Ultimately this could lead to better treatment of such workers.

Another solution is to provide FDWs with pamphlets to complement current mechanisms in  Singapore like Ministry of Manpower helplines. These could be distributed when new helpers arrive to Changi airport. This would help them feel more secure in their current vulnerable situation and provide avenues of assistance when they are faced with harassment or abuse in their workplace.

My Perspectives & Concluding Remarks:

Personally, I believe that FDW employment is propitious to Singapore, especially its economy as mentioned in the introduction. (Note: This belief stated in the intro highlights my utilitarian doctrine, a belief I questioned in my FIE essay on Charlie Gard.) Though not faultness, it generally allows for mutual benefit between the employers and domestic workers. I myself enjoy not having to clean my own room or make the bed, especially since I had to do this almost every day when I was living in the United States (A country where domestic workers/housemaids are highly paid, only employed by the super wealthy).  However, employment of FDWs in SG must be done so with greater care and regulation on employers, especially by making more basic human rights accessible to FDWs. I feel this way due to my egalitarian beliefs on such matters. This is both a result of daily indoctrination by UWC schooling since Grade 2 (9 years and counting in UWC), in addition to past experience in Model United Nations, where producing more equitable societies was a key objective of discussions (Mentioned both these factors in my Human Rights Assessment). I also feel this way due to my belief in ideologies regarding free will. These were fostered by my parents who gave me almost complete independence academically & socially since the Sixth Grade. (This is an ideology I discussed in my mandala, through highlighting how it was free will alone that got me involved into circus arts/juggling). I feel that free will is important since every human being should have the right to govern themselves and live their lives how they want, as meeting these self-set objectives provides us with the ultimate satisfaction.

Most FDWs however do not have this same right to free will. Many of them work due to pressure from home to earn income, or due to the result of financial struggle their families face every day. Perhaps the least we can do for them is ensure the opportunity to more free will, given how little of it many of them possess.

References:

1. “6 Out of 10 Maids in Singapore Are Exploited: Survey.” Channel NewsAsia, Channel News Asia, 30 Nov. 2017, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/6-out-of-10-maids-in-singapore-are-exploited-survey-9454694.
2. “ILO.” World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2013: Case Study: Karoshi: Death from Overwork, International Labor Organization, www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm.
3. Lyon, Eric. “Wage Challenges Faced by Migrant Workers in Singapore.” Elevate, CSRAsia, 21 Sept. 2017, www.csr-asia.com/newsletter-wage-challenges-faced-by-migrant-workers-in-singapore.
4. “Maid Salaries in Singapore.” HelperChoice, HelperChoice, www.helperchoice.com/singapore/hire-domestic-helper.
5. Mei, Tan Tam. “Employers Cannot Safekeep Their Maids’ Money from Jan.” The Straits Times, 7 Oct. 2018, www.straitstimes.com/singapore/manpower/employers-cannot-safekeep-their-maids-money-from-jan.
6. Mourdoukoutas, Panos. “The Philippines’ Per-Capita GDP Has Reached An All-Time High Under Duterte.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 Oct. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2018/10/27/the-philippines-per-capita-gdp-has-reached-an-all-time-high-under-duterte/.
7. “N THE HIGH COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE [2017] SGHC 237 Magistrate’s Appeals Nos 9103 and 9104 of 2017.” Singapore Supreme Court, 2017.
8. Sim, Fann. “Domestic Workers Must Be given Enough to Eat When Employers Are Away: MOM, NGOs.” Channel NewsAsia, 10 Dec. 2018, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/domestic-workers-not-given-enough-to-eat-when-employers-away-11016844.
9. “Stanford Prison Experiment.” Stanford Prison Experiment, Stanford University, www.prisonexp.org/.
10. Webmaster. “Homepage Lower Right.” Transient Workers Count Too, TWC2, twc2.org.sg/.
11. Webmaster. “Homepage Lower Right.” Transient Workers Count Too, 13 July 2018, twc2.org.sg/.
12. “Why Power Corrupts.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-power-corrupts-37165345/.

WorldView:

The quotes of Ibsen show him to be almost radically left-wing in terms of political ideology especially given the society he was living him. Through many quotes he shows himself to be quite liberal and contemptful of established beliefs. He also shows himself to be a great advocate of gender equity and equal representation of gender in politics especially when he complains that in “practical life the woman is judged by man’s law, as though she were not a woman but a man.” 

Values and Criticisms:

As shown by his quotes, Ibsen strongly values gender equity if not equality in society. Furthermore, he also highly values productivity. For instance, he indicates his wish to conquer procrastination by desiring to “master that demon of procrastination that goes about like a roaring lion and devours all my good intention.” 

However, Ibsen also despises crimes of all sort unless they are truly justified. For instance, he preaches in a letter to a friend that “The worst that a man can do to himself is to do injustice to others.” This implies his belief that not only do injustices affect others, they also affect you. He also expresses his hatred of the “majority” which refers to the popular beliefs in society.  In fact he even goes as far to state “that the Minority is always right.” This reinforces his belief that perhaps the majority of society is misinformed which once again shows his opposition to the beliefs of basically everyone around him. Interestingly enough, this paradigm is a deviation from the normal liberalism which supports the idea of big government which his rebellious ideas obviously despised.

Ibsen: A product of his time, before his time, or ahead of his time:

Given that Ibsen’s beliefs were perhaps the first of many similar radicals, he certainly was not a product of before his time. While being a product of ahead of his time may seem correct, to peer into the future is impossible. Rather, I feel that his beliefs were a result of his own time or more correctly, the elements which he despised in his present day society. These elements like the gender inequality and the rather degenerate beliefs of his society (degenerate beliefs are his own opinions, not mine) would have prompted a man as pragmatic as him to question popular belief and deviate significantly from it.

Prompt: 19th Century Norway, or, a really boring place to be a woman

3 Important Facts about 19th Century Norway:

• The growth and prosperity of the upper middle class began as a result of “an economic boom in 1843”. This coincided with the worldwide Industrial Revolution.
• In the earlier years of the 19th century, it was extremely difficult to move up the ladder in terms of class and income. The majority of wealthy people were “part of an aristocracy, and therefore born into money.” However, as a result of this revolution, opportunities like good education, business success, income became more widespread, thus forming a more equitable society.
• The society still maintained a huge gender associated opportunity gap. Women for instance were not allowed to borrow money without the consent of their male partner while the converse was not true. Realist Ibsen even wrote that the society had “laws drafted by men” which then meant that a women (could) not be herself.”

Why concept of respectability became more important as middle class expanded:

Perhaps since money became less of a concern (in spite of society’s initial obsession with it), people became interested in finding other methods of satisfaction. One could be the appreciation or of others respecting them. Even today, people are very concerned with respectability especially in the large middle class which may force them to go out of their way to achieve it. To clarify, it is typically the middle class and upper class who have the financial capacity to worry about more than just worry that value “respectability”; larger middle class would propagate greater value for respectability.

Quote: “A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view”

Given the near universal suffrage (with the exception of a few countries) and the right of nearly all women to run for positions in governing bodies, I believe that Ibsen’s words do not exist with the prevalence as before yet are still present.

For instance, the United States supreme court justices do hold women with their ranks, a phenomena unthinkable of in the 1800s. However, only 1/3 of them are women which means that the majority of decisions are still being made by men.

However, women are still typically not the major decision makers in politics. For every Elizabeth Warren there are many Paul Ryans which ensures that all laws are voted upon primarily by men.

In other nations, the situation of the United States appears to be like a utopia for many human rights activists. In places like Saudi Arabia, women rights activists are frequently arrested. Women are essentially considered to be possessions of men as they can only go out and in rare case do some form of work with the consent of their male partner. In these monarchies, women have no official role in the judicial system which prevents them from speaking their mind or playing a role in setting the laws.

In a way, Oscar Wilde’s words ring perfectly true for these sorts of societies.

Prompt: Do I get enough sleep?

With the numerous theories on how much sleep one should ideally get, I’m honestly not sure. Generally I try to get at least 8 hours which means sleeping at 10 and waking up at 6:20 but generally I end up sleeping slightly later e.g. 10:45. On weekends I do generally get sufficient sleep however I have noticed that getting 6-7 hours is too less and getting >9 hours leaves me kind of drowsy, as if I’ve slept too hard. I am still exploring my cycle but based on my own experience I would say that sleeping at 10 and then waking up at around 5:45 to 6:00 would be ideal.

Interestingly enough, I tend to wake up naturally at around 6:10 even if I go to sleep at 11 though this may be because I got more than enough sleep during the summer and maintained this early morning thing (wake up at 7) due to an internship. However I am not interested in testing out how far this will remain true so I should probably start sleeping earlier.

The Story: Pandora’s Box is a story of when the wife of Epithemeus, a benevolent titan opens Pandora’s Box releasing pain, evil, struggle upon the world of humans but alongside it hope.

Revisions: Pandora’s Box now lives on in today’s society as much more than just a story. It now takes a presence in society in the form of plays, TV shows, movies and even arcades. The brandname Pandora’s Box is also an acclaimed cosmetic line and the name of many chocolate shops worldwide.

Changing Significance of Story: Though a popular story, many of the morals like “curiousity kills the cat” and “women (like Pandora) are extremely powerful” have been forgotten.

Why it has been adapted: The story of Pandora’s Box as it is told in today’s society is much shorter perhaps as this is easier to diffuse/spread around than an entire book. However, for enthusiasts it remains in the form of a full book. Interestingly enough, it may also have been shortened to become better adapted for children. One famous shortened adaptation was that written by Rick Riordan, which incorporates the Percy Jackson saga with the story of Pandora’s Box to make it more relatable and enjoyable.

For more information on the story itself, feel free to check out Riya’s informative presentation linked here.

Today during our Grade 10 Assembly we had a very interesting, insightful activity about service learning. We learnt about the 5 steps in service and the process of conducting a SWOT analysis to improve our service.

As current Chair of the Circus Club Service, I am keen to begin applying my learning here to the circus club as we continue to expand our reach. We have already achieved milestones such as our various performances within school, our family festival workshop that raised awareness of circus across the school, and our direct impact with the Muhammadiyah Boys and a Old Age Home. These are our strengths. Moving forward I would like to explore opportunities like doing more performances at Old Age Homes in a manner similar to a performing troupe in order to spread the joy and love for circus even more. On top of that I would be very keen for the circus club to do a collaborative performance with our youth service partners in order to showcase both our work with them and the progress that all of us have made in terms of circus.

A weakness we still have however is our online presence and collection of Media. This I believe can be solved with better instruction and the building of an organized Media team.