Essay

-Use of evidence

-Subjective. Assertive, bold. High modality. Might, should, ought, must

-How time-bound it is

-Transition

-register. Personal essay:

-Rebuttal, argument back against.

-Order in which the argument is structured.

-Analogy(metaphorical, comparison, synonyms as a subset)

-sympathy harnessed towards one side.

-direct exposure to

-When the first person character reports.

 

Free indirect speech. 

Introduction

In his personal yet argumentative essay, George Orwell tells us that the euphemistic and vague languages used in politics blur the point of the arguments and erode the original meaning of the words and phrases, hence corrupting not only the language but also people’s thoughts and beliefs. The essay is made particularly interesting by Orwell’s clever use of the combinations of short sentences with clear, bold assertions of his own and long, philosophical statements when referring to the style of the political language embedded with metaphor and simile.

 

Pilates Season2 reflection

Activity season 2 was similar to season 1 in terms of the amount of work I had to do and academic stress.

During the weekdays, I did not manage to exercise even though I did stretching quite often. Therefore, as an alternative, I chose to continue to do pilates+ some other exercises on Saturday mornings. I think when one is busy and stressed, it is easy to choose to spend free time sleeping or watching TV or playing games. And I did that in the past. But I recently realized that moving one’s body regularly is not only important for losing weight but also for stabilizing one’s mind and overcoming extreme stress. And therefore, I am proud of myself who planned to do Pilates every week. I have previously learned Pilates back in Korea but at that time, I was having a more regular life routine(e.g slept earlier,  worked out more often) which meant my body was generally stronger and in better condition. But doing pilates this year was different. I had so many pains in my shoulder and back, had irregular sleeping routines writing university essays, and therefore found it harder to follow the movements. However, I was proud of myself who improved little by little in terms of flexibility and endurance. However, I am aware that I still need to strengthen the core which I hope to continue to work on in the future.

 

Piltates season 1 final reflection

I did pilates at least once a week with my mom and my instructor Ana during the first activity season. Because of a lot of tests I had to take in and out of school, I was extremely nervous and always found myself slouching, which I wanted to fix. Pilates seemingly sounds like a stretching exercise, but I realized it requires way more strength than I expected. At times, especially when we were doing core exercises, I struggled to follow the moves and wanted to give up. However, I knew that the struggle I have will help me strengthen my body so I tried my best to do what I can.  I think this positivity I had towards Pilates helped me improve the movements as well as my posture bit by bit as time went by. I am excited to continue working out.

CAS Pilates season1 initial reflection

I started doing the pilates a few days after I finished my stay home notice(Quarantine).

Having been stuck at home made me feel blue and demotivated. SHN has been the best/maybe worse excuse for me to not exercise(even though I occasionally did some stretching). Other than going to the gym, another activity I hope/will continue is pilates. It is not just about being more fit but also about fixing my posture and back pain.

I expect to have a better posture and be able to have a more relaxed mind after doing the pilates.

 

Bang My Car- Parody ELP

Explores the Singaporean landscape through a survey where she reveals more depth than immediately apparent

-The analysis and evaluation part of the survey is surely mocking the professional language and the style of the research in professional studies. At first, it seems more lighthearted and humorous due to the uncle’s reluctance for

-Even though meta-parody used in the researcher’s analysis of the survey makes the analysis seem quite lighthearted and less insightful, Ann Ang in fact gives insight into how even a small country Singapore is divided into six or more heartlands that represents/influence the resident’s self-identity as individuals with different socioeconomic background, which is shown by “It is imaginary division that creates self-identity in Singapore”. Even if Singapore might be seen as a “backyard of cosmopolitan city that is open to global paradigms and influences”, Ann Ang shows that Singapore for sure operates on its own and grapples with different ideals that people have(Urbanization as opposed to the conservation of nature).

-Paradoxes and irony exists where the uncle both Singaporeans looking outward and not being satisfied with what they have. Singapore concerned more with material wealth and progress.

-Meta parody: “real life vs reel life” mocking our tendency to over analyse

-Singaporean looking outside for education? West=more prestigious?

The reason for thanking his parents=ironic?

-Pastiche- similar to essays as it reveals the insight and true story of one. Important realisation in life.

-In fact, work driven or hot-housing culture is the creation of Singapore, not the west, due to how people got used to looking outwards(to the west) for better opportunities and never being satisfied with what they own. Here, one is reflecting on how Singapore’s ideals have influenced his life. It is interesting to see how someone within Singapore community directly address his concern in terms of how Singaporeans are so focused on their own work or job that they as a society is totally missing/lacking the sense of community responsible for the protection of the surrounding(nature)

-Sincerity. Uni essay-chance for active reflection on one’s own life. Anecdote artificially extended.

Anachronistic?

Bang My Car ELP response

What contextual (social/cultural/political etc) considerations* does the section you have examined engage with and how?

In ‘Fair is Fair’, the first person narrator gives insight into the generational conflict between the young and pioneer generation through their different attitude towards the general election. In specific, the narrator conveys his sense of discomfort with the fact that a lot of young people most of whom are not being serious when choosing who to vote for.

PAP’s supporters aspire to make Singapore flourish through westernizing it. The narrator is from a generation that went through the colonial period as well as decolonisation of Singapore. Reference to the violin and Lee Mei’s wealth implies the western influence on Singapore’s education.

In a 2011 General election, PAP has taken 81 out of 87 seats in Parliament, but the Workers’ Party has picked up the balance of six seats, their best showing ever. This was a sign at that time that the power of PAP was weakening In this story, narrator’s daughter in law believes that the narrator voted against PAP which is in fact not true. From the narrator saying “See even Ah boy and Ah girls are not studying and no one is scolding them because what’s happening on TV now is more important than exam,” we can see that who or which party wins has significant impact on Singapore’s future. Lee Mei is an ardent supporter of George Yeo from PAP(People Action Party) because of “work he does behind the sciences so that Singapore can punch above its weight.” To some extent, Lee Mei is represented as wiser and more rational person from the language she speaks.

Lee Mei categorises the narrator as “uneducated and blame him for the election results.

However, there is a shift where the narrator starts educating us. Here, Ann ang represents the pioneer generations as being informed and wise. The importance of making informed decisions regarding who to vote for.

 

Which of the concepts below are involved in understanding the creation of meaning between a text and its context?

I think that in this particular novel, the cultural and historical context are used to understand the “whats”(what Ogai Mori is trying to communicate), but what specifically provides the linkage between the context and the text for the readers to grapple with the ideas implied in this novel is the representation of Japanese culture from Ogai Mori’s perspective; By depicting a certain animals or figures with implied cultural representation/contexts, we can see the way he views the Japan’s acceptance of western culture and the drastic transformation it went through during the Meiji period.

 

Dance showcase interim reflection

We as a group have done many rehearsals recently as some of our group members were missing during the last few weeks due to stay home notice. We had to change some formations and it took time to teach dances to those people, which took some more time for us as a whole group. I also realized my own weakness, which was finding my position when changing the formation and keeping an equal distance from people next to me. I think it is an important element when doing the team dance. I think I will need to focus on this area from now on till the show.

Yoga with Tampines MINDS season 1 final reflection

During season 1, we had quite a lot of sessions with our partners. I initially thought we could change the yoga program routine ourselves as a student, but it was quite sad that we cannot develop it further. But I think that Ms Veron’s words that our partners may not be able to follow the moves if we change it makes more sense. In some sessions, we did not have our partners coming so we just practiced teaching yoga as a pair. I did this practice with Christine. By doing this practice, we found many mistakes or lack of care we had as a tutor. We did not know how to help another person breathe in and out more easily using bodies. This was initially very challenging for both me and Christine. So we kept on trying different methods(for example, holding shoulders) and some of them worked!! Also, we decided to prepare for the situations where partners cannot do the postures as they are and hence we need to modify the moves for them. This wad my idea, worrying that my partner who was not as flexible as others might find some moves challenging. So for moves in which one had to bend down, we created a modified version in which one goes down with knees bent. I think I should have introduced these modified versions to other service students, but I think it was not needed for other partners. when my partner came next time, I could introduce her to the modified versions. She did not want to do some of them, but she was generally more willing to do moves than before, which I think is a progress.