Month: June 2020

“Although Ray Bradbury’s work is often referred to as science fiction, Fahrenheit has plenty to say about the world as it is, and not as it could be.”

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

I agree with the statement above that Ray Bradbury’s work, Fahrenheit 451 often portrays the world as it is, and not how it could potentially be. This happens in a number of ways surrounding different topics, such as: censorship, individuality, selfishness and loneliness.

In the book, we see that people are constantly censored by the government and its other branches. Now, the concept of censorship is not foreign to us since many books around the world are banned every year. Alongside, the government and other agencies censor people on other platforms as well. They say that this is done to protect harmony in the society, but it could also be because they don’t want people to be transformed and go against them.

The theme of individuality is also present in the book. However, we see that people (as evidenced by Clarisse’s character) were mistreated because of it. Clarisse was shunned by her classmates and teachers. It was also thought that she was not “normal”. This problem exists now as well, because many people are bullied because they are different.Lastly, the themes of loneliness and selfishness are well presented by the book.

In the book we see that people have become very self-centered and that they don’t care about the world. This holds true today, since most people don’t care about what happens to others, they just want to ensure happiness (and in many cases:money) for themselves. In the book we also see that people have become so occupied with technology that they don’t have a connection with anybody else. This also holds true for many people in the world.

To conclude, I would like to say that, before this dystopian world presented in the book becomes our reality, we must act and stop it in the works. This can be done by interacting with other people, protesting against the authorities if something is deemed to be unfair and lastly, accept everybody as they are.

 

Below is the interaction between my classmates and I, in response to this question.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N7WU2yYiM_iu72xTSUUMkksyDsFqp0f-/view?usp=sharing

Categories: ELPLeave a comment

Clarisse describes different aspects of what the world was like “before,” according to her uncle. Gather details of what has changed and why.

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg # # #

Clarisse learns about many aspects of life from her uncle. Her perspective on her life currently is also heavily influenced by her uncle. She and her uncle seem to have a very close relationship, with him telling her all about the world of the past. Among many things that her uncle tells her, one is that there used to be front porches in front of homes, before. However, architects got rid of them in order to prevent conversation and idle sitting around.

Another thing that her uncle tells her is that there was a time when children did not kill each other. Back in the past, children were actually respectful of adults and their peers. Children of the past were friendly and responsible. However, the children of the present are quite different in this respect. Clarisse tells Montag that last year, six of her friends had been shot and ten had been in a car wreck, which is why she is afraid of children her age. Lastly, her uncle tells her that once upon a time, art wasn’t abstract, it actually had people or communicated things.

Through these examples, we can clearly see the amount of influence Clarisse’s uncle holds over her, since whatever she knows about the past, is from him.

Categories: ELPLeave a comment

“Where books are burned, in the end, people will be burned.”

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg # # # #

Before I watched the short film about book burning in Nazi Germany, I thought that people are free beings guided by their own thoughts and motivations but after watching the video, I realised how wrong I was.  I had thought that people would not be convinced to burn books by external sources, they would do so if they felt that way. However, after watching the video I thought that a dictator could convince people to do it quite easily.

Alongside, there are no specific types of books that are burnt, just what the dictators deem as “dangerous to society” which is quite ironic in a sense. The books burnt can be about anything, even nature. Books constitute a certain threat to some governments since they promote the expression of ideas and certain governments prohibit that idea. They can also help people understand the problems with their government, since “knowledge can take you anywhere” as said in the video.

Lastly, the quote in the title, has been proven true numerous times in history. Hence, we must be careful so as to not be motivated by a public figure to burn books, ever.

Categories: ELPLeave a comment

Dystopian world and its significance in writing

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg # # #

A dystopian world can be described as a world full of unpleasantness and misery. In an essence, it is the exact opposite of a utopian world. In a dystopian world, everything is quite dehumanising and people are usually oppressed by powerful leaders. For example- In a dystopian world, ordinary citizens may be forced to restrict their movements, stay away from popular media and have very limited freedom of speech.

Writers make frequent use of the idea of a “dystopian world” to inform people about what could happen to society in the future and how some places have already exhibited or have started exhibiting the specific qualities of such a world, something which must be acted against. They might also be making use of such an idea to educate people about what could happen if they vote for politicians who have dictator like tendencies.

In terms of what I have read that can be categorised as dystopian fiction, there is not a lot to mention. Fahrenheit 451 was most likely the first piece of writing which utilised the idea of a dystopian world, that I have read. I had enjoyed reading Fahrenheit 451 and I think that I will continue reading books of similar nature in the future.

Categories: ELPLeave a comment

Transition process reflection

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

Going through the transition process from grade 10 to 11 has led to a lot of self-discoveries for me. I think that this process of changing grades with significant changes in terms of subjects and course curriculum could be a tad too stressful sometimes. Thankfully that was not the case for me.

Throughout this time, I learnt more about what I could potentially study at university level and which were the subjects I was really interested in. Outside the classroom, I also began to think about what type of roles I might take on next year in the context of activities and service. Lastly, I also spent some time to think about the various ups and downs I have had in the past 2 years and what I could learn from my mistakes.

Needless to say, I am very excited about grade 11 and the various opportunities and challenges that it brings with it.

Categories: UncategorizedLeave a comment

Reflection on the circuit breaker period 2

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

As this circuit breaker period continues and I find that I cannot go to school until the 24th of August, it would be fair to assume that I am disappointed. Even as the circuit breaker period gave me the time to reflect on my life, engage in various aspects of wellness and spend more time on my hobbies, it has taken away the joy of meeting my friends every morning.

It has forced me to stay at home, engage in online classes and have no or limited interaction with the world outside. However, even as it has inflicted all of these problems on me, I believe that it has given me something much greater in return. It has taught me to be patient and to understand that everyday is not going to be the same. It has taught me that I must enjoy every moment because tomorrow, I may not be able to experience that moment!

I do hope that a state of normalcy is restored around the world soon and we can go back to our normal lives with a better perspective of the world.

 

Categories: UncategorizedLeave a comment

Free speech and censorship

pandi93424@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg # # # #

During a recent discussion with my english group and the entire class about free speech and censorship, interesting ideas were presented . The discussion had stemmed from the aspects of censorship that we had seen in the novel- Fahrenheit 451. We spoke about the fact that free speech was one of the main pillars of democracy since it has direct links to the broad idea of “freedom”.

Free speech is essential, as we are able to voice our thoughts, concerns and problems to everybody. However, if not used properly, free speech can lead to very severe consequences. For example- The anti-vaccine discussion has led to the endangerment of the lives of many young children.  Therefore, censorship becomes necessary. Censorship can prevent the potential damage that the wrong use of free speech could have resulted in.

My personal thoughts on free speech and censorship are quite similar. I also think that people should be able to express their thoughts openly. Alongside, I also think that the government should still engage in censoring but up to a certain degree. They should only censor pieces which could be potentially harmful/polarising. Pieces which express dissatisfaction with or criticise the government should not be censored.

If I am to describe my views on free speech and censorship to someone outside my class, I would say that I believe in free speech being essential but censorship (in a justified manner) is also essential.

 

 

Categories: ELPLeave a comment