She said...

2007-07-08T19:28:00.000+08:00

Assignment 1
Blogging task in response to the two articles below

In the context of Singapore’s multiracial society, I strongly believe that Szilagyi’s view should be adopted.

According to Singer, freedom of expression is essential to all democratic countries. Indeed, everyone who resides in a democratic country or nation should have the right to express whatever views he or she has. Just as what Singer wrote, “freedom of speech is essential to democratic regimes, and it must include the freedom to say what everyone else believes to be false, and even what many people find offensive”. Indeed, having the freedom of speech is one of the basic blocks of democracy. Moreover, I also agree with Singer that ‘if a view is not “fully, frequently, and fearlessly discussed”, it will become “a dead dogma, not a living truth.” If people listen to whatever the authority says or any influential person’s words without being able to disagree or rebuke, I am afraid it is seemingly equal to a person being totally brainwashed and forced to accept the facts as they are. There would no longer be any discussion over issues and human beings will never be able to make any progress.

However, on the other hand, freedom of expression might ignite flames of dissatisfaction.

Although freedom of expression is crucial to all democratic countries, if we do not utilize it properly, it can have disastrous effects. How we express ourselves without angering others depend largely on how socially responsible we are. As quoted from Szilagyi, “What is more important for the democratic advancement of a society – to ensure the freedom of expression of all its citizens or to protect the collective interests of society?” in the context of Singapore, we should always place the interest of the citizens before the ability to express our thoughts freely.

As Singapore is a cosmopolitan city, we cannot allow anyone and everyone to express their views freely, lest the comments are racist or are criticisms of various religions. It is ludicrous to cause Singapore to be in pandemonium just because of one or two persons’ comments about certain races or religions.

Hence, Singaporeans must exercise social responsibility, just like what Szilagyi had written.

It is only when everyone is responsible for whatever comments they make will there be peace and harmony in Singapore. Singaporeans should respect other races and religions.
One of the most crucial reasons why Singapore has been free of racial riots is probably due to the fact that Singaporeans have been respecting one another. Therefore, we should continue to have that respect for one another. Although some might disagree and think that Singaporeans cannot think independently and are only fed with information from influential figures, I beg to differ and believe that Singaporeans do have minds of their own and are reserving their comments because they are aware of the consequences and are exercising social responsibility, which is the key to peace and harmony in a country.

A Hanging~*

2007-04-21T21:15:00.000+08:00

1. He used the technique of illustrations and examples. 'Saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide' suggests that the author condemned capital punishments and viewed it as a form of cruelty. By pointing out that convicts are no different from any other normal human beings, the author tried to persuade us into believing that capital punishment is indeed uncalled for and cruel.

2. Arguments for capital punishment are that people who committed crimes ought to be dealt with severely by the law. Everyone has to be responsible for his or her own actions. Since they have committed crimes, they have to responsible for it and this hence justifies the existence of capital punishment.

On the other hand, people who are against capital punishment feel that it is cruel. They probably feel that no one has the right to take away another person's life. Although they have committed crimes, it does not mean that they have to pay for what they have done by ending their own lives. It is certainly uncalled for.

3. I strongly believe that capital punishment has to exist. Imagine a scenario when capital punishment does not exist. People would be opening fire on the streets, killing one another anytime they like and only be jailed for a few years. What would the bereaved families think?

Moreover, prisons in many countries are in a much better condition than they were in the past. With response to that, people would not be that afraid of staying in a prison. If being jailed does not deter people from committing serious crimes, what would?

Capital punishment serve as a deterrance to deter people from committing such crimes.

In my opinion, death penalty can only justified if a person ends another person's life on purpose.

Self-Introduction~*

2007-03-18T14:02:00.000+08:00

I'm Jasmine from class 22/07.

I'm elated to start this blog as I find it quite useful in improving my English.

(I have another blog. ^_^)

This is a very new experience for me as I have never blogged this way before.

I was from Nan Hua High School.

My CCA was Choir and I have taken part in SYF in year 2003 and 2005.

I was appointed the chairman of choir in year 2005.

My hobbies are playing the piano, using the computer and watching television.

Currently, I'm learning Grade 7 piano.

I enjoy listening to various genres of music, which ranges from classical to pop and rock music.

During my free time, I enjoy listening to Japanese songs and watching animes (japanese animation).

Fruits Basket, Gensoumaden Saiyuki, Full Metal Panic, Gundam Seed are just some examples.

Some of my favourite artistes are Ayumi Hamasaki, BoA, Gackt, Kanjani8 and NEWS.

Anyone who knows me well will know that I'm a die-hard fan of Ayu. ^^

Also, I enjoy watching Japanese dramas.

Some examples are 'Nobuta wo Produce' and 'One Litre of Tears'.

If any of you have interest in Japanese related things, feel free to share with me. ^^

My favourite movies are SAW I and II, [I still don't have a chance to watch SAW III :(], Armaggedon, Beautiful Mind, Constantine etc etc.

So that's all for now.

Meanwhile, I really hope to get to know 22/07 better.

See you all in school and take care. :)