Online Lesson #12

Hello everyone!

Now I will be doing the Online Lesson #12.

The scrolls from each of the casket, gold, silver and lead chosen by the Prince of Morocco, Prince of Arragon and Bassanio respectively, each has a common theme, which is not to judge the book by its cover, and also shows that contrast between love and self interests.


Firstly, Prince of Morocco wanted to court Portia, because she was very wealthy and furthermore, has extremely fair skin, hence being extremely beautiful. Hence he loved her not for her true self, her inner self, her character, but instead wanted to court her for wealth and other interests. Furthermore, he chose the gold casket, claiming that it signifies Portia, being glamorous and wealthy, majestic and high classed. However, little did he know that it signified greed, which refers to courting for self interest as explained earlier. Hence, it was a bad decision. Also, this showed the immature thinking of the Prince, and his cowardliness as well.


Next, the Prince of Arragon chose the silver casket, was immature and cowardly, not daring to choose anything that contains an element of risk. Hence, he chose the silver casket, as he claims it to be the best among all three. He feels that risks are not worth it as long as they are not objectively attractive to him. Hence, he judged the book by its cover and acted rashly, leading to failure as well. Furthermore, he did it just for himself, not considering Portia's feelings etc at all. It was all about him. Whether he will be able to get the correct casket. Whether it was worth the risk for him. Whether it would allow him to gain the money and fame after marrying Portia. Hence, it shows that it was an extremely selfish decision as well.


Last but not least, Bassanio made the right decision, and "did not choose by the view", as stated by the book. Bassanio made the correct judgement, and resisted the urge to judge the book by its cover. Also, he was matured, and thought carefully before choosing and making rash decisions, jumping to bottomless conclusions. Hence he was entitled to "a loving kiss" from Portia, and thus signifies that he is the right man whom Portia shall marry. Furthermore, despite him courting Portia for money as one of his reasons, there was still mutual love and respect for each other.

That is the end! Now, I will write the Narrative Essay(:

The battle raged on in my heart. Should I go against my moral values and let bygones be bygones, or should I tell the teacher right now, to let John learn a lesson, and turn over a new leaf, to learn never to cheat again? "Honesty is the best policy" is something that is thought to me since I were a small kid. Shouldn't I put what I learnt into good use? Furthermore, it will help John, and make sure that he learn from his mistakes. His GRAVE mistake. However, he is my best friend and furthermore, someone so popular among my classmates. If I told on him, he will definitely break all relationships with me and I will be shunned by a ghost! I have to decide instantaneously! Turn away from my moral values and let everything go to waste, or face the repercussions as a sacrifice for John?


In a moment of moral fury, I shot my hand into the air.

That is all!

Thank you!

Yours sincerely,
Mervin ((:

Reflective Thinking 1

Hello everyone!

I will now be reflecting on the recent competition I had in Malaysia, for St John Ambulance Brigade(:

A one day competition, may seem extremely short, in a matter of a few hours. However, the process may not be so short.

To get to this Malaysia-Singapore First Aid Competition, held once every two years, we had to be the best in Singapore, and that is not easy task.

There are three rounds for us to pass.

1. Zonals (Against 4 Schools)
2. Nationals (Against 10 Schools)
3. Malaysia-Singapore (Against Malaysia's Best Team)

I will start off with the Zonals first. The Zonals is held in April, and to make sure we are prepared to win it, we started in the December holidays. Every weekday of the December holiday, we will come down to Hwa Chong Institution to have our training sessions, which are 4 hours each. 

At the start, it was really enjoyable and interesting, especially since we were amateurs and were learning new things, such as casualty management, casualty simulation, transportation of casualty etc. However, when we became more and more good in these aspects, it became a routine for us, and hence all of us became restless and bored, despite it being only the first 2 months of training. 

Furthermore, being a Uniform Group, discipline is important, and during the trainings and casualty simulation cases, when we do badly, we will get punished and shouted at by our Sirs and Seniors, and usually, we have to pump, in other words, "Knock it Down", frequently during training. The pressure that we face also became one of the factors that made us detest training more and more. 

Adding on to those two factors, being the only Secondary 2 in the Secondary 3 Competition Team, I feel left out, since all their discussion topics etc were different. Furthermore, I became left out by my squad mates, and hence training really became somewhat a nightmare to me.  

However, with resilience being our school's key motto, we persevered on, all the way until the Zonals. The Zonals was an easy round to pass, since we had much more training time and experience than the other teams, being the best Corps in our Zone (Zone7) for consecutively 9 years. We won with a astonishing number of points (40 points)

However, winning the Zonals means that we have to undergo 3 more months of training until the Nationals, and hence it means a larger responsibility and even more stressful and frequent training sessions. But now, the urge to win is much stronger. My team now has the motivation to train as hard as we can to make sure we win the Nationals. 

As expected, training became extremely frequent, and now Saturdays were also included as one of the training days. Next, every morning before flag raising, we have to report for morning footdrill. Hence lots of sacrifice had to be made, such as waking up earlier, burning midnight oil to study, etc. Training time also dragged on up to 8pm. Hence, by the time i reach home, which is about 9pm, there would be no time to do anything, but take a bath, eat and sleep. 

However, persevere we must, and so we did. Finally, the long awaited Nationals arrived. I was really nervous then, and my lips and legs kept shivering. The opponents we now meet are the best from every single zone in Singapore and furthermore, we were much younger than most of the competitors, which were usually secondary 4 or even Junior College 1. 

During the competition, we did not do as expected, and performed below average standards. Despite that, we kept our morale high, unaffected, and carried on with the competition. Finally, when the results were announced, I cried tears of joy. The hard work and effort we put in has not gone down the drain!

Here is the score chart. We won by a mere margin of 1.5 marks! 

So after winning the Nationals, we are crowned the best team in Singapore. Hence, we will represent Singapore to go to Malaysia and compete against their best team.

And this time, we won by only 0.5 marks!

Here is the picture of the majestic trophies!(:

The one we won is the second from the right. It was really an honour to help Singapore gain glory, as this trophy has been won by Malaysia for the past 6 years. Furthermore, our name are going to be carved on it. It is really a once in a life time opportunity!

That is all, hope you enjoyed it!

Yours sincerely,

Mervin (: 

Language Art Speech

Done by: Mervin Lim

Class: 2A220

Language Art Speech: Mercy and Justice

Norway Terrorist Attack

Good afternoon Mr. Lundberg and fellow classmates. Today, I will present on my speech, entitled "Norway Terrorist Attack Controversy-Mercy or Justice?"

This terrorist attack involved a series of car bombings, and a shooting spree, in a span of a few hours, killing 93 people, and left many injured. The gunman, Anders Behring Breivik, is a far-right zealot, and  the rationale of his killing spree was to "market" his manifesto calling for a revolution that would rid Europe of Muslims.

During the court hearing, Anders demanded a public speech to emphasize on the "need" for the killing spree he committed, in other words, to brain wash the innocent citizens of Norway. However, the demand was denied by the judge, and furthermore, to add on to the debating and discussion of people from all over the world reading this piece of news, Anders will only face a jail term of maximum 21 years, despite the number of lives he took, since Norway does not have the death penalty, and worse of all, he is yet to be charged for crime against humanity. Hence, we now come to the my viewpoint, that justice should be carried out, instead of mercy. But why so?

Firstly, look at the consequences if Anders is not persecuted for his atrocious crime against humanity. Currently, he is 32 years old, and after his 21 year jail term, he will come out, only 53 years old. At that age, he can continue with his far right activities, and his "marketing" of the revolution, as he claimed it to be. Hence, many more innocent lives are at stake. Furthermore, since Norway is already a country full of racial sensitivity, due to the sudden influx of immigrants from Africa and other Islamic countries such as Pakistan, the release of Anders will lead to him brainwashing the public through his speeches and "rallies", which he demanded for, and was denied. This will lead to a large number of people joining the "revolution" Anders aim to make, and supporting the manifesto that Anders created. Thus, the Norway at that stage would be extremely chaotic, due to the far-right terrorist activities being so prominent, and it would be much harder to stop all the Islamophobia views among the Norweigeins by then.  Moreover, the civil war in Europe that Anders was hoping for would come true, and bloodshed would be never ending. 


Secondly, if Anders is not persecuted, and sentenced to death, for taking the lives of 93 innocent people, the repercussions would be dire. The relatives and affected Norweigeins are definitely angry at Anders. They are demanding for a public persecution of Anders on the 22nd of July, and if this rightful demand from the Norweigeins are not met, they would definitely feel frustrated and agitated, and this may escalate to strikes, and even riots and bloodshed. Furthermore, the fact is that the number of anti-Anders around the world is very significant, and their views are now being conveyed through social medias, such as Facebook and Twitter. For example, a Facebook page has been set up by a relative of a victim, and currently, it has 64318 likes, within just a week, which is an astounding amount of people. Next, the Islamic immigrants and people all over the world are now greatly affected, insulted and threatened, will definitely be unhappy if Anders is not persecuted, and hence a civil war may really break out, as in plan, for Ander's massacre. Hence, if Anders is not persecuted, the prominent amount of anti-Anders around the world will be extremely unhappy, and Norway will definitely face the dire consequences.

Last but not least, justice is ultimately important, particularly for the injured survivors, and also the family members of the deceased. This is because persecution of Anders would then signify the closure and ending of this whole terror attack. The people mentioned above are already affected tremendously by this incident, particularly psychologically. If Anders is not persecuted, the affected will still live in fear and hatred, and this incident would be etched in their minds, unable to be forgotten.

In conclusion, justice should definitely be carried out, instead of mercy. This is so as to prevent all the dire repercussions and consequences from taking effect, and for the rightfulness of the affected, to aid them to recover from the trauma they have experienced, through this ridiculous massacre of Anders.

Thank you. 

Online Lesson #10

Hello everyone,

Now i will be doing a narrative essay regarding race and religion.

Here are the links of my research:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8065597.stm
http://marranci.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/the-allah-case-in-malaysia/
http://www.christianpost.com/news/malaysia-high-court-delays-ruling-on-christian-allah-case-42484/

Here is the narrative essay:

After a long nap, I woke up, and took a stroll in the streets, admiring the lush greenery, soothing to my eye. Out of the blue, a loud bang reverberated around the area. I spun around and almost instantaneously, I was transfixed to the ground. The recent Allah cases, which was such a trivial matter, has actually escalated into a riot!

I rubbed my eyes, unable to belief myself. It must be deceiving me! In front of me, tear gas was sprayed at the rioters, and cars were over turned, and glass were shattered every where. Scenes of the riots that happened in 1950s in Singapore floated into my mind. This cannot be happening. Can history really repeat itself?

The rioters scattered and ran away in pain, grabbing their eyes and shouting profanities, cursing the police and the Christians at the same time. Many of them were also arrested, while the fortunate ones escaped. It was hard to belief that something so small can escalate into bloodshed.

Noticing the instability of the situation, I scurried back to my house, and locked the gates. 


"Ridiculous!"I exclaimed to myself. 

That is all.

Thank you!(:

Yours sincerely,
Mervin

Online Learning War Poetry (Part 2)

Poem of the Battle of Malaya, when Japan invaded Singapore


Wilt    By Mervin Lim :D
The Allied and Axis,
Shed blood in the mist,
Some for their territories,
While others for nothing.

War heroes emerged,
While some were infamous,
But the war still went on,
And the fear still lived on.

But who would have thought,
That America will be bombed!
And so angry were they,
That they joined the drama,
And used their triumph cards,
Whom are two brave men,
Fat man, and little boy!

And thus the war,
Ended with a pop
And two gigantic black mushrooms,
Grew up to reach for the moon.
But the innocent were killed,
And there are more to wilt.

Online Learning War Poetry (Part 1)

1. “Guns / Long, steel guns / Pointed from the war ships” (lines 1-3). What type of
gun is Sandburg describing here?

Answer : Sandburg is describing battle guns that are used by soldiers during the war.


2. “Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses, / Sitting on the guns singing war songs,
war chanties” (lines 8-9). Who are the “jackies” in these lines, and why would
they be singing “war chanties”?

Answer : The jackies in these lines refers to soldiers from the navy, who are going out for war. They are singing war chanties, as they are confident of winning the war, and also, at the same time, and singing loudly to raise and boost their morales. Also, they were ignorant and were blinded by fame, financial incentives etc. which the war will give them, despite the extreme and danger. 


3. “The shovel is brother to the gun” (line 16). Explain what Sandburg means by
this statement.

Answer : This statement is what explains the whole poem, and the intentions and rationale of the poet for writing it. A shovel is an instrument or a tool for digging a grave for the dead. Also, a gun is a weapon used in war. Hence, with the phrase "The shovel is brother to the gun", he means that these two objects are closely related, Sandburg is trying to tell the readers that going to war is just like digging your own grave. 

4. What is the significance of the poem’s title, “And They Obey”?

Answer : It is used to signify the the foolishness of the people and soldiers, and how they listen to commands with the sheep thinking mindset, following everything they are told to do. Also, it brings out the irony of war. The soldiers are commanded to destroy cities into nothing but rubble, and they obeyed. However, after the war has ended, the people are told by the soldiers to rebuild the city, the city they have destroyed. Hence, it brings out how stupid and meaningless war is, and hence is an anti-war  poem. 

5. What is the effect of the contrasting actions between stanzas 1 and 2 (smash/
build, knock/set up, break/put together)? What is the persona’s attitude toward
the soldiers and citizens in the poem?

Answer : The poet's attitude towards the people is somewhat disappointed, and angry. This is because they are foolish, and are in fact causing trouble for themselves. During the wall, the soldiers listened to commands without thinking, and destroyed cities, and reduced all of them into rubble. However, after the war, the soldiers told the citizens to rebuild the city, ironically, the city that the soldiers, themselves have destroyed, and they obeyed. Hence, Carl is disappointed with the people for not thinking twice before executing commands. 


6. In your view, is it harder to tear a society down, or to build it back up again? Use
examples from current events to support your answer.

Answer : It is definitely easier to tear a society down, than to built it back up. This is very similiar to taking drugs. It takes just a second of wrong judgement to start taking drugs. However, to stop drugs, it takes a life time of rehabilitation, and a really strong determination, to stop the habit. An example would be World War 2, when the causeway was bombed, and factories, houses and buildings were all destroyed by the constant air raids of the Japanese. Thus, there were many post war problems, such as lack of sanitation, housing and jobs, and it took Singapore near to a decade to recover, from 1965 to the 1970s. 

7. Explain the progression of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. What do you
imagine the sounds of the future wars represent?

Answer : There was a progression of onomatopoeia, from loud to soft, from "drum of hoofs" to "hum of motors" to "thread of rubber tires" to "silent wheels". The sounds of the future war represents the advance in technology, from the past to the present, which allows enemies to be more sneaky, and less easy to be spotted. Hence future wars are more strategic, unlike the old wars, where drums were played loudly to boost morale of the soldiers, but unfortunately, giving out the positions of themselves. 


8. “In the wars to come kings kicked under the dust” (line 9). Taking an example
from current events, discuss one “king” that has been “kicked under the dust” in
recent times.

Answer : The "king" would be Osama Bin Laden. He was a "king" to many, being the leader of the al Qaeda terrorist group, a large scale, world wide group, in charge of many others "smaller branches" such as Jemaah Islamiah. It caused havoc in the world with their bombings, and is a largely hunted criminal. An example of his atrocious deeds would be the "911" bombing of the World Trade Centre, on 9 September 2011, killing 2579 innocent people. This is how terrible and evil a person he his. Fortunately, he has been hunted down by the investigation team of USA, and has already been shot in the head just recently. 

We Slept With Our Boots On -Task 2

Hello everyone!

Now i will be doing my HBL, task 2. 

"We Slept With Our Boots On" -Steve Carlson

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes

They washed out the blood, we loaded our rucks and then took to the skies

Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew

Where we would land we had not a clue

Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot

We're leaving this bird whether we like it or not

30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit

Get ready to go and make it quick

My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins

I run as fast as I can through the lead rain

The noise is tremendous, terror I can't define

The only reason I survived that day was divine

I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more

You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more

We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks

From house to cave, to car to creek

Dirty and tired and hungry and scared

We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared

Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies

The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives

Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod

Who knew hell was so close to God

Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink

So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think

Good men and bad men, Mothers lost sons

Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns

Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire

I will never forget those who were called higher

They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood

Brothers aren't born they're earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud

And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell

Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

ANNEX A

1. Whose Point of View

Statement: 

The poem is written from the point of view of a soldier involved in the Aerial bombing campaigns, targeting Al Qaeda and Taliban forces (Most probably Steve Carlson himself, as he was involved in the campaign)

Evidence:

"The noise is tremendous, terror I can't define"

Elaboration:

The poem is written in a first person perspective, on his experiences and fear during the campaign, as a paratrooper, to conduct aerial bombing in Afghanistan, which are aimed at Al Qaeda and Taliban, to stop all terrorist activities, in fear that history may repeat itself. (September 11 [911])

2. Situation and Setting

Statement:

The situation there was rather terrible, where fear and terror lingered in the atmosphere, and where morales were low, as death seems inevitable. 

Evidence:

"Who knew hell was so close to God"-Fear and terror

"Dirty and tired and hungry and scared"-Low morale

Elaboration: 

The soldiers (paratroopers) were all terrified, and they had to keep killing and killing,and it the pulling of the trigger was never ending. Also, they became paranoid, and everything they did, they took extra precautions, in case they were ambushed, which links back to the title, "We Slept With Our Boots On". Also, they were hungry, tired and dirty, and they no longer had the morale to continue fighting and killing. 

3. Language/Diction

Statement:

The writer used many metaphors, and war related terms. 

Evidence:

"Who knew hell was so close to God"-Metaphor

"We're leaving this bird whether we like it or not"

"Paratrooper reporting for duty sir"-War related terms

Elaboration:

The poet depicts the battle field in mountains peaks and hills as hell, to show the bad conditions. It also shows that the soldiers were near death, and could be shot dead anytime. Also, because the soldiers are mainly paratroopers, the poet emphasises this, by replacing the plane with the word bird. Next, there were many war related terms, such as "Paratroopers reporting for duty". This is allow readers to have a hint on what this fight is all about, and why it is started. For example, Paratroopers were commonly deployed when America and Afghanistan were having a war, as America started a aerial bombing campaign. This allows the readers to link this poem to true real life fights and facts, and allows them to understand it better as well. 

4. Personal Response

Statement:

I feel that this poem is really good, depicting very clearly how the fights between America and Afghanistan (Al Qaeda and Taliban). 

Evidence:

"Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir"

"My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins"

Elaboration:

Paratroopers were commonly deployed when America and Afghanistan were having a war, as America started a aerial bombing campaign. Therefore, the writer allows readers to link this to the events, which in this case, refers to fights between America and Afghanistan. Also, it depicts the feelings and emotions that the soldiers of America had, showing the morale, fear and terror or war. Hence, i can infer that the purpose of this poem was to show the world how scary a war can be, and to try persuade people not to support war, and not to participate in it. 

That is about all!

Thank you!(:

Yours sincerely,

Mervin Lim 

We Slept With Our Boots On -Task 1

Hello everybody!

Today i will be doing my Home based learning assignment, and this is the first task, which is to do background research on the poem i have chosen, "We Slept With Our Boots On", by Steve Carlsen. 


The author, Steve Carlsen was an experienced soldier who was deployed to peacekeeping operations that were held in Kosovo in November 2001. Kosovo is a partially recognised state then and is land locked. There were many border disputes with Serbia and some of other issues with Yugoslavia.

Secondly, Steve Carlsen was involved in combat operations in Afghanistan in December 2002. The dispute then was called Operation Enduring Freedom. The objective of the operation was to destroy terrorist training camps and infrastructure. Raids were carried out and Steve probably participated in them. 

This is how the event went:

Seizing upon a power vacuum after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan after their invasion, the Taliban (Sunni Islamist Political Movement) assumed the role of government. Their extreme interpretation of Islamic law prompted them to ban music, television, sports, and dancing, and enforce harsh judicial penalties Also, terrorist groups formed. Amputation was an accepted form of punishment for stealing, and public executions could often be seen at the Kabul football stadium. Women's rights groups around the world were frequently critical as the Taliban banned women from appearing in public or holding many jobs outside the home. They drew further criticism when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamyan, historical statues nearly 1500 years old, because the Buddhas were considered idols.


In 1996, Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan upon the invitation of the Northern Alliance leader Abdur Rabb ur Rasool Sayyaf. When the Taliban came to power, bin Laden was able to forge an alliance between the Taliban and his Al-Qaeda organization. It is understood that Al-Qaeda-trained fighters known as the 055 Brigade were integrated with the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001. It has been suggested that the Taliban and bin Laden had very close connections

On September 20, 2001, the U.S. stated that Osama bin Laden was behind the 911 attacks in 2001, and made a five point ultimatum to the Taliban: 

1. Deliver to the U.S. all of the leaders of al-Qaeda
2. Release all imprisoned foreign national
3. Close immediately every terrorist training camp
4. Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to appropriate authorities
5. Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection

On September 21, 2001, the Taliban rejected this ultimatum, stating there was no evidence in their possession linking bin Laden to the September 11 attacks. Then, the fighting began. On Sunday October 7, 2001, American and British forces began an aerial bombing campaign targeting Taliban forces and al-Qaeda.


That is about all!(: 
Basically, they are more about the suspiscion that terrorists were the culprits of 911 attacks, and therefore made Taliban stop all terrorists groups, and hand over all terrorist leaders, to prevent that horrific attack from happening again. However, Taliban refused, and a "war" begin. 


Thank you!


Yours sincerely,
Mervin Lim

Photographs Of War-Essay

Hello everyone!

Today I will doing a narrative essay on this picture!

Why! Why must this happen? Why is this happening? My comrades are down. One by one. Another and another. A thirty-man squad, is now reduced to a mere 2 man squad. 

All I can here are gunshots. Cries of help. Cries of pain. Even when there is silence, there is no peace. Worries and suspicion still lingered among everyone. No one can be trusted. No one can let their guard down. 

Emotions were overwhelming. No one wants to carry on this endless war, but it was not a choice. I have to fight on. For the world, for my country, for myself. 

Ammunition is running low. Everything resource must be fully maximized, and must not be wasted. Corpses were sources of ammunition, and we have to search them, bearing the stench. However that was not the challenge. The challenge was the pain and fear in our hearts. 

Travelling through destroyed houses was unbearable. However, the situation is aggravated, with those bulky and heavy boots of ours. Ventilation was horrible, with dusts of all the rubble everywhere.  

Relief aids and reinforcement troops are not to be seen. We marched on. Every step took us nearer and closer to death. 

The both of us, the only two dead walking men in our squad left were about to give up. We threw ourselves on the floor, took off our helmets, and stared at each other. 

Pictures of my family members and friends, my comrades came floating into my mind. I would never be able to meet them ever again. I buried my head into my laps, and sulked. Tears trickled down uncontrollably. Why do such a cruel, inhuman activity ever occur? What is the point of all these bloodshed? Violence never, NEVER, solve anything!

I stood up, picked up my rifle and passed my comrade a pistol. We aimed it at each other, and vowed that that would be the last bullet we will every shoot.

Wait for us, comrades, we are coming!

BANG. 

That is all!

Thank you!(:

Yours sincerely,

Mervin (:  

Expository Writing-Heroes

Done by: Mervin Lim

Expository Writing-Heroes

Heroes are essential in our society because they have apparent qualities that not everyone can have, not everyone can possess. These qualities are courage, perseverance and last but not least selflessness.Therefore, they will benefit our society tremendously.

Heroes possesses courage. Bravery far more than others, and therefore, are admired and prominent in mankind. For example, during World War Two, the war that involved many nations, not excluding Singapore. Then, Japan invaded many Southeast Asia countries, to get natural resources and to expand their empire. Then, at a time of crisis like that, many heroes emerged, and fought relentlessly for Singapore. An example would be Lt. Adnan Bin Saidi. Even though he was totally outnumbered at the battle at Bukit Panjang, he still fought till the end. When he was captured and tortured, he refused to give the Japanese names of those in other anti-Japanese forces, and therefore was killed. His last words were "Death before dishonour". This is someone that possesses way more courage than ordinary men, and are willing to die, for the society, for the people,  for the country.

A hero definitely has resilience and perseverance. For example, when in a war, a hero must not give up, just because one of his comrades died, and DEFINITELY must not give up even before the fight. He must not bow down to obstacles, and must instead, face them, and brainstorm for effective alternatives to solve the problem. Also, as the saying goes "Failure is the mother of success", a hero must not give up or feel discouraged when he failed in doing something his way. Instead, he should, and must gain valuable experience from it, and must avoid the same mistakes again. This is a motto and value that all heroes have, but not many people can achieve.

Last but not least, a hero must have the quality, selflessness. "A boy doesn't have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn't like pie when he sees there isn't enough to go around" -Edgar Watson Howe. For example, in the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird", Atticus was the most prominent person that has this quality. He knew that everyone would be against him if he were to accept to defend Tom Robinson, a Black, as Maycomb was a country that practiced discrimination and racial prejudice. However, despite all the profanities and vulgarities hurled at him, he still did not both about them, but instead, continued to defend Tom to the best of his abilities. That is selflessness at its maximum, as sacrifice was definitely necessary in some situations and scenarios.

In a nutshell, heroes are essential in our society, as without them, the society of mankind would definitely be at a loss. Crime rates would definitely increase tremendously, and there would be many other social vices. Therefore, we must start nurturing the younger generation to become heroes, so that in the future, our future generations would not suffer.