11 June 2009
A Different Childhood
Book Read: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Yes, I feel that this book has made me think different of my lifestyle. When I compare my lifestyle with that of Tom Sawyer's, I feel that I lead a very boring and unadventurous life. In this novel, the characters always seem to be full of exciting ideas and schemes for adventures. I envy them for living such a care-free life. They play truant, run away from home, explore caves and go fishing as and when they like. As for me, I have to study almost everyday and if I ever tried to escape school, I would be slapped with a suspension and grounded forever in addition to being severely punished. Instead of going fishing or cave-exploring, I would normally just hang out at the mall, watch a movie or go to a restaurant. Thus, I could only hope to enjoy such a happy-go-lucky life as Tom Sawyer's.
This story originated from the South on the Mississippi River, in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, a state in America. America and Singapore are different in many aspects.
Besides the obvious difference in size and population between the two countries, America is a powerful country. The US Army is unanimously recognized as the most powerful army in the world and it's one of the few countries with nuclear arms. On the other hand, Singapore's arm forces are very weak compared to America. To compensate for this, Singapore has to implement mandatory National Service, where young men of 18 years old are drafted into the army, navy and air force. Furthermore, Singapore has established good bilateral relationships between neighboring countries and superpowers like Britain and America. Thus, it can enjoy the protection and defense provided by them in the event of war.
However, Singaporeans are generally more prosperous than Americans. According to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (person), the US ranks 6th while Singapore ranks 4th. This could be as Singapore progresses as a whole because of its small population and the income gap isn't as great as in the US, where the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.
I would change the part where Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer and Joe Parker agreed to wait till their "funeral" to reveal that they are still indeed alive. By doing so, not only does it cause unnecessary worry to their loved ones and friends, it is also rather too dramatic for my liking. If they had simply come back earlier or even not run away to Jackson's Island at all, all the anxiety could have been avoided. They could have sorted the family matters that were troubling them instead of running away from them and none of these would have happened.
I think the most exciting part of the story was when Tom and Becky Thatcher were trapped in the cave.
It seemed like they were going to be trapped in the cave forever and "starve to death of hunger" . They had eaten "their last piece of cake" and "hunger and fatigue set in". Furthermore, "Becky's legs refused to carry her another inch" and their candle "finally flickered and went out". Thus, things were looking very depressing for them as they had no food and were tired. Hence, it was the most exciting part of the story.
They managed to find their way out of the cave in the nick of time. Tom had followed three passages "to the fullest stretch of of the kite string" and was about to turn back when he "glimpsed a far-off speck" of daylight. Becky was "going to die" at that time from hunger, thus, it was very fortunate that Tom had found an exit then. Thus, its was really exciting.
Tom saw his deadly enemy, Injun Joe in the cave. He had previously told the court in a murder case that the latter had been the real murderer of Dr. Robinson and not Muff Porter. Thus, Injun Joe "bore a grudge " against him and swore to take revenge on him. Tom had even called out to him accidentally in the cave and was "paralyzed with fear when he recognized Injun Joe". Hence, it was extremely exciting as Tom was stuck with Injun Joe inside the cave and was at his mercy .
Yes, I feel that this book has made me think different of my lifestyle. When I compare my lifestyle with that of Tom Sawyer's, I feel that I lead a very boring and unadventurous life. In this novel, the characters always seem to be full of exciting ideas and schemes for adventures. I envy them for living such a care-free life. They play truant, run away from home, explore caves and go fishing as and when they like. As for me, I have to study almost everyday and if I ever tried to escape school, I would be slapped with a suspension and grounded forever in addition to being severely punished. Instead of going fishing or cave-exploring, I would normally just hang out at the mall, watch a movie or go to a restaurant. Thus, I could only hope to enjoy such a happy-go-lucky life as Tom Sawyer's.
This story originated from the South on the Mississippi River, in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, a state in America. America and Singapore are different in many aspects.
Besides the obvious difference in size and population between the two countries, America is a powerful country. The US Army is unanimously recognized as the most powerful army in the world and it's one of the few countries with nuclear arms. On the other hand, Singapore's arm forces are very weak compared to America. To compensate for this, Singapore has to implement mandatory National Service, where young men of 18 years old are drafted into the army, navy and air force. Furthermore, Singapore has established good bilateral relationships between neighboring countries and superpowers like Britain and America. Thus, it can enjoy the protection and defense provided by them in the event of war.
However, Singaporeans are generally more prosperous than Americans. According to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (person), the US ranks 6th while Singapore ranks 4th. This could be as Singapore progresses as a whole because of its small population and the income gap isn't as great as in the US, where the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.
I would change the part where Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer and Joe Parker agreed to wait till their "funeral" to reveal that they are still indeed alive. By doing so, not only does it cause unnecessary worry to their loved ones and friends, it is also rather too dramatic for my liking. If they had simply come back earlier or even not run away to Jackson's Island at all, all the anxiety could have been avoided. They could have sorted the family matters that were troubling them instead of running away from them and none of these would have happened.
I think the most exciting part of the story was when Tom and Becky Thatcher were trapped in the cave.
It seemed like they were going to be trapped in the cave forever and "starve to death of hunger" . They had eaten "their last piece of cake" and "hunger and fatigue set in". Furthermore, "Becky's legs refused to carry her another inch" and their candle "finally flickered and went out". Thus, things were looking very depressing for them as they had no food and were tired. Hence, it was the most exciting part of the story.
They managed to find their way out of the cave in the nick of time. Tom had followed three passages "to the fullest stretch of of the kite string" and was about to turn back when he "glimpsed a far-off speck" of daylight. Becky was "going to die" at that time from hunger, thus, it was very fortunate that Tom had found an exit then. Thus, its was really exciting.
Tom saw his deadly enemy, Injun Joe in the cave. He had previously told the court in a murder case that the latter had been the real murderer of Dr. Robinson and not Muff Porter. Thus, Injun Joe "bore a grudge " against him and swore to take revenge on him. Tom had even called out to him accidentally in the cave and was "paralyzed with fear when he recognized Injun Joe". Hence, it was extremely exciting as Tom was stuck with Injun Joe inside the cave and was at his mercy .
No comments:
Post a Comment