Current Affairs: Blog Prompt 3

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing as the Chairman of the Hwa Chong Institution Recycling Club. Presently, Singaporeans do not recycle much. This is due to the fact that they are not educated about recycling and also because they do not realize the serious implications and consequences of global warming. Thus, in reference to the this matter, I wish to highlight the dire need to raise awareness about recycling and hence wish to raise funds to conduct a recycling campaign.

This campaign objective is to educate the people in the Bukit Timah district about recycling. This is how it will be carried out:

Posters will be placed on notice boards of HDBs, offering residents the incentive of participating in a lucky draw if they were to recycle at least 10 kilograms of recyclables monthly. They number of drawing tickets they will each receive is one-tenth the number of kilograms of recyclables they recycle in that month. They can be used for the following month's drawing. For example, supposing Mr. Lim recycles 40 kilograms of recyclables in the month of January, he would then receive 4 drawing tickets in compensation for the drawing in February.

Also, in addition to this, there will also be a 'Referral scheme'. Whenever someone refers one of his friends to this new recycling campaign, he will receive an additional drawing ticket for each and every month his referral recycles at least 10 kilograms of recyclables. This would definitely encourage people to spread the news about this campaign. For example, if Mr. Tan were to refer just three people: Mr. Lim, Ms. Lee and Mrs. Goh, and they each refer just three others, and they in turn refer another three each,another three,... This process will be infinite as people are lured into referring others to get extra tickets. As a result, more and more people would know about recycling and actively recycle so as to take part in this lucky draw, thus making this an extremely successful campaign.

However, though the heart is willing, the body is weak. Unfortunately, we are unable to carry out this campaign without sponsors for the prizes of the lucky draws. Thus, on behalf of the Recycling Club, I sincerely urge you to fund this campaign. Not only will this campaign benefit the natural environment around us by equipping citizens with the knowledge of recycling, but also uphold a good reputation for your company as an environmentally friendly one. Also, this will give plenty of good publicity for your company. Moreover, as a citizen of the earth, there is a compulsion to help put an end to global warming and pollution. It is each and every one's responsibility to stop Mother Earth's suffering.

As, a global citizen, I would like nothing more than to prevent pollution and promote recycling, so that the future generations will be able to grow up in a clean environment, unspoiled by humans. However, there is only so much I can do. Once again, for the sake of the future generations, please think this proposal through carefully. Details and information can be obtained by simply calling our 24/7 hotline:6902 8508.

Yours Faithfully,
LDM
Lee Dao Ming (Mr.)

Discussion Question 3

In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie thinks that being as smart as his friends would be the ideal life for him as he feels that achieving intelligence or high Intelligence Quota(IQ) equals happiness. However, he is proved wrong as he is isolated from those he loves and cares about when he achieves intelligence as he is unable to approach them from the same intellectual level.

This question is controversial as it depends on each individual's own opinion. As for me, I feel that the ideal life would be one where I would have a perfect job and a loving family and be someone people admire and respect. In this case, I would be satisfied with my job and able to look forward to returning to a warm family after work. Furthermore, I would be respected and looked up upon, hence being the ideal life for me. However, others might say that they think an ideal life would be one where they are rich and powerful while yet someone else might feel that having no stress and homework would be the ideal life for them. Thus, this question is entirely subjected to each person's opinion and has no absolute or definite answer.

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Little Ironies-The Taximan's Story

Q1. What is the irony in the story?

The irony in the story is that the taxi driver's daughter was influenced and became a social escort as the taxi driver encouraged and approved of social escorts as he profited greatly from sending them to their destinations. However, when his daughter misplaced his trust in her and became a social escort herself, he was heartbroken, which is ironic as he supported social escorts in the first place.

Q2. What are the themes raised in the story?

The themes raised in the story are Past vs Present, Trust and Betrayal.
The taxi driver lamented about the difference in conduct between children now and in the past, reflecting the theme Past vs Present.
The themes Trust and Betrayal are raised when Lay Choo betrayed her father's trust in her and lied to him and became a social escort.

Q3. How realistic is the story?

The story is quite realistic as there have been a few cases of teenage social escorts in the newspapers.

Q4. What do you think of the taximan? Do you feel sympathy for him?

I think he is unethical as he cheats the social escorts of their money by running the meter and driving round and round while they and their customers are privately engaged. Furthermore, he also encourages the existence of social escorts as he earns a lot of money from them, though it is illegal. He is also quite talkative but experienced.
I do not feel much sympathy for him as he was wrong to approve of social escorts at first. Furthermore, he shows little remorse for supporting social escorts though his daughter became one and still tries to make a quick buck off them, as derived from the last sentence.

Q5. Do you agree with his lamenting?

I agree with him about teenagers nowadays going astray and against their parents' wishes. There have been many cases in the papers about unruly teenagers causing all sorts of trouble , like playing truant, smoking and abusing. This is a far cry from teenagers of the past who were meek and obeyed their parents' every whim for fear of being caned.

Q6. What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel sympathy for them?

I sympathize with Lay Choo if she moonlighted as a social escort just to help pay for her University education. If that is the case, she deserves sympathy. However, if she worked just because she wanted to buy branded items like handbags or clothes, she deserves her punishment.

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