Point of View in Stories

A Parent:
The headmaster’s speech is inspiring! I am even more confident now that I have chosen the right school for my child. I know what is best for my child. I had it all planned out… First he would go to prep school, then to Harvard University to study medicine, before becoming a successful doctor. Life would be a bed of roses for him then. I am a little worried though… The students in this school are all crème de la crème. Will he survive in this elitist school? Should I send him to military camp to prepare him for university instead? Nah, he could handle it. He always came out tops in elementary school. However, I would not see him again until the end of the semester, after a whole season! I would miss him dearly. The house would be quite empty without him. Wait, did I bring all the necessities for him? Toothbrush… Check. Towel… Check. Clothes… Check…


Headmaster:
The ceremony went quite smoothly, especially when the flags that bear the four pillars of the school, “Tradition”, “Honour”, “Discipline” and “Excellence”, were carried into the hall. I have always followed these four pillars to run the school. The school uses traditional methods focusing on rote learning, where the students are expected to obediently receive the fixed answers. Students that did not learn quickly enough would be failed, and I personally encourage the use of corporal punishment to maintain discipline. Through ‘traditional’ teaching methods and strict ‘discipline’, I believe that the school can achieve ‘excellent’ results and maintain its ‘honourable’ position as one of the top prep schools in the nation. Oh… Better shake hands with the parents before they leave…

Term 1 Week 7 Assignment

I think that the objective of the Language Arts programme is to develop independent learners who can see the relationship between language and how to apply it in life. I have gained valuable writing skills in the LA programme up to this point, such as how to write plot, character, setting and mood effectively so as to capture the reader’s attention. By analysing, discussing and evaluating how writers craft effective stories, I began to notice the connection between literature and our lives, that literature is as big as life or even bigger than life.

What I like about the programme is that we are exposed to a wide variety of texts of vastly different genres. Thus, it not only expands our horizons, but also allows us to look at issues from a wider perspective across multiple disciplines. As mentioned in the school mission, “we nurture leaders in research, industry and government”, the literary skills we have learnt now will be very useful in the future, when we, as leaders, need to communicate effectively with the people, organisations and professionals.

A change I will like to see in the programme is the method class discussions are conducted. In the first few weeks, volunteers are picked to present in class, but unfortunately, I was not in the chosen five. Then, students with low Oral Participation marks were called upon, but again, you “missed” me. I propose that we stick to the volunteering method, but those who presented for three times would have to give the opportunity to others.

A lesson I particularly enjoyed is the online lesson where we were required to do some research on the history of America and present the information in the form of a podcast and mindmap. This lesson provides us with the opportunity to experience Literature outside the classroom. I hope there could be more of such lessons.

Term 1 Week 6 Assignment

As its name suggests, Compass Point Shopping Centre is a world map, with each storey named after the five continents: The basement is Oceania, the ground floor is Asia, the second floor is Europe, the third floor is The Americas, and the top floor is Africa. It is a concrete ship, sailing in the sea of learning. It is an amphitheatre, housing a three-ring circus on Christmas Eve - Admission is ‘free’! It is a battlefield where shoppers invade, their weapon of choice – cash.

The sun shied little golden disks at the glass roof of the shopping centre, the disks skipping from panel to panel until they formed a broad collar of gold. With its contrasting bright crimson and white facade, round eye-like windows, towering spires and a huge glass dome, the shopping centre is a cathedral, where the halls are a wonder to behold, with the most amazing things to offer (and on offer), and where shoppers come to worship. Shopping is a religion. Just a ring of the imaginary bell and worshippers will flock to it to attend its service. Every day, the mall calls out to its followers with its melodious choir, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!” Even if my mother put her hands over her ears, she still cannot resist the compelling voice...

Characterisation: Story Excerpt

He ran. He ran like he never did before. He could feel the coolness of the wind, taste the sweetness of his sweat, hear the exhilarating cheer of the crowd, smell the sweet scent of the field grass… Time seemed to stop. A drop of sweat dripped from his forehead in slow motion. He could see himself reflected in it. A proud Jamaican with a crew-cut hairstyle, a pair of delicate ears, thick eyebrows, penetrating eyes that were black wells of passion, a stubby nose, thin set of lips, a sharp chin, a strong carefree smile, and a toned six-foot physique he maintained with hundred laps a day round the track… Suddenly, it seemed that someone pressed the “fast-forward” button on the remote control. Everything became a blur. All he could feel was his heart pumping hard, his hands moving mechanically up and down like pistons, his feet moving like they never touched the ground… He flew. His knees almost went past his competitors’ faces. He raised both his hands and slowed down, and it was not because he was tired. “Ploosh!” His shoelaces were untied. But he did not care. He knew he had won without crossing the finishing line. When he actually did, the timer displayed the unbelievable numbers “9.69s”. He had set a new Olympics world record! All he could think of right now was, “Whew! That was exciting. Let’s do it all over again!”



Techniques used for Characterisation

I created this character, Bolt, by describing his physical aspects such as facial appearance, physique and actions, and mental aspects such as thoughts and feelings.

Firstly, I portrayed Bolt as attention-catching by describing his facial appearance, as shown in the extract, “crew-cut hairstyle, a pair of delicate ears, thick eyebrows, penetrating eyes that were black wells of passion, a stubby nose, thin set of lips, a sharp chin, a strong carefree smile”.

Secondly, I portrayed him as manly by describing his physique, as shown in the extract, “toned six-foot physique”.

Thirdly, I portrayed him as focused by describing his actions, as shown in the extract, “his hands moving mechanically up and down like pistons, his feet moving like they never touched the ground”, “Time seemed to stop” and “A drop of sweat dripped from his forehead in slow motion. He could see himself reflected in it.”

Fourthly, I portrayed him as enthusiastic by describing his thoughts, as shown in the extract, “Whew! That was exciting. Let’s do it all over again!”

Finally, I portrayed him as proud by describing his thoughts and actions, as shown in the extract, “He knew he had won without crossing the finishing line”, “He raised both his hands and slowed down, and it was not because he was tired” and “His shoelaces were untied. But he did not care.”