Judicial Caning good or bad?



The recent arrest and sentencing of the Swiss national who graffitied an MRT train to several strokes of the cane have aroused some debate about the justifiability of caning as a punishment for this crime. Parallels have been drawn to the caning of Michael Fay in 1995, an incident which raised an international outcry. This time, there seems to be less international controversy, but the situation in Singapore has shifted over the past 15 years to make caning a less accepted norm in Singaporean society. 
Americans has long criticized Singapore for accepting caning as a punishment for a crime. This idea is the foundation of the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which prohibits all forms of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. This is an instrument to which more than 140 countries are party, and which has been signed by a further ten. It reflects the weight of enormous international consensus, uniting the values and sensibilities of a vast range of peoples. Singapore is in a very small minority by refusing even to share formally in its aspirations, even if not all the state parties live up to them. Aside from the treaty, the prohibition of all forms of torture is also one of the few rules of international law which has the status of jus cogens or peremptory norm – in other words, it is so fundamental that no derogation from it is permitted in any circumstances. 
In my personal opinion, I think that caning is justifiable as a punishment for a crime. It acts as a strong deterrent against crimes so that crime rates could be reduced because the people have already been warned by the cruelty of the caning and thus would not dare to commit crime. 
Caning can also allow the criminals to reflect over what they have done wrong as the sustaining pain constantly reminds them of the crime they have committed, thus they would spent a long time reflecting and hopefully turn over a new leaf. The pain can also allow the criminals to realised the severity of their crimes. 
Besides caning, there are also other methods to justify severe punishment. 
Lifelong Jail could be one of the methods. Lifelong Jail can inflict pain to the criminals, however this method would not allow those criminals to turn over a new leaf and this is not what we want. We want the people to reflect over their wrongdoings and start their life afresh, however in this method, they are denied to do so. 
Thus, in conclusion i feel that although there are methods to justify punishment, they are not as effective as using the cane. 

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Saturday, July 31, 2010 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Term 3 Sneak Preview

Hi people! Today I am going to give you a little sneak preview about what I am going to blog in Term 3.

I have found interest in the current affairs that is happening all over the world and have decided to put this into my blog. Throughout the term, i would be posting up article links and sharing my views on them, using different POVs and suggesting how the thing could be improved.

Stay up for more posts coming along!

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Friday, July 16, 2010 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

ACID CAMP!

During the June Holidays, I volunteered to be involved in ACID camp.

You may ask, what is ACID?
ACID is actually an acronym for A Camp for Intellectually Disabled, it aims to provide a camp as a gathering for all the intellectually disabled people all around singapore to come together and have fun together.

During the ACID camp, I was actually very excited

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Sneak Preview!

Term 3


Its the last week of the holidays and it means:

ITS TIME TO WORK AGAIN!

Yes, the holidays are coming, it means we have to get up from our "hibernation" and get working. That means this blog is going to spring to life again!

In this term, I decided to continue in my quest for the theme: national indentities, venturing out to other countries besides singapore, which is the one i did for term 1.

This term, I would also post my personal feelings about the incidents I have gone through in my school days.

So look out for my rejuvenated blog!

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Analysis of poem: Children in the Darkness

1. Point of view

The author is writing from a point of view of a "spectator" of war. He was trying to sympathize with the children in war, saying that the war would deplete the children's childhood, that war "would consume the children's life". 
In the first stanza, he was trying to say that war would "demolish" the children's hopes, as "There are children in the darkness would have not seen the light" suggests. 
In the second stanza, he is saying that war are not allowing children to live the life that they are supposed to have, "chalk and blackboards" suggests that children should be studying at this age however, instead they are going to war. 
In the third stanza, the author was trying to suggest that instead of allowing them to go into war, "couldn't they" give them a chance, to study and live the life they should be. 
In the fourth and fifth stanza, his opinion was that war is cruel and children should not be going to war. 

2. Situation/Setting
The situation in this poem is children going to war and learning how to fight using weapons at a very early age. They could be losing their lives at an very early age. Children should not be going to war because " war will consume their body and soul" and this should not be happening to children instead they should be taught " to read and to dance". 

3. Language/Diction
The author has been using language to express his feeling in this poem. 
In the second stanza, "Chalks and Blackboards" are used to depict a normal children's life that they would lead, that is going to school and learning instead of going to the war. 
In the third stanza, "Could we" is used repeatedly at every line of the stanza and this shows strong feelings that the author has that Children should be learning at this age and emphasizes how war consumes the life of the children. 
In the fourth stanza, War was personified as it "consumed" the children's body and soul, depicting war as a evil creature. Life and bloody was also metaphor to be "poured" into the "thirsty, endless hole" which was the war, once again depicting war as something evil and hopeless and "poured" suggest large amounts. 

4. Personal response

In my personal opinion, I think war is something evil. Children at a young age had to be put on the front line for the country instead of leading the lifes that normal children have. This poem allows us to appreciate the lifes that we have and not complain as there are children in war that have to suffer in the war. 

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Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Home Learning: Background of "Children in the Darkness"

Henry M Bechtold was in Vietnam in 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. He goes back often because his soul lives in Vietnam and he goes back to visit it from time to time.

     He was sitting in my hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. He was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. He looked at the TV and the news was on.  He did not know what the news reader was saying but in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle.  This poem flowed out.  The words just came to him and he typed as fast as I could to get it all down.  


Taken from: http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Children_

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Home Learning: Children in the Darkness Poem

Children in the Darkness 


There are children in the darkness 
Who have not seen the light 
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light 


Henry M Bechtold

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