Patriotism

Q1. We need young men to do national service annually. Why do you think national service is compulsory in Singapore and why is this important?
Q2. In the above poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country, England. Do you have this same spirit of patriotism towards Singapore? Why?
Q3. Do you find this same spirit of patriotism in Singapore?

Q1. Singapore is small and without natural resources to sustain itself, therefore it can be viewed as vulnerable to attacks and sieges. Constantly forcing young men to do national service can strengthen the military forces so as to be able to fend off attacks. National service also imbued a sense of willingness to defend Singapore, as the men would go through hardships together and bonds would be forged between them. They would finish off their service as good friends, and would be more than willing to defend their homeland, where their families and friends belong. Lastly, national service pushes these men to their physical and mental limits, training their endurance and therefore allowing them (as the future of Singapore) to be better equipped to empower their country and to allow it to soar into greater heights.

Q2. In the poem, the poet conveys a sort of radical and perhaps exaggerated view of patriotism. His patriotism went as far as to declare that his homeland, England, is heaven. Perhaps that might not be his actual thoughts, since he wrote that poem just to urge his comrades to defend England with all their might, and inorder to achieve this objective, exaggeration might be necessary. Since the poem might be an exaggeration, it is obvious that I would not share such radical sentiments, however i do feel a sense of patriotism towards Singapore, undeniably.

Q3. Today is a special day. As one walk on the pavement of a typical neighbourhood, he would be able to see people, clad in red shirts and white shorts, walking about. As one looks up, apart from the familiar sights of bamboo poles sticking out of the towering HDB flats, he would be able to see flags hanging out of every unit. Red on top, white below. A moon on the left of the red portion, right of the moon there are 5 stars, arranged in such a way that if there were lines to connect them together, one would be looking at a large star, or even a pentagon. As one walks past his neighbour's unit, he would be able to hear cheers. if he were to be piqued by curiousity, and were to look the screen of the neighbour's television, he would be looking at large groups of people, marching in an orderly manner. Some of them in the army costume, some in the police uniform, some carrying banners. When he suddenly began wondering what day is it, and why it is so special, he would take out his phone and take a look at the calendar. Then, the date, obviously, is 9 August.
That, is patriotism in Singapore

Book Review: The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers is written by Alexander Dumas, around 1844. Set in the late 1620s, it revolves around the friendship of 4 men: D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. The adventures of these friends are continued in Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. These three novels are known together as D'Artagnan Romances.
D'Artagnan, a young man from Glascony, leaves his hometown in search of a better life as a Musketeer in Paris. Upon arrival, he got into trouble and was challenged to three duels with three Musketeers by the names of Athos, Porthos and Aramis respectively. However, neither of the Musketeers know that the other had already challenged D'Artagnan to a duel. D'Artagnan realised that they were friends and together they fought off the guards of The Cardinal who were attempting to arrest them for illegal fighting. The four became friends after the incident. Then, he met Constance Bonacieux, the pretty wife of his landlord, and fell in love with her. Constance Bonacieux was the personal assistant of the queen, who was in a fragile position, and D'Artagnan volunteered to help the queen in order to gain love from Constance. Soon, he was drawn into a complex power struggle involving the queen, the Cardinal, who was attempting to remove the queen from power, and the lover of the queen, the Duke of Buckingham. He quickly developed a crush on Milady de Winter, whom he then known to be the Cardinal's agent. He unintentionally found out that Milady was a felon and Milady wanted him killed, for she did not want anyone to know of that. Meanwhile, Constance was captured by the Cardinal but the queen managed to rescue her and hid her in a Covent. Milady tried various methods to kill D'Artagnan, but her plans were foiled by the three Musketeers (Athos, Porthos and Aramis). She was then ordered by the Cardinal to assassinate the Duke of Buckingham, but the Musketeers overheard their plans and sent a letter to the Lord de Winter, warning him of Milady. Lord de Winter then had Milady captured and placed in a prison, but Milady managed to seduce the prison guard, and manipulated him to assassinate the Duke. She then escaped back to France, and coincidentally to the Covent Constance was in. She poisoned Constance as an act of vengeance against D'Artagnan. D'Artagnan and the Musketeers the had her caught, tried and executed. The four then broke up and led the lives of their own.
This story is worth reading as it combines love, friendship and battles of wit. It also has a historical setting which appeals to readers interested in France and England in the 1600s. Furthermore, parts of the story showcase the witty remarks made by the characters, some of which can be hilarious.