It is war again in the history of mankind! Prepare for destruction! Nah. There is no war, just rookie soldier. Another random poem again, to be analysed and reflected on. You can cut out that part about analyse. I just put it there for the cool sound of it. So, here we have, the poem itself, which is so easily found on the web. Sadly, we do not have the writer himself to come back from he dead to read it for us.
The Soldier by Rupert Brooke
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
Goodness gracious me! This guy really loves his country eh? Well, you can see the patriotism he portrayed in his poem. Now, what did I say I am suppose to do again? Nothing? Oh good! Then let's commence this post to a close. I am getting tired of this work. So, goodbye. (Reader attempts to look at the top of the post and see what work was suppose to be done. Kenneth whacks the reader on the head.) Haha! Don't try to make me remember what I am suppose to do. Aargh! You already did. Oh well, so for the reflection......
Now, we will need young man in Singapore to do National Service which is considered as highly compulsory. To be exact, it is 100% compulsory or you are dead! Hmm......wonder why the government emphasize so strongly on this point. Well, I guess it all leads down to the fact that they wanted us to be loyal to our very own country. We have lived in it, grow in it, develop in it and now, it is time for us to give it all back to our Motherland. It gives a sense that we are proud to be a Singaporean(even though I am not exactly one). Well, as I have stayed in Singapore for quite a LOOOOOOONG time, I do have some feelings that it is part of me. But then again, I am not fully dedicated and having a patriotism towards Singapore. I am half half. You see, I am a Malaysian, and that's where my real identity was. So, I guess I will have to distribute myself among the two countries. One for which has given you your identity and the other which had nurture you into a man. Well, patriotism in Singapore can be seen widely, especially those serving the Singapore Armed Forces. They are our country's defence and the only reason why they joined it in the first place it because they wanted to serve their country. Their respect for Singapore has rose to such a high level that they seem to have this "Die for Singapore" motto in them.
Right, so there you go. I gotta rush since I have to do something. Do what? Not telling you. This is private! And nothing sick too! If you thought so then you really need to wash your brain with BLEACH. I think I shall have the honour of doing it for you. May more posts come your way!
Hey Kenneth , personally I think that this is a rather funny post despite the rather solemn tone of the poem.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think that you could take note is that you need not be a citizen or born in the country to be proud and patriotic of the place . Take a few examples : many foreigners who came to Singapore and after integrating themselves into the place that they now call home , they feel the same sense of patriotism they feel towards their motherland to their homeland .
Another point would be this sentence "such a high level that they seem to have this 'Die for Singapore' motto in them" , this , I think is incorrect in essentials . Patriotism is basically the amount of national loyalty in a person , it does not encompass dying for the country .
Your post also have a few grammatical errors , maybe you would like to look through the post and edit them to make it more grammatically sound ?
Otherwise , your post is quite light-hearted albeit somewhat rude at the end . Well done !! :D
Haha, interesting way of writing a post.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I would just like to pose this question. Since you are a Malaysian, yet stayed here for a long time, in the event that war breaks out between the 2 countries, which country will you side? Difficult decision eh? Your compassion that goes out to the country you side would be the country you are patriotic to. It all depends on your heart. That is what NS is about. NS is a place where we develop true friendship, through our bunkmates, through our regiment, where we share pain, suffering, agony, hope, happiness, tears and joy together. It creates a bond with Singapore, and instills pride, therefore loyalty to the Republic of Singapore.
By the way, you forgot to talk about your loyalty to your school. Oops!
Well I personally feel that your style of writng is as if that you are speaking to me right this moment. Its very first hand and very interesting. Okay coming to your point about having split devotions well it really depends if you are a permanent resident still then you have a chance of having to serve national service in both countries else you only have to do so in one.It now really boils down to the country and your nationality in your passport maybe I am wrong but it should be Malaysian so maybe u have your devotions to your country of birth but still it is your choice ultimately
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoy your style of writing, as it feels rather first-hand and it seems as if you were writing the blog post not just for the sake of writing but to actually share your feelings and opinions, and this is done through in a humorous way.You should elaborate on the part about the importance of National Service. You have to consider other reasons behind it, like describing the vulnerability of Singapore and why it needs a strong army. You can also actually elaborate more by defining the patriotism you have towards Singapore through specific examples, showing how you feel belonged etc. And, yep, you have also missed out on the point about Hwa Chong.
ReplyDelete