"I am William Wallace!
And I see a whole army of my countrymen
Here in defiance of tyranny.
You've come to fight as free men,
and free men you are!
What will you do without freedom?
Will you fight?...
Fight and you will die.
Run, and you'll live...
At least for a while.
And dying in your beds many years from now.
Would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that,
for one chance, just ONE chance,
to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives,
BUT they'll never take our freedom!"
- William Walace, an extract taken from the film 'Braveheart'
_______________________________________
As always, your dear teacher is easily fascinated by such a speech. It provokess one to think deeply on the issue of war - that a war is not necessarily all about killings and atrocities, but it does have its positive sides as well.
So tell me this folks, from the short extract of the film "Braveheart" that I've shown you in class, what are the positive and negative sides of the battle between Scotland and England?
Next, I want you to link the battle to Singapore's involvement in the World War 2 (WW2). I want you folks to be aware that by then, the locals in Singapore were ACTIVELY involved in fighting the WW2. We have people like Lim Bo Seng, Force 136 and not forgetting, Lieutenant Adnan and the Malay Regiment (you can learn more about this at the Bukit Chandu Museum in Singapore!). Indeed, how was Singapore's involvement in the WW2 a good and/or a bad thing?
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Are You Ready For A War?
Thoughts of historyalive at Sunday, August 05, 2007
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80 comments:
yoz! -_-'" kkaiz...
war brings out the tyranny in people,it's true! Without freedom who would ever be able to be normal and ALIVE? You see if you ever trap someone in the house forever just like Boo Radley, he did be feared! Known as a "malevolent phantom" so what we usually call "zi bi" a.k.a "anti-social". Heys! would you like to be sucked out of freedom and like not being able to go out with your friends and being said that you are weird, "haunted" etc. ? no right? Everyone just have got to know that gaining freedom at a time of war was never easy. You get terms and conditions suggested by your enemy which is like so not what you are in dire needs for! You ask for freedom! thats al you want and you don't get it!
My example which happened on me is one of the common few...You would never believe it but heys! i can only go out twice with my freinds in two months but heys! now it is like only once in two ridiculously long months! Wake up! i am so not a nerd! i am an adventurous freak! How can you deprive me of this small freedom i ask for? Maybe i might not be convincing enough but freedom is so important that millions died for it and many are still deprived of it just like the discrimination between the whites and blacks. Do the blacks gain their freedom wholly? NO!
FREEDOM!!! Fight for it people!!!
--i am not the anonymous guy/gal
--peak deng 2K
thrash me... chuck me in the bin....i don't care...freedom...freedom...i am in despair....
FOR FREEDOM!!! ROAR! soz i DLing smt so come up and look for fun. will leave full reply ASAP... Shuhao =DD
Interesting entry Peak Ding... And yes fighting a war to gain freedom is indeed a noble cause. But what are the consequences of such a battle?Is it worth it?
On another note altogether, I empathise with your current plight. Yes freedom is everything BUT that said you do have your own freedom in which nobody can take away from you - that's freedom of the mind... freedom to think in a way that is you... freedom to imagine...
;)
IF the consequences of freedom can stop a 100 years of rape and murder, and futhermore in a justice rule, WHY NOT FIGHT FOR IT!?!
lots of "love" JKJK
shuhao
Share with all another fascinating speech:
"What others think of you does not make you what you are. The most important part is how you think of yourself. You are what you are."
Extracted from book "bloodtide"
shuhao
Some movies that can make our lessons and history MORE alive(abt WW2):
Pearl Harbour
Hiroshima
Freedom is important, but you have to see the circumstances to decide whether it is worth fighting for. Let say in Brave Heart, it is worth it as they would die anyway, so they should fight for what they believe in. They would be remembered as brave souls who gave up their lives for their country, not cowards.
war bring out a sense of patrotism in the people.i tink tat this war is similar to a person coming into your house without your permission and started 2 order u around.would u chase tat person out of e house or let him/her order u around. if u have the right mind, u will do the former. thus in this situation,e scots r only chasing the english out of a place they call home
Answering teacher's question
1)Wad are de consequences of such battle jus fr freedom?
2)Is it worth it?
Having a war fr freedom is all right, but if the war causes 2 much death, chaos and fright to de peeps in tt countri, it is rather to hab no freedom then war. 2 sme peeps freedom is rather or maybe much mre important 2 them, maybe because witout freedom, there would be no happiness or even life would be meaningless. But 2 other bunch of peeps freedom is nt veri important 2 them. They jus want 2 continue 2 survive and live, rather than 2 risk their lives in exchange fr freedom fr their next generations or themselves( if lucky they survived da war). Frm da movie "Brave Heart", de peeps decided to fight fr freedom with da help of William Wallace encouragement and support. Without William Walace there supporting them, giving them encouragement, they would hab leave the battlefield or rather surrender/ give in to the Englands, becuase b4 tt in their mind, exhanging death fr freedom is worthless 2 them. Luckily with da help of William Wallace, da army decided 2 continue fighting fr freedom. If they WIN tt particular battle, their life or next generations would live in a peaceful, without orders frm those Englands, without restrictions frm da Englands and a happy and carefree life.
Feel free to giv any comments on my speech.
~Javern Tan (28)
2L
i agree with qixin about how a war is similar to someone breaking into your house. Since it is THEIR country,the scotts should fight for their freedom and get the englands out of their territory.
i also agree with hongwen.it is quoted from her post 'in Brave Heart, it is worth it as they would die anyway, so they should fight for what they believe in. They would be remembered as brave souls who gave up their lives for their country, not cowards.' i strongly believe that people from the country that is being invaded should stand up and try their best to fight against those invaders. I think that those people who do nothing but watch their fellow allies get killed and oppressed by the invaders really are cowards.if i am living in times of war, i would definitely be loyal to my country and fight for my freedom.
actually i fail to see any postive sides about the war between england and scotland. in fact i feel that all wars are negative. From the movie, i can see that many people are being killed and are suffering badly. There are obvious negative sides. Not only do people suffer emotionally, mentally and physically,they also get stripped of their freedom. freedom is actually very important and precious to everyone because we can only experience how painful it is when our freedom is being taken away. the freedom i mean not taken away by our parents, but taken away by those who invade.
Singapore's involvement in WW2 is similar to the battle between Scotland and england shown in the film Braveheart. Singapore is like Scotland,which is being invaded and Japan is like england who is the invader.singaporeans really suffered much during this time. i am really proud of those who stood up for singapore, for example lim bo seng,Force 136, Lieutenant Adnan, the Malay Regiment and Elizabeth Choy. i feel that they are very noble, brave and courageous.however, since so much more people suffered more than those who actually benefited, i deduce that Singapore's involvement in WW2 is negative.
--Dora Chan (2) , Sec 2b'07(:
Discussions getting HOT now.. I am impressed! I especially like Dora's entry. Anyone rebutting to her entry?
I agree with a lot of the comments on the post, on the movie such as freedom is the right to think and the right to imagine by ms fadhzila.
Even just in life, without war, freeom should not mean doing whatever we like or else the world will be in chaos instead of in peace. Then, in that situation, a war will be good as it restricts people instead.
But generally, war is nothing good as it HAS nothing good. People getting killed,freedom taken away by the winning country,people getting tortured etc.I think that getting tortured is a worse fate than just being killed instantly as you feel the pain first. People who torture others are worse than beasts, they are just heartless and inhumane!
As qixin said, the people are just barging into your life, your 'house' and interrupting your life that used to be very peaceful. Worse still, the citizens affected are usually innocent yet they suffer worse fate than the guilty parties as they can't fight back to their enemies!
Thus, I respect the heroes of he countries who saved the innocent parties from the cruel war.William Wallace encouraged the people to fiht because he thought that freedom is more important and that even if they managed to survive, they will not like it as they could do practically nothing except forced labour.
Thus, I think that HE is a hero just like the Paul from 'Hotel Rwanda' who saved his enemies as well as people from his own race. He is a true hero that is a one in a million guy.He thought that the war was not good and it was very unfair to the others so he did all he can, risking his own life to save them.
Lastly, I personally think that a war truly has no positive sides but it has too many negative effects to be counted and countries should avoid war as much as possible, sparing a thought for its own citizens and soldiers' lives.
I am Sihui from class 2B anyway ^^
Wars may take away the lifes of ones that had fight hard for the country, but as in the return, we gain the freedom from the war. However, in some cases, our freesom may take away through the war. For example, when British was fighting with Japanese to protect Singapore from taking away, British lose and surrender. In the result, Singapore was then under the control of Japanese and all the rules and languages that had previsously used had to change. School teachers had to learn Japanese and students also needed to take Japanese lessons on the schools' broadcasting service as well. When they met Japanese on the street, they had to show the respect to them and they even had to face the direction of Japan to sing the Japanese national anthem. For people at that time, their sense of self-respect and freedom had lost just because they had loss the war. However, as British had learnt the lesson of the war fighting with Japan, they tried another way to win the battle which had sucessfully done. During the war, people had a hard time to live well as they had to live in danger and would not know when their life might be taken away. When they loss the war, they might be treated harshly under the control of the enemies. During the war, people in their country wounld become more united as all their thoughts were the same---fight for their country and win the freedom and war. It is just like William Wallace had said "for one chance, just ONE chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they " and it is true that war is the only way to show the power of one country, to show people's braveness to fight for their own country and be proud of their country.
-----Shih Han, 2L
Firstly, I shall talk about the first question. As shown in the movie “Braveheart” regarding the battle between Scotland and England, I feel that there are always two sides to a coin and there will always be a positive and a negative side to any battle fought.
The Scottish decided to fight for their freedom and was bent on doing so. If it so happened that they managed to chase the Englishmen away, they would successfully be able to preserve their own freedom.
Many lives will be lost in the battle and if they lost the battle, not only will they lose their freedom, those people who were sacrificed in the battle whilst fighting will die a wrongful death and this might actually cause those people who survived the war guilt for the rest of their lives.
I think that they should fight the battle with the Englishmen because as quoted from the movie, “They may take our lives, BUT they'll never take our freedom!”. I feel that freedom for people in the whole of your country is much more important than only that one life of yours. Take for example if you could allow your family to gain total freedom if only you sacrificed your life to fight in the battle, would you do so? Or would you rather just cowardly stay at home and wait for the invaders to come to your homes and allow you to keep your lives but be under the control of them for the rest of your lives? If it was me, I would never want someone else to control my life for me. However, I know that there are surely some people out there who think that their lives are more important than anything else in the world so they would rather be manipulated by others for the rest of their lives than lose their lives in an instant.
However, the above example is only if they win the battle. If they lose the battle, even though lives and the freedom of people in the country will be lost, at least for those who fought in the battle, they know that they have actually done their part for their fellow countrymen and they will not feel too guilty unlike that of those who were too cowardly and backed out of the battle or did not even join in the battle who will be guilt-ridden for the rest of their lives because their one and only chance of gaining freedom were given up before the battle even started.
In summary, I personally feel that a war has too many negative effects but if a battle is being forced upon your country, you will have no choice but to fight them in order to preserve your own freedom.
Therefore, one should really consider the effects of a war before making the decision to start a battle with others...
Secondly, I shall talk about the war concerning Singapore which is World War II (WW2).
It was the Japanese who forced the war upon Singapore and so Singaporeans, who were on the verge of being invaded by foreign people obviously had to try their best and fight those invaders off… I am also very proud to know that Singapore has got many loyal people such as Lim Bo Seng and Lieutenant Adnan and the Malay Regiment etc. who were actively fighting for the country during WW2. They were the ones who were bravely willing to lay down their lives for the sake of trying to allow their fellow countrymen to maintain their amount of freedom and not allow others to control or take over their country and also taking away the freedom of the people in Singapore.
I think that Singapore’s involvement in the WW2 is a good and as bad thing.
It is a good thing because it allowed us to know that there are indeed people who are truly loyal to the country and who were even willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of others. This is indeed very heart-warming for us because we know that there are people who actually care for the country and think for the country before themselves. The war also allowed Singaporeans to come together as one and try to work with each other in order to try to think of ways to fight the invaders. Even though Singapore still fell to the Japanese, at least we all know that the people then, all tried their very best to save the country and save themselves from losing their freedom.
However, it is also a bad thing because after the war during the Japanese control of Singapore after the British surrendered to them, many people were brutally tortured and killed. Some were forced to work as free labour for the Japanese and the people lost their freedom during that period of time. During the war, many innocent lives such as that of the lives of the soldiers were being lost in the battlefield. Also, the after-effects of the war were numerous such as the negative effects on the people in Singapore whether it is physically, psychologically or emotionally etc.
---Sharlotte Lee (6) 2K ’07
I agree with qixin that the positive side of war is that it brings out the patrioitism in people.Also i feel that the other positive side of war is that it makes the people more united as they have a common goal of eliminating the enemy.I think that the negative side of war is that it brings about deaths, chaos
and panic of the people throughout the country. Also there is the emotional pain felt by the victims of war who may have lost ther relatives.Thus these are the reasons which i think contribute to the negative side of the war.
I feel that WWII is similar in such a way that one is fighting for freedom and trying to drive out the oppressors(singapore) while the other is fighting to gain control(JApan).I feel taht Singapore involvment in WWII is a good thing as it helped Singapore create a sense of unity and also enable Singapore to achieve what it has today.Thus i feel grateful to those who stood up in WWII.EG.Lim Bo Seng,force136.
To me, war is definitely not a good thing. War causes death and sufferings. During a war, most things that happen are bound to be negative. However, not all things about war is negative. The important thing that determines if the war is negative or positive is the purpose of it. If the war started because of some displeasure between countries, war is not a good thing to solve the problem. However, in Braveheart, the Scots are fighting not because they feel like it but for what had belonged to them - their freedom. In this case, the English were in the wrong to have tried taking over them. I find the Scots very noble as they are willing to sacrifice their lives to fight not only for themselves but also their descendants, their country. Indeed, it is our natural reaction to chase someone out of our homes if they suddenly barge in, but in a war it is different. It involves risking our lives. Not many people are willing to lose their lives just to keep their freedom, however, there are people that are willing to do so. In this case, the Scots initially wanted to give up and surrender to the English. Luckily, William Wallace managed to awaken them with his speech.
Just as there are people in Scotland who are willing to fight for their freedom, I am proud to say that there are many people in Singapore who are willing to fight for their county and fellow citizens. People such as Lim Bo Seng, Force 136, Lieutenant Adnan, the Malay Regiment and Elizabeth Choy were prepared to die for their country, they were ready to tell the Japanese that they are not weaklings. Even though not many survived the battle, but it is very worth it. They are courageous and brave enough to stand up to the Japs and risk their lives to protect the country. They are willing to sacrifice their lives, and withstand all the torture to protect us! They are very noble indeed.
War had many negatives sides in the sense that everywhere would be chaotic, people would die of hunger, torture and there are also many sufferings. However, through War, it bring out a 'sense of patriotism in people.'
Charlynn Koh 2B
I think that war in general is a bad thing. It brings nothing but sufferings and deaths to people. However, people who fought in wars had reasons of theirs and only through these reasons, then can we tell the positive and negatives sides of the battles. For instant, the war between Scotland and England, the English wanted to take the Scots freedom away from them and so they had a war. In such circumstances, all the Scots could do is to fight back, they could not just wait there and do nothing. If they did nothing, they would not have their freedom anymore. Therefore, the positive side of this war is that the Scots might have their freedom back if they win that war. As for the negative side of the war, it is the sufferings and deaths of the many people of the 2 countries.
I agree with Dora that “Singapore is like Scotland, which is being invaded and Japan is like England who is the invader” during WW2. Many people suffered during those times, however, it is through WW2 that we will be able to see those who are loyal to our country. Lim Bo Seng, Force 136, Lieutenant Adnan and the Malay Regiment are some of the many people that had stood up to protect our country. Even though many would have died during the war, we will always remember those that had sacrifice their life to protect our country and I respect them a lot. Without them, we would not have a good life now.
Therefore, there is a negative side to a battle to a large extent. Countries should not solve anything through a war as those who will suffer in the end are the people of their countries. Many lives would be lost. Countries should come to an agreement peacefully and thus would not harm anybody. However, I agree with Charlynn that “through War, it bring out a sense of patriotism in people.”
Joscelin Mok, 2B
well, i think william wallace lead his army with nothing except a brave and loyal heart. there are some positive sides to this war. people would show their loyalty to their country and fight till the end. this tells us who is loyyal and who is not.fighting for our country and die, flee and you will live. this phrase is meaningful and tells us a lot about war and the courage you have if you choose to FIGHT!
of course, in a sense you fight for justice, there will be negative sides to it. it is sure that there will be death in a war, and it is very sad. people sacrifice their lives for the country, and those who die were our brothers. also, for the people of the country, there will be frantic and chaos all around. this causes the country to be weak and very uncontrollable. freedon is also taken away from you, beit if you are a captive or just a common person. you would not be safe in the streets anymore.
in the world war 2, people like lim bo seng did their part for the country and made huge sacrifices, it was worth it. Singapore took part in the world war 2, it is a good thing. this helped singapore confirm that we can support and protect our own nation, telling people we are not weak! i think it also brings out heroes among the many number of people from vast lands. both the people in BRAVEHEART and World war 2 exuded charm with courage. they fought bravely, not cowering. i think singapore made the right choice by involving in the world war 2!
Will you fight?...
Fight and you will die.
Run, and you'll live...
by the way, i am from 2k! register 25!!
Am i too late to comment? Haha x)
I totally agree that War shows more negative sides or maybe to some people, it is not positive at all. However, through closer examination and observation, people will soon find out war actually has both positive and negative sides surfacing.
Firstly, let me talk about the positive side of war. War motivates and creates a strong will to invents a higher level of gadgets to battle. Like the development of fighting planes and tanks during war. This makes the world a step further into development of technology and after the war, the technology growth can be enjoyed worldwide.
Another positive side of war is that it makes the citizens in a certain country realised their own patriotism towards the country. Sometimes, many tried to migrate from their own homeland during war, showing the "coward" in them. At the same time, people will know who are the brave ones who stayed put to fight for their own country from invaders.This also creates a sense of belonging within the people as they fight for the freedom and their happiness together as one. This is practically the test whether there was actually loyal citizens who were willing to fight for their country.
Now, lets talk about the negative sides of war.
Innocent lives are taken, like those who weren't even involved in the conflict between the countries. Children are also unable to enjoy their childhood as its ruined by the events of war. Losing their family might also happen, resulting in broken families. This is not good for the development(both talents and economy) for both countries as the people will be deprived from education.
Tyranny might also appear when one country invades another country. Mindless murdering, raping and thief can also happen, like what Willian Wallace said.
The countless nuclear bombs and fighter planes on both countries also causes severe air and land pollution. Nuclear bomb effects will not be gone by the next day, and will take ages for the affected location to recover to its neutralised state. The gases the fighter planes released are also prolonged damage to the air there, as the smoke will not go away that easily during wartimes.(oops i sound like im into the subject of geography)
And about the movie braveheart, it showed viewers that freedom is a very important factor in war. Many fought for war, just for a simple reason --- freedom. Its a thing people might wonder, why not just flee to somewhere else and stay out of the country matters. No, its the belonging in them and the nation "blood" running in them that kept them going, which is so incredible that sacrificing their lives are no big deal compared to losing their freedom.
And about the Singapore's involvement in WWII, i felt it does more harm than good. Like the advantages and disadvantages i mentioned above, im sure it also mostly applies to singapore's situation about the japanese occupation.
And yes, im Lu Yizhen From 2L
BraveHeart
-----------------------------------
There are positive and negative sides about the war between Scotland and England. Basically, the positive point is that if Scotland won, they would have their freedom and the negative point is that they are out-numbered, would cause lots of bloodshed if they hadn't use strategy and would have been under more control of the English if they had lost.
Others could have want to just survive and not fight the war but as seen, the Scottish fight this war because they wanted freedom so much. The Scottish strip off their pants to anger the English to fire arrows, thus wasting ammos and with strategy, the Scottish wipe out the English's calvary without losing any casualties. On the other hand, many people had already been shot when the Scottish taunted the English. At the end of that fight, many of the Scottish had died although they won.
And from this, I've learnt that freedom is very important for most of the people and its worth their lives.
I think that William Wallace might have been more to the side of 'revenge' than 'fighting for freedom for Scotland', as his relatives and love one had been killed by the English. During the negotiation with the English, instead of calling the English's commander to kiss his arse, I think that William Wallace should have negotiated for better terms and conditions with the English so that both side will benefit and they would not be war and bloodshed. If the terms and conditions weren't agreed by the English, then William Wallace could do what he had did which is to fight it out with the English.
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Singapore's involvement in the WW2
-----------------------------------
Singapore's involvment in World War 2 was a good thing for example the Force 136. Without it, British would not have known information about the Japanese, organise sabotage activities and may not eventually triumph over the Japanese.
I feel proud of these brave souls who have put their lives on the front line, like the Scottish in Braveheart movie, to fight for freedom. These heros had not been honoured for nothing, they had contributed to the society with their lives at stake.
Once again, this event also showed that freedom is a very important ingredient in most of the people's lives and is worth their lives.
___________________________________
Siew Yin Soon(24)~ 2L
I feel that the positive side of the war between Scotland and England is that if Scotland won the war, they would be free man forever but the negative side is that if they win, many of their countrymen will still be killed. For the positive side of the England, if they win, they would own Scotland and the Scotland people would have to pay the English money, the negative side is that even if the English win, they would be very little men in Scotland and the English would not be able to ask the men of Scotland to work for them.
In WW2, Singapore was involved and was under the Japanese's rule for a few years. It many be a good thing as Singaporeans then would learn how to survive during a war and under another country's rule. They would also gain knowledge on how things would change when a country is under another's rule. The bad thing of Singapore's involvement in WW2 is that many Singaporeans died innocently and that even Singaporeans tried to overthrow the Japanese, they lived a hard time through that years.
Justin 2K
Indeed, war have caused much misery for most of the folks. However, without world war two, for example, weapons would not be invented. Therefore, we should not always say that war is a bad thing.
I think 'BRAVEHEART' shows very clearly that war is equal to gruesome and gore. Like when one of the Scottish pludged his sword into an engish's skull (HAHA). However, war also shows the bravery of the people. For example william wallace said, 'they can take our lives, but never our freedom!' Yes, i kind of agree with him. But sometimes, people should not be so selfish. Okay, for some, they prefer to serve their country and gain freedom for their future generations than to continue living and serving the community. However, have they thought of the others that prefer to live instead of gaining freedom. They rather be treated as trash than to lose their lives. You see, these people cannot do anything. They would only have to wait for death.
Indeed, freedom is worth fighting for for some, but they should also think about the hardships their people would face during the war.
xoxo
Sheila(19) 2k
Positive:
It bonds fellow countrymen together. People who have never met each other before though they live in the same country will get the opportunity to fight for the same reason: to defend their country. Also, war brings out people's sense of patriotism for their country. How many people are willing to lie down at their enemies' feet and be trampled by them? Very few, I think. (The people in the movie were cowards at first -_-''')
Negative:
Blood is shed. A lot of blood. The country's economy will be shattered. War's no good if your country has a small population 'cause the size will decrease drastically even more. Oh, and the people who die will die a very, painful and slow death (of course, you might be lucky to be shot in the face with a cannon or something ;) ). Ouch.
And finally, the question about whether S'pore's involvement in WWII was +ive or -ive. I think it's more negative. Houses were bombed, people either a) lost their lives, b) lost their homes, c) lost their families, or d) lost the will to live (which led them to kill themselves). The aftermath of the war was dead bodies on the streets, ruined houses, and people who had to lead lives in poverty. Everything that the British had worked so hard to build up and maintain: the Protectorate, law and order, the level of public health...everything gone. All of this could have been prevented if Singapore was not involved in the war. (Not that Singapore had any choice though.)
In conclusion, I think all wars are stupid in general. Wars are a waste of people's lives, money, and time. Why be so power hungry? Your country will actually not benefit as much as you thought it would. For example, the Japs were on the verge of pulling out of S'pore as they were low on ammo, food, soldiers (they were actually outnumbered 2 to 1 when they arrived on Singapore) and supplies until General Percival fell for their bluff and surrendered. Maybe we should have an international agreement saying that we won't fight wars anymore. XD
Let's just first say there was a part of William Wallace's speech that embedded itself in my head and refused to budge. How stubborn.
" Fight and you will die.
Run, and you'll live...
At least for a while."
I agree with the points most of my fellow classmates have brought up. However, I do not agree with war being a totally negative thing.
I quote from Si Hui's post:
"...generally, war is nothing good as it HAS nothing good..."
In my opinion, war is 99.9% negative. This applies to every war, not just the one between England and Scotland.
It causes violence, murder, rape, and involves the cruel killing of innocent people. Men, women, and children are made into slaves used for labour and pleasure. Their freedom has been robbed away from them; they are bound and suppressed, like a bird in a cage. It also brings out the worst in people. Greed, lust, vulgar actions, envy, you name it.
However, where is the remaining 0.1%? Here it is.
No matter how bad war is, it draws the people of a country together to fight against its invaders. It invokes the sense of patriotism and unity in them. It actually brings out the resilience in people. It's just like World War 2. Singapore didn't just accept it's plight. Her people struck back with whatever they could against the Japanese. Lim Bo Seng withstood torture for his country to earn its freedom, dying in the process. Many others did as well. Isn't it safe to say that war brought out the determination in these people?
The Scots fought to drive the English out of their homeland. This is good and all for a noble cause. To regain their lost freedom, even if it means losing many countrymen in the process, it is worth it to them.
The positive and negative effects of the war between Scotland and England have been listed above. Thus. I hereby conclude that Singapore's involvement in World War 2 isn't good or bad. It merely is subjective to a person, as is the war between the English and the Scots.
Genevieve, 2B
A few things:
1. I am very impressed thus far by what you folks have written. If anything you all have shown how capable you are at thinking deeply on an issue. Kudos!
2. SOme of you mentioned "Japs" in your entry. Do refrain from this. If I have not mentioned it before in my class, "Japs" is actually a deregotary term used on the Japanese (i.e. a racist term). We are civilized people so we don't want to end up hurting anyone here by using such a term.
3. Let me probe you further on this... Many have termed that the WW2 period is generally a bad period for the people in Singapore. You all mentioned that the Japanese Occupation period as an era in which poeple in Singapore were largely oppressed. To what extent is such a statement true? How is life under the Japanese different from that under the British?
YoZ.......haiz'..
hmm...ermm...
be prepared for a long long lecture
To my opinion,i feel that war has the negative n positive parts...
I feel that war is actually sort of a conflict between a whole of of people over something that belongs to one of them....maybe the 'thing' is piece of land or maybe freedom or maybe revenge like how bush wan to kill osama for bombing the twin towers...i dunno...but most probably,i think that most of the 'things' they are fighting over is all related to freedom....example land....maybe like world war II.....ermm...the japs they wan to conquer asia n the pacific region....then they did conquer many countries.after conquering the innocent civilians are all abused n ill-treated...killed...raped....their freedom taken away from them.....
so,in conclusion, war is juz about conflict among ppl for FREEDOM....
personal response~i feel that war is somewad a waste of everything...resources...fossil fuels....innocent ppl's lives....etc etc....n its kinda stupid....cant a friggin nation juz do with its own freedom....y muz they go compete with other people.....the people hu wans world domination like hitler are dictators...they only wan to control people,kill people..sadistic crap....etc.etc.
POSITIVE
the thing about war is that it can motivate one person to getting himself/herself killed juz for freedom of others..but,quoted from william wallace's speech,'tell our enemies that they may take our lives,
BUT they'll never take our freedom!'...so,the ONLY good thing about war is that it can pull freemen,not trained and un-equipped,together to fight against the enemies hu are many many times more and better than them,causing it to become a die-die-situation.then,people from other places might get touched by the freemen's devotion to the country and come help and then,they might even win the war,so war helps ALIVE people get together...
NEGATIVE
the main part of wars are actually negative......lemme list all the bad points
1.killing of innocent people.
2.wasting natural resources.
3.raping
4.destroy peoples' settlement aka wasting resources...
all these are the result of greediness,which leads to war....many many many innocent children and people get killed in war...so the best is to prevent wars from happening to prevent people from dying....as every life is precious...n shld not be wasted juz because two nations are angry at each other....
reponse bout speech by william wallace
i feel that the speech by william wallace is very motivating....it explains y people go to war n y they sacrifice there precious years juz to fight their enemies.....if he did not make the speech,people will become cowards and run away from the war,the enemy will conquer their piece of land,they will lose their freedom,get tortured/killed n live unhappily ever after....and maybe even in the future,the same enemies might come back to attack as they will think the citizenz are all cowards and will not put up a fight again.But,because of wallace's inspiring speech,the chickens became men and wanted to get the one chance to 'tell our enemies that they may take our lives,
BUT they'll never take our freedom'.If i was there,i would hav go out to fight...FOR FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!RAWR!
yay...finally....i wanna finish watching 'brave heart'
Ng SheNg Y0n9 33 2Bee'o7
haha:D
for the first question,
what are the positive and negative sides of the battle between Scotland and England?
i believe there's many reasons for them to engage in a war, because everything that happens has a reason behind it.
for the positive side of the battle, i believe that it would benefit the people from Scotland as they would be freed. if they came out and fought for their own country, they will gain the freedom that they longed for and they would chase the English away. just like the national day that have just passed 2 days ago, a part of Singapore's very own recollection included this response
"They had no rights, they had no say, and they longed to be free one day."
we all want freedom, no one likes to be trapped/cooped up.
after the war, there would be happiness in Scotland.perhaps this would be the only positive side of the war i could think of.
on the other hand, i think that when the war broke out, many lives were lost.bloods were shed.
many families were destroyed. people lost their loved ones.
indeed, war is such a scary thing.
i would not say that Singapore's involvement in the WW2 was a bad thing, but neither was it positive.
i feel that when we are involved in the war, it tells people about the urge that we have, to defend ourselves, to stop others from destroying our homelands. it shows us about the strong passion and love we have for our country.
but however, we sacrificed many lives, lost many of our leaders, and many of our talents.
war always kills many. lives were lost, everything was in a mess.
but when we look back and think, if we weren't involved in WW2 then, would Singapore have come this far, together as one? as we go on with life, the obstacles we face are the times that we learnt something important. if people didn't lose their loved ones, we would not learn how to love and care for one another.
Lee Jiahui 2k:D
war to me is a rather negative thing. many die and suffer because of war. many innocent people like those soldiers that risk their lifes for the country die in war. war will also have negative effects on the economy of the country.
although war is bad, i feel that fighting for what you want and what you think is right is not wrong. in the movie, people fight for freedom. and i believe everything happens for a reason, so does wars.
similarly when world war 2 happened in singapore, many lost their families, homes and live in poverty. this caused a great drop in singapore's economy as people are poor and do not have money to buy anything. singapore went through so much to be what it is today, including world war 2. without world war 2, what would singapore be today?
through the war, it shows the love men have for their country. that they are willing to give up their lives and go out to war. it tells us how patriotic they are. poeple would also learn to cherish and love what they have now and not regret when its all too late.
post comment:i realized that i'm really really lag in posting this.haha.
as like many wars,there are triggers that trigger the fight between two or more countries.
in this particular story,this is triggered as the people of Scotland wanted to fight for their freedom,lead by William Wallace,the lead character.
in my opinion,and i think i share the same thinking with many other people,war is generally thought to be a bad thing- the way people are made,we tend to look on the negative side and seldom on the positive side.
war is usually thought to be negative for all the disruption to normal life,the harm it does to a person's health,boh mentally and physically,the environment of the place etc.
yes,it is true that war DOES affect one's mental health,especially the soldiers who are directly affected by the war.
war brings out the babaric side of a human,the animal side of a human being.it causes one to lose his conscience and causes him to do things that a sane person would never do.
a soldier may not be blamed for this thinking that they may process though- in war,it is a matter of winning to live or losing and dying- a matter of life and death.hence, men may do unexpected,wild and babaric things during war for the sake of their own survival.on one hand,they may not wish to betray their friends and country-a sense of loyalty and patriotism to the country.on the other hand,they will most probably get killed for being loyal.this puts them in a situation.
as they say,survival of the fittest.i cannot agree with this saying more when it comes to war.
the negative sides of war are always talked about and portrayed by people, but seldom the positive side.
for me,i would also agree that there are definitely more negative faces to a war as compared to the positive values.
like in this case of "braveheart",a positive side would be that the people know for who,for whom they are fighting for.they know that they are fighting for themselves,for their freedom.
this is a good source of motivation,i would feel,for the people.with a goal in mind,they will have the determination to acheive that goal,of gettting their freedom.this will spur them to fight like they have never before,fight like they never will.
another positive face,i feel,would be that the people of a country will put aside all their differences and come together as one force,to combat against the opposing party.of course,they are all fighting for one cause,for a common goal,a common determination lies between each and every one of them,be it whether they are enemies or the best of friends before war.
for enemies,this will put aside all their differences and they will help each other in times of war,going through thick and thin as one.if they survive the war,that is,if they survive,they may have a different perspective of the other party.of course,after war,the people will definitely be mentally affected,with all the fighting and hits to the head,but that's not the point i want to raise here.
in a nutshell,there are more negative factors to a war as compared to the counterpart of positive factors but nevertheless,we should not ignore the positive factors completely.
Singapore,as i would feel,was affected by world war II only because it was a British colony.In my opinion,Singapore was not actually fighting in the World War,but resisting the Japanese force.When the British were defending one side of Singapore,the Japanese thought one step further and attacked Singapore from the other side.
As to what most Singaporeans would feel, i would,too feel,that World War II had a greater negative impact as compared to the positive one- like the war between England and Scotland in "braveheart".
World War II had caused much destruction in Singapore.Many people lost their lives,their properties and most of their possessions.
I cannot, and will not,exactly comment on the postive factors of World War II affecting SIngapore as I feel that Singapore was not exactly fighting World War II,but resisting the powers from the Japanese.
If i would need to comment on a positive factor,I would say that the "war heros of Singapore",or as Singaporeans would label them, were very brave and courageous.People like Lim Bo Seng,the people of Force 136,Elizabeth Choy etc were brave to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the country.
Life under the Japanese was much harsher then under the British as then,war was going on.With the invasion of the Japanese,many people suffered- the men were prisoners-of-war etc.
When we were under the British as a British colony, things were not as bad as we were a trading port,prospering andmaking money. With the better economy,people could afford to live better and live was better then.
In a nutshell,Singapore was affected maingly by the negative factors of World War II.As a British colony,we had no aim to fight for,but for the British and hence from this perspective,the situation is not the same as the one in "braveheart",where the men were fighting for their own freedom.In the case of Singapore,at most,we were fighting to be free of the Japanese's control over us and to be back in the control of the British,which does not actually make any sense.
and,to conclude,yes i want to finish watching the whole of "braveheart"!i mean like they say that it is gory but there isn't all the blood.. =D
deborah koh
2b'07 :)
In my opinion, i do not see any advantages in the battle between scotland and england :D War would never be beneficial, as innocent people are killed, tortured and tormented. I totally agree with dora as i also understand that war only brings fear and hardship to people. i do not understand why people would want to wage a war with other countries, where we could all work together and have peace. i believe it is also a win-win situation for any countries.
During the war, people of both sides die, and they suffer in terrible living conditions. even for the party who succeeded, in this case Englands in the film "Braveheart" and the Japanese in WW2, their situation and living conditions are not favourable too. i feel that, it is meaningless to achieve authorities over a country yet the people in its own country do not live well too.
for WW2, the only advantage i see is that we could gain our own independance after the war, and we could support ourselves and not depend on others! :D But other than that, WW2 has no advantages as it only cause sufferings and pain to people, and i definitely believe no one could be happy in WW2. freedom is robbed away from each and every person, families are seperated and homes are destroyed. i do not see why these are advantages to anyone.
However, from this incidents, we could realise and discover many heroes and heroines in WW2 and their contribution to Singapore! They really deserves our applaud and admiration. I certainly admire them as they have determination, perseverance and most importantly, a common goal or wish, to make singapore a better country and to bring her out of torture.
in conclusion, i do not agree to war and i hope countries would stay peaceful and mantain a good
relationship with each other as war would only cause harm and hurt, death and injuries to the soldiers and people. war should not exist and i certainly hope there would not be a WW3 :l Hahah.
SHIYUAN ;D
2b reg no. 15 (:
everybody write long seh.
er. okay.here it goes.
The positive side is that people gets to be free and no longer under a rule of someone else who doesnt really understands you or belong to your land and even abuse you(rapes,killings,slaverys) as they battled for freedom.
However, this freedom is exchanged for bloodshed, misery, lives, and broken families.
And during the speech, WW came to this part saying if they surrender they might live, but not long. This shows that their foreign rulers were not that fantastic and kill them irregardlessly. Thus they were forced to battled this war. Scotland just wanted happy lives and freedom.They were unhappy with their bad ruler, England who just wanted more land only.
Another point is that they are really brave. Not like some other cowards who wouldnt be caught dead dangling their pants and waving their swords in front of their enemies.Even though their opponent was much much stronger with a better army.
However, Singapore was then fighting because they placed too much hopes in British that they were protect them but however in the end the people in Singapore with no proper military training stood out and fought for Singapore in the end. They didnt like the idea of a new and ferocious ruler coming to their homelands, taking away their freedom and bullying them. They fought for themselves. So i think the bloodshed is worth it. Since they were also remembered as heroes for fighting for Singapore. However,i would like to conclude that wars arent good. People are plunged in poverty, smart and evil businessmen take advantage of the situation and became backstabbers, people innocent died(children) and death are everywhere. the thought is just so scary by itself.
shuting(16)2K
http://temporaryhistory.blogspot.com/
Hello!
Sorry for not posting here... wrote my comment on a word document, then when I copied it here, the format was all wrong, so I decided to post on another blog!
May I suggest to create another forum with bigger space to write, as it is quite difficult to read the posts at only half the window(:
Wars are the worst stuff that could ever happen.However, it is through war that a country will unite as one and fight against it.William Wallace succeeded in bringing his countrymen together.William Wallace is like a great leader who rose up in times of troubles.Just like Scotland,i believed that Singapore had became more united after WWW2,and like William Wallace,great leaders such as Lim Bo Seng and Elizabeth Choy rose up in times like this.Singapore's involvement in the WWW2 is both a bad and good thing.Good being the country becomes more united as one,bad is because many people died and people got hurt very badly both emotionally and physically.
yuanzhan(8)2L
e positive side of a war is tt the country will be more united as one, fighting 2gether for freedom. free from rulers hu find ppl to kill whenever they r in a bad mood.
if freedom could stop all these from happening , why not fight for it?
e negative side of a war is tt there were too much chaos, and ppl were frightened. in the movie "brave heart" , scotland would have fled for survival if William Wallace had not turn up and encouraged them. without freedom, life would be meaningless. with those rulers(as mentioned above), u would be living every single day, hoping u would live to see tomorrow.
in WW2, life were lost and ppl suffered , juz like the war b/w scotland and england. however, singapore became more united. like william wallace, Lim Bo Seng,Lieutenant Adnan etc. oso turned up to fight the war for singapore.
zhan hui 2L (32)
ps: sry for last day post xP
having a war has both sides to it, both pros and cons. the cons are that many innocent lifes are killed and many other innocent victims are harmed in ways like rape or being forced to do things against their will. Wars leave bad memories in anyone and everyone that is involve or not directly involve. It harms the economy of the country, and strongly decreases the attraction of the particular country. War on one hand is negative.
But for example in the show 'brave heart', many people or everyone fought for their right of freedom. For their right of freedom, they are willing to sacrifice hundreds and hundreds of lifes. What touched me most is that, no matter how much they suffer, they are unwilling to give in, partially because of themselves, but also because they give a thought of the generation to come. They want their generation to have a better future, and to have freedom, which they deserve. In this case, I do not personally think they are fighting a war, instead, I think they are just defending themselves against intruders. Like what Han yang had mentioned, they have two options, to fight and die, or to run and to live. For a normal person, we would of course choose the former. But to look at those in the 'brave hearts', they stayed and fight, resulting in losing many many lifes. From this, we can deduce the extent in which human nature will go to for freedom and also for love, towards their other generation. Thus, war on the other hand, is neutral. Though blood and lives are lost, but it is what a normal person would do to protect their homeland. Right?:)
This is also similar in Singapore, when Japanese invaded our country. Some chose to flee, while others chose to stand strong, and fight the Japanese. Indeed war is no good, but on the other side, just like Qi Xin said, who would look upon your own house getting invaded, while you stand aside, hands on your waist and not do anything. Well, simple, no one. Singapore is a victim at that time, and it is only right that we fight for what we deserve. If the Japanese left us alone, we would never go and trifle with them. blame who?
Similarly, this bring me to my last point, war is worth it, if it is fought for the right purpose. Right purpose includes gaining freedom, to keep other enemies off the land etc. and wrong reasons are those like wanting to expand your territory, to show off your might etc. peoples should learn to cherish what they have, and to stop throwing their mights all around, at the sacrifice of others. Thus in conclusion, war has both good and bad sides, we can never deduce it from just a three letter word, w.a.r.
in my opinion, although war brings sufferings but there are benefits, at a price that many lives would be lost. is it worth it? freedom, an important factor that caused many lives. However, taking into consideration, what is a country like without freedom? well, i guess even as an individual, one wouldn't like to be controlled. let's say, even a student would wan freedom from his or her parents, now what about a country? therefore, i reckon, a war is worth fighting for, for the sake of freedom.
next, linking this war to world war 2, for freedom, our ancestors fought. they fought bravely, for the sake of their future generations. a war they fought, bravely they stood in the frontline, they earned our freedom.
in conclusion, a war is worth fighting, for freedom.
(SJ,2k, 28) heys folks,here it goes.
Answering the question:
1)what are the positive and negative sides of the battle between Scotland and England?
2)How was Singapore's involvement in the WW2 a good and/or a bad thing?
Basically,a war has its pros and cons.the pros is that the winning country gets to have control over more pieces of land as part of their territory; the cons is that a war causes many innocent lives to be lost and many others forms of harm like rap, murder,etc( theres too much example to stat so i only mention a few).it also causes chaos and people to be frightened and insecure about their future.bascially to su mit up, the cons is that its affects everybody directly or indirectly.
Now for the pros,it is that the the people battled for freedom so that they would not be ruled or controled over another country or wadeva.However,the fight for freedom results in bloodshed, miseries,disorder,broken families.
During the movie,they also mentioned thTat if they surrender/run,they might run, but not for long.When u're gonna die in yr bed many years later,why not exchange it for freedom?In both cases, its still a word"death", but its a matter of time.What really touched me most is that,against all odds they faced,the scotish people never thought of giving up even they might be fighting a losing battle/at a disadavantage.
In WW2,people like lim bo seng and elizabeth choy made huge sacrifices and did their part for the country.Singapore being involved in WW2 is a good thing and a bad thing as well.good thing is that,we can tell ourselves that we are not weaklings who cant even protect and support our nation,its also helps to strengthen the bond of the people in the country.It also let us see the people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for their country.Bad thing is that deaths are involved definitely in a war,chaos and disorder, and many many more.
HENCE,my conclusion is that,war is not always negative,but it actually has its both sides,so we should not have the view of war being as"negative'.
Ms Fadhzila, I have sent you an email regarding the history holiday assignment. I appreciate your early reply. Thanks!
In a dictionary, war simply means a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air. Generally, war is often only fought or carried out as a last resort, whether to defend, or to invade. One have to go through much discussions and thinking before one could actually declare on war.
If a war were to fought, there would bound to be positive and negative points which some people may strongly believe in them while others may oppose against. I believe since the day Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, human began to develop different kinds of emotions, feelings, desires. Some ambitious people with well leadership may tend to have the heart of having more 'things' such as land, houses etc. Thus they will tend to recruit a bunch of people who have the same thinking and try to invade others' territories. This is just the nature of human. As long as human exist, war will also exist.
So the positive points of the war between Scotland and England is that the Scotland people is able to regain freedom which they had lost to the invaders. If they fought the war, they will regain the freedom that they had desired for!
Freedom in a dictionary means the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. Being invaded by others countries is just like when you reached home and you see this muscular and tall guy who had just break into your house and refuse to leave, claiming that the house belongs to him. What will you do then? If it was me, i would definitely take a broomstick or chopper to chase the person out. But why? Because the house belongs to me. It is my belonging, my territory. What rights have that guy got to claim that my house belongs to him just because he is muscular and tall? I believe that everyone have the responsibility to defend his or her own countries when invaders come and try to invade their countries, even if it is just something they love, like their family. Because of freedom, what will a country be without freedom? Everyone desires freedom. So why not just fight for the sake of freedom? It's either now, or never.
Negative points of the war between Scotland and England includes killings, death, rape, theft etc etc etc. War generally bring about sufferings to people. Innocent children are the ones who suffered the most during war time. Which child will ever want to grow up in a childhood full of war, blood, killings, bombings, escaping from invaders and even losing of parents in war? All children desire for toys, playgrounds, fun, love from parents, who doesn't want a peaceful childhood? For me, I think that rape is the most cruel thing that could ever happen to a girl. Which girl would want to be force do something which they don't want with someone they don't know at all? Invaders who kill, rape, theft, are just beasts who ought to be shot dead.
In all wars, there will always be existence of heroes who is willing to defend their countries at all costs. This heroes sacrificed themselves for the sake of the nation’s peace, freedom, just like William Walace, who is willing to fight for his country’s freedom. I am proud of those that sacrificed for Singapore during the Japanese Occupation in WW2, such as Lim Bo Seng, Force 136, Lieutenant Adnan, the Malay Regiment and Elizabeth Choy. If it was me who participated in the defending of Singapore against the Japanese, I would definitely do the same. As I am going to die in the end, why not do something for the nation, and die a glory death? War often bring out justice and patriotism among the people.
Singapore’s involvement in WW2 was definitely not a really good thing but however, Singapore were forced to participate in the war in order to defend herself. Thus, many people who fought against the Japanese died as a result. Also, there were killings and rape all over the country, and the freedom the Singaporeans once had were taken away. War was definitely not accepted by the people, but they did not have enough strength and power to stand up against the Japanese, so in the end, they suffered in silence.
To me, war is not really a ‘restricted’ event that should not exist. However, we should tend to reduce the chances of having a war as war generally bring about sufferings to the people. Human tend to learn from war times, and will not repeat the same mistakes they made before by invading others and stealing others’ freedom away. War also make a country prosperous by reflecting on one’s own mistakes and creating a sense of urgency, by realising the need of creating a strong military force to defend the country in times of crisis. If it isn’t for WW2, Singapore would not be what she is now. War is just a necessary part of human history.
yijun, 31, 2K'07!
xinting(: 2L
The consequences of a battle are beyond our imagination.Lives and homes were to be sacrifice.But,stop to think.It's for freedom.so what you've your home?so what you've you life?what exactly is called life when you dont have any freedom?we live the life we want to.nobody can take charge and control our lives.nobody has this authority to and therefore we must fight for ourselves.it's for ourselves.not for any other random people. =.= It's worth it.because what we want our lives to be is in our hands.not others.
As what everyone thinks, i too have the impression of war being negative. However, there are two sides to a coin; a war also has its positive side. In my opinion, it's the cause and reason as to why the war was ignited which leads to whether the war is positive or negative. For example, in World War I, it started due to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and ended up involving thirty countries and caused the death of ten million people. I would think that this is a negative war, as the consequences were too dire, the death of a person led to the sacrifice of many others.
In the film 'Braveheart', it shows a war scene between Scotland and England. At the start, the Scots were unwilling to fight and even wanted to surrender, however they were being motivated by William Wallace and even put up a gallant fight against the English. They fought for their freedom and rights, which to me is a right cause. Everyone has the right to have freedom and nobody has the right to deprive them of it. I think that this war is a positive one, as freedom to me is something that i cannot do without. Although there were many casualties, but it was England who wanted to attack them in the first place. This war does not only concern them, but also concerns their descendents.
However, there was also a bad side of it. Many were killed and injured in the process. Theft, murder and rape were on the rise.
In World War II, Singapore was under the control of the Japanese for a few years. During this period, there was fear and anxiety everywhere. People were afraid to even come out of the house. During the war, blood was shed and lives were lost. Families were broken up and children became orphans. Girls were kidnapped and raped and others were tortured or killed. They were being stripped of their freedom. It was just like a nightmare that would never end for them. However, there was also a good side to it. The way the Japanese ill-treated them also allowed the people of Singapore to come as one to rebel against the Japanese. This also helped them to appreciate the British more as the British treated them much better and even allowed the country to prosper.
Heros such as Lim Bo Seng and Force 136 were also recognized as they did not care about the dangers and risked their lives just to gain back their independence. I truly admire them for their courage and boldness. I am grateful to them as Singapore would not be where it is today if not for their sacrifice.
In conclusion, I feel that the war between the Scots and the Englishmen was a positive one as it was for a good cause: freedom. However, World War II was a negative one. The Japanese wanted world domination and did not care about the consequences. It caused chaos all over the world and even those who had lived would have the phobia in them. Furthermore, the weapons used would also affect generations, not only the people at that moment. :)
Amanda Tan 2b'07 ;DDDDD
Everything has positive and negative sides of them, it depends of which perspective you are looking into. If we are looking from the people at war, they will think it is a positive one. They are fighting for their freedom, their rights, they think that it is worth it to sacrifice so much for the sake of what they gain. They feels that their efforts would not be in vain if they persevere and strive on, thus they thought that having a war is inevitable. However, from the perspective of the outsiders, they will think that war is negative. War brings in disorder, disrupts peace, causes casualties, lost of loved ones and spreading of disease. As we can see, war has more negative sides than positive ones. But, what are the reasons that most people still want to fight in wars.
Patriotic people will go for wars for the sake of their countries, protecting their countries are prioritised in their minds. Yet, they did not consider the consequences after the war. They never thought of whether their sacrifice is worth it, what if whatever they want to achieve had not been gained. It will lead to their loved ones suffering instead. I guess they were so loyal to their country that they felt that anything is worth sacrificing. Freedom is something worth to fight for if it would not sacrifice so much lives and causing so much chaos. Nevertheless, a country having loyal people is definitely something good. They are brave enough to fight for the war, which I guess most people in this society will not be able to muster their courage to fight for freedom. Generally, people are more selfish, they tend to think about themselves rather than others. These people tells us that fighting for freedom is worth it for the sake of the future generations, thus a war have both positive and negative sides of it.
I feel that Singapore’s involvement in world war two has both negative and positive sides too. The negative sides are what most wars will cause, increasing casualties, lost of beloved ones, etc. Many innocent lives are lost due to war, the sufferings of people from all ages is inhumane. Thus, I feels that war should not occur unless the need arises. However, the positive sides are that war makes us more alert of anything that is happening around us, we learn how to be more civilian and how to react in time of war. We can be more experienced if something like this happened again. Moreover, we also understand that selfless people still exist in our country, how they are willing to sacrifice really earn our respect.
suan ching (7) 2k
i think that a war has got its positive and negative consequences. War can show the people's love for their own country and as in the movie "braveheart", the people are craving for their own freedom that they deserve. I think that the Scottish are also fighting with the English is because the English have committed many crimes in their country such as theft, murder etc.,and the Scotts want to use this opportunity to avenge their people. Through this war, they can too obtain their own liberty. However, wars will bring about deaths, not only to the soldiers who are fighting, but also to the other innocent people of the country. Through this movie, William Wallace is actually a patriotic person and has the ability to convince the people to continue fighting the war. Therefore, we should also learn to love our country and also maintain good relationships with other countries to prevent any unnecessary war events.
--Cheryl(08)
2K
The positive side of the battle between the Scotland and England was that they could rule the country they fought for and gain glory and also, to make their country prosper and get a better life for their citizens.The pariotic people would be able to show their love for the country by fighting for it. If they win, they get the glory. It makes people in other country think about how good their country is as they do not have to fight like the others.
There will definitely be more negative points as compared to the positive points of war. The negative points would be that the people would not have the freedom to do what they want. Many would be killed during the war. The innocent would be killed as a result. A life is precious and not to be look upon as child's play. Many people's life would be affected. The economy would be terrible and cause people to die of hunger as there would be little or no trade in their country. People would have to live their lifes in terror and never to know what the next day would be like. Families and friends would be separated. Perhaps those who lived might have lost all their loved ones and loses the purpose of living.
I feel that Singapore's involvement in the WW2 was a bad thing as many innocent lives were taken and many things have been destroyed by the intruders. It causes hatred among the countries. Also causing the economy and trade to decrease greatly. Children were deprived of their childhood. Freedom would be lost as a result.
In conclusion, i feel that a war is a bad thing to happen as many negative things would take place and affect the countries and people involved. There should be peace within the country first then there would be world peace.
yufan(17)
2k
war would lead to many negative consequences like death and serious injuries. but in some cases, i agree too that a battle should be fought for certain important reasons. for instance, in the flim 'brave heart', i think a battle is necessary for the sake of freedom. if they were to fight, they atleast still stand a chance to escape from slavery. but if they were to flee, they would be controlled by others and might live in hardship and suffer for the rest of their lives. in the end, it would not be worth it and might live to regret. hence, why not just give a try and fight for their own freedom? that only chance might change their lives for the better.
Wong See Ting
2K (20)
The positive side of the battle is that if Scotland win, they can get back their freedom. The negetive side is that there will be lost of lives, money...There will be hardships, people cannot get enough food and proper medical treatments. Most of the people will not be happy during war time.
Scotland in that battle and Singapore in WW2 have the similarities that people were unhappy of the countries(England & Japan) that ruled over them. Their freedom were taken away. They were forced to do things that they did not like to do.(e.g. Doing things that will be a loss to their country but a benefit to the country that rule over them .) For the battle between Scotland and England, England kept the Scots' taxes and demanded Scottish troops to fight in France. For Japanese occupation in Singapore, Japanese forced labour at the 'Death railway', and took all available resources to support Japan's war effort in other parts of Asia. Therefore people were angry and wanted to fight.
In my perspective, i think that war have both negative and positive sides.After watching the extract from 'braveheart'.I thought what the man said was very meaningful.The people on the battle ground can leave..but i feel that they will not leave with honour and one day they will come to regret it.If they gave up like that, freedom would be lost and no one knows when it would return.Maybe when they are still alive or they may not live to see it.So why not give it a try and they can die with glory and even get their freedom back.
BUT there are definitely more negative sides.Poverty and hunger would roam on the streets from than on.Many innocent lives like the old or even young babies would be lost.Even if a person is able to survive all this, their love ones may have all died and there would be no point staying on alone.Many would be seperated during war and may never see each other again.
Thus i feel that Singapore's involvement in WW2 was a negative thing as many innocent lives have been lost through this.People from all ages suffered greatly due to this.Hence i feel that war should not occur often unless the need arises.Even so, it should be solved in a safe way.
hi
WAR... leaves horror deep down inside one's soul, and it will take some time before it is forgotten. Blood flows like an endless stream, and the cause of it in the olden days are mainly for FREEDOM! or even for more territory.
Yes! Good question... what will you do without freedom? Or rather, let me ask you a question. What can you do without freedom? To me, the answer is simple. When a freedom is stripped off a person, he will instantly become someone who cannot do something he wishes to, but to abide to other people's decision whether he likes it or not. But lets think deeper. Why would William Wallace come to tell his countrymen to fight for their freedom, despite knowing the fact that they will lose some of their friends of fellow countrymen. According to my point of view, William Wallace wanted his fellow people to not only fight for their home, their freedom but to fight for their pride. I am impressed by what William Wallace had done. He still insists on wanting freedom for his country and his fellow people even when he was about to be beheaded. When an army retreat in a war, their enemy, or even many other people will heavily despise them. But if they fight till the end, no matter what result they get, they will win a glorious place in everyone else’s heart. That is what a soldier would want.
When the Stirling war took place, William Wallace didn’t want to retreat his army or to surrender to the English army. He insist that his army will fight till death from then I knew that William Wallace not only saved those men, who have decided to retreat, he saved their pride. If William Wallace surrenders at that point of time, the Scott will not be respected but rather be despised. After William Wallace death, his countrymen stood up for him. They went to fight the English king’s army. Obviously, as expected, they gain their freedom, adding on, they maintained their PRIDE!
And after reading all other peers’ comments, I feel that none is wrong. All have their point. Example: I agreed with what Yunxuan had comment. “Hence I feel that war should not occur often unless the need arises. Even so, it should be solved in a safe way.” Yes! i absolutely agree to that satement.War should not be like a fragile glass. it should not be triggered off so easily now.[G.Bush no more war thx!] Many countries signed diplomacy to remain friendship with one another. I feel that this is good as it can prevent innocent casualties. Overall I think we should think about what we have learnt from the movie. William Wallace courage in everything he face despite the difficulties. Is one value we can learn from in this movie.
Please give me comments if I have made a mistake, which seriously irritates you. And i was just joking about G.Bush nothing bad... Thx!
adding on... WILLIAM WALLACE IS THE ULTIMATE HERO!
Many people think that there are only negative sides to a war. I had always thought that war was a bad thing since I was young and I only thought about all the negative points about war until now when I gave some thought about it.
William Wallace’s speech in the film ‘Braveheart’ definitely provoked me to think deeply on the issue of war. There are many positive and negative sides to a war, not only the terrible things that many would perceive from the word ‘war’. After reading through the many comments made by my schoolmates, I have come to realize that war is not necessarily all about killings and atrocities, but has its positive sides as well.
The positive sides to the battle between Scotland and England in the movie are that the countrymen would feel a love to fight for their country and show their patriotism and courage. However, they were discouraged at first when they saw so many English and were rather pessimistic about fighting. Later when William Wallace had made his speech, the Scots were motivated to fight and defend their country from the English as they did not want to lose their freedom. The speech made them think twice about defending themselves for freedom and spurred them on to battle for their beloved country.
I feel that William Wallace is a very influential character in the movie and he was courageous, with a ‘Braveheart’ to lead the countrymen and provide them with the much-needed motivation to battle for their freedom. His speech was very truthful and strong, changing the minds of the Scots and allowing them to express their love for their homeland, its people and their families and friends through fighting for their freedom, whether they would survive or not. If William Wallace was not present, I feel that the army would lose confidence and the strength to fight for their country, resulting in them losing the battle and their freedom and falling into the hands of the English.
The people of Scotland would also be able to recognize the men who are really determined to allow their country to gain freedom and are willing to sacrifice their lives for others and their country, as well as to fight and defend their home regardless of the differences between each other. Heroes would also be recognized and we would then be able to see who really has a love for their country and is not reluctant to defend it. The men would be remembered and they would have a closer relationship with one another due to their common belief to fight for their nation for freedom and their rights. Therefore, the Scots would feel united as a nation and have the strength and confidence to win the battle.
There are definitely negative sides to war. In the movie, it is very evident that there is lots of violence happening, be it in speech or actions. Many are killed or wounded badly and there is lots of bloodshed. The people fighting in the war become inhuman and lose their goodness of mankind, slashing and piercing at their enemies ruthlessly. Chaos and suffering is experienced and buildings and structures are destroyed, leading to many being homeless. Diseases are widespread due to the lack of healthcare and many die as poverty, illness, injuries, starvation and many more difficulties will force them to their death. Raping of women and girls and slavery and abuse are rife, with stealth and crime. Living conditions are bad and many lose their family, relatives and friends. Innocent children are hurt and there is long-term hatred between the enemies. The country’s economy would also take a downturn and the whole country would be a big mess.
Singapore’s involvement in World War 2 was a good and bad thing. The good thing was that the people that have endured a war and have survived become stronger mentally to confront the challenges of normal life. New weapons and technology was invented and improved as the people needed them to help in their fighting. The locals who were actively involved in the fighting for Singapore showed their love for the country and their sincerity and courage to defend her, although they might and probably die in battle or may not win the Japanese.
Singaporeans also showed that they cared and wanted to protect their country and that they were not weak and frightened or unable to confront the Japanese even though they did not have help and support from the British like before. It also showed that Singapore need not rely on the British to be able to defend herself from enemies. War heroes like Lim Bo Seng, Force 136 and Lieutenant Adnan and the Malay Regiment as well as many others are very respected and remembered by Singaporeans as they have tried their very best to defend the country and fight for freedom from the Japanese. Fighting in a war also helped Singaporeans to develop our army and also form a bond between Singaporeans fighting in the war, allowing them to have the spirit and determination to protect our country, often sacrificing themselves for us.
The negatives sides of Singapore’s involvement in World War 2 was that many of the buildings and hard work to build up Singapore had been gone, only to be replaced with chaos, disorder and lots of difficulties. However, all these have proved that Singapore is and was able to still succeed even though war had occurred. Much negativity of war has also been mentioned in the above paragraph.
In conclusion, I feel that war has pros and cons to it and that we should not resort to war if matters are unable to be settled as it brings a lot of negativity. We should turn to other methods to resolve differences and unhappiness. I find that the short excerpt of the movie and this question posed to us has made me think a lot about war and I have learnt about other’s views and feelings towards the matter. I had enjoyed the portion of the movie and I would hope that I would be able to watch the entire movie to get to know more about the character development and storyline. :)
Lim Lishan (12) 2B
lol
XINYI- 2B`07 [14] xoxo
the consequences for battle for freedom are actually disastrous. no war is positive. there'll be many casualties involve and the country'll suffer economy downfall. it may lead to the fall of the country or enemies invading it and their freedom are taken away. between the scotts and the england war, the scotts is invaded by the england. being a part of scotts, they should fight courageously for their country's freedom and rights. In world war 2, noble man like lim bo seng etc etc. helped out and i admire them for their courage and bravery for standing out to help those fellow singaporeans. lastly, i think that wars have no positive sides as they only cause poverty, hunger, riots and citizens going on strikes. both parties will suffer serious damage and the people who suffers most in the war is the citizens. they're innocent and they get killed. some lost their family members while others die of hunger and poverty. owww~!
Hihi!
War causes anxiety and terror within people as they might be faced with death anytime. Hence, to survive, people will use all ways and means to survive and cling on to their lives. When this occurs, the worst of the people are brought out as all they think of is to hang on and keep their lives.
They are also faced with the threat of losing their freedom. Nobody wants to be kept in a cage without freedom and being unable to do anything that they want to. This threat is almost as threatful as death, and also brings out the worst in people.
Im a very free bird myslf and i go out almost evryday. But i got grounded one fine day for losin my wallet and i was cursin and swearin around the whole day at evry single thing i could swear at. And bcus of that, i got grounded for another week and i spent another week cursing and swearing. This is a perfect example of losin of freedom bringing out the worst in people.
Yaya, dats all la.
btw, ms fadzilla, y duwan use tagbox? tagbox nicer den add links leh, make the blog alive. hahas
okay la, i go liao byebye =D
After watching and listening to William Wallace's speech in braveheart, I m enlightened and makes me wonder about both sides of war: negative and positive. Firstly, some of us have the impression that war is a bad thing, that many people die, and thus, relate death to something bad. Others will think about the positive sides of war, the causes, and the after effects.
For me, i choose to believe that if bloodshed does not neccessarily mean that it is a bad thing. For example, take the movie "Braveheart". It depicts hor the army of Scotland fought for freedom against England, for their freedom to live, work, play and be able to roam and live peacefully. When one knows the cause that he is fighting for, it really makes him stop to think how much he is willing to sacrifice, be it just a small thing, or even his life. To me war requires commitment and a cause worth fighting for. No one can step onto the battlefield and say that he is afraid fight, for if he does that, he loses his will to fight.
As for the bad side, war does tend to show the inhumane nature of human beings, especially since the only way to victory for most wars is by killing. People often forget that we are somewhat related to each other, somehow in blood, race, colour but most importantly, we are humans. People at war rarely stop to think about what they are doing. We see slashing, and stabbing and mutilating of people at war. This may be caused by the fact that people think that the enemy is evil. Everyone thinks that they are right, which creates quarrels and disorder between fellow countries.
As for World War 2, Singapore had its fair share of heros too. This shows that war also brings the good out of people. for example, Lim Bo Seng, who despite being tortured by the Japanese, refused to give any information on the whereabouts of his fellow fighters.
Even though he knew that he was fighting for a lost cause, he stuck on to his values that it is his duty to protect Singapore with his life, to fight for what he thought was right. "There is the right way, and the easy way" so the saying goes. If no one had even bothered to defend Singapore, and everyone ran, folowing the easy way, instead of doing the right way, then Singapore would have been an easy vicim of the Japanese.
Many times, war is caused by the thinking that one can conquer the world, and the kings that hunger for power. But the truth is, power can never be satisfied. The more you hunger, the more you desire, the more inhuman you become. Hitler thought the germans were the superior race of the earth, that they deserved to rule. In the end, the whole empire crumbled as time went by.
In conclusion, the postitive and negative effects of war are numerous, but what remains is the question if war is worth fighting for when you know that something has to be done. WAR AFFECTS THINKING, WAR IS AFFECTED BY THOUGHTS
Joseph said:
"Even though he knew that he was fighting for a lost cause, he stuck on to his values that it is his duty to protect Singapore with his life, to fight for what he thought was right. "There is the right way, and the easy way" so the saying goes. If no one had even bothered to defend Singapore, and everyone ran, folowing the easy way, instead of doing the right way, then Singapore would have been an easy vicim of the Japanese."
An interesting and perceptive entry! I shall play the devil's advocate here - What is the RIGHT way? For what is deemed as right for one is seen as wrong for another..
:p
The battle between Scotland and England highlighted the point where Scotland is fighting hard for their freedom and they are exchanging their lives for it. Winning the war would also helps in ensuring the country status of independant. People might not have to suffer under the cruelty of another state, apparently the England.
But there are also negatives sides of a war lurking around. Fighting a war deprives one be it in their wealth, safety and most importantly, kins. Blood were shed endlessly and thousands of lives might be lost! Kins of the participants of the would be suffering emotionally too. Imagine that your close kins are being send off for a war, you will be worrying day&night, praying for their safety comeback. Won't that be terrifying?
On forth, Singapore involvement in the WorldWar2 is a good thing actually. Through the involvement, Singaporeans shows their loyalty and respect for the country. Side by side, they wanna work together to fight off Japanese invaders and allow Singapore to stand on its own. But not forgetting that a lot people had died as a result and violence and raping cases occured.
Lastly, war is DEFINITELY nor a good solution to affairs concerning country thus lets pray for peace and harmonious(: YAY!
people have been fighting wars since centuries ago even up to now. people fight for their freedom, fight for their rights. if the enemy loses, they will get what they fought for, freedom, rights. however, if they lose, they will end up the same, or maybe in the worser plight than before. the enemy won't say like "hey, u've fought this war for your freedom, and i understand that your people wants freedom, and so, we will give the amount of freedom you asked for." ya. so the postive side will be like you have fought for the freedom and rights you deserve, and even if you lose, the enemy will be able to hold you highly, and not look down upon you or even your fellow countrymen.
however, the negative side will be that bloodshed over the battlefield, people regardless of which side they are on will grieve. people lose their family, all will be paranoid as they live in a world of constant fear, especially the weaker countries. people suffer emotionally , physically and other areas. the country economy will suffer drastically because of the war.
all this apply to singapore in world war 2 too. one thing that it is good is that, it led the downfall of both the British and the Japanese, in which both thought themselves to be superior of others. For the British, the invasion of the Japanese told the people of Singapore that the British is not really to be relied on. The best was to be able to defend themselves from any possible attacks from other countries. The harsh treatment of the Japanese stripped the people of their freedom. it made people realized that freedom was very important, and that if they wanted freedom, they had to fight for it themselves. these led to the establishment of force 136 and individuals such as Lim Boon Seng and lieutnant Adan. They fought hard to stop the invasion of the Japanese, however, tough they dies tragically, they were still honoured by the people. it was because of them that more and more people were willing to scarifice their life for the safety of the country and family members. Hence, i think that singapore's involvement in world war 2 is not a bad one.
yea nice 'forum'. although 2d didn't watch the movie "braveheart", i roughly got the gist from the above comments. It seems that some think the Japanese were to blame, causing much bloodshed and terror to Singapore. Many negative points about them were mentioned, which is typical in the event of warfare. Some say WWII has invoked patriotism in Singaporeans. Those who sacrificed are honoured. But in this aspect, the Japanese are somewhat similar to Singaporeans in their loyalty to their country. Heroes rise from adversity, William Wallace is similar to Lim Bo Seng or Adnan. We are just lucky we did not have death camps like in Auschwitz. Finally, war should not be started. It is highly unlikely there will be a war (WWIII) on such a large scale again.
I seriously think that the blog is SOO DEAD! add tagboard...
i think leaving it this way is pretty fine. (w/o tagboard) Without war, we would not have independence. Everything that happens has its pros and cons, we ought to be thankful for what we have now. War can benefit no one, but the power-hungry, stubborn countries in the past obviously could not see sense.
I personally do not approve of war. All the fighting, killing, vulgarities & blood.
& who knows when a war would come to an end once it starts!
Although it is commendable of them,for being brave enough to go to war for freedom, isn't war too much of a heavy price to pay?
What actually do people mean when they want freedom?It could be the absence of constraint,independence,unrestricted use and even the power of acting without compulsion.What exactly does William Walace mean by freedom?What did he want his people to fight for?What freedom was it that his people wanted to fight for?
I would not deny the fact that FREEDOM is an important thing.Freedom to me,is able to do things my way without being interfered or having to report anything to anyone.I'm aure everyone wants freedom.That was what triggered off the war.
Although war has a negative impact on me,the fact that the people are willing to fight for their country shows their LOVE <3 for their country. This is something which people these days do not posses.
People these days do not have such 'loyalty' as those of the past.
Hopefully.such of these would not happen ever again.(:
Hello I am jessie from 2K and register no. 18.
Generally Braveheart is the partly historical, partly mythological, story of William Wallace, a Scottish common man who fights for his country's freedom and independence from the English rule around the end of the 13th century. William Wallace was a knight and Scottish patriot, who led a resistance against the English occupation of Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence. In 14th Century Scotland, William Wallace leads his people in a rebellion against the tyranny of the English King, who has given English nobility the 'Prima Nocta'.. a right to take all new brides for the first night. The Scots are none too pleased with the brutal English invaders, but they lack leadership to fight back. Wallace creates a legend of himself, with his courageous defence of his people and attacks on the English.
i think he's a super mighty and influential guy. Also i consider him as the greatest hero in Scotland's history. I mean he dared to show his butt off to the English. Cool, and then everybody followed him. HAa. He's such a hero. The fact that the Scotish have all came and fight as free men for the freedom they longed to own. No matter what the consequences be, they'd rather fight to the end and not let the English look down on them. They'd rather fight to their death and then stop those cases of murders and rapes.
After watching part of the movie, i feel that any war will have it's positive and negative impact, depending on it's circumstances. The winning side will gain it's freedom and their rights that they longed for. They will celebrate, they will cheer, they will live in peace and be left alone. On the other hand, a war will cause bloodshed and deaths everywhere. the lost of a family member in a war causes grief to everyone. There's total chaos and people tend to get paranoid during a war. People died, whichever sides the are on, people grieved. And causing ppl to suffer emotionally, physically and mentally.
This is linked to WW2 that singapore is involved in. Firstly i feel that there is both good and bad about the involvement of s'pore in ww2. People in s'pore fought so hard against the japanese. what for? it's just because they didn't want s'pore to fall into the hands of those crazy japanese. this war caused ppl to die and get tortured. Like i mentioned before any war would cause deaths and chaos everywhere. That's the consequences in S'pore though the conditions did improved. And ironically there is improvement because of the war, it led to the growth of s'pore as it helped to let ppl realise of the need to strengthen the defence of s'pore and all these are history that made s'pore as it is today. the war made s'pore stronger, and taught the descendants many things. meanwhile these also led to the establishment of force 136 and individuals such as Lim Boon Seng and lieutnant Adan. They fought hard during the war, and were willing to die for their country. Though however they were not forgotton and were honoured by ppl. In conclusion s'pore's involvment in WW2 isn't really bad after all.
To the first question :
What are the positive and negative sides of the battle between England and Scotland?
In my opinion, war is definately not a good thing. However, sometimes it happens under forced circumstances.Such as in this case, the war between England and Scotland.It was for freedom. Anyone have the right to be free let alone a country.
The positive points of this battle was of course, the chance of Scotland being free again, and also the emrgence brave war heroes like William Wallace. It would also in a way, bond the country together, by standing together against the enemy as one. The soldiers would then do their utmost best for the freedom and future of their only homeland. Afterall, If they do not, no one else could help them.
The negative points, are of course, the same in all wars. Wars causes widespread death and injuries. The nation would be in chaos and supplies would run dry. People would be living in fear, women rape, men forced to fight for their country. The economy would drop severly and there would be fiancial crisis. The country would be even more vulnerable to other country's sudden attack. Therefore, many countries try their best not to be involve in a war. Just like how the British and the Dutch sign a treaty instead if going to war.
To the second question:
How is this link to World War Two?
Many people posted that the war in Singapore was negative. However, I would like to rebut as there are many more positive points, other than the war heroes.
The war in Singapore let us learn much more lessons that we could ever imagine.Despite the negative points of this war, Singapore had made a big step out to independence.
The positive points of this war:
Without this war, Singapore would not be what we are now.
The British have made our forefathers believe that Singapore was safe and would never be captured by the Japanese. And that the British have done their best to defend Singapore.
However, if we think through carefully, if they really did then:
- Why did Singapore fell to the Japanese?
- Why didn't the British defences work?
- Why did the British, who was well known to be strong in the seas, had 2 of their war ships sunk by the Japanese?
- Most importantly of all, why did the British surrendered Singapore?
The main reasons were that the Japanese were more cunning and were more advanced in terms of weapons and machineries. But, the British said that Singapore was very important to them. However, the fact that Singapore fell to the hands of the Japanese prove otherwise. Perhaps if the war goes on, more deaths was the result and that must be avoided.
The years under the Japanese Occupation made all Singaporeans realised that we had to stand on our own feet. The fact that the British surrendered Singapore goes to shows that afterall, Britain is their homeland and obviously Britain would come first. So, Singaporeans have to count on one another instead of others to protect their own country.
This war allowed Singaporeans to realise how important was independence. And without this war, we would not have knew what we could be today and we would still be under the British colony.
Because of this war, Singapore could celebrate our 42nd years of independence this year. Because of this war, it also allowed one to realise that in times of war, it is always best to be able to defend your own country. And also, we must all stand united as one country and not vulnerable to any danger, be it war or terrorists attack.
As for the negative points of the World War 2, it would be the same as the war between Scotland and England.
Shermaine
(12) 2K
Just wondering if I'm allowed to post about other things here in this blog...
I was watching the show Troy yesterday and it showed that Achilles died as he was killed by Paris? Is this true? Because according to my brother, he had actually died of old age and not because of war...
Ngoh Zhi Lin(11)
2L
Ngoh Zhi Lin (11) 2L
Wah... Everybody write so long, later I write very short very embarrassing leh... Hahaz XD
Basically, I feel that war in the movie is worth the fight as it concerns the freedom of the Scotland from England. However, as to characteristics of a person, war also has a positive and negative side. War is positive in the movie 'Braveheart' as it depends heavily on the decision whether Scotland lives as a free country or to be under the control of England. Fighting the war against England would mean a chance of gaining freedom from the control of the English. However, not fighting the war would probably mean being forever under the control of England, never to be free again. However, as mentioned earlier, war also has a negative side to it. War causes the lost of lives due to the fights and also cause poverty to families who have lost their sole breadwinners, like the fathers and elder sons of the family who went to fought the war and died. In addition, there may be less provisions and water for families as they had been drained to feed the soldiers of war, causing more deaths. In addition, prices of regular items will soar due to the insufficent amount of money and cause more poverty in the streets. Also, many will be homeless as homes are destroyed due to war. The government will also be financially low as much has been spent on the war and little is left for the citizens.
Singapore's involvement in World War 2 was a good thing. This gave us the opportunity to show the British that even without them, we will still fight for ourselves, most importantly for our FREEDOM!!! With people like Elizabeth Choy and other heroes in World War 2, we had proved to the British that with a given opportunity, we could stand for ourselves, like what we are doing now, as a 42-year-old independent Singapore! The proof that we can be independent, and free as an independent country, just as today, as Mr Lee Kwan Yew had done for the sake of the country, breaking the merger of Singapore with Malaysia.
PS: Sorry for the late post. I thought it was already posted... Sorry... Really did not expect this...
By Ngoh Zhi Lin (11)
Secondary 2L
war..actually has negative point as well as positive point.
you may think that war brings freedom if you win..and you gain fron it..BUT what about the negative??
war brings death and unhappinessness to people involved.lives will be lost and people will not live as happily as before.
so,actually from my point of view,i think war doesn't bring us any good at all..
singapores involvement in world war 2...
i think that it is negative to a LARGE extent :(
firstly,there is alot of bloodshed,sufferings,and deaths.the soldiers go to war and most die.their families suffer.the only good thing that can come out from a war is that people can gain freedom if they win the war.but chances are they will just lose the war and suffer even more.which equals to more deaths,suffering,poverty,blah blah blah.
if the country is much weaker and poorer than the invaders,it is also relatively impossible to win them in a war.so they might as well just comply to the invaders,or wait for some countries to help them :)
if that sounds too dependent on other countries,maybe they can just think of strategic solutions (eg.poison their food and water,put snakes in their toiletbowls,etc.)
ok sorry for digressing :X
anyway,there probably would not be any positive things coming out from a war,unless singapore was very strong back then (which is untrue).so...
singapore's involvement in world war 2 was bad (negative) to a large extent :D
ok im done bye
+++++
War is not necessary a bad idea as certain people may benefit from it. There generally 2 types of war: War for freedom and war for domination.
The Japanese war was a war for domination. The Japanese were determined to control the territory that they had battled for and wanted to put it under their control as soon as possible.
Thus they decided to terrorise the people to show that they are in control and those who disobeyed will be severely punished.
Singaporeans suffered big time during this time and they were like Scotland being oppressed by the British all the time.
It takes people like William Wallace and Lim Bo Seng to lead the people to rise up and lead the rebel against their oppressors
sorry i forgot 2 write my name i am de anonymous dat posted August 30 2007 6.32pm
(^0^)~Qi JiNg~(07)~2L~
What are the positive and negative sides of the battle between Scotland and England?
The battle between Scotland and England brought more negative impact than the positive impact. Scotland gained independence from the battle, however,many lives lost and the people of both countries suffered. Many people suffered injuries and the psychological effect of war .The people in both countries live in constant fear and lives were never peaceful for them during the war period.
How was Singapore's involvement in the WW2 a good and/or a bad thing?
Singapore involvement in World War 2 was a good thing as Singapore realize that she has to be self-reliance and cannot depend on other coutries. They have also learn that Singapore is vulnerable to attack from other countries thus it is important for us to build up our strong military defense force. However, we have lost many lives and many heroes in the war
Chua Tzy Harn 2L
Wars are inevitable. But the thing is the process in which people encounter during the war. Although the purpose of war is to have a country's flag on another country, but it slowly builds up the unity of people. I think that it's quite meaningless fighting a war for the sake of fighting. All warriors have a dream: Freedom for my country. That's what they are fighting for. Most important of all, the unity are brought about by the common thinking of them thus, fighting a war to them is like nothing to them. They take death as if going home. Freedom is what people wants. It's also the most difficult thing to get at that time. Without freedom, you're just like a bird without a pair of wings. Without freedom, peoeple tend to be full of anger. Without freedom, people would be asking themselves,"Why are we siting here? Why aren't we fight ourselves?" Without freedom, people will try to fight for it. Because of this, it unites the people and as a result, the country had taken a step closer to a nation.
A war has both positive and negative sides. In the movie, Scotland was invaded by England. From my view of perspective, I think the war between Scotland and England helped the scotts to understand that it is important to defend their country and fight for their own rights. The people are united and they aimed for the same goal: fight for FREEDOM and RIGHTS. Fortunately, the scotts are brave enough not to escape from the war, they fought hard. During the war, they will be able to see who is loyal to the country and are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country. This highlights that war brings out the love from the people for their country, loyalty to the country and lastly the unity between the people.
HOWEVER
War has many negative impacts as well. War causes anxiety and terror because one may die anytime in time of war, it is unpredictable. Many buildings are destroyed and loss of money and properties. Living conditions will be affected when many people are homeless. They might lead to sleep on the streets. Crime rates rise greatly as people are desperate. They loss their money and houses, but they needed to feed their families. Thus, they will resort to steal from others. Violence might take place frequently. Without peace and order, the country will be in a disastrous condition. Therefore, having a war is not good.
From my view, I think that Singapore’s involvement in WW2 is actually quite a good thing as it helped Singaporeans to realize that we could not relied on the British totally. It is time for our own people to rule our country. This helps Singapore to take a big step towards independence. Although many lives are loss in the war, people are now more cautious. For example, we will never know the pain if we had not been caned before. If there is no WW2, we will not know that Singapore can actually rule by Singaporeans successfully. In conclusion, war has both positive and negative consequences. It would the best if there is no war.
maolin(21) 2k'07
lol that pretty much sums up the qn. wonder y no comments yet on the 2nd qn ms fadhzila posted? lol unpopular qn...gd job everyone
I think that whether war is negative or positive, it all depends on your point of view.
For example,if many lives were lost at war, and you are on the negative side, you would say that war is negative cause it causes deaths and broken families. However, if you are on the positive side, you would say that this brings out the best of people as they bring out the 爱国精神(patriotism) of everybody and their sacrifice is worth it. the whole one for all thing..
Therefore, i think that it's subjective and there really isnt any correct or incorrect.
Okay back to assigned topic:
Negative side: Many lives were lost and families were broken up because men had to go to war and they either died there(permanently breaking up family)or get seperated from family for long period of time thanks to war(temporary breaking up familes)
Positive side:Scotland was free from England's rule and it brought out the patriotism of the Scots,woh even though was out-numbered, fight to their best.
Singapore's invovlement was good? It shows that the people were not just waiting for the British to come and rescue them but instead, made alot of effort to defend their countries.Eg Lim Bo Sheng who die die dont want to tell the Japanese who were anti-japanese.
I think that war is negative to a large extent and it could be prevented through negotiating PROPERLY( unlike braveheart).
-greena 2b
You write very well.
I Love Lim Bo Seng
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