LA Home-Based Learning

Dulce et Decorum Est

1. "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks..." literally meant that the soldiers were carrying bags over their shoulders so heavy that their backs were bent, similar to old beggars carrying sacks over their shoulders. The phrase actually implies that the soldiers suffered a lot during the war and were exhausted and strained physically, emphasising on the extent which the war has affected the young soldiers, reducing them to such a terrible state. The first stanza shows that the soldiers were exhausted and weak, which can be seen from "knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge", which expresses their anguish. The soldiers were also injured and had no desire to fight on. This can be seen from the phrases "But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind", which means that the soldiers had already sustained injuries due to the toil in war, and they were not in a good condition to continue combating.

2. The phrase "GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!" is used to instil a sense of urgency in the readers because capital letters were used for the first word, creating a tense atmosphere. The simile "And floundering like a man in fire or lime-" increases tension as well because lime is corrosive while fire is extremely dangerous, signifying the extent of danger that the man was in. After that, the words "guttering, choking and drowning" were used in succession to intensify the atmosphere. "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs" in the last stanza depicts the horrifying scene in war, which further increases tension in the poem.

3. At the end of the poem, the poet said "The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori", which means that it is not at all sweet and right to di for one's country, neither is it a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for one's country. The poet wanted to emphasise on the fact that in contrast to widespread belief, in truth, war is not worth it, because it only brings forth sorrow, not joy, as seen by the diction used in his poem. I agree with his point of view, because war is cruel and will only bring about sorrow, sufferings and death. It is not worth it to be a martyr, because dying for one's country is not sweet, but cruel.

Flying the flag in Bosnia

1. The tone of this poem is solemn and grave. The poet describes the woman as "an old woman whose hair is parted straight down the middle", showing how grieved the woman was over her son's death and this evokes sympathy from the readers. The fact that the woman "slumped by the cross that bears her son's name, crudely lettered" meant that she was extremely devastated, and this was intensified by the fact that even the gravedigger pitied the woman and left her with "a full cup of coffee".

2. The poet used simile in the poem, as seen in "like a flag", and juxtaposition when describing the items by the grave. The fact that the poem is made up of many short lines shows that it is not too elaborate, thus bringing out the solemn atmosphere in the poem effectively.The poet hoped to describe the misery of an old woman and the tragic fate of her son who died in the war. He also wants to convey the message that war only brings sufferings because Bosnia is a war-torn country and its citizens suffered, as seen by the phrase "in the country which already has too many", meaning that many died during the war, therefore war should not be waged at all costs.

Peer Pressure: A Drive Or Deterrent?

Peer pressure is a phenomenon which is practically inevitable among people, whether they are students or adults in the workforce. Peer pressure, as the words suggest, is best defined as a social influence exerted by others on an individual, and this pressure is exerted in order to get someone act or believe in a similar way. It can be a deterrent or a drive which propels one towards success. Peer pressure, like anything else, has got its pros and cons.

People tend to adopt the notion that peer pressure is negative because the phrase comprises of the word ‘pressure’. However, they have yet to fully explore the impacts of peer pressure. Peer pressure actually has positive impacts on both an individual and a group. In school, peer pressure never fails to bring students in a class together as it promotes competitiveness amongst them, which provides them with the drive to work hard and perhaps surpass and outclass their classmates. This competitiveness is the direct opposite of the normal forms of competitiveness. It is special because it does not result in animosity but instead promotes friendship and strengthens bonds among the students. In this case, peer pressure is converted into a drive towards success. Peer pressure can also lead a person who has gone astray back onto the right path. If one were to make good friends, one will be influenced positively and his/her friends can help him/her discern right from wrong. They can be one’s beacons and guide one back onto the correct path, which shows the bright side of peer pressure.

However, do not picture peer pressure as something that is perfect. It has got a myriad of cons as well. Teenagers are undergoing puberty, and they struggle to curb their curiosity most of the time, which renders them vulnerable to all kinds of peer pressure, especially the negative side of it. Statistics have shown that about twenty percent of teenagers have tried smoking and an astonishing sixty-six percent, smoking, which shows that they cannot resist the temptations that negative peer pressure has brought to them and succumb to them far too easily. They can even be willing to compromise their moral values because they are afraid of losing their friends or being ostracized, thus succumbing to peer pressure. Besides this, negative peer pressure can also result in depression. When people laugh at an individual for not doing well in his/her test for example, he/she may not be able to take the insults and transform them into drive. Instead, he/she could dwell in despair for a long time. In extreme cases, the target can even commit suicide! This highlights the grave consequences and impacts that negative peer pressure can bring about.

Personally, I feel that peer pressure is actually positive rather than negative because it can bring out the best qualities out of a person. If a person is able to transform negative peer pressure into positive peer pressure, it will serve as an incessant drive to propel that person towards success. Those who are affected by negative peer pressure can share their troubles with their friends and allow them to guide them back onto the right path.

So, how should peer pressure be dealt with? There are actually many ways to deal with peer pressure. I believe that schools can invite speakers who are experienced in counselling who are able to address the students more about how to deal with peer pressure, such as setting the preservation of their moral values as their priority before they start doing something and bringing out qualities such as determination amidst peer pressure. People should also learn to convert negative experience into positive drive to achieve their goals and focus on doing what is right.

After all this debating, to conclude, I believe that peer pressure has got its pros and cons. In the end, it all boils down to how you deal with it. Peer pressure. A drive. Or a deterrent? You decide!