*Have you gained any greater insights about what ICS or this final year has meant to you now that your time here is coming to a close?  What do you think you’ll remember most about this year, about this place, about this community, or even about your World Literature class☺?  Do you have any final “farewell thoughts” for me or your classmates as you go?

In my last week, I was able to reflect from the past that ICS isn’t just about learning and getting high SAT scores. ICS is also about having a close-knit community that would not leave each other in good times and in bad times. I believe that I will remember the feeling that everyone in the class of 2020 knows by heart. Everyone of us has a feeling of loss deep inside us since day 1 of senior year. I will always remember the family-like relationship that this community offers, unlike many other international schools.

My final thoughts for Mr. Mark: I believe that you are the best fit for being the last English Teacher that we will ever have. Many of my Alumni friends have said the same but I never understood why until today. You seem to care for the seniors more than any other teacher, and we can feel that regardless of how we perform in your class. Like the class of 2019 and the class before, we will miss you and will always remember your hospitality while we were going through college apps. I hope you continue to encourage and help the class of 2021 and the classes after.

Final thoughts for my classmates: Some of you I’ve known since K4; some of you I’ve known a year ago. Everyone in the class of 2020 is like one of my family member. We have been through extremely hard times together during 10th and 11th grade. We fought through APs and SATs together. Today, all of us is now accepted into top colleges around the world. Why? because we did it as a team. We studied together, we fought together, and most importantly we suffered together. This experience brings all of us closer to each other since we rely on each other both in and out of campus. I do not regret a single day during my 14 years in ICS, and I hope that we will continue to be the closest family from now to the end.

I believe that the “solutions” in this novel is mostly related our is redemption. At the latter parts of the novel, we can see multiple characters receiving their own “solution” and redemption. Paton’s most emphasized character is obviously Absalom. Even though he received a death sentence, his redemption is that he was able to marry his girlfriend and can be assured that the baby will be taken care of. Another interesting character is Gertrude. Unlike some characters she did not receive redemption. This occurred when Gertrude suddenly disappears when it is time for her return to Ndotsheni. This is quite complex and significant since I believe that Paton is trying to tell us that in order to receive redemption from God, one must realize that they have wronged against god. I believe that Paton’s solution for two of these main characters are extremely logical and well thought of, especially Gertrude’s case.

Absalom knew what was coming if he was honest about the case, yet he still continued down the path to his death believing that it was his redemption. Now we can see that he later received the honorable chance of marrying his pregnant girlfriend. I believe that this was Paton’s way of showing redemption for Absalom. Gertrude on the other hand knew exactly how wrong she has been against god. However, she chooses to let her baby go and continue down the path even though she had the chance to redeem herself. This is very logical since many prostitutes and liquor sellers chose to live in that path. In the end I believe Paton uses very logical endings for each character, one that we can all relate and reflect upon.

The concept of Othering is quite popular in southeast Asian countries like Thailand. According to Dr. Zuleyka, one of the most obvious social othering is gender. It can be seen throughout Thailand that leadership roles and important jobs are being given to men on purpose. A clear evidence of this can be seen by looking at Thailand’s prime ministers. So far, only one was female, unsurprisingly. Of course this doesn’t just occur in Thailand; it occurs on a global scale.

Another topic of Othering is Political power. I can easily relate this to Thailand since there are many tribal communities near the borders that are technically Thai, but are looked down upon. A great example of a group of people directly affected by social Othering is the Karen people. They technically live in Thailand and is quite a part of our society. However, since they have zero political power, their rights are constantly ignored and the labor union blatantly oppresses them with lower wages. This is comparable to the Black community in Johannesburg; a city that is politically dominated by whites.

In my opinion travel is the best way to indulge a nation’s customs and geography. It is true that we can always search up pictures of our dream destinations, but pictures remain as pictures. For example, you can never experience the ice old weather of Alaska by looking at a brochure for ten hours. I believe that travels also bring people together due to the differences they face outside of the group. Travel and a sense of separation from home can force distant friends to unite and bond.

I believe a responsible tourist is a person who explores the new country whilst knowing his boundaries. This traveller shall respect the new culture they face and must comply to all the laws required by the country no matter how different it is from is home country. Some types of tourism are definitely damaging. An easy example can be the Chinese tourists in southern Thailand. After accepting visitors from china for just a single year, multiple landmarks had to be closed down due to pollution and littering. We can see that these people do not give a single drop of care to our environment, making them horrible tourists.

A time where I was a responsible tourist is when I visited the middle east. There I complied to all the strict islamic laws and kept my boundaries really seriously. I did find some laws to be absurd but still obeyed since isn’t my home.

Bangkok isn’t just a popular tourist hotspot; it is also the city of opportunities and dreams. In this city a minimum-wage worker can become a become a billionaire in a lifetime and vice versa. Bangkok may seem like a city of dreams for many, still the truth is not as sweet as the people’s dreams. Only the best and the most fortunate will have a chance to rise above the others. For the rest of the people, Bangkok is simply a place of torture and repetitive pain.

It is a true sorrow to learn that right in the heart of the business centre of Thailand, there is a community of 100,000 suffering deeply. The true irony here is that these people suffer right next to some of the wealthiest groups of people in Thailand. To understand my point that Bangkok isn’t as happy as it seems, just imagine a handful of supercars parked in a fancy hotel. Now imagine walking just about 50 meters to find yourself with tens of raggedy old taxis and motorbikes. Only then can you see the absurd wealth gap of Bangkok, an unfair place to be.

For now, we will drop the depressing realities behind and talk about what you can indulge if you are part of the top one percent of Bangkok! You shall start the day off in your million dollar apartment right in the middle of Bangkok. You will then come down and drive out to the busy streets in your exotic sports car, creating envious glances in the streets. Your car will probably cost more than a middle-class man’s life savings. You then choose among the wide varieties of food choices near your location, there will be great food of all nationalities in almost every corner in downtown. You can eat whatever you want in the menu without even looking at the price, just because you’re that well-off. Needing to shed off some of that peasant money? Well why not stop at one of the most extravagant shopping malls of South East Asia? Whatever you want, you will most likely find. Brand products of price tags reaching up to multi-millions are available just by reaching.

Enough with the dream life, of course Bangkok also offers a place for the middle class. But what is it really like living as a middle class in Bangkok? Alright, you start your day off in a decent sized apartment room on the 10th floor, most likely the mid-ranged units available. You then make your own breakfast and lunch since restaurants in Bangkok are just too expensive. You shall drive out in your miniature eco sedan. You will then see others in their luxury European sedans and can only stare out of envy. You continue to your small cubic work space where there is a pile of work waiting for you. From then, the cycle repeats everyday non-stop except the weekends.

Alright, that ain’t so bad right? I know some of you readers are probably living that typical lifestyle as well. Now I will take you to the REAL Bangkok. This will be a part where no Thai citizen is proud of, something we wish we could hide from the internet and foreigners. Imagine starting the day waking up in a small shack near the main business district of Bangkok. You then make your way to your factory or workplace by foot. You are completely exhausted from you minimum-wage job but must endure. When you start work, you never see the sunlight for at least five hours, an inhumane even on its own. Your job would most likely be a salesperson or a serviceman in a luxury establishment. You will see all the luxuries your eyes can take, but can never own. You finish your shift at around midnight and head home; the cycle repeats.

You all can now see the different parts of Bangkok. We can all see that even though the three events mentioned above are occurring simultaneously in the same area, we can see the completely different comforts that one receives. The rich get to enjoy pride and comfort because they work smart. The middle class at least get to enjoy an air conditioned cubical even though it ain’t much. The third scenario enjoys nothing and is living in constant pain. He has little hope of leaving his raggedy shack and must live on in pain. Bangkok has many sides to it all crammed into one city.

According to Thai culture, suffering exist because of your bad karma from past lives or past events. Sometimes it may even seem unfair that your past life is now making your present miserable. Still, this ideology is widely accepted and is taken as a way of life, maybe even as an excuse to avoid working hard. I believe that suffering exists simply because one is not trying hard enough to get out of it.

A great example of a family that tries hard, but simply not hard enough is Boonma’s family. It is true that he tries his best to work, but he is also causing his own suffering by having too many children from the start. He claims that there is no way out to his suffering, and that is extremely true because he dug his own grave by bearing too many burdens. A great comparison could be between Boonma’s family and my family. Even though surrounded by ample amounts of estates and revenue, my parents decided to have only two children in order to give them both the best possible life style. However, Boonma decides to have up to three children even though he couldn’t even afford one.

Korbjiti treats these misfortunes and sufferings in his life as the super natural’s fault. Instead of blaming Boonma for digging his own grave, he claims that the gods and karma from the past life simply hates him and is here to make him pay. Of course to some certain limit it can make sense, but one shall not put his whole life blaming on something he/she can never prove.

The Midnight Air Raid is written from the ground perspective of the London air raid set by Germany. The author describes the roles in the air raid and compares it to our anti-body system trying to fight off the germs and parasites. The ground flak guns trying to defend the city are the main defenders trying to fight off the cancer that is trying to seep into the country. The search lights imprison the planes they spot since the ground flak guns will soon prioritize them and eventually shoot them down. The bombers in the heart of the air are trying to burst the harmless tissues of Britain. In other words, London was not a military target, but was still bombarded anyways.

In a WW2 air raid, one of the most notorious sounds would probably be the bombing siren. Its loud apocalyptic tone causes fear among the civilians of the city. The author then describes the underground bunkers and basements and the underworld of dreams. That is because it is pitch black underground. Many won’t even get to see the daylight until late in the day, maybe not at all.

Since the air raids were performed through night time only, the author explains that the safety they had an hour ago is now non-existent. No defense can really hold a bomb if hit directly, meaning there is no true sanctuary in the city. He also explains how the people have to fight against their own sanity whilst trying to stay alive at the same time. They are also required to hold their anger while hiding underground.

This poem is simply a poetic description of the events of a London air raid. He describes how what he saw such as the flak cannons and the large spotlights. He also describes the feelings of the people at the moment, the feeling of no true safety. He wants to emphasize that anyone can die at that point since their was no bunker that can hold a direct hit, meaning no one is safe. he also explains how the people are mad but must hold it in whilst hiding in cover.

A country would not be considered a country without any supporters and believers. Nationalism, doesn’t just run in the country, it is the country. We can learn from nationalism that a nation can reach its full potential if the majority of the people care about their nation. A great example nationalism at its finest would definitely be Nazi Germany. Never have we seen so many men in a country joining the military so willingly; that is because they love and take pride in Germany. Of course, party of this uprising was due to Hitler emphasizing on how Germany is being bullied and oppressed by neighboring European nations.

I believe that nationalism is not just good, it is mandatory and fundamental for the survival of a sovereign country. Nationalism might not be shown by everyone, but deep inside we all care about our nation. For example, the people would probably not enlist to join the military unless the country is being invaded. In Nazi Germany’s case, the people were simply being starved by their neighboring countries literally. This creates nationalism within an extremely large amount of people, leading to WW2 as we know it.

In my opinion, when we confront fundamentalism, we should see the situation they’re in such as their location and background. Moreover, we must be fully aware of the the outcome if one were to interfere in other people’s business and decide whether to confront the evil or not. In other words, fundamentalism can be harmful in many ways, yet we should not always interfere with a country’s internal affairs unless acted upon.

If someone is disturbed about the fundamentalists and want to take an action, they should consider Communism instead. This may sound utterly wrong but I believe that communism is still better than fundamentalism. That is because the communists are not using religion as a tool to control the people. In communism, we are not required to follow a religion to our deaths, in fact, we don’t even have a religion in communism. Furthermore, fundamentalism can be used as a tool to persuade millions into dying for a cause that cannot be proven.

The reason I am highly against fundamentalism is because it is constantly being abused and not used properly. Fundamentalism can be used to govern people legitimately if under strict supervision. However, humans are not perfect and the outcome is literally Iran: a “theocratic” country that claims to fight in the name of “god” and not for its leader’s affairs. In conclusion, I would definitely choose a system of control and stability over a system that lies to the people with “god’s” commands.

I feel that teenage rebellion is unavoidable because kids are living in a generation that’s different from what their parents grew up in. The reason behind this is that people like to follow others and don’t think twice before doing something that is bad or illegal. In other words, kids tend to rebel depending on the environment they grew up in. More importantly, kids tend to get easily influenced because they’re born in the world as blank slate. I don’t think teenage rebellion is a good part of the teenagers’ lives, since it troubles their family and kids can cause harm to themselves.

First of all, the reason of childhood rebellion is because kids want to be part of the norm, in other words, they want have more friends. The worst part of this is that they can get into bad influences such as smoking or doing drugs. This may seem cool to them, but not to the parents. This is why kids rebel, the parents see things from a different perspective than they do. In addition, being part of the norm, kids tend to be popular and not being the odd one out.

Secondly, parents fail to understand their children, and this happens most of the time. And the reason is because, the generation people are growing up in today, is different from the past. People have changed over the pass few years, some became better or worse.

In conclusion, it will be hard for the parents to shape their kids in the way they want them to be, because when kids get older, they tend to be easily influenced by the outside environment, such as their friends. All we can do is try and not give up when teaching our kids moral lessons.