The Devil's Dictionary

We are introduced with Ambrose Bierce's greatest work in his life--"The Devil's Dictionary". He was said to be a very cynical person who hated of mankind.

This greatest work of all in his life time actually started off in a weekly paper in 1881, at where he had a column to write and define term with his own satire, irreverence and a lack of inhibition view. Then, later his compiling of all the terms and published as "The Devil's Dictionary" which made him famous until today. According to Wikipedia, The Devil's Dictionary has inspired many imitations both in its day and more recently. Recent examples include The Computer Contradictionary, The Devil's Dictionary X and Lucifer's Lexicon.

I found this dictionary quite interesting as normally we are advised to see things happened around us in positive perception. However, Bierce redefined things as what he perceived through his experience, quite pessimistic, I think and very ironic as he disliked life but he was living in it once. And I think for some human like us, somehow or rather, we tend to feel like the same way he perceived things to be. I guess that's why "The Devil's Dictionary" became popular.

Let's see some examples of some terms that he defined, "Life"-- A spiritual pickle preserving in the body from decay. We live in daily apprehension of its loss; yet when lost it is not missed. Bierce redefined the term "life" and afterwards people started questioning:"Is life worth living?" which left a great impact to the society.

Also, "Love"-- A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder. This disease, like caries and many other ailments, is prevalent only among civilized races living under artificial conditions; barbarous nations breathing pure air and eating simple food enjoy immunity from its ravages. It is sometimes fatal, but more frequently to the physician than to the patient. He viewed "love" as a kind of disease and disaster rather than an intense feeling which makes people feel happy most of the time.

Well, I guess Dr Edwin introduced this type of parody to us is to inspire us and remind us to always "think outside the box". There are many ways one can perceive a thing, however, it depends very much on which one we choose to see it as.

Fun lesson we have today

Today we were taught about two kinds of rhythmic literary works, which are parody and limericks. And later we were asked to write a limerick in a group. Overall, there are eight groups formed in the class and I've copied those which are quite interesting to me. Let's have a look~~~

1) There once was a lecturer from Serdang
All the while she hoped she was in Pulau Redang
So she went there
And had an affair
That stern lecturer from Serdang

2) There once was an old man from Taiping
All this while he hoped to marry Siew Ching
So he proposed to her in town
And she coldly turned him down
That poor old man from Taiping

And our group wrote these:

1) There once was a man from West
All this while he thought he was the best
So he went for a fight
To prove himself right
But he ended up last among the rest

2) I once met a girl from UPM
Every day she slept at 4 am
But whenever she had a test
The girl just had to rest
That strange nocturnal girl from UPM

We have had fun during the class and we didn't even feel the times passed and the class ended soon. The lesson was interesting and can trigger the interest to learn among the students, even the Low English Proficiency Students. As we discussed further on about using limerick in classroom, I found that indeed there are many advantages and benefits to the students. The students can learn to respect each other through the discussion and communication as well as integration flow well among the students. I guess this can proper positive tie among the students' relationship.

Also , this activity can help the students to learn the aspect of the language such as vocabulary and grammar through a very relaxing and fun way, which will lower their level of anxiety. It is essential for an educator like us to identify various activity that can help the students in learning in which related to themselves. I will definitely try out this activity with my students in the future.

I wish to be an apple tree......

It was quite imaginative for us to symbolize ourselves, teachers-to-be as something else during today class. At first, I thought it is just how Dr Edwin wants know how creative we can be. But then, this activity slowly changed my perception as he actually wants us to know ourselves as a teacher, what we can be and we can do for the students.

Most of us wants to be guidance and knowledge provider which stand a wide range of metaphor from living things to non living things such as to be a star, a candle, a thread, a compass, a pair of eyes, a library, ATM machine, sky, water, an angel, a mountain and an ocean. As for me, I'm ranged under this category which is an apple tree that literally full of essential mineral for human's life and the tree can be shelter for people.

There are also some of the course mates who would like to be the sun, the light at the end of the horizon, an umbrella, a shepherd, spectacles and engineer as they wish to be the hope and protector to the students.

I found it quite interesting when someone said she wants to be fire as at first I've negative connotation of it which will burn the students. However, it turns out to be the courage giver and supporter. Also, two who said they wish to be tv and the wind, they gave me a sense of unsureness as tv could stands for 'idiot box' and wind could be 'uncertainty'. Doubts aroused in my mind like: Do we wish our students to be fool? Of course not! It just doesn't convince me when they actually explained that they want to provide students' neccessary information and right path in the way of their life as both the tv and the wind just don't seem to me that indicate such meanings. Yet, we do have a lot of laughters and reflection gained through the lesson.

Reflection on movie "The Road Home"

This movie starts with the discussion between the protagonist and the villagers of Sanhetun about the arrangement of the protagonist's father's death. They were figuring out the way to take the dead body back as the mother insists on carrying the dead all the way from the hospital in the city to home in the village as it is an old tradition and custom to follow.

Though the movie focused on the little romance between the protagonist's parents when they were young. However, the impact of the protagonist's father as a teacher to the students is the part where stirred my thought.

As a teacher came from city, I think the protagonist's father adapted himself well with the life in a village. He didn't discriminate the villagers who are poor and uneducated. When the villagers decided to build a classroom for the young kids to study, the teacher involved himself in helping to build the classroom. He didn't distant himself from the villagers, however, he tried to know them, he walked the students back home and also accepted the offer of having meal at their house everyday. He displayed a good image as a teacher and I guess that's why he left a enormous impact on the villagers.

I think the protagonist's father-the teacher didn't even realize that he had such a numerous influence or the long-term effects that he left to the students. When the ceremony of bringing him back to the village was carried, his students came from other cities, some even traveled from faraway city,Guangzhou came to join the funeral even it was in the winter. Also, in the end, the students paid the undertakers and all the expenses. I think these acts not only explained the students' love and respect to the teacher, it also tells us that the teacher everlasting influence within the students which constrained the students to go back to the village and paid the last respect to the teacher.

This reveals that as a teacher, we will never know how much and how deep the long-term effects we have had to the students' life. It actually encourages me to be a good teacher, the one that inspire and motivate the students. I really wish that I can help the students especially those have been through the dark side of life.