Monday, August 9, 2010
Modern Fantasy
Early this year, I hardly spend my time reading any books. I felt that they were all boring and uninteresting until I bothered to pick up some books from the library during the March holidays.
One of the first books I read was 'Hellstrom's Hive'. The sublime plot and the unique writing style intrigue me not only to read on, but to start picking up the habit of reading. I continued with the science fiction series of 'Saga of Seven Suns', a plot filled with twist and turns, a book of interesting new ideas. From then onwards, I started patronizing the library every 2 weeks, scouring for attractive titles.
My love for modern fantasy started when I started reading Terry Brook's 'Armageddon's Children'. The setting of an apocalyptic world was so amazing, vividly described. I could feel as if I'm watching a movie while immersed in the story. Unlike most stories about fallouts, this book adds an essence of magic and fantasy, where all odds are stacked on the protagonist. From reading this, it intrigued me to continue reading books of the author until this date.
Posted by 2i202 at 11:15 PM
Friday, August 6, 2010
The judicial system: True justice?
Justice means to be fair, and uphold what is right. To give justice is to punish or reward one in accordance to equity. This is the reason for laws and the judicial system; to deter crimes, maintain peace, and uphold what is morally right. But the controversy surrounding us is that, does the judicial system really bring out true justice, or is it too unforgiving?
In my opinion, the law and judicial system does serve true justice in a form of punishment, which includes, caning, jailing, fining, and even death. Judicial punishment is used to inflict pain, such as caning, to give a lasting reminder to the offender not to repeat the same mistake. Judicial execution will also serve as a strong reminder to others to think of the consequences before acting. However, I feel that some of these methods are overused and unnecessary.
In Singapore, caning is a punishment often used for both minor and serious crimes, from murder and rape, to theft and vandalism. This has proven effective in many cases and Singapore's second-time offenders is significantly lower than some other countries. I feel that such punishments should be dealt to those who commit violent crimes without remorse or regret. Since they show no mercy, I think we should give them a taste of their own medicine. However, this might be unnecessary to smaller crimes such as vandalism. This is seen in the controversial cases of Michael Fay and Oliver Frickler, where foreigners feel caning is too serious a punishment.
Still, justice isn't only about the law. Justice can be in a form of retribution, giving those what they should deserve. Justice can also be used to balance harmony in a nation, where equilibrium balances peace. However, when there is justice, there is hard to have mercy. With mercy, one doesn't get his just deserts, creating an unbalanced scale and may cause unfairness. Thus, I feel that a peaceful society should have justice to keep the country stable, but also mercy to make it seem more humane.
Posted by 2i202 at 9:09 PM