Comments & Suggestions

You have almost completed this semester, so, how do you view Critical Literacy now? If you have any comments and suggestions, please do so as it helps for the betterment of the course as a whole.

As I have almost completed my fourth semester, this means that I am also almost completed learning Critical Literacy. This means that a lot that I have learned from this subject such as how to find good arguments and evidences, how to evaluate sources and the credibility of a writer. So, my view is that even though I am almost done with this subject, I still felt the difficulty of fulfilling the core course of this subject which is the rule of 10. I still can't manage to understand on how to identify the beliefs of the author, especially for a very long text. Somehow, in the class I think I manage to understand how to identify the rules but I am wrong as when I am trying to do the exercises given, I failed to come out with a good understanding of the text.

My comments and suggestions is that for this particular subject, it is better to be conducted in different classes. I can see that somehow, during mass lecture, students can't pay their attention, and if they are able to do so, they are struggling their best to give their attention to the lecturer in front. There are even some students even skipped the mass lecture just because of they think that they won't be able to give their attention in the lecture.

Other than that, my concern is that students is given more time for consultation as what happened during my batch is that there are a big number of students and they have to compete and even fight with their friends just to consulting the lecturers. I have seen a lot during the consultation week that the students have to be packed in the lecturer's room. This sometimes inflicts discomfort to the lecturers as well as the students.

Body, Mind & Spirit

The body is the greatest possession, the mind is the greatest treasure and the spirit is the greatest companion.

• How do you view above statement

In my opinion, this statement is about using and taking care what God has gave us wisely as it can benefits us in any way. Basically this statement is about how to be responsible to ourselves.

First, it is about the body which is said as the greatest possession. The body is said as the greatest possession as it has various functions which are act as the connector of the other parts of the body and the place where all the important organs are places. To taking care of the body is not easy as there are many do's and don't's in order to maintain the functionality of the body. Above all, the body is the most important thing as it carry various roles in our life.

Next, the mind is the greatest treasure. You might not realized it, but your mind is powerful as it has an unlimited potential. There is this saying "you are what you think of" which means that whatever your behavior and attitude towards things reflects what's on your mind. Our mind has been designed to function as the center of human body and everything is there, on the mind. What we think about something, what we believe and what we decide, it is all based on what is on our mind. But somehow, human mind nowadays is said can't focused on one thing for a longer time. It is said that our mind only focused on something for an average of six to 11 seconds. This is due to the obsession of watching television, drug damage and social pressures. This shows that our mind now is not as effective as the older.

Lastly, the spirit us the greatest companion. Everyone has their own spirit and spirit is what led us to do something. It can be good, and it can be bad also. It is said that spirit is our companion because that is what urges us to do something even if the thing that we are about to do is our biggest fear. Spirit is also said as human's companion as it is within ourselves. It is between you and yourself, The others won't have the same spirit as yours. And that is why, the spirit is our greatest companion.

Money & Happiness

"If money were the only criterion by which  a child's welfare can be gauged, then a baby bought for as much as RM40,000 on the black market would seem set for life. For money-rich but child-poor couples, it is a small price to pay to introduce a small life into their home. The cot is gilded, the blanket monogrammed, the college fund filled to the brim. All that's wanting is a bun in the oven. And where there is a baby-for-sale racket, money can indeed buy happiness. And after all, why not?" (NST, March 3, 2013)

• Provide at least two (2) premises or two (2) counter agreements for the statements based on your agreement.

In my opinion, yes, money indeed can buy happiness. This is as stated in Brecht (2016), in today's world where the advancement of technology is almost everywhere, satisfaction can be found when there is this principle which allow people to shop first then pay later for the goods. With the existence of internet, a lot of sites which provide online shopping is created and this ease people to satisfy their needs, wants and demands in a shorter time. People can just choose whatever they want and they can pay through online banking or credit card. For an instance, when you shop at Amazon, there is this program called Prime program where it gives you two-day shipping for all purchases. This explained the concept of pay now, consume later.

Next, money also can buy what it can't before which is experience. White (2014) stated that spending money buying experiences rather than material as material, one fine day will lost its luster while experience is a lifetime material. People gain their experiences through real-life moments such as travelling overseas. Travelling, of course it costs money and this shown that somehow without money, people can't be happy. There is this saying "money can't buy happiness, but it can buy chocolate which is likely the same thing". This means that even though the old told us that money can't buy us happiness, but actually money did buy the happiness. By travelling, we find our own pleasure and gratification. This is clearly proven that when there is money, there will be happiness.

Stereotype

Stereotyping is exaggerated generalizations associated with a categorizing system, they go beyond the facts at hand and make claims that usually have no valid basis. However, it is also something that most people find difficult to avoid from doing. What do you think?

Source: Melannie Svoboda

Before I go through on this particular topic, allow me to briefly explained on what is meant by stereotyping. According to Merriam Webster stereotype is defined as an unfair belief that all people or things with a particular characteristic is the same. This means that stereotype is an act of classifying people or thing by using the same thing in common between them and thinking that they're all has the same attitude and beliefs towards certain thing without any concrete evidence.

Stereotyping can be either positive and negative, but it is usually based on the idea of what's the group look like, their physical appearances and it is also can be their perception towards something. Stereotyping is usually related to bad thing where people said that it is an act of judging people and being judgmental towards their surrounding. This action is closely related to our society nowadays as people tend to come out with a claim or statement about a certain group of people just by looking at their physical appearance. For an instance, when we see someone with a very big figure, we tend to think that they practices sedentary lifestyle while actually they did not. This shown that stereotype is difficult to avoid and it has been a part of our norm in today's society.

Expectations & Hope

You heard comments and maybe grievances from your seniors about Critical Literacy, but what is/are your expectation (s) or hope for this subject as you are just started.

Source: LinkedIn

Ever since I was in my first semester, I've heard a lot about a particular subject that every students of Diploma in English Communication (DEC) will learn during their semester 4 which is said as a very hard subject that will create turbulence to the result named as Critical Literacy. After hearing all those comments from my seniors who were taken this course, my view for this subject is it will be difficult for me. Time flies fast, and now I am in my fourth semester which means it is time for me to face this subject.

At first, I think I will be able to finish this subject flourishingly even after what I've heard from my seniors. But after a few weeks of studying this subject, my expectations going down as I have this kind of feeling that I could not do well in this subject. This is because, a lot of criteria and touchstone needed to succeed in this subject. It is not simply about finishing the assignment and submitting it on time. But, this subject requires a new way to view an article and it teaches the student to not accepting a text or a statement on the surface value.

Next, in the early weeks of learning I expect that I will be able to understand and to do well in finishing the assignments but after I had finished the first assignment, my expectation kills me. I failed to come out with a good understanding of the text and to fulfill the criteria needed to score in this subject. I also failed to come out with better arguments to counter the text. Only then I realized that I should not view this subject lightly and simply take it as a small matter. And only then I know that I can’t simply procrastinate and to take even the simplest thing lightly.

After I have done the first assignment, the hopes that are left for this subject is that I can do very well in the next assignment and for the VIVA presentation. I also hope that lecturers and friends, as well as seniors who have taken the subject willing to help me in every aspect of this subject for me to score. It is a privilege and honor for me if the lecturers and friends can help me to achieve better understanding. I also hope that I will be able to understand the very core business of this subject which is “The Rule of 10” so that I can imply it in my daily life.