Wen Jia. Green Mountains
and Blue Water
volume 3, 2004
folio is an annual collection of student essays written for modules offered in the University Scholars Programme's Writing and Critical Thinking Programme. The papers published in it all represent exemplary academic writing practice, and we here offer only a small sample.
In this volume:
- Exploring the Education Process in Singapore
"Singapore's education process is a paradoxical fusion of narrative banking and problem-posing." Chiong Song Ning on being filled with knowledge, the sonority of words, and the ways in which education in Singapore is changing.
- Reconciling Murry and Millett: Lady Chatterley's Lover as an Unsatisfactory Portrayal of Human Relationships
"Lady Chatterley's Lover [is] a novel that encourages us to think about relationship barriers, to see the fundamental need for humans to connect in some way, whatever way that may be." Christelle Chua En Lin on class distinctions, narcissism, and misogynism.
- The Monster as Female in Hitchcock's Psycho: Why Marion Crane Must Die
"Marion's deviance from socio-cultural norms inevitably results in her 'abominization' and subsequent 'disciplining' at the hands of an intolerant patriarchal society." Jack Huang Hongda on showers, scapegoats, and ugly appetites.
- The Multiple Layers Of An Advertisement
"The products which advertisements are trying to sell are often portrayed such that they can bring happiness and satisfaction, and even love and fulfilling relationships, when consumed." Bhashyakarla Deepthi on hidden meanings, rushing to take a flight, and the seductive pull of consumption.
- Green Mountains and Blue Water: Representation of a Taoist Ideal
"As the creators of the footpath, the figures in the painting are not mere hermits, but rather they are Tao believers in search of their ultimate goal." Su Dan on relative scales, immortality, and Chinese landscape art.
- The Japanese Visual Kei Subculture: A New Definition of Beauty
"Cosplay is therefore the imitation of the competency of 'Visual Kei' band members at making their bodies malleable." Sharon Lai on salarymen, lash extensions, and fashioning the self.
- "Relocation" of the National Library: A False Sense of Continuity
"Those promoting the new library speak of the demolition of the old building as a necessary sacrifice in the path to greater development; what they don't realise is that the National Library at Stamford Road is not just another old building that is no longer relevant ...." Constance Ho Qiya on upgrading, virtual walkthroughs, and vernacular landscapes.
- Indelible Paint on My Levi's
"From the tight fitting, long lasting workpants of San Francisco miners, to the flare-cut rave wear of the 1970s hippie, to the designer 'Type 1's' we wear today, Levi's jeans have undergone tremendous change, not only in design, but also in what the pair of pants represents." John Yongzheng Ma on Sloppy Joe sweaters, beatniks, and re-tailoring.
- Contributors/Process Notes
"I remember being overwhelmed by the sheer expanse of the subject. I remember having absolutely no idea how to start. I remember staring blankly at the vacant screen and blinking cursor." Tricks, troubles, dirty secrets ... writers reveal all.
Editor: Johan Geertsema
Editorial board (2004): Kenneth Chan, Johan Geertsema, Andrew Leng, Michael Maiwald
Last updated: 2 November 2009