o lvl lit hook and eye notes by d

Hook and Eye notes From the creator: Hello! I spent really long making these notes in sec 3-4 so I really hope that this helps some (struggling?) lit students out there ace their essays :) or you can use this as a guideline/ for inspiration on making your own notes. Good luck!~d Note: missing notes for what they’re doing here, cave man, painting the eye SOPHIA’S PARTYTHEMESpoint quote explanation/link Patriotism- AreSGppltrulypatriotic? 1. “She claimed it was allironic...wondering whetherSingapore’s famouslymonolithic system hadn’t leftits mark on her after all” 2. “...rows of people waveballoons, oddly blank-facedbut apparently determinedto have a good time” 3. “...rumours of (tickets)changing hands on Gumtreeor Craigslist for hundreds ofdollars...but people will buyanything these days” 4. “...the story of Singapore’sarmy, boys leaving forNational Service, fathersand sons serving in thesame unit” “Brian is fiercelyloyal to his unit fromNational Service, and isperennially disappointed notto be chosen for the parade” 5. “If you don’t like it, feel freeto leave, says Calvin sourly”“apologising on his behalfrather than defending him” 6. “So many different cultures 1. Despite how much we deny,MOE will make sure youbelong to SG (a form ofindoctrination, through NE?) 2. Not truly excited for NDP,just there to get theirmoney/time worth, onlythere for the show and tolove SG for 1 day 3. People clamour to buytickets just for the hype,over-emphasis on onesingular event rather thanpatriotism for Singapore asa whole 4. Suggests that nationalisticfeelings can be built throughshared hardship andexperiences 5. Veneer of cosmopolitanliberalisation is broken,nationalistic lines are drawnas everyone else alignsthemselves with the side ofthe state

coming togetherseamlessly...that sums upeverything that’s specialabout Singapore” 7. “...spent a few yearsabroad, and all havereturned, the idea ofgreener pastures seemingnot to occur to them at all” 8. “Some of them are alreadyheading for the exits, tryingto beat the car park rush” 9. “Hearing Sophia talk abouttheir early days, how theybegan, makes him feelmomentarily hopeful” 6. Over-emphasis and relianceon multiculturalism whiletrying to sell the image of aperfect nation. There existsmultiple other waysSingapore is unique and hasa rich identity 7. Ironic because Nicholas isalso stuck in SG. suggeststhat however liberal aSingaporean may become,they would always comeback to SG. WHY 8. Between sentimentality andbeing practical, SG pplwould pick themselves andpracticality first 9. Once in a while, SG ppl arenot cynical and jaded andstart to search for hope (aguide?) in their lives. SGsort of exists as a safety netfor them when all else fails. marginalisation 1. “Their domestic helperVeronica has been given theevening off and instructednot to return beforemidnight” 1. Very inconvenient for her,insensitive and uncaringmood, as she is treatedalmost like aninconvenience Comfort andsecurity 1. “Nicholas she nudges withthe heel of her hand andmouths, Pills….ration ofimmuno-suppresants thatkeeps him alive” 2. “Looking at his tasteful flat,his beautiful wife, honestlybelieves at this moment thathe does have everything heneeds. Some version ofhealth, and more thanenough money to keep himfrom starvation” 1. Singapore exists so that wecan live and survive, and wetreat it like a safety net 2. In SG, our material meanscan generally be met. Butsome ppl just survive andexist, never truly findingself-fulfillment or truehappiness. Comfort yes, butwhat is life? SG ppl chaseafter material comforts,sometimes forgetting aboutemotional comfort andfulfillment.

Spectacle 1. “For weeks now...seen theenormous flag drift throughthe sky everyweekend...today, the actualevent, seems almost ananti-climax” 1. “They just want it to beperfect...super-embarrassing if someone messes up” 2. “Sophia’s national day partyis becoming a bit of a ritual” 3. “Diana’s perfectly made-upface shifts and tautens justthe right amount to connoteexcitement” 4. “As if they have burst fromhis fantasy, a convoy of girlsin short skirts tumble ontothe field, waving pom-pomsin complicated unison” 5. “He finds such imagesdiscomfiting, mawkish” 6. “The broadcast ishandsomely produced,stirring images of youngpeople rehearsing dancesteps against the settingsun, of an old mancorrecting hisgranddaughter’s fingeringon the sitar” 7. “Don’t you know, they evenseed the clouds the weekbefore so it won’t rain on thebig day?” 8. “Sophia’s parties are runwith the military precision of 1. Inevitable that aa yearlyevent has overplayedelements, because a showis only appealing to anextent. After a while, it getsboring and there is need formore change 1. Need to make everythingperfect 2. RITUAL 3. Manufactured, scripted, justa performance 4. NDP is a created fantasy(e.g. using only govt schoolsand specially selecting pplfor their races) and involvesidealised version of westernculture (local elementsfused with westerninfluences) 5. Sentimental in a way thatseems exaggerated, makinghim feel uneasy 6. NDP is aimed to engageand achieve an emotionaleffect on people, usingpathos to make peopleassociate nostalgia with lovefor SG. this uses thepassing on of tradition toportray a romanticised SG. 7. A lot of effort and meticulousplanning put in to ensurethat everything goesperfectly. 8. A spectacle, need forperfection

a parade” 9. “A blandly memorable tune” 10.“They are scrupulouslydiverse---both boys andgirls, two Chinese, oneMalay, one Indian, and anindeterminate one who isprobably Eurasian.” 11. “A handful of schoolchildrenare performing a sketch,over-eununciating everyword like they’ve beentrained to do. Somethingabout home being wherethey belong.” 12.“Choreography on such amassive scale must take noless co-ordination than themilitary parade” “sweetlyunthreatening, soft andgauzy” 13.“It is hard to resist theshameless manipulation ofexpertly-designedproselytising” 9. Contrasting elements (smallimpact at the time but nolasting impression) 10.NDP is always ethnicallydiverse, so that it’s politicallycorrect and safe, and canmaintain racial harmony(very necessary to includeeveryone). (CMIOframework, use of racialmarkers---not reallyrepresentative of SG, sincemixed ppl and immigrantsexist). SG is not amulticultural nirvana. CMIO framework- Zero-sum equation, thusloss of some indiv culturalidentity 11. Again, manufactured andexaggerated in their deliveryof SG’s national story. 12.Portrays a perfect version ofSG, uses children to softentheir military image andappeal to sentiments ofolder generations. 13.NDP as an advert forpatriotism and getting moreppl to support the govt. Sense ofbelonging 1. “The guests separatedalmost immediately, milkand oil” “what do youexpect, they have nothing incommon” “his friends thatevening came from at least 1. Singaporeans may be morereserved, unwilling to tryand integrate foreigners intolocal community. Tooinsular/close-minded toaccept them

six different countries” 2. “Nicholas winces at the badgrammar, before remindinghimself not to be such aneo-colonalist” 3. “He wonders how much hewill ever fit into this country,how much of himself he willhave to slough off before hecan glide through theseoccasions without friction” 4. “Multi-racialism, Singaporestyle ...multi-racial if you’rechinese, malay or indian” 5. “There isn’t a pigeonhole forNicholas either, but he saysnothing” 6. “How long they will stay inthis country, and how longthey will remain together”“what next? What next forhim? ...a second before thefear got overwhelming” 7. “Her eyes wet, her armswide with welcome” 2. He tries to integrate into thecommunity, even checkinghimself for any problematicthinking and puts in effortinto it 3. Thinks that he has to cut offbits of himself to fit in,sacrifice his own identity forthe sake of SG. the otherwill never truly be part of thecommunity/society. 4. SG’s marketed version ofracial harmony isover-compartmentalised,makes everything intopigeon holes. Not inclusiveenough for people