Post-Reflection on"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke

"The Soldier"

Rupert Brooke

If I should die,think only this of me:

That there's some corner of a foreign field 

That is for ever England. There shall be 

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, 

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;

A body of England's, breathing fresh air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart,all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Give somewhere back the thoughts by England give;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace under an English heaven.

• Annually, we need young men in Singapore to do national service. Why do you think NS is compulsory in Singapore and why is this important?

I would say that compulsory NS is the only way Singapore is able to build up a strong enough defence force. Moreover, NS instills patriotism in the younger generation and creates a sense of pride for Singapore in the male population. It is a way where Singaporeans can give back to the Singapore.

• In the above poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country, England. Do you have the same spirit of patriotism towards Singapore? Why? Do you find this same spirit of patriotism in Singapore?

 I guess it would be a no, at least not at the moment. I am still in a bubble, and have not seen the full picture of Singapore. In fact, I may not understand certain matters concerning Singapore. Perhaps when I become a young adult, when I have matured in thinking, as well as gone through NS, only then will I have this patriotic spirit.

I do see such spirit of patriotism in Singapore, particularly in the older generation. The elderly have been in Singapore, watching Singapore grow through the years, experienced the hardships with Singapore in the earlier times. Thus the X-generation people are quite nostalgic of the place already.

On this other hand, though this spirit of patriotism has lived on in the younger generation. Many do not see the full picture of Singapore and do not realise how blessed they are living in such a nice city. A minority even complain about Singapore's shortcomings instead of looking at the better qualities. This could be due to the fact that they are coming from a wealthier family where Singapore has been developed and they have everything they need.

• Do you consider yourself a patriot of your country?

Not in the moment, but in time, I will grow to be one. After all, I have been "dust whom (Singapore) bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; A body of (Singapore's), breathing fresh air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home". If I don't give back to my country, I am being unappreciative of my upbringing.