12 LUMEN | PROGRAMMES
My Journey through
JEEP
By Keevan Kanagalingam
The Josephian English Elective Programme ( JEEP ) is a two-year elective programme targeted at Year
3 and 4 Integrated
Programme ( IP ) students especially interested in English Language and Literature . During our fortnightly sessions over the past two years , we explored aspects of the discipline we rarely had the chance to during normal lessons – stretching and redefining the boundaries of what we knew to be ‘ English Language and Literature ’ and truly enabling us to gain a deeper , personal appreciation of it .
This page ( bottom left ): Keevan ’ s chosen photo showing an unusual rock formation from Iceland
This page ( top rigt ): Keevan receiving his award from Fr Adrian Danker
Through a series of modules over the two-year programme , we came to appreciate the ubiquity and versatility of literature – even in our daily lives . We kicked off the JEEP programme with an exploration of literature and its connections to photography . Our teachers , Mr Eugene Ong , Ms Rita Roop and Mr Andrew Koh challenged us to find photographs we had taken that spoke to us – and write about what they meant to us and why .
Personally , the picture I chose was one of an unusual rock formation I had seen on my trip to Iceland the year prior . It was symmetrical , like a beam of light shining through the darkness of stone . It fascinated me – though it was not the main attraction of the place we were visiting , it still held beauty . Even in a place seemingly filled to the brim with splendour and magnificence , there was still more wonder present in the outwardly insignificant . It told me that there was something wonderful to be found in everything , even the smallest , most trivial .
This was the nature of our activities in JEEP – small , seemingly trivial , yet so deeply meaningful . Through this activity , and our sharing of our personal interpretations afterward , my understanding of literature and its reaches was redefined . I realised that it was not just about words on a page , or symbolism in a novel – it is present all around us , every single day , and can help us to make sense of the world .
Next , we were challenged with “ The Lifeboat Problem ” – given a sinking ship of twenty people , and a lifeboat that could save only five , we were tasked to choose who to save , with only brief information about them as people . As each of us shared our findings , we found
ourselves in a riveting debate – how do you decide who lives and who dies ? Is it morally right to save your own life over others ? Questions of morality and the greater good were thrown about ; we questioned whether values and virtue or utilitarianism should be prioritised .
Then , we were tasked to adopt the perspective of one of the people on the sinking ship , making a desperate plea to the others to be saved . We were coached on how to embrace characters and personify them through our acting – even with the limited information available . We had to adopt aspects of their personalities , both good and bad , to deliver convincing yet in-character monologues . We were challenged to consider how the most minute details – tone , register , diction and style – could influence and embody our interpretation of characters and their personalities . Personally , drama and acting are aspects of literature I have always felt drawn to explore – yet never truly got the chance to . The JEEP programme once again provided me with the opportunity to explore these facets and be enriched .
In May 2021 , I was given the opportunity to compete in the YMCA ’ s Annual Plain English