Choose two stories that reveal the thinking .
- Of an older generation of Singaporeans . What new insights have you gained from such a revelation .
The story of Tanjong Rhu is a story of an older generation of Singaporeans . A successful executive who has forgotten so much of his childhood life by the sea . His grief at her death and regret that in the last month of his mother life , he did not ask her about his childhood .
This shows that we must appreciate the material achievements presents of parents in our life .
The story of Mid Autumn recounts a mother's pain and coufusion when her daughter decides to leave Singapore to so a charity work in Uganda . The mother had undergone a lfie of privation to make these options available for her daughter but the daughter did not gratitude what her mother had done for her . This shows that we must gratitude people around us who help us especially our parents who take care of us all these years .
Choose 5 links and write comments of 50-100 words about the content of the blog.
-Melrize
-Amy
-Dahlya
-Nuraini
-Farah
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
How is motherhood presented in any two or three stories in the collection ?
Tanjong Rhu
This story describles a successful executive who , following the death of his mother , laments that he has forgotten so much about his childhood life by the sea . His grief at her death is intermingled with regret that in the last months of her life he did not turn to her remedy this loss .
Paper
A couple's greed and desire for material advancement is rudely shattered when they play the stock market and lose everything when the bubble bursts . The husband then realised that his money for his funeral was gone . In the end when he died , his mother was the one that was helping him to do his funeral .
Select two stories in which there is conflict between parents and child , and show how far there is some resolution of these differences at the end of the story .
Lee
With reference to a suitable, discuss how far charge is shown to be either welcomed or feared .
Lee
This story is about a relationship between a Singaporean Father and his Americanized daughter . The father hardly knows and who re-enters his life following the death of his ex wife . It became uneasy and awkward for the both of them . Lee's presence forces her father to comfront and justify his life choices to question things that he was passively and unthinkingly accepted .
How are young people and their ideals( perfect thinking/ goal/perfect aim) presented in two stories in the collection ? How far do you identify with these young people ?
Evening Under Fangipani
This story indicts the class and racial prejudice that keeps two young people apart . In the face if intransigent social barries , the individual has little choice but to confront the option if a lifetimes of compromise and loneliness .
Hamid and the Hand of Fate
This story tells the tale of Hamid whose life is forever changed by a freak accident which clams his right hand . He decides to be sabar and accepts his fate . This deciaion does not prevent him from sesing that people around him are not merely making use of him , hoping to benefit from his compensation money . This story provides an insight into the lives of Singaporeans who encounter daily the threat of in dustrail accidents .
Tanjong Rhu
This story describles a successful executive who , following the death of his mother , laments that he has forgotten so much about his childhood life by the sea . His grief at her death is intermingled with regret that in the last months of her life he did not turn to her remedy this loss .
Paper
A couple's greed and desire for material advancement is rudely shattered when they play the stock market and lose everything when the bubble bursts . The husband then realised that his money for his funeral was gone . In the end when he died , his mother was the one that was helping him to do his funeral .
Select two stories in which there is conflict between parents and child , and show how far there is some resolution of these differences at the end of the story .
Lee
This story is about a relationship between a Singaporean Father and his Americanized daughter . The father hardly knows and who re-enters his life following the death of his ex wife . It became uneasy and awkward for the both of them . Lee's presence forces her father to comfront and justify his life choices to question things that he was passively and unthinkingly accepted .
Mid-Autumn
This story recalls a mother's pain and coufusion when her daughter decides to leave Singapore to undertake charity work in Uganda . Her mother works hard just to help her pay for her school fees . In the end she got a GP qualifications with her help of her mother but she insisted on going Uganda no matter if her parents disagreed .
With reference to a suitable, discuss how far charge is shown to be either welcomed or feared .
Lee
This story is about a relationship between a Singaporean Father and his Americanized daughter . The father hardly knows and who re-enters his life following the death of his ex wife . It became uneasy and awkward for the both of them . Lee's presence forces her father to comfront and justify his life choices to question things that he was passively and unthinkingly accepted .
How are young people and their ideals( perfect thinking/ goal/perfect aim) presented in two stories in the collection ? How far do you identify with these young people ?
Evening Under Fangipani
This story indicts the class and racial prejudice that keeps two young people apart . In the face if intransigent social barries , the individual has little choice but to confront the option if a lifetimes of compromise and loneliness .
Hamid and the Hand of Fate
This story tells the tale of Hamid whose life is forever changed by a freak accident which clams his right hand . He decides to be sabar and accepts his fate . This deciaion does not prevent him from sesing that people around him are not merely making use of him , hoping to benefit from his compensation money . This story provides an insight into the lives of Singaporeans who encounter daily the threat of in dustrail accidents .
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Evening under Frangipani
Conflicts
External – Elaine was being so romantic to Prakash but they fought because he laughed at her.
External – Elaine’s mother thinks that Prakash is slow and stupid and even imagined him as physically aggressive , therefore , she don’t really like Prakash .
Internal – Prakash wanted to give up but he went to look for Elaine in the end.
Climax
When Prakash laughed at Elaine’s hands, she started to ignore him when Prakash found out that a man sent Elaine home.
Resolution
Complete Resolution.Elaine did not want to see Prakash again.Prakash decided not to be dependent on Elaine and decided if he was to meet Elaine again, it would be by chance. That was the end of their relationship.
Name
Character
Page no.
Prakash
He is a nervous-wreck (during job interview)
27
Competent (He was a platoon commander)
48
Forgetful (Had to memorise what he was going to say for the interview)
49
Father
Humble, Easy going (Anxious for a quiet life)
55
Not judgemental (Gentle towards Prakash)
60
Passionate (Towards insects and bugs)
Mother
Arrogant (Considered Prakash slow and stupid just because she was a lawyer and he just passed his diploma)
48 , 83
Condescending (Trying to appear not smug but concerned)
84
Judgemental (Sees class difference)
Elaine
Petty (Just because Prakash laughed at her hands, she resolved not to see him again)
62 , 63
Strong Willed (Doesn’t want to talk to Prakash although she misses him)
63
Persistent (Ignore calls from Prakash)
64
The most interesting part I find in this story was when Prakash went to look for Elaine after they fought, and he found that another guy actually sent Elaine home. What was Prakash thinking during that moment? Did he regret and felt guilty during that moment where he laughed at Elaine’s hands and said they felt like beetles? Did he actually want to ask Elaine out again before he saw what had happened?
Lee
Conflicts
External – Li Wen’s father did not like her dressing and they argued about it.External – Li Wen did not believe in God, whereas her father believed so, and he wanted her to believe in it too.
Internal – Li Wen’s father tried to make her look like a local, but it was harder than he thought.
Climax
When Li Wen didn’t talk to her father for 2 weeks, except in tones of exaggerated politeness.
Resolution
Open ended Resolution.We do not know if Li Wen had finally listen to her father in the end, as it said he could still see the lighted window hovering in a corner of his mind. And in literature, a light could mean anything.
Name
Character
Page no.
Father
Caring (He allowed Li Wen to live with him, instead of leaving her alone after her mother, which was his ex-wife, drowned accidently.)
85, 86
Patient (When Li Wen shouted at him, he endured and did not make a huge fuss out of it.)
98
Traditional (He tried to interest Li Wen in her culture and talk about Chinese stories during dinner.)
102
Li Wen
Rebellious (She lost her temper and gave her father a twisted, half sneer, James Dean scorching look, heavily nasty.)
97
Rude (She keeps swearing, for example, What the hell and Jesus Christ.)
103
Straight forward (When her father mentioned about her mother, blaming her mother for his daughter’s behaviour, she just answered back: “That’s sick.” without thinking.)
103
The most interesting part I find in this story was when Li Wen started living with her father after not meeting each other for eight years and how she slowly changed herself to adapt in Singapore. Even trying to accept her own Chinese culture after living in America since she was young and mixing with them. And how she coped with her mother’s death, moved on with her life and everything with her father.
A History of Tea
Conflicts
Climax
Resolution
Complete Ending.
All the conflicts are resolved and when the narrator opened his cup of tea, he saw his relatives and the life that would appear before him before it happened.
Name
Character
Page no.
Narrator
Simple ( He did not use a mug that had complicated patterns , whereas Beverly used a mug that was beautiful and had fanciful designs on it )
108
Beverly
Funny ; Good sense of humour ( She laughed at a joke , “not my cup of tea” )
109
The most interesting segment is when Beverly had a good sense of humour, she made a joke about the cup of tea, of being not her “cup of tea”.
Release
Conflicts
External - The neighbour compared Eileen together with their dog as they were both pregnant, this showed a form of disrespect.
External - Her husband was irritated by the fact that Eileen forgotten to collect his suit .
External - Eileen’s neighbours cut down her guava tree while she was at the supermarket.
External - Philip was angry over the fact that Eileen were taking trival matters so seriously.
Climax
When Eileen couldn’t take it any more , she decided to do something about it , she decided to wait for the person who gave the dogs their food , to do something to solve the problem .
Resolution
Open – Ended.
The problem is only partially solved. It is only partially solved because, the dogs are quiet now, but they are already dead as the man used the tools to kill them.
Name
Character
Page no.
Eileen
Friendly (She went over to say hi to her new neighbours when they were moving in )
139
Petty ( Her neighbour only intruded a small section of her garden and she became all furious and agitated . )
142
Patient (She talks and rocks her baby even though it keeps crying. )
144
Philip
Petty ( Just because it slipped Eileen’s mind to collect his suit , he became angry )
141
Understanding ( He was telling Eileen to let their neighbours to have that tiny bit of space since they don’t do gardening anyway )
143
The man who took care of the dogs
Kind ( He offered to carry Eileen’s baby , and he even stroked the baby’s cheek )
146
Understanding ( He agreed to shift the dogs to another place , to help Eileen solve her problem )
147
Evil ( He killed the puppies one by one to silence them. )
148
The most interesting segment is when Eileen got very frustrated / angry with the dog’s noise. She couldn’t take it anymore for any longer; she called the police to help & even thought of calling the spca to help resolve the problem. Calling the police to solve this trival matter is a little uncommon. She was showing signs that she was slowly becoming mad because all she wanted, is to let her & her baby to catch some sleep.
An Orbituary for Fifth Aunt Came Late
Conflicts
External - Their mother continually bewailed her lot – nine children, thirteen if you counted the dead babies, the endless chores, the drudgery.
Internal - Aunt shocked herself with her power of speech. She could only calm herself then with a trip to the kitchen sink, plowing her hands into dishes and dish-soiled water.
Climax
Resolution
Name
Character
Page no.
Fifth Aunt
Filial ( She was in her fifties. She lived in my grandmother’s house. )
149
Apologetic ( One day she fell off her stool because she shifted her weight wrong, and she said, “Oh sorry, oh sorry, I’m very clumsy.” )
149
Put others before herself (Who filled every soup bowl before her own.)
150
Narrator
Disrespectful ( She was my aunt but I didn’t make a point to be her niece )
149
Had an air of nonchalance (I suppose since I couldn’t be heard I didn’t try to think very much either.)
149 ,150
Grandmother
Whiny ( Their mother continually bewailed her lot )
152
Traditional – prefer boys ( Don’t waste out sugar, her mother admonished, your brothers need the sugar for their school sandwiches. )
152
Pastime
Conflicts
External - There was a psychological conflict as Mr Lee and Tai Poh try to trick each other into admitting to something .
Internal - Mr Lee was laughing on the inside as he thinks that he thinks that Tai Poh has failed in trying to fool him .
Climax
The start of the climax is when Mr. Lee started on his own “Story”
Resolution
Nothing changed as its just a story, it was just a past time and nothing was real .
Name
Character
Page no.
Tai Poh
Quiet ( He did not talk to the passengers nor disturb them in any way. )
212
Observant ( He watched and carefully considered before he picked the person to feature in his story . )
212
Secretive ( He stopped to check his face , it betrayed nothing nor let anyone know anything through his face expressions. )
217
Mr Lee
Vigilant ( He was prepared . )
216
Cunning ( It betrayed nothing and he expected it , he was not simple minded . After living through so many years this way , he could not be simple minded )
217
The most interesting segment is when Mr Lee started his story about the man that works as a security manager in a large wafer fab plan . He talked about how important the job of a security guard is and he then goes on about the plan to make a lot of money ,which is enough for a few people to retire . I think it’s the most interesting part of the story is when Mr Lee was telling his story , we can see how Tai Poh’s expressions change from laid back to guilty and frightened . As though he was scared of being tricked into admitting to something he shouldn’t .
Conflicts
External – Elaine was being so romantic to Prakash but they fought because he laughed at her.
External – Elaine’s mother thinks that Prakash is slow and stupid and even imagined him as physically aggressive , therefore , she don’t really like Prakash .
Internal – Prakash wanted to give up but he went to look for Elaine in the end.
Climax
When Prakash laughed at Elaine’s hands, she started to ignore him when Prakash found out that a man sent Elaine home.
Resolution
Complete Resolution.Elaine did not want to see Prakash again.Prakash decided not to be dependent on Elaine and decided if he was to meet Elaine again, it would be by chance. That was the end of their relationship.
Name
Character
Page no.
Prakash
He is a nervous-wreck (during job interview)
27
Competent (He was a platoon commander)
48
Forgetful (Had to memorise what he was going to say for the interview)
49
Father
Humble, Easy going (Anxious for a quiet life)
55
Not judgemental (Gentle towards Prakash)
60
Passionate (Towards insects and bugs)
Mother
Arrogant (Considered Prakash slow and stupid just because she was a lawyer and he just passed his diploma)
48 , 83
Condescending (Trying to appear not smug but concerned)
84
Judgemental (Sees class difference)
Elaine
Petty (Just because Prakash laughed at her hands, she resolved not to see him again)
62 , 63
Strong Willed (Doesn’t want to talk to Prakash although she misses him)
63
Persistent (Ignore calls from Prakash)
64
The most interesting part I find in this story was when Prakash went to look for Elaine after they fought, and he found that another guy actually sent Elaine home. What was Prakash thinking during that moment? Did he regret and felt guilty during that moment where he laughed at Elaine’s hands and said they felt like beetles? Did he actually want to ask Elaine out again before he saw what had happened?
Lee
Conflicts
External – Li Wen’s father did not like her dressing and they argued about it.External – Li Wen did not believe in God, whereas her father believed so, and he wanted her to believe in it too.
Internal – Li Wen’s father tried to make her look like a local, but it was harder than he thought.
Climax
When Li Wen didn’t talk to her father for 2 weeks, except in tones of exaggerated politeness.
Resolution
Open ended Resolution.We do not know if Li Wen had finally listen to her father in the end, as it said he could still see the lighted window hovering in a corner of his mind. And in literature, a light could mean anything.
Name
Character
Page no.
Father
Caring (He allowed Li Wen to live with him, instead of leaving her alone after her mother, which was his ex-wife, drowned accidently.)
85, 86
Patient (When Li Wen shouted at him, he endured and did not make a huge fuss out of it.)
98
Traditional (He tried to interest Li Wen in her culture and talk about Chinese stories during dinner.)
102
Li Wen
Rebellious (She lost her temper and gave her father a twisted, half sneer, James Dean scorching look, heavily nasty.)
97
Rude (She keeps swearing, for example, What the hell and Jesus Christ.)
103
Straight forward (When her father mentioned about her mother, blaming her mother for his daughter’s behaviour, she just answered back: “That’s sick.” without thinking.)
103
The most interesting part I find in this story was when Li Wen started living with her father after not meeting each other for eight years and how she slowly changed herself to adapt in Singapore. Even trying to accept her own Chinese culture after living in America since she was young and mixing with them. And how she coped with her mother’s death, moved on with her life and everything with her father.
A History of Tea
Conflicts
Climax
Resolution
Complete Ending.
All the conflicts are resolved and when the narrator opened his cup of tea, he saw his relatives and the life that would appear before him before it happened.
Name
Character
Page no.
Narrator
Simple ( He did not use a mug that had complicated patterns , whereas Beverly used a mug that was beautiful and had fanciful designs on it )
108
Beverly
Funny ; Good sense of humour ( She laughed at a joke , “not my cup of tea” )
109
The most interesting segment is when Beverly had a good sense of humour, she made a joke about the cup of tea, of being not her “cup of tea”.
Release
Conflicts
External - The neighbour compared Eileen together with their dog as they were both pregnant, this showed a form of disrespect.
External - Her husband was irritated by the fact that Eileen forgotten to collect his suit .
External - Eileen’s neighbours cut down her guava tree while she was at the supermarket.
External - Philip was angry over the fact that Eileen were taking trival matters so seriously.
Climax
When Eileen couldn’t take it any more , she decided to do something about it , she decided to wait for the person who gave the dogs their food , to do something to solve the problem .
Resolution
Open – Ended.
The problem is only partially solved. It is only partially solved because, the dogs are quiet now, but they are already dead as the man used the tools to kill them.
Name
Character
Page no.
Eileen
Friendly (She went over to say hi to her new neighbours when they were moving in )
139
Petty ( Her neighbour only intruded a small section of her garden and she became all furious and agitated . )
142
Patient (She talks and rocks her baby even though it keeps crying. )
144
Philip
Petty ( Just because it slipped Eileen’s mind to collect his suit , he became angry )
141
Understanding ( He was telling Eileen to let their neighbours to have that tiny bit of space since they don’t do gardening anyway )
143
The man who took care of the dogs
Kind ( He offered to carry Eileen’s baby , and he even stroked the baby’s cheek )
146
Understanding ( He agreed to shift the dogs to another place , to help Eileen solve her problem )
147
Evil ( He killed the puppies one by one to silence them. )
148
The most interesting segment is when Eileen got very frustrated / angry with the dog’s noise. She couldn’t take it anymore for any longer; she called the police to help & even thought of calling the spca to help resolve the problem. Calling the police to solve this trival matter is a little uncommon. She was showing signs that she was slowly becoming mad because all she wanted, is to let her & her baby to catch some sleep.
An Orbituary for Fifth Aunt Came Late
Conflicts
External - Their mother continually bewailed her lot – nine children, thirteen if you counted the dead babies, the endless chores, the drudgery.
Internal - Aunt shocked herself with her power of speech. She could only calm herself then with a trip to the kitchen sink, plowing her hands into dishes and dish-soiled water.
Climax
Resolution
Name
Character
Page no.
Fifth Aunt
Filial ( She was in her fifties. She lived in my grandmother’s house. )
149
Apologetic ( One day she fell off her stool because she shifted her weight wrong, and she said, “Oh sorry, oh sorry, I’m very clumsy.” )
149
Put others before herself (Who filled every soup bowl before her own.)
150
Narrator
Disrespectful ( She was my aunt but I didn’t make a point to be her niece )
149
Had an air of nonchalance (I suppose since I couldn’t be heard I didn’t try to think very much either.)
149 ,150
Grandmother
Whiny ( Their mother continually bewailed her lot )
152
Traditional – prefer boys ( Don’t waste out sugar, her mother admonished, your brothers need the sugar for their school sandwiches. )
152
Pastime
Conflicts
External - There was a psychological conflict as Mr Lee and Tai Poh try to trick each other into admitting to something .
Internal - Mr Lee was laughing on the inside as he thinks that he thinks that Tai Poh has failed in trying to fool him .
Climax
The start of the climax is when Mr. Lee started on his own “Story”
Resolution
Nothing changed as its just a story, it was just a past time and nothing was real .
Name
Character
Page no.
Tai Poh
Quiet ( He did not talk to the passengers nor disturb them in any way. )
212
Observant ( He watched and carefully considered before he picked the person to feature in his story . )
212
Secretive ( He stopped to check his face , it betrayed nothing nor let anyone know anything through his face expressions. )
217
Mr Lee
Vigilant ( He was prepared . )
216
Cunning ( It betrayed nothing and he expected it , he was not simple minded . After living through so many years this way , he could not be simple minded )
217
The most interesting segment is when Mr Lee started his story about the man that works as a security manager in a large wafer fab plan . He talked about how important the job of a security guard is and he then goes on about the plan to make a lot of money ,which is enough for a few people to retire . I think it’s the most interesting part of the story is when Mr Lee was telling his story , we can see how Tai Poh’s expressions change from laid back to guilty and frightened . As though he was scared of being tricked into admitting to something he shouldn’t .
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