[LITERATURE] Essay from Form Four Short Story 'Leaving' by MG Vassanji

From the short story ‘Leaving’ by MG Vassanji, write about a character that you think is a good role model for teenagers.

      From the short story ‘Leaving’ by MG Vassanji, a character that I think is a good role model for teenagers is Aloo. He is a good role model for teens because he is resourceful, obedient and hard-working.

      The first reason why I say he is a good role model is because he is resourceful. Resourceful is defined as able to deal well with new or difficult situations and to find solutions to problems. It is an admirable trait to have. Aloo is resourceful because when he is offered to study in the university, he gets agriculture instead of medicine. Nonetheless, he does not resign to his fate. Instead he does research and looks at prospectus of universities abroad. He also writes letters to overseas universities to find a place. His resourcefulness pays off when his mother sees the prospectus and finally lets him go. Aloo’s resourcefulness is why he is a good role model for teenagers.

      The second reason is because Aloo is obedient to his mother. Obedient here means that doing, or willing to do, what you have been told to do by someone in authority, in this case, his mother. Aloo is obediant to her because he does not fight her back when she says she does not want him to leave him. He accepts her mother’s will even though he really wants to study overseas. By being obedient, he did not hurt his mother’s feelings that in the end she softens and understands his ambition. Aloo as an obediant son is why he is a good role model to teenagers.

      The third reason why Aloo is a good role model for teenagers is that he is hard-working. Hard-working is a person who puts a lot of time and energy in doing something. Aloo is hard-working as he puts a lot of energy into researching overseas universities after Mr Velji returns from America and tells him of the opportunities to study there. He writes letters to universities and reads a lot of prospectus. He never gives up until he finally gets a place in Caltech University, one of the leading universities in America. His hard-working attitude is why I say he is a good role model for teenagers.

      In conclusion, Aloo is a fantastic role model for teenagers because of his resourcefulness, obedience to his mother and his industrious attitude.

[Form Four] Literature Essay for Tanjung Rhu

INSTRUCTION: Analyse the sample below


With close reference from the text, choose a theme from Tanjung Rhu.

The short story I chose is Tanjung Rhu by Minfong Ho. A prevalent theme in Tanjung Rhu is ‘Kindness and love are more important than material possessions’ This means that even though people say that money, wealth and fame is important, there are more important things and values that are more important, that are kindness and love, because, at the end of the day, those two are what make life worth living. In Tanjung Rhu, this theme is shown through the relationship between Mr Li and his mother, Mr Li’s failure to open the drawer in the Altar Room and Ying’s error.

Firstly, this is shown through the relationship between Mr Li and his mother, Ah Ma because Mr Li thinks that he needs to work hard and give material wealth to his mother. This is evident in him asking Ah Ma to go up the 18th floor of his office, a symbol of his success. He also tries to make Ah Ma see the extent of his success by making her see the view through the binoculars.Nevertheless, Ah Ma, refusing at first to see through the binoculars, finally concedes but only sees the past memories of her happier time at the beach with her young son, Mr Li. This proves that Ah Ma only values the past as it was when they were happier and had a closer relationship. To Ah Ma, binocular and the 18th floor office are nothing compared to her son. This valuing of the past by Ah Ma proves the theme that ‘Love and Kindness are more important than material possession’.

Secondly, this theme is shown through Mr Li’s failure to open the drawer. He thinks that he had done enough for his mother, that by just letting her live with him and making sure she lives well, he has done enough and is a filial son. But he ignores his mother so much that he dose not even know where Ah Ma puts her joss stick at the Altar Room and that he does not even have the key to the drawer where she puts important stuff for praying means that he has failed as a son. What Ah Ma needed was just his love and kindness, and his care and attention, and he did not give her that. His failure to open the drawer is a reflection  that all his succes and material possessions do not make him a good son.

Lastly this theme is shown through Ying, Mr Li’s daughter. Ying also mistakenly thinks that she cares enough about her grandmother that she often argues with her concerning the praying ceremony. She misunderstands that Ah Ma is a traditional person and keeps urging her to change the  wax candles into electric candles and also to let her do the praying ceremony even though she does not know the proper way to do so. Ying here also falls mistakenly into the trap that material possession is better-she urges Ah Ma to pray quickly so Mr Li could go to work faster and to use better, safer electric candles. In the end, she does not get the love and care she wants from her grandmother just because she thinks what she values more are better.

In conclusion, the theme ‘Kindness and love are more important than material possessions’ are shown though the dynamic of Mr Li and his mother’s relationship, Mr Li’s unsuccessful try of opening his mother’s important drawer and Ying’s misunderstanding of what is important for her grandmother.

 ATTENTION SET 4A 2016!

QUESTIONS:

1. Label the sample essay above with  the tags. Author, name of the novel, thesis statement, main idea, explanation, example, link, and paraphrasing of the thesis statement. The second paragraph has been done for you. Please label the rest of the paragraphs.

To illustrate

Firstly, this is shown through the relationship between Mr Li and his mother, Ah Ma because Mr Li thinks that he needs to work hard and give material wealth to his mother. This is evident in him asking Ah Ma to go up the 18th floor of his office, a symbol of his success. He also tries to make Ah Ma see the extent of his success by making her see the view through the binoculars.Nevertheless, Ah Ma, refusing at first to see through the binoculars, finally concedes but only sees the past memories of her happier time at the beach with her young son, Mr Li. This proves that Ah Ma only values the past as it was when they were happier and had a closer relationship. To Ah Ma, binocular and the 18th floor office are nothing compared to her son. This valuing of the past by Ah Ma proves the theme that ‘Love and Kindness are more important than material possession’.

 green is link 

yellow is main idea 

brown is evidence

blue is explanation/analysis   

 

ANSWERING SUMMARY IN 1119 ENGLISH SPM PAPER 2

SECTION C: SUMMARY (ESPECIALLY TO MY SETS 4(1)A and 5(1)E!!)

The third section in Paper 2 English SPM, section C requires students to complete a set of reading comprehension questions (RC) and a one paragraph summary based on a reading passage. RC is not the hardest part of the paper, because every student would have been doing this since standard 4. The problem will be the summary. Let me give you some tips on answering summary.

1.       Read THE QUESTION FIRST.

Scroll down after the RC questions and you will find the summary question. This should be done BEFORE reading the passage.*

For example,

31 Based on the passage given, write a summary on:
• the suggestions given by Mahes to promote laughter therapy at the office.

Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original meaning.

 Your summary must:

• be in continuous writing form (not in note form)

• use material from lines 16 to 34

• not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows: Mahes suggests that laughter clubs are set up to make ...

*You should get the idea of what the passage is about just by looking at the question. Reading the questions before reading the passage is good because it gives you focus on your reading and you will understand the passage a lot faster.

2. Read the passage

3. Complete the Reading Comprehension Questions

4. To start summarizing, use the BRIEF  technique

B	BOX
R	READ
I	IDENTIFY
E	EXTRACT
F	FINALIZE

5. B=BOX

This is VERY SIMPLE. Just draw a box on the paper. Start the first horizontal line ABOVE the line mentioned in the instruction (In RED) and another after the last line mentioned. In this case it is line 16 and line 34.

31. Practice 3 Questions 26 – 31 are based on the following passage.

1 Work-related stress is a common problem among employees. It can result in feelings of depression, frustration and demotivation. Stress management therapist, Mahes Karuppiah recommends laughter therapy to deal with this problem. Mahes says that laughter helps to reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that weakens the immune system.     

                                                                             

 5 Studies have found that a good laugh session can lead to a sense of wellbeing and optimism. It can also reduce blood pressure, increase circulation and relax the muscles. Mahes, who began using laughter as therapy four years ago says laughter is the easiest and most practical way to manage stress. It is also inexpensive as everyone possesses the natural ability to laugh. “You don‟t have to learn how to do it or buy equipment to help you laugh; it is in you.

 10 If you look at children, they laugh at the simplest things while adults are finding it difficult even to smile.” Mahes says employees who are facing pressure and stress usually cannot cope with their work. This drags down their productivity and may even compel them to come up with excuses not to come to work. “If you start work at the age of 25 and retire at 55, you would be spending 30 years of your life at the office. And you work about nine hours or more there every day. So, if you are unhealthy and

15 unhappy during this period which is the prime time of your life, you have wasted the bulk of your life with these emotions.” To make the office a fun place, she suggests the establishment of a laughter club at each company. “Get a few people together every morning and have a laughter therapy session for about 15 minutes. All the laughter club members should try to identify and remove negative feelings such as guilt, anger, fear, jealousy and ego,”  she says.

20 According to Mahes, there are a few types of laughter therapy. Among them are putting a pen between your teeth to simulate a smile and the “Ho, Ho, Ha, Ha,” which involves laughing while clapping your hands. You don’t need to listen to a joke or look at something funny. You can do it as a form of exercise just like aerobics. It is said that laughter is like internal jogging. It keeps the mind and body fit.  “There should also be a laughter room in every office,” she says. “You’ve heard of people

25 screaming to release their tension. Why not have a laughter room where instead of screaming, they can laugh?” Employees can use the room to practise laughter exercises, watch a funny video or sit there and just laugh their frustrations away. The cost of having this room is small. And in return it will help boost morale among the workers, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity. Another suggestion is to have a Public Announcement or P.A. system in the office so that someone can tell a

30 joke of the day or just begin laughing. Laughter is contagious. Once you get someone to laugh, soon everyone in the room will be laughing or smiling as well. Post funny jokes or cartoons on a bulletin board, as long as they are not lewd or offensive. Employees can rotate the postings every week. The best joke or cartoon should be declared the “Humour of the week”. This is the cheapest way to bring fun into the office.

35 According to a study by David Abrams of California State University in the United States, people who have fun on the job are more creative and productive, are better decision-makers and get along better with co-workers. So, start the day with a laugh and you‟ll find the saying “Laughter is the best medicine” is really true. (Adapted from The New Straits Times, July 2003)

Example of the box:

6. R=Read the passage

This is not simply reading. Focus on what you are going to summarize. Especially the one in the box.

7. I=Identify

This means you must identify the points/ key ideas that are relevant to what the instructions want. Be careful of what the question wants especially the PARTS OF SPEECH.

For example-the instruction above is QUESTIONING about SUGGESTIONS TO PROMOTE LAUGHTER THERAPY IN THE OFFICE. Now SUGGESTIONS should fall into the NOUN CATEGORY/PART OF SPEECH. So you have to search for ACTIVITIES.

I WOULD HIGHLIGHT THE POINTS

8 E=Extract

This basically means when you have identified the ideas, you have to take the idea out from the text and ON A PIECE OF A DIFFERENT PAPER, write them out again according to the ORDER THEY ARE FOUND IN THE PASSAGE. Making this list of ideas/points is CRUCIAL because we need to weed out the unnecesssary details and to recheck whether the ideas we identify is relevant or not. Remember, only highlighting on the text IS NOT ENOUGH. You have to REWRITE THE POINTS.

Ok, let’s look at the list

SUGGESTIONS ON PROMOTING LAUGHTER THERAPY AT THE OFFICE

1.       she suggests the establishment of a laughter club at each company. “Get a few people together every morning and have a laughter therapy session for about 15 minutes. All the laughter club members should try to identify and remove negative feelings such as guilt, anger, fear, jealousy and ego,”  she says

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT: ELABORATION ON WHAT IS A LAUGHTER CLUB

2.       According to Mahes, there are a few types of laughter therapy.

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT: MENTIONING THE WRITER IS UNNECESSARY

3.        Among them are putting a pen between your teeth to simulate a smile and the “Ho, Ho, Ha, Ha,” which involves laughing while clapping your hands. You don’t need to listen to a joke or look at something funny. You can do it as a form of exercise just like aerobics. It is said that laughter is like internal jogging. It keeps the mind and body fit.  

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT: ELABORATION OF LAUGHTER THERAPY AND HOW IT WORKS

4.       “There should also be a laughter room in every office,” she says. “You’ve heard of people screaming to release their tension. Why not have a laughter room where instead of screaming, they can laugh?”

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT: JUSTIFICATION FOR HAVING A LAUGHTER ROOM

5.       Employees can use the room to practise laughter exercises,

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT:  WHO IS USING THE ROOM BECAUSE IT IS EXPLAINED IN THE POINTS ABOVE.

6.       watch a funny video or

7.       sit there and just laugh their frustrations away. The cost of having this room is small. And in return it will help boost morale among the workers, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT:  THE COST AND BENEFITS OF THE ROOM

8.       Another suggestion is to have a Public Announcement or P.A. system in the office so that someone can tell a joke of the day or just begin laughing. Laughter is contagious. Once you get someone to laugh, soon everyone in the room will be laughing or smiling as well.

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT:  REASON FOR USING THE P.A SYSTEM

9.       Post funny jokes or cartoons on a bulletin board, as long as they are not lewd or offensive. Employees can rotate the postings every week.

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT:  WHAT CAN BE POSTED AND WHO CAN POST IT.

10.   The best joke or cartoon should be declared the “Humour of the week”. This is the cheapest way to bring fun into the office.

WHAT IS STRUCK OUT:  THE COST
.

Remember, NO EXAMPLES, ELABORATIONS AND 

REPEATED IDEAS IN A SUMMARY

.

9. F=FINALIZE

Use the sentence as an opener for your summary given to start writing a paragraph of summary. Be sure not to exceed 120 words.

Mahes suggests that laughter clubs are set up to make people release their tension. First, there are a few types of laughter therapy:  Among them are putting a pen between your teeth to simulate a smile and the “Ho, Ho, Ha, Ha,” which involves laughing while clapping your hands. Second, create a laughter room in every office. Then use the room to practise laughter exercises, watch a funny video or sit there and just laugh their frustrations away. Third, use the Public Announcement or P.A. system in the office so that someone can tell a joke of the day or just begin laughing. Finally, post funny jokes or cartoons on a bulletin board and the best joke or cartoon should be declared the “Humour of the week”

              

               You must write the number of word                                       (126 words)

In finalizing, you can write in Sequence connectors like the numbering of points to make your points clearer. Before submitting, check your sentences and grammar.

There you are. we are done. You can start practising!

Good Luck!