[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   

 

Signing off a formal letter...

Questions On 'In The Midst Of Hardship'

Here are a list of questions derived from the poem 'In the Midst of Hardship' by Latiff Mohidin created by students from set 4(1)A.

1. Why didn't they feel any despair?                                                                 (Farhanah / 4D)

2. What were the obstacles faced by 'them'?                                                     (Anis / 4C)

3. Why were there bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree bark

    between the water?                                                                                       (Zubaidah / 4D)

4. What characteristics were shown by the couple in stanza 2

    of the poem?                                                                                                 (Rachsyikin / 4D)

5. Why do they never complain from what they had gone through?                (Yusrina / 4D)

6. Why were they trying so hard to search for their son's buffalo?                     (Najwa / 4D)

7. What is the writer's intention of writing this poem?                                      (Nabilah / 4B)

8. What does the condition of the buffalo tell you about the couple?               ( Maryam / 4B)

9. Why are they sttill making jokes while facing the difficulties

    of life?                                                                                                            (Azmina / 4B)

10. Why did you think that the son did not look for the albino buffalo

       on his own?                                                                                                    (Maizan / 4B)

11. Why did the people approach the stove?                                                    (Maisarah / 4B)

12. When facing a hard time, do you handle it the same

      way the family in the poem does? Why?                                                    (Atikah / 4C)

13. Do you admire the actions of the people?

      Give a reason for your answer.                                                                   (Hakimah / 4C)

14. Why did they return home at dawn?                                                           (Farihah / 4C)

15. What did they do to forget about their problems?                                       (Waida / 4C)

16. In your opinion, how did they endure the hardships

      they face during the flood?                                                                          (Yaya / 4A)

17. What is the meaning of albino buffalo?                                                       (Nisa / 4A)

18. What are the lessons learnt from this poem?                                            (Raza / 4A)

19. What does the poem tell you about the people?                                        (Husna / 4A)

20. State the themes in this poem.                                                                  (Syidah / 4A)

21. What does the phrase 'bloated carcasses' refer to?                                 (Nadiah / 4A)