modul cemerlang amanjayado you think the living photograph is a suitable title for the poem? give a...
TRANSCRIPT
MODUL CEMERLANG
AMANJAYA
BAHASA INGGERIS
(JULY)
POEMS AND NOVEL
The Living Photograph
My small grandmother is tall there,
straight-back, white broidery anglaise shirt,
pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun, the
a kind, old smile round her eyes.
Her big hand holds mine,
White hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye.
It was true after all; that look.
My tall grandmother became small.
Her back round and hunched.
Her soup forgot to boil.
She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.
But there she is still,
in the photo with me at three,
the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.
Jackie Kay
1. Based on stanza 1, state one personality trait of the grandmother.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. In stanza 1, how can you tell that the grandmother was a fashionable person?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. In stanza 1, how does the grandmother’s attire describe her personality?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Explain ‘her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye’ in stanza 1?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. In stanza 2, which line indicates that the grandmother’s back was bent forward?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. In stanza 2, what does the phrase ‘her soup forgot to boil’ tell you about the
grandmother?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. In stanza 2, the persona states her grandmother went to an awful place. What do you
think actually happened to her grandmother?
_____________________________________________________________________
8. In stanza 2, the persona describes how aging has affected the grandmother physically .
State one of the effects.
_____________________________________________________________________
9. Who are the two people in the photograph?
___________________________________________________________________________
10. Compare the grandmother in stanza 1 and 2. State one difference.
___________________________________________________________________________
11. Do you think the persona has a good relationship with her grandmother? Give a
reason to support your answer.
Response : ____________________________________________________________
Reason : _____________________________________________________________
12. Do you think The Living Photograph is a suitable title for the poem? Give a reason to
support your answer.
Response : ____________________________________________________________
Reason : _____________________________________________________________
13. What is the advantage of taking photographs with your loved ones? Suggest another
way to keep the memory of a loved one alive.
Advantage : ___________________________________________________________
Suggestion :___________________________________________________________
14. Losing one’s memory is a naturally common symptom of getting old. How can you
help your grandparents who are becoming more forgetful? Suggest two ways.
Suggestion 1 : _________________________________________________________
Suggestion 2:__________________________________________________________
15. Should the elderly be sent to an old folks’ home? Give a reason for your answer.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
SUGGESTED ANSWERS: The Living Photograph :
1. Loving / Fashionable/ Sophisticated/ Tolerant
2. From the way she dressed and the type of material she chose for her shirt.
3. Her attire describes that she is fashionable/ trendy/ immaculate/ prim and proper.
4. The phrase tells that the grandmother is not intimidated by the idea of death and is prepared
for it.
5. “Her back round and hunched”.
6. The phrase tells us that the grandmother had started to be forgetful/ absent-minded/ become
senile, even in her normal routines like boiling the soup.
7. The persona’s grandmother actually had died/ passed away.
8. She became smaller in size / Her back became hunched.
9. The persona and her grandmother.
10. In stanza 1, the grandmother had tall (physique/ frame/ build) @ had straight back
whereas in stanza 2, the grandmother had smaller/ shrunk (physique/ frame/ build) @ had
hunched/ round back.
11. Yes because she still keeps the photograph of her and her grandmother eventhough her
grandmother had passed away.
12 Yes because whenever the persona looks at the photograph, she feels her grandmother’s
presence as if her grandmother is still living.
13. The advantage is that you can keep the memory you had with them alive even when they are
not around. One way is to have certain similar items/ things that can invoke the memory you
all had together.
14. Suggestion 1 : Display important things in writing so that my grandparents can always read
and be reminded about those things.
Suggestion 2 : Record important events in video or pictures so that I can always replay or
show those events/ pictures back to my grandparents when there is a need.
15. Yes, they should be because it can help them socialize with their peer and share problems that
young people may not understand/ empathise with.
No, they should not be because they may feel that they are not wanted and not cared for.
THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
by Lord Alfred Tennyson
I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
1. What does ‘the Light Brigade’ refer to?
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Which phrase in stanza 1 shows how far the soldiers were from their destination?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. From stanza 1, what was the soldiers’ means of transportation during the mission?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. In stanza 1, what were the soldiers commanded to do?
___________________________________________________________________________
5. In stanza 1, what was the strength of the Light Brigade in number?
___________________________________________________________________________
6. In stanza 2, why could one lose his courage upon the command given?
___________________________________________________________________________
7. In stanza 2, what was the reason for the predicament that the soldiers were facing?
___________________________________________________________________________
8. State a line from stanza 2 which shows that the soldiers were not discouraged by their
authority’s order?
___________________________________________________________________________
9. In stanza 2, state one quality of the Light Brigade reflected in the line ‘Theirs but to
do and die’.
___________________________________________________________________________
10. In stanza 2, why do you think the poet refers the battleground as ‘the Valley of
Death’?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
11. In stanza 3, name the weapons used in the battle.
___________________________________________________________________________
12. In stanza 3, how can you tell that the soldiers of the Light Brigade were attacked
relentlessly by their enemy?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
13. How has the poet portrayed the soldiers of the Light Brigade in this poem? Give one
evidence from the poem to support your answer.
Response : ____________________________________________________________
Reason : _____________________________________________________________
SUGGESTED ANSWERS : Charge of The Light Brigade :
1. ‘The Light Brigade’ refers to the army group of six hundred soldiers on horses.
2. ‘Half a league onward” .
3. Horses.
4. The soldiers were commanded to dash towards the enemy and attack before they could shoot
with their guns.
5. Six hundred soldiers in number.
6. Because the command given to them was actually a blunder.
7. Their predicament is that they could not reply to or argue any command given to them.
8. “Theirs but to do and die”.
9. Obedient/ Loyal/ Patriotic.
10. Because it was obvious that most of the soldiers of the Light Brigade would be shot dead by
their enemy as they rode their horses into the valley where the enemy was awaiting.
11. Cannons and guns.
12. Because they were continuously attacked from their right, left and front.
13. Response : The soldiers have been portrayed as brave and patriotic.
Reason : Because they still fought hard and courageously despite knowing that they
were at a disadvantage and did not have much chance to defeat the enemy.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LULU
by Charles Causley
I
What has happened to Lulu, mother?
What has happened to Lu?
There's nothing in her bed but an old rag-doll
And by its side a shoe.
IV
I woke to voices late last night,
I heard an engine roar.
Why do you tell me the things I heard
Were a dream and nothing more?
II
Why is her window wide, mother,
The curtain flapping free,
And only a circle on the dusty shelf
Where her money-box used to be?
V
I heard somebody cry, mother,
In anger or in pain,
But now I ask you why, mother,
You say it was a gust of rain.
III
Why do you turn your head, mother,
And why do tear drops fall?
And why do you crumple that note on the fire
And say it is nothing at all?
VI
Why do you wander about as though
You don't know what to do?
What has happened to Lulu, mother?
What has happened to Lu?
1. How is the persona related to Lulu?
___________________________________________________________________________
2. In stanza 1, why did the persona address Lulu as Lu only?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. In stanza 1, what is the significance of Lulu leaving her old rag doll behind?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. In stanza 2, what do you think had happened to Lulu’s money-box?
___________________________________________________________________________
5. In stanza 3, why do you think the persona’s mother turn her head away from the
persona ?
___________________________________________________________________________
6. In stanza 4, whose voices do you think the persona had heard the night before?
___________________________________________________________________________
7. “I heard an engine roar” (stanza 4)
What does the roaring of the engine suggest?
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you think the persona is a boy or a girl? Give a reason for your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. State one characteristic of the persona. Give a reason for your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
10. State one characteristic of the persona’s mother. Give a reason for your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
11. What do you think has actually happened to Lulu? Give a reason for your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
12. Nowadays, teenagers are reported to run away from home. Give two reasons why they
do so?
Reason 1 :___________________________________________________________________
Reason 2:___________________________________________________________________
SUGGESTED ANSWERS : What Has Happened To Lulu?
1. They are siblings.
2. Because that is the nickname that the persona gave to Lulu.
3. It is as if Lulu has grown into a teenager and left behind her childhood memory.
4. Lulu has taken it along with her to be used.
5. Because the mother did not want the persona to see her cry.
6. The voices of Lulu and her boyfriend.
7. The roaring of the engine suggests that the accelerator was pressed hard as Lulu and her
friend were in a hurry to leave her place.
8. I think the persona is a boy because he does not share the same room with Lulu.
I think the persona is a girl because she seems to have a close relationship with Lulu.
9. Curious/ Inquisitive because the persona asked her mother a lot of questions./ Observant
because she could notice even little things or changes around her.
10. Secretive because she tried not to disclose the true answers to the persona’s questions.
Protective because she tried not to give the persona negative impression about Lulu.
11. I think Lulu has run away with her boyfriend because she went missing without informing
anyone.
12. Reason 1 : Because they want more freedom to do what they want.
Reason 2: Because they can no longer stand/ cope with their family problems at home.
A POISON TREE
by William Blake
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole,
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
1. In stanza 1, who were the people the persona was angry with?
___________________________________________________________________________
2. In stanza 1, why was the persona unable to settle his anger towards his enemy?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. In stanza 2, how did the persona nurture his anger into a tree?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. In stanza 2, how do you know that his foe was unaware of the persona’s anger?
___________________________________________________________________________
5. In stanza 3, explain why his foe beheld the apple shine.
___________________________________________________________________________
6. In stanza 4, why did his foe steal the persona’s apple ‘when the night had veiled the
pole’?
___________________________________________________________________________
7. In stanza 4, why did the persona feel happy when he found his foe outstretched
beneath the tree in the morning?
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you think the persona’s foe is aware that the persona is angry with him? Give a
reason to support your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. What would you do if you know that a person is angry with you? Give a reason for
your response.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
10. Do you think that it is wrong for a person to be angry? Give a reason for your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
SUGGESTED ANSWERS : A POISON TREE
1. His friend and his foe.
2. Because he did not express his anger towards his enemy.
3. By watering his anger with his fears and tears and sunning it with smiles and wiles.
4. Because the persona sunned his anger with smiles as if he is at good term with his foe.
5. Because the foe knew that the apple belonged to the persona.
6. So that no one would know of his action as it was dark.
7. Because he felt like it served his foe right and his revenge had been avenged.
8. No, because the persona had never expressed his anger to his foe.
Yes, because he regarded the persona’s apple @ anger as tempting.
9. I would confront him amicably and apologise if necessary, because I want to clear the air
between us.
10. No, because we should let out our anger and not suppress it as in the long run, it may affect us
negatively.
1
NOVEL RESPONSE
Past year’s questions
2008 Based on the novel that you have studied, describe what happens at the end of the
story. Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad.
2009 Write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters. Do you think this
was the right decision?
2010 Write about an important incident that you remember. Give reasons why you
remember the incident.
2011 Which part of the story do you like most? Give reasons for your choice.
2012 Write about an event that makes you angry. Give reasons why the event makes you
feel this way.
2013 Write about an important decision made by one of the characters. Explain how it
affects the other character(s).
2014 “One has to struggle to improve one’s life.”
How far is this true of the novel you have studied?
2015 Suggest one character in the novel you have read who you think is a good role
model for teenagers. Give reasons for your choice with close reference to the text.
2016 Based on the novel that you have studied, describe a scene that makes you either
happy or sad. Give reasons why the scene makes you happy or sad, with close
reference to the text.
2017 Based on the novel you have studied, write about a value that is important to one of
the characters in the novel. Give reasons why it is so, with close reference to the
text.
2
Novel response marking scheme
MARK
RANGE CONTENT
MARK
RANGE LANGUAGE
9 – 10
A consistently relevant
convincing response to the task
with detailed and well
developed textual evidence.
5 The language is accurate and is
very well organised.
7 – 8
Response is relevant to the task
with some developed textual
evidence.
4 The language is largely accurate
and well organised.
5 – 6
Response is intermittently
relevant to the task with little
textual evidence.
3
Meaning is never in doubt but
errors are frequent and is fairly
well organised.
3 – 4
Response of little relevance to
the task with little textual
evidence.
2
Frequent errors with some
blurring in meaning and is
poorly organised.
1 – 2 Response has no relevance to
the task. 1
Makes little or no sense at all
and lacks organisation.
3
Useful Notes
THEMES
Close family ties/ Siblings rivalry
Gender discrimination/ Gender
bias/ Gender inequality
Emancipation of women
The right to education
Life struggle
Poverty/ Social injustice/
Exploitation of the poor
Hope
Knowledge versus ignorance
LESSONS
Everyone deserves an equal right to education.
In order to get what we want, we have to work hard
for it.
Not everything that we wish is meant for us.
Education is the way out from poverty.
Treat others equally regardless their social status and
gender.
It takes courage to stand up for your right.
Family should be there for each other.
No matter what we are going through, there is light at
the end of the tunnel. Do not lose hope.
VALUES
Love Responsibility Sacrifice Bravery
Courage Patience Friendship Concern
Honesty Kindness Determination Tolerance
Loyalty Perseverance Empathy Obedience
Gratitude Appreciation Confidence Discipline
4
PRACTICE Read each chapter and write notes about each of the characters below. Find the evidence to
support your description.
* Look up for what the characters said or did in the novel.
CHARACTER PERSONALITY EVIDENCE
DAWAN
1) ________________
2) ________________
- She went to see the head monk to persuade him to talk to her Father even though Bao
reminded her that the monk would not speak for her and persuade her father.
- ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
KWAI
3) ________________
4) ________________
- He said he would not goto the city school even if his father ordered him to go because father had no ‘right’ to forbid her
and Dawan was the one who won the scholarship.
- ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
FATHER
5) ________________
6) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
5
MOTHER
7) ________________
8) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
GRANDMOTHER
9) ________________
10) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
NOI
11) ________________
12) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
6
GHAN
13) ________________
14) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
HEAD MONK
15) ________________
16) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
TEACHER
17) ________________
18) ________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
7
WRITING NOVEL RESPONSE
Answering the question on the novel is not like doing essay writing. However, the question
requires you to use your higher order thinking skills (HOTS). So, you need to be systematic and
organised in your approach.
PARAGRAPH CONTENT
INTRODUCTION
BODY 1 TOPIC SENTENCE 1
+ EVIDENCE
+ JUSTIFICATION
BODY 2 TOPIC SENTENCE 2
+ EVIDENCE + JUSTIFICATION
BODY 3 TOPIC SENTENCE 3
+ EVIDENCE
+ JUSTIFICATION
CONCLUSION
???
NOTE: As you read the question, highlight/underline the key words.
Evidence
Point 2 Point 3 Point 1
Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
8
EXAMPLE:
Choose ONE character that has undergone some major changes in his/her life. Describe the
changes and support each change with evidence from the novel.
EXAMPLE:
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Change 2 Change 3 Change 1
Character
Provide more detailed evidence on
what the character did or said.
TIPS: Refer the evidence bank.
Your justification is a CONCLUSION
of your evidence in relation with
your topic sentence.
to further
her studies
in the city
talked to
the head
monk
thought
about her
future
She wanted
to improve
the life in
her village
and get out
of poverty
She needed
to be
courageous to
convince
others about
her right to
study in the
City school
She stood
for her
right even
though
everyone
was against
her
More
courageous
More
mature
More
determined
DAWAN
9
Based on the given points, try to write your answer. The introduction paragraph is already done
for you.
INTRODUCTION
Based on the novel “Sing to the Dawn” by Minfong Ho, the character
that has undergone some major changes in his/her life is Dawan. These are
some major changes that was faced by Dawan.
BODY 1
Firstly, Dawan after winning the scholarship, Dawan became more
determined to further her studies in the City school. …………………….
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
BODY 2
Secondly, from a timid village girl, Dawan became more courageous
as the story progressed….…………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
BODY 3
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
CONCLUSION
To conclude, ……………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
10
PRACTICE
1) Write about ONE important theme in the story. Relate the theme to some of the
characters in the story.
2) What lessons have you learnt from one of the characters in the novel?
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Character 2 Character 3 Character 1
Theme
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 1
Character
11
3) Did you enjoy reading the novel? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
4) State ONE event which you feel should not have happened. Explain why you think so.
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Reason 2 Reason 3 Reason 1
YES/NO
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Reason 2 Reason 3 Reason 1
Event
12
5) Describe THREE events in the novel that have touched your feelings. Give reasons for
your choices.
6) State an important decision made by one of the main characters. Show how the decision
changed his/her life.
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Event 2 Event 3 Event 1
Novel
Evidence Evidence Evidence
Justification Justification Justification
Change 2 Change 3 Change 1
Character + Decision
13
PRACTICE
Write about the challenges faced by one of the characters in the novel that you have studied.
Provide your answer with close reference to the text.
INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
BODY 1
……………………………………………………..…………………….
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
BODY 2
………………………………......….…………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
BODY 3
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
CONCLUSION
…………………….……………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
14
SAMPLE ANSWER
I have studied the novel Sing To The Dawn written by Minfong Ho. One character who
faced challenges in the story is Dawan. I have concrete reasons to support my answer.
Firstly, Dawan faced challenges when she and her mother went to Cousin Noi's house.
They wanted to get her help to persuade her father to let her go to the city to further her study.
Surprisingly, they didn't expect that Noi would talk about the bad side of the city. Noi did not
agree with Dawan to go to the city. She suggested Dawan to stay in the village. Dawan argued
that things would not change if she was not even given a chance. Dawan was still determined to
go to the city.
Another reason that shows challenges faced by Dawan is when Dawan met the head
monk to ask help from him to convince her father. The monk claimed that everything that she
needed to learn about life was all in the temple. It is more important to learn the Holy’s One
truth. Dawan could not agree with him. The head monk again stressed that nothing much can be
done by a mere school girl. Listening to that, Dawan was dissatisfied and left the head monk
feeling bitter.
Last but not least, the event which shows challenges Dawan faced is when Dawan had to
convince her father. Her father was angry with her because he believed that she grabbed her
own brother’s chance to study at the city. She urged her father to be fair to both herself and
Kwai. Father disagreed with her decision because he believed that a girl did not need fancy
education. Bravely, she told father that she would never be capable if she was not given the
chance. He finally let her go.
In conclusion, Dawan is a character who faced a lot of challenges throughout the story in
convincing her family and the head monk of her right to study in the City school. From Dawan, I
have learned to be determined in pursuing my ambition even though I have to face a lot of
challenges. I learned that to achieve greatness in life, sacrifice is necessary.
15
SING TO THE DAWN: EVIDENCE FROM CHARACTERS AND IMPORTANT EVENTS
CHARACTER PERSONALITY WHAT IS SAID OR DONE THEMES
DAWAN
TIMID,
UNCONFIDENT,
HUMBLE
- At the bridge, when Kwai said that Dawan could win the scholarship, she
flushed and told him not to be silly because she is a girl.
- She was afraid to ask questions in the class. She said that the teacher liked
Kwai more as he talked for hours after class to him about injustice and
poverty.
- When she was about to tell her father about her winning the scholarship, she
dared not look directly into her father’s eyes and whispered that there
was only one prize.
- She told Kwai that all those morning when they watched the sun rising,
she had listened to Kwai talking of building a new world and never said
anything much because she never thought she would never have the
chance to do anything.
- When Bao said that she must be really smart for winning the scholarship, she
told Bao that it’s not that people are born smarter or dumber than one
another. It’s the way different chances have been given or denied. She
also said that she could read only because she was given the chance to.
GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
DETERMINED,
ADAMANT
- Even though Noi discouraged her that no matter how hard she tried she
could not change anything in the village and after a while she would just live with it, Dawan was determined to try.
- When Noi and Ghan told her about the ‘ugly and cruel’ things in the city like
children from poor family selling cigarettes at movie theaters and young
women from villages offering whiskeys and themselves to white soldiers,
Dawan said she wanted to go and see it by herself.
IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION
LIFE STRUGGLE,
EXPLOITATION OF THE POOR
16
- Even though Noi told Dawan that the City is for the rich people and the
foreigners and they, the villagers go there only to serve them, Dawan still
wanted to go and see it by herself.
- When Kwai told her that she was only a girl and she won’t be able to fight,
or to argue loudly or to lead people in time of crisis, she told him to shut
up and said she was every bit as good as he was.
- When Kwai told her if she did not go then he would, Dawan insisted that she would go. She told him it was her last chance as it would be the last year
their father would pay for her school-fee. Kwai would have many more
chances yet and their father would send Kwai to school as long as he
wanted to go on studying.
- She knew that if she let Kwai go to the City, he would get a good job and be someone important to make life better for everyone. However, she still
wanted to fight for her right.
- She went to see the head monk to persuade him to talk to her Father even
though Bao reminded her that the monk would not speak for her and
persuade her father.
- When the monk told her that everything she wanted to learn is in the temple,
she insisted that she wanted to learn everything like curing sick people and helping farmers to own their land in the city school.
- She told her father to be as fair and as kind towards her as he was to Kwai
and challenged him by asking why she should not be the one to go.
- When her father told her that she could not do anything with ‘fancy
education’ because she is a girl, she said how could she do anything
worthwhile if he didn’t give her a chance. She compared herself to a caged
sparrow and told him she wanted her chance to fly, see the world and
learn new things to help the people in the village and perhaps her country.
EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN
GENDER BIAS,
EMANCIPATION
OF WOMEN
EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN
GENDER BIAS
IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION
EMANCIPATION
OF WOMEN
17
BRAVE,
OUTSPOKEN
- Even though the head monk is a respectable figure in the society, Dawan was
snapped when the head monk said that a mere school girl like her cannot
achieve anything and that she should not waste any more time to dream a futile dream of studying in the city. She accused angrily that if her brother
came and asked him to help him accept the scholarship, he would do it
for him.
- She told the head monk that he did not live with the pain of the world
outside the temple because he lived inside the peaceful monastery and
everything was provided for him.
- When Kwai accidentally pushed her and a sharp splintered wood cut through her left ankle, she screamed at Kwai that he was a liar and a bully. She
challenged Kwai to use his strength and knock down the people who got
it his way.
- During the incident at Bao’s flower stall, she accused that Kwai’s ideal of
helping poor and weak people had gone sour. She said he tried to grab from her the only chance that was meant for her. Not only that, she
chanted softly, “Liar, liar, liar...”
- When Kwai said he did not want her ‘dumb’ umbrella, she called him
‘stupid’ and said that he was going to be in the rain longer than she
would.
- Kwai said that their father did not have the right to forbid Dawan from going
to the city because she won the scholarship. Their father snapped by saying he might not have the right, but he had the power not to let Dawan go. At
this point, Dawan argued that he might have the power, but he should not
misuse it. He told her he was not talking to her but she said she was
talking to him because it concerned her.
EMANCIPATION
OF WOMEN
INJUSTICE,
LIFE STRUGGLE
EMANCIPATION
OF WOMEN
EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN
FRIENDSHIP
EMANCIPATION
OF WOMEN
18
MATURE,
WISE
Dawan is 14 but...
- In the class, she responded to the teacher’s question with another thought-
provoking question: what makes the landlord own all the land instead of
them?
- She asked herself if the landlord had the right to collect whole piles of rice
from everybody from the village.
- When Noi said that she would not be able to change anything no matter
how hard she tried, Dawan said there must be a system with rules and laws
that works. She added that was why she wanted to study in the City: To help
find a better and fairer system.
- When Kwai told her if she did not go then he would, Dawan explained that it
was her last chance as it would be the last year their father would pay for
her school-fee. Kwai would have many more chances yet and their father
would send Kwai to school as long as he wanted to go on studying.
- Dawan knew the importance of education and promised Kwai that she
would learn what would be helpful in creating changes in their village.
- When Bao said that she must be really smart for winning the scholarship, she
told Bao that it’s not that people are born smarter or dumber than one
another. It’s the way different chances have been given or denied that
makes them so different after a while.
EXPLOITATION
OF THE POOR
GENDER BIAS
IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION, RESPONSIBILITY
KIND, LOVING,
CARING,
THOUGHTFUL, SELFLESS
- When Dawan was surrounded by her classmates for her winning the
scholarship, she searched for Kwai in the whole room with her eyes until
she saw him.
- When Dawan was surrounded by her classmates for her winning the
scholarship she called out for Kwai but he only walked away abruptly.
FRIENDSHIP,
LOVE
19
She rammed her way through the crowd after her brother.
- She insisted to pay Bao ten cents for the lotus bud because she knew that
it was difficult for her to pick the lotus buds herself in the klong.
- She did not take advantage of Bao’s kindness when Bao offered her to
free the caged sparrow before seeing the monk to make more merit and
pay her later even though she really wished she could.
- Even though her ankle ached from the incident at the flower stall, she was
still worried that Kwai would catch a cold sitting out in the storm. When
Kwai told her he wanted to think, she advised him to think at home.
- Even after Kwai had hurt Dawan badly at the flower stall, she left her
umbrella for him to sit under in the rain while she limped clumsily home,
wet and cold and tired.
- On her last morning at home, she was disappointed to find that Kwai had
awakened and gone off without waiting for her. She wanted to share the morning so much with Kwai.
- She told Kwai she would miss watching the dawn with Kwai when she
was alone in the city.
- Even though the whole village was seeing her off, Dawan realized that
there was not a single one she really cared to say goodbye to because she
had not said goodbye to Kwai.
- As the bus approached the bridge, Dawan stuck her head out of the window.
She saw Kwai on the bridge gesturing his outstretched arms to hug and
send her off. She threw her arms to hug him and sang along with him.
KINDNESS,
SOLIDARITY,
EMPHATY
FRIENDSHIP,
LOVE
KWAI
INTELLIGENT BUT
NAIVE
- The teacher had high hopes for Kwai and sometimes he spent hours
talking to Kwai after school about injustice and poverty in their village.
But the first things he thought about studying in the City were the big
EXPLOITATION
OF THE POOR
20
markets, butcher stalls and different kinds of coconut cakes.
- He was aware that there was injustice in the village when he said that the
villagers worked so hard all year plowing, planting and reaping, and some landlords, collected so much of their rice without lifting a hoe.
- He said Dawan could win because they might want older student, Dawan
always got good marks, and studied harder than he did. But when Dawan
really won, he turned away from her.
- During the discussion with the teacher, he suggested that they put all their
buffaloes and tools in the village centre so that everybody could take
turns using all the equipments as a change to the current unfair custom.
- He found out from his teacher he was second after Dawan by pestering
him until he told him. He told Dawan if she didn’t go, he would take her place.
SIBLINGS
RIVALRY
EXPLOITATION
OF THE POOR, RESPONSIBILITY
SIBLING RIVALRY
CONCERNED
RESPONSIBLE
- Their parents had considered it foolish and wasteful to send girls to school
but he kept insisting that their parents send Dawan to school until she was
allowed to join him.
- He was concerned about his Father’s worry that there won’t be enough
rice for their family after he paid the rent for the rice-field.
- He said if he got the scholarship, he would study hard and come back to
teach their Father to raise new crops and use better fertilizers, set up a
hospital for their village, and advise the people not to get cheated by the
tax-collectors.
- When Dawan said that he would ‘win’ the ‘prize’ the next year, he
shouted he didn’t ‘win’ it. Instead, he said it was a ‘responsibility’ for
those who didn’t get that chance.
IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION
FAMILY
RELATIONSHIP
RESPONSIBILITY
21
IRRATIONAL,
JEALOUS
JEALOUS (OR
LOVING)
- When Dawan won the scholarship, he was not happy for her. He stood alone
and at the doorway and watched Dawan being surrounded by the admirers. When Dawan called out to him, he turned away and stalked
out abruptly.
- He went back to school and pestered the teacher to tell him how he had done
for the scholarship. He tried to make Dawan give up on the scholarship by
saying that if Dawan didn’t go, he would get to go.
- He said Dawan won the scholarship because she was only good at
studying. He said that she was only a girl and she won’t be able to fight or
argue loudly, or lead people in times of crisis.
- He said that he didn’t have to promise Dawan that he would not tell their
father about him coming second after her.
- When their father asked Dawan savagely what she wanted to keep
studying for, she noticed a soft smile on Kwai’s face.
- At Bao’s flower stall, he wanted to hit Bao for calling him a bully and for
saying that he wanted to snatch Dawan’s chance of finishing school. He
called Bao ‘busy-body’.
- For the past few days before Dawan left to the City, Kwai had been hostile,
angry, jealous and bitter that he could not study in the City and fulfill his
dreams to make things better for everyone.
- On the day Dawan was leaving, he sat on the bridge still bitter and angry.
When their father came to look for Dawan, he told him that he didn’t know
and he didn’t care. He refused to go home to see Dawan leave.
SIBLINGS
RIVALRY
SIBLINGS
RIVALRY,
GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
GENDER
DISCRIMINATION
SIBLING
RIVALRY
FRIENDSHIP
LOVING,
Even though he could be mean, Kwai loved his sister more than
22
SELFLESS
anything.
- Their parents had considered it foolish and wasteful to send girls to school
but he kept insisting that their parents send Dawan to school until she was allowed to join him.
- He ran after Kwai and slowed down his pace to walk beside Dawan,
holding the umbrella carefully over both of them after he had decided
that Dawan had the right to go to the City school.
- When his father was outraged that Kwai deliberately did not tell him that
he was second, he told his father it was not his right to go to the City when
Dawan wanted to study there too.
- He said he would not go even if his father ordered him to go because their
father had no ‘right’ to forbid her and Dawan was the one who won the
scholarship.
- He hid his teardrops that fell on the wooden floor by covering it with his toe when their father finally agreed to let Dawan study in the City.
- As Dawan’s bus approached the bridge, he stood on the bridge singing her
morning song with his arms outstretched gesturing to hug her and send
her off. He waved until the bus faded in distance. Perhaps he just couldn’t
bring himself to see her off personally in their house and he was too
proud to let people see him cry.
IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION
FRIENDSHIP,
LOVE
GENDER BIAS,
SACRIFICE
SACRIFICE, LOVE
SACRIFICE
FRIENDSHIP, LOVE
FATHER
AUTHORITATIVE, UNFAIR,
DISCRIMINATING,
BIAS
- According to Dawan’s grandmother, her father was quiet and gentle but he
had changed because of his many burdens and worries. He became
tougher, louder and fierce.
- When Dawan told him she won the scholarship, he was only interested to
know if Kwai had won anything. He accused her of grabbing Kwai’s
chance, threw his hammer angrily and walked to the rice field.
LIFE STRUGGLE, POVERTY
GENDER BIAS,
LIFE STRUGGLE
23
- When Dawan wanted to know if she could go because she only had that week, he said she had had enough schooling and asked her what was the point to
keep studying. When Kwai asked if he could go if he was second, their father
said if it was him it would be different because he is a boy. More
education is useful for Kwai because Kwai could help him after his
studies.
- He thought it was foolish and wasteful to send girls to school. He said that
Dawan had no right of studying in the City because she is a girl and that he
had the power to forbid her from going.
- He was furious when Kwai gave in to Dawan. He said that Dawan had no
right for education and she could not do anything even if she had fancy education because she is just a girl. He also accused Dawan of forcing
Kwai to let her go.
GENDER BIAS, IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION
GENDER BIAS
GENDER BIAS
HEAD
MONK
BIAS,
DISCRIMINATING,
He was a respectable figure in the society and was respected by Dawan’s
father.
- He told her that everything she wanted to learn is in the temple and she
should only learn about the Holy One’s truth, the transience of life and to
gain spiritual enlightenment (Nirvana).
- When Dawan said that she wanted to learn things curing sick people or help farmers to own their land, the monk said no one can stop suffering and
nothing in this world will last because they are not important.
- According to him, what is important is attaining Nirvana where there is
no suffering, no pain and no rebirth.
- He said that he could not help Dawan do something that he did not believe in.
- He said that a mere school girl like Dawan cannot achieve anything and
she should not waste any more time to dream a futile dream of studying in
the city. He told Dawan to be satisfied with what she already had.
- He thought that education is unnecessary for girls.
- He said that if Kwai had won the scholarship instead of Dawan, there
would not be any problem.
GENDER BIAS