sample essay - literature

8/12/2019 Sample Essay - literature

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Sample Q & A: The Curse

Question 1:

Based on the novel that you have read, what is the lessonthat you have learned from the

ending of the novel? Give reasons why you think the lesson is important.

The novel I have read is The curse by Lee Su Ann. In the novel, it ended with Azreen learningthe truth about a lot of things surrounding her sisters death. It was very sad forAzreen too

because she had to cope with the deaths of the Old Lady and her parents. In the

epilogue, Azreen went back to London to continue her studies. It is important to not that in the

end, Azreen learned to forgive. The theme of forgiveness and the importance of the truth

resonate throughout the ending of the novel.

I learned that forgiveness is the key to finding inner peace and strength. Somehow, it helps

a person to move on despite having gone through negative situations. Azreenscharacter

teaches us to be strong, bold and upright in order to withstand vicious gossips and to fight

injustice like how she defended the Old Lady.

The same goes for Azreen when she returned to London. If she allowed hatred, anger and

other negative emotions to take over, those emotions would have consumed her and made her

life worse. But because she learned to accept the truth and to forgive, she was able to smile at

the end. Although the truth was difficult to handle for Azreen, especially

aboutMadhuri and Mohd Asraf, her father being Madhurismurderer, and how Madhuri was

not her real sister, Azreen managed to cope with all those unfortunate events.

From the ending of the novel, I learned that sometimes, although the truth may not be

what everybody wants to hear, it is always best to tell the truth because it helps people to find

inner peace and to be truly happy.


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Question 2:

Based on the novel that you have read, give examples of what hope means to the

characters that you have chosen.

The novel I have read is The curse by Lee Su Ann. Hope is the feeling of wanting

something you desire to come true. In the novel, Mohd Asraf and Madhuri are in love and theyhope to be together when Mohd Asraf leaves for Kuala Lumpur for a teaching course.

However, Madhuri is married to Haji Ghani. She plans to confess everything to her

husband and get his permission to release her. Asraf hopes that Madhuri is right that her

husband is a reasonable person who wants the best for her and she will ultimately be released

from her marriage. Madhuri also plans to reveal everything to her parents about their

relationship. Unfortunately, their hope of being together is dashed whenMadhurisfather

discovers the truth before she could explain everything tohhim. Saleh Abdullah,

catches Madhuri and MohdAsraf together in the rubber estate and he wanted to go after

Mohd Asraf. Sadly, as he wields his parang, it strikesMadhuri and kills her.

Due to Mohd Asrafsailing grandmother, he forced himself to visit the Old Lady and ask her to

cure his grandmother. When she did come to his house, some of the villagers found out about

it and they think that all the bad incidents happening around the village is due to her presence.

In addition, another character, Puan Fatihah feels like she is slowly losing her husband

after Madhurisdeath. She hopes to win his affections again by cooking a breakfast feast for

him. But he did not appreciate her deed due to the many happenings in the village; instead, he

left without eating what she had cooked for him.

In conclusion, the novel helps us to see how hope drives different characters to do different

things and there are positive and negative consequences of their actions.


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Question 3:

Using details from the novel you have studied, write about a theme that you can relate to in

your daily life. Give examples of the theme that you have chosen. Support your answer with

close reference to the text.

The novel I have read is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. A theme from The Curse is about the

negative effects or rumours and hearsay. Gossip is basically idle talk that goes bad if one is notcareful enough but malicious gossip is even more dangerous because it does the most damage.

For example, in the past, the villagers constant gossiping had caused the Old Lady to move to

the jungle because they thought that she was a crazy woman who killed her husband in cold

blood. They failed to understand and consider the reason behind the act and it caused the Old

Lady to live alone for the rest of her life in the jungle. The villagers continued to spread wrong

information about the Old Lady by saying that she will cast a spell or kill those who trespass on

her property.

Puan Normala warned that a curse will befall the village by claiming that the incessant

rain was caused by the Old Lady coming into the village even though she came only to cure

Nek, Mohd Asrafsgrandmother. She gathered some of herneighbours and convinced them to

drive the Old Lady out of the village. Sadly, not long after the Old Lady had cured Nek, Nek

passed away and the neighboursconvinced Mohd Asraf that the Old Lady was to be blamed.

The confrontation between them and the Old Lady ended tragically with her house being burnt

down and her untimely death.

Throughout the novel, we are constantly reminded of howrumours can turn bad and

how they can lead to destruction or a tragic conclusion. As stated by the Old Lady,

Rumourscan be damaging even if they are untrue, especially if they are untrue. All a person

can do is to ignore them and the rumours will die off as soon as another juicier one comes

along.

I have learnt from the theme in this novel that I should not believe or be influenced

by rumours in our daily lives. More importantly, I should also not create andspread rumours about another person. These, we must apply in our daily lives.


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Question 4:

Using details from the novel you have studied, describe how it has taught you to be a

responsible person. Give examples of how you learned to be a responsible person.

The novel I have read is The curse by Lee Su Ann. In the novel, we learn about

responsibility in terms of thinking before we speak and not spreading rumours. The gossipyvillagers spreadrumours about Madhurisdeath and how it will bring a curse to the

village. Puan Normala begins to spread rumours by claiming to have seen Madhurisdead body

and white blood. To make matters worse, she starts to link happenings like the endless rain and

flood to the curse. This only creates more fear among the villagers. Puan Normalaand

her neighbours gossip and speculate about everything. To top it all off, when the Old Lady is

sought after by Mohd Asraf to treat his sick grandmother, the villagers gang up to chase her

away because they consider her evil as she had murdered her husband in the past. They feel

that she is the cause of the curse.

Sadly, due to the irresponsible villagersrumours at that time, the Old Lady becomes

the victim and she is labelled as a mad woman and a murderer. She was forced to leave the

village and had to live in a deserted house in the jungle. She is forced to come to the village

again when Mohd Asraf pleads with her to treat his grandmother. When his grandmother

passed away, the villagers were quick to accuse the Old Lady of poisoning Mohd AsrafsNek

and it was enough to convince Mohd Asraf to confront the Old Lady at her house. When things

got out of hand, the house is burned down and the Old Lady dies.

On the other hand, Azreen is a responsible person by the way she treats her parents

even though she feels that they love Madhurimore than her. She never receives her fathers

warmth as his daughter as much as Madhuri but being the responsible daughter that she is, she

continues to treat her father respectfully. Azreen also takes care of her mother who suffers

from Alzheimers till her mothers death.

I have learned that I have to be responsible for my own actions. I should notspread rumours nor cause harm to others without thinking carefully no matter what happens or

challengers I have to face. For being irresponsible, we can also cause harm to other people.


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Question 6:

There are many interesting events in the novel you have read. Write about an event or

incident that you think is important or that you will never forget. Give reasons to

substantiate your answer.

The novel I have read is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. I think the incidentwhen Mohd Asraf tells Azreen that he and Madhuri were in a relationship is important in the

novel The Curse. Here are a few reasons to substantiate my answer.

First and foremost, this piece of news is shocking toAzreen as she has always

liked Mohd Asraf from her school days. She even joined Mohd Asrafshockey team so she could

spend more time with him. Though she knew that MohdAsraf was taken up by Madhurisbeauty

and always praised her syair recitals, she never knew that Madhuri too, had feelings for him as

she had never mentioned it to anyone before.

Secondly, this event adds a twist to the story asMadhuri agreed to the idea of getting a

divorce from HajiGhani and run away from the village with Mohd Asraf to Kuala Lumpur where

he will be furthering his studies. This should never have happened in the first place as Madhuri is

already married to Haji Ghani, the village headman.

Thirdly, with this revelation, Azreen is able to understand what Madhuri had intended to

tell her in the letter she had written to her before she died. She also realised thatMadhuri has

not been happy with her marriage. This is because, to many, she seems to be living a perfect

family life. Nobody knows what she is going through.

In conclusion, this incident is very important and I will never forget this incident because it

makes the story more interesting. From this incident, I also learn that people are not always as

they seem to be so we should not judge them just based on what they portray.

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