Choose two stories that reveal the thinking of an older generation of Singaporeans: What new insights have you gained from such a revelation. The Move This story is about a family shifting into another apartment. Madam Teo, mother of Jimmy and Tommy, wanted to bring along her sentimental items, which her children opposed of doing so, because they said that the items that she brought was run-down and that they can buy a new one to replace it. For example, the pomegrante tree that symbolises the family's generation. During the period when they are growing up, they waited for the fruits to turn red. But now, the pomegranate tree has already grown so big, and they do not want it anymore.This shows that young people do not treasure and care about their history, whenever they get something new, they will be oblivious to the past things. Whereas most people of the older generation treasures everything they have, mostly because they experience more hardship than the younger generation.Just like Madam Teo, she said : "Sadness was seeing your father-in-law in China lose all his rice fields when the communist took over. Sadness was watching your father crawl home after being bayonated by Japanese troops in 1942. Sadness was watching your pregnant mother succumb to malarial fever in occupied Singapore not having any drugs to allay her fever. Sadness was waking up in the darkness finding her not in her bed, going out to the rubber plantation to search for her, fearing, as she had threatened, that she would take a cold bath in the nearby pond. Sadness was finding her drowned pregnant formed by moonlight, and knowing that you had to be the one to run home to wake your father and tell him the news. Sadness forever after the funerals of mothers that her friends and cousins lost, which she could never attend, because they reminded her of how she lost hers." Tanjong Rhu Mr Lee is a wealthy businessman. He lives with his wife, daughter and mother. His mother sees things in a different perspective as she is old. When Mr Lee bought a binoculars for her and wanted to give her, she said : "Ahwah, things you can buy, I do not need." And Mr Lee said : "But you don't even know what it is." She said : "I know i have everything i need." This shows that Mr Lee's mother is easily satisfied with what she has. As long as she has her basic needs such as food, water, a clean place to stay, etc, she is satisfied. She doesn't want or need the lastest technology, but rather repeat the beautiful memories she had in her past, where she brought Mr Lee who was just a skinny little boy to Tanjong Rhu to count the ships, skipping pebbles on the waves. This shows that old people aren't so materialistic.
Choose 5 links and write comment of 50-100 words about the content of the blogs. (Not design/pictures/layout)You must identify yourself.
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With reference to suitable stories, discuss how far change is shown to be either welcomed, or feared.
A History of Tea
This story is about TienYee and Beverly, it differentiates the high class from the middle class. TienYee's cousin Beverly, is someone who is very high class. She has a discerning taste for tea. She drinks her tea in a pot, trimmed at the top and base in a blue and gold pattern - Japanese imitating Royal Doulton, with matching cup, saucer, tiny jug of milk, a plated spoon and tea strainer on its own base, all produced on a gleaming tray with roses and briars worked onto the handles, compared to TienYee, who drinks tea in a tall mug with only blue on bamboo patterns and a cover to help it brew, beaded on its underside with water. TienYee is very simple minded, he treats tea like tea while Beverly is very complex, she treats tea very importantly, which had to be served properly every single time.The MoveThis is story is about a family shifting into another apartment. Madam Teo, mother of Jimmy and Tommy, wanted to bring along her sentimental items, which her children opposed of doing so, because they said that the items that she brought was run-down and that they can buy a new one to replace it. For example, the pomegrante tree that symbolises the family's generation. During the period when they are growing up, they waited for the fruits to turn red. But now, the pomegranate tree has already grown so big, and they do not want it anymore.This shows that young people do not treasure and care about their history. Whenever they get something new, they will be oblivious to the past things.
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With reference to suitable stories , discuss how far change is shown to be either welcomed or feared .
Lee
This story shows the relationship between a Singaporean father and his Americanized daughter. His ex wife passed away and his daughter re-enters his life. The awkward, uneasy relationship between father and daughter dramatizes the clash between the "Asian" and "Western" culture, and finally his daughter welcomed the Asian culture.
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How is motherhood presented in any two or three stories in the collection?
The Martyrdom of Helena Rodrigues
Helena who is the mother of George, She may not be a perfect mother but she is willing to sacrifice to provide the best for George. When George was sixteen, he acquited his driving licence, and the keys of the family car. One day, when he took the car out all one afternoon, He forgotten that it was his mother's day to play bridge. Helena had been walking to the bus stop after he left for school each day, and slipping in before he came home, so that he will not be able to see her enduring those labour. When George when to dinner with his Uncle, Helena did not complain that she feels lonely so that George could enjoy his dinner and not worry about her.
Mid Autumn
The narrator is a very loving and dedicated mother. She stayed in her teaching job so that she could afford the best education for her daughter. She sent her to the best school in Singapore, and even paid money to sent her to Art, ballet, piano classes and chinese tuition although her husband was not willing to pay for the courses. Her daughter had qualifications to become a GP but she decided to be a missonary in Uganda. Much to her disappointment, every mid autumn festival she still continue to pray for her daughter's deliverance.
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Story: An Orbituary For Fifth Aunt Came Late
Conflicts
Internal
-Mother and her children
The mother continuously bewailed her lot of nine children , thirteen is you counted the dead babies with endless chores and drudgery (pg 152)
External
- Mother & Husband
The tight-lipped husband who positioned himself at the dinner-table-the-bed-out-the-front-door , who even she stopped simpering to when he opened his mouth and said “tea” or “hungry already” , and it then fell upon her to break the code (pg 152)
-Aunt & Her Mother
When she was six years old, my aunt developed a bronchial cough that wouldn’t go away even after taking weeks of murky, dark brews. The concoctions were so foul-smelling (smelly) and bitter and no amount of sugar could make them palatable. Don’t waste our sugar , her mother said , your brothers need the sugar for their school sandwiches (pg 152)
Climax
Resolution
Characters
Fifth Aunt
.She is caring (She would put others before herself , she would fill everyone’s bowl before filling hers(pg 150))
.She is filial (She lived in her mother’s house,“ My aunt was in her fifties . She lived in my grandmother’s house” (pg 149))
Grandmother
.She is traditional (She is biased on the males, “Don’t waste our sugar …Your brothers need the sugar for their school sandwiches” (pg 152)
Narrator
.She is disrespectful (She did not treat her aunt they way she should be, “She was my aunt, but I didn’t make it a point to be her niece” (pg 149))
The most interesting part in this story was about the grandmother being biased and showed favoritisms to the males. I wonder if it is still happening until today. I do not know why only males are being loved by the people. Therefore this is the most interesting part in this story as after that it make me want to read more.
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Story: Release
Conflicts External
-Eileen and the female neighbour
Eileen’s neighbour compared the dog to her which is a sign of disrespect to her (“The woman waved a hand. Her gold bracelet gleamed in the sun. “Yeah, yeah, you’re like our dog”…“Don’t give birth to as many as this dog’s going to have”” (pg 140,141))
-Eileen and her husband
Eileen forgotten to collect her husband’s suit from the dry-cleaners which got him vexed (““Honey, have you picked up my suit from the dry-cleaners?”…“No, I forgot,” she said…“It’s all right. I’ll just have to zip over to the cleaners before I come and get you. I thought that now you weren’t working, you could…forget it. If we’re late for dinner, you explain to them.”” (pg 140,141))
-Eileen and her neighbour
Eileen’s neighbor cut down her guava tree when she was in the supermarket (“In the first week, the new neighbours cut down the guava tree near the fence separating the two houses while Eileen was at the supermarket. She came back to a big, ugly hole in the garden…”Why did you do that? The tree wasn’t in your property, the branches were all within ours.”” (pg 141))
Climax
When Eileen called the SPCA and was bring rejected, she decided to do something about it, so she decided to wait until the person came to give them food, to solve the problem. (“And this was what the person on the line said –Sorry, we can’t help you…“What’ll I do now? I’m going crazy”…she would wait until the person came to give them food.” (pg 145,146))
Resolution
Open Ended
-The problem is only partially solved as Eileen got her Silence from the dog which she wanted, but she was being traumatized by what the man did. We do not what will happen to the man who killed the dogs, or what will the owners do the man who killed their dogs, or whether Eileen would report this incident to the police as animal abuse.
Characters
Eileen
.She is on good terms with others (“Eileen tied her hair into a ponytail and went over to say hi, just to be a friendly neighbor. She ws pregnant that she could hardly walk down the street without heaving like a dying dog, but she went anyway.” (pg 139))
.She is narrow-minded( “You don’t do gardening anyway. So what if they took a foot if the garden? Why make things so difficult?” (pg 143))
Philip
.He is Petty (“I told you yesterday and this morning…It’s all right. I’ll just have to zip over to the cleaners before I come and get you. I thought that now you weren’t working, you could…forget it. If we’re late for dinner, you explain to them” (pg 140,141)
The man who lived at the neightbour house .He is Understanding (“The dogs go really bother the baby, don’t they…Well, don’t you worry. I’ll take care of it” (pg 147))
.He is Violent (“ Thud. A dull sound. It came from the outside. She looked out the window, heard it again –thud. And there was silence. She saw the man emerge from the shadows, wiping the spanner” (pg 148))
The most interesting part in this story was the ending of the story when she saw the man emerge from the shadows, wiping the spanner. It made me curious whether he killed the dog and clean the spanner or he moved the dog to another location and clean his dirty spanner. That is why it is the most interesting part in this story.
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Story: Pastime
Conflicts Internal
-Mr. Lee & Tai Poh
Mr Lee was laughing on the inside as he thinks that he thinks that Tai Poh has failed in trying to fool him .
External
Climax
When Mr. Lee started on his own “story”
Resolution Nothing had changed as it is just a story, it was a hobby and pastime and nothing was real.
Characters
Tai Poh
.He is quiet (“ …he didn’t talk to the passengers or disturb them in any way” (pg 212))
.He is observant(“He watched and carefully considered, before he picked one to feature in his story” (pg 212))
Mr. Lee
.He is cautious(“He thought he could fool me but I was prepared” (pg 216))
The most interesting part in this story was about the shampoo girl. She thought that the defeated –looking man with white hair which was staring at her was disturbing and when he comes over to her seat, she wanted to run away but in the end he hands her a picture of her mother.
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Story: Lee
Conflicts Internal
-Lee’s dad
.Felt awkward to be in the car with Lee (“…she listened, half-impatiently, without saying a word, and that merely increased his awkwardness” (pg 88))
.Does not like Lee to talk about Alan Piscopo (“He gripped the wheel, feeling a wholly unexpected jealousy irected at the faceless Piscopo, whom he visualized…” (pg 88))
External
Climax
Lee finally talked about her mother’s death which she related it to David Hockney prints (“ When I found Mom –in the pool- that’s what I thought. A David Hockney print come to life.” (pg 99))
Resolution
Complete resolution
Lee finally resent being a Asian or Chinese which makes Lee’s Dad satisfied. (“ I like being Asian. Or Chinese… “And they wrote you off in school, didn’t they?” she said. E shrugged. “Sure,” she said at last. “Maybe. But it’s still not easy.”…But he was satisfied.” (pg 105,106))
Characters
Lee
.She is healthy (“Oh yeah, I’m interested in health foods and stuff. Yogurt. Celery sticks. Do they sell that around here?” (pg 91))
.She is straight-forward (“You think I’m a bastard, don’t you, talking on about Alan…Hey –they didn’t f_k in front of me, if that’s what you mean” (pg 90))
Lee’s Dad
.He is weak at his studies (“Oh, I don’t know. I wasn’t very good at work. Scraped through A levels. I spent more time listening to the radio than studying” (pg 104))
The most interesting part in this story was when Lee’s Dad told her that he was a deejay and her response was “gross out, man” which I find that her response would be what I would say if my dad told me the same thing her dad did. Therefore it was the most interesting part in this story.
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Story: Lee
Conflicts Internal
External
-Grandmother and Uncle Raja
Grandmother was racism and bigotry about Uncle Raja who married her daughter(“And always, in Grandmother’s eyes, that black man who stole her most beautiful daughter” (pg 111))
Climax The climax began when Beverly mentioned that she was going around
Asia. It gave the author of the story something to think about his travels and
how he has never gotten a chance to explore Asia.
Resolution
Complete Resolution
-The conflicts are all resolved and when the narrator opened the lid to his tea, he saw in it all his relatives and his future.
Characters
Beverly
.She is high-class(“Hers in a pot, trimmed at the top and base in a blue and gold pattern –Japanese imitating Royal Doulton- with matching cup, saucer, tiny jug of milk, a plated spoon and tea strainer on its own base, all produced on a gleaming tray with roses and briars worked onto hangles” (pg 108))
.She is arrogant (“I studied nineteenth and twentieth century Chinese history, you know” (pg 111)) .She is ungrateful (“It’s just that you and your family, and all the other relatives have really spoilt me here in Singapore and Malaysia. You’re always feeding me, looking after me” (pg 112))
Grandmother .She is mean(“…a man eats the heart of a banana tree and at night becomes the evil oily man, committing atrocious crimes, black and slippery in the night…Uncle Raja was the oily man” (pg 112))
The most interesting part in this story was the starting of the story when the author and Beverly was served differently which I find it hard to understand if both were served tea at the same place, should they be given the same kind of treatment they paid equally for.
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Story: Evening Under Frangipani Conflicts Internal Prakash -Prakash felt very scared and streesed if he was going to perform well in the interview.("tried to apperar intentive"(pg47)) External Prakash and Elaine
-Argued about women's rights. Elaine states that women are worth more than just a housewife.("...marriage as got nothing to do with the fufilment of woman as woman..isn't it better to develop out full potential as human being"(pg 49)) -They fought with each other over her father's hand which Prakash said it looks like beetles.("...Don't get angry.It's your father.His hands.They're like beetles...And so are mine.Is that right?..."(pg 62)) Climax When Prakash and Elaine broke up. Resolution Open ended Characters Prakash .He is nervy (During his job interview,"...his armpits were circled in sweat:his confident starched white shirt betrayed by his body's sweat glands"(pg 47)) .He is a good worker (He is an officer in the army,(pg 48,49)) .He is conscience (He knows the suffering of the boys in Pakistan,"the long hours of concentration weaving the intricate patterns on princely carpets that dulled the minds and eyes of young boys in Pakistan; or the hours of toil in the stifling darkness of coal pits and blinding brilliance of iron boundaries in north-east China that were contained in the bargain kitchenware -bought and sold in five minutes of ritual haggling"(pg 50)) Elaine .She is feminist/feminism (She fight for women's rights,"...marriage has got nothing to do with the fufilment of woman as woman"(pg 49)) .She is private (Her home was in a private and quiet area,"their home was in a cul-de-sac lined with frangipani trees: their fragrance sweet and cloying when in full blossom:at other times their secent was more delicately spiced"(pg 53,54)) .She is conscience(She knows the suffering of the boys in Pakistan(pg 50)) .She does not like show off (She find people who show off as people who are stupid and people who wants attention,"...jostling with teenagers on parade,bright smart clothes on their fresh young bodies but the sharp scent of glue in their decaying minds"(pg 53)) .She is caring (She wants to cheer Prakash,"She had saved it to cheer him up if he was depressed by an aggressive unsympathetic interview and to add to his happiness if the interview had gone more successfully"(pg 53)) Elaine's Father .He is passionate (He loves insects,"...he had grown to resemble the loves of his life; and with centipede eyebrows and grasshopper noses playing through his mind"(pg 60,61)) Elaine's Mother .She is judgemental (She considered Prakash slow and stupid, and imagined him as physically aggressive, worrying that he would bully Elaine out of her depth(pg 83)) .She is unfriendly (the mother is sarcastic and unfriendly(pg 58)) The most interesting part in this story was when Elaine and Prakash broke up, Prakash said that her father's hand looks like beetles which I find it amusing, "Don't get angry.It;s your father. His hands. They're like beetles." Which is on page 62. I did not know that hands can look like beetles which could cause their relationship to end, therefore make this the most interesting part in this story.
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Choose two stories that reveal the thinking of an older generation of Singaporeans: What new insights have you gained from such a revelation. The Move This story is about a family shifting into another apartment. Madam Teo, mother of Jimmy and Tommy, wanted to bring along her sentimental items, which her children opposed of doing so, because they said that the items that she brought was run-down and that they can buy a new one to replace it. For example, the pomegrante tree that symbolises the family's generation. During the period when they are growing up, they waited for the fruits to turn red. But now, the pomegranate tree has already grown so big, and they do not want it anymore.This shows that young people do not treasure and care about their history, whenever they get something new, they will be oblivious to the past things. Whereas most people of the older generation treasures everything they have, mostly because they experience more hardship than the younger generation.Just like Madam Teo, she said : "Sadness was seeing your father-in-law in China lose all his rice fields when the communist took over. Sadness was watching your father crawl home after being bayonated by Japanese troops in 1942. Sadness was watching your pregnant mother succumb to malarial fever in occupied Singapore not having any drugs to allay her fever. Sadness was waking up in the darkness finding her not in her bed, going out to the rubber plantation to search for her, fearing, as she had threatened, that she would take a cold bath in the nearby pond. Sadness was finding her drowned pregnant formed by moonlight, and knowing that you had to be the one to run home to wake your father and tell him the news. Sadness forever after the funerals of mothers that her friends and cousins lost, which she could never attend, because they reminded her of how she lost hers." Tanjong Rhu Mr Lee is a wealthy businessman. He lives with his wife, daughter and mother. His mother sees things in a different perspective as she is old. When Mr Lee bought a binoculars for her and wanted to give her, she said : "Ahwah, things you can buy, I do not need." And Mr Lee said : "But you don't even know what it is." She said : "I know i have everything i need." This shows that Mr Lee's mother is easily satisfied with what she has. As long as she has her basic needs such as food, water, a clean place to stay, etc, she is satisfied. She doesn't want or need the lastest technology, but rather repeat the beautiful memories she had in her past, where she brought Mr Lee who was just a skinny little boy to Tanjong Rhu to count the ships, skipping pebbles on the waves. This shows that old people aren't so materialistic.
Choose 5 links and write comment of 50-100 words about the content of the blogs. (Not design/pictures/layout)You must identify yourself.
|
With reference to suitable stories, discuss how far change is shown to be either welcomed, or feared.
A History of Tea
This story is about TienYee and Beverly, it differentiates the high class from the middle class. TienYee's cousin Beverly, is someone who is very high class. She has a discerning taste for tea. She drinks her tea in a pot, trimmed at the top and base in a blue and gold pattern - Japanese imitating Royal Doulton, with matching cup, saucer, tiny jug of milk, a plated spoon and tea strainer on its own base, all produced on a gleaming tray with roses and briars worked onto the handles, compared to TienYee, who drinks tea in a tall mug with only blue on bamboo patterns and a cover to help it brew, beaded on its underside with water. TienYee is very simple minded, he treats tea like tea while Beverly is very complex, she treats tea very importantly, which had to be served properly every single time.The MoveThis is story is about a family shifting into another apartment. Madam Teo, mother of Jimmy and Tommy, wanted to bring along her sentimental items, which her children opposed of doing so, because they said that the items that she brought was run-down and that they can buy a new one to replace it. For example, the pomegrante tree that symbolises the family's generation. During the period when they are growing up, they waited for the fruits to turn red. But now, the pomegranate tree has already grown so big, and they do not want it anymore.This shows that young people do not treasure and care about their history. Whenever they get something new, they will be oblivious to the past things.
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With reference to suitable stories , discuss how far change is shown to be either welcomed or feared .
Lee
This story shows the relationship between a Singaporean father and his Americanized daughter. His ex wife passed away and his daughter re-enters his life. The awkward, uneasy relationship between father and daughter dramatizes the clash between the "Asian" and "Western" culture, and finally his daughter welcomed the Asian culture.
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How is motherhood presented in any two or three stories in the collection?
The Martyrdom of Helena Rodrigues
Helena who is the mother of George, She may not be a perfect mother but she is willing to sacrifice to provide the best for George. When George was sixteen, he acquited his driving licence, and the keys of the family car. One day, when he took the car out all one afternoon, He forgotten that it was his mother's day to play bridge. Helena had been walking to the bus stop after he left for school each day, and slipping in before he came home, so that he will not be able to see her enduring those labour. When George when to dinner with his Uncle, Helena did not complain that she feels lonely so that George could enjoy his dinner and not worry about her.
Mid Autumn
The narrator is a very loving and dedicated mother. She stayed in her teaching job so that she could afford the best education for her daughter. She sent her to the best school in Singapore, and even paid money to sent her to Art, ballet, piano classes and chinese tuition although her husband was not willing to pay for the courses. Her daughter had qualifications to become a GP but she decided to be a missonary in Uganda. Much to her disappointment, every mid autumn festival she still continue to pray for her daughter's deliverance.
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Story: An Orbituary For Fifth Aunt Came Late
Conflicts
Internal
-Mother and her children
The mother continuously bewailed her lot of nine children , thirteen is you counted the dead babies with endless chores and drudgery (pg 152)
External
- Mother & Husband
The tight-lipped husband who positioned himself at the dinner-table-the-bed-out-the-front-door , who even she stopped simpering to when he opened his mouth and said “tea” or “hungry already” , and it then fell upon her to break the code (pg 152)
-Aunt & Her Mother
When she was six years old, my aunt developed a bronchial cough that wouldn’t go away even after taking weeks of murky, dark brews. The concoctions were so foul-smelling (smelly) and bitter and no amount of sugar could make them palatable. Don’t waste our sugar , her mother said , your brothers need the sugar for their school sandwiches (pg 152)
Climax
Resolution
Characters
Fifth Aunt
.She is caring (She would put others before herself , she would fill everyone’s bowl before filling hers(pg 150))
.She is filial (She lived in her mother’s house,“ My aunt was in her fifties . She lived in my grandmother’s house” (pg 149))
Grandmother
.She is traditional (She is biased on the males, “Don’t waste our sugar …Your brothers need the sugar for their school sandwiches” (pg 152)
Narrator
.She is disrespectful (She did not treat her aunt they way she should be, “She was my aunt, but I didn’t make it a point to be her niece” (pg 149))
The most interesting part in this story was about the grandmother being biased and showed favoritisms to the males. I wonder if it is still happening until today. I do not know why only males are being loved by the people. Therefore this is the most interesting part in this story as after that it make me want to read more.
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Story: Release
Conflicts External
-Eileen and the female neighbour
Eileen’s neighbour compared the dog to her which is a sign of disrespect to her (“The woman waved a hand. Her gold bracelet gleamed in the sun. “Yeah, yeah, you’re like our dog”…“Don’t give birth to as many as this dog’s going to have”” (pg 140,141))
-Eileen and her husband
Eileen forgotten to collect her husband’s suit from the dry-cleaners which got him vexed (““Honey, have you picked up my suit from the dry-cleaners?”…“No, I forgot,” she said…“It’s all right. I’ll just have to zip over to the cleaners before I come and get you. I thought that now you weren’t working, you could…forget it. If we’re late for dinner, you explain to them.”” (pg 140,141))
-Eileen and her neighbour
Eileen’s neighbor cut down her guava tree when she was in the supermarket (“In the first week, the new neighbours cut down the guava tree near the fence separating the two houses while Eileen was at the supermarket. She came back to a big, ugly hole in the garden…”Why did you do that? The tree wasn’t in your property, the branches were all within ours.”” (pg 141))
Climax
When Eileen called the SPCA and was bring rejected, she decided to do something about it, so she decided to wait until the person came to give them food, to solve the problem. (“And this was what the person on the line said –Sorry, we can’t help you…“What’ll I do now? I’m going crazy”…she would wait until the person came to give them food.” (pg 145,146))
Resolution
Open Ended
-The problem is only partially solved as Eileen got her Silence from the dog which she wanted, but she was being traumatized by what the man did. We do not what will happen to the man who killed the dogs, or what will the owners do the man who killed their dogs, or whether Eileen would report this incident to the police as animal abuse.
Characters
Eileen
.She is on good terms with others (“Eileen tied her hair into a ponytail and went over to say hi, just to be a friendly neighbor. She ws pregnant that she could hardly walk down the street without heaving like a dying dog, but she went anyway.” (pg 139))
.She is narrow-minded( “You don’t do gardening anyway. So what if they took a foot if the garden? Why make things so difficult?” (pg 143))
Philip
.He is Petty (“I told you yesterday and this morning…It’s all right. I’ll just have to zip over to the cleaners before I come and get you. I thought that now you weren’t working, you could…forget it. If we’re late for dinner, you explain to them” (pg 140,141)
The man who lived at the neightbour house .He is Understanding (“The dogs go really bother the baby, don’t they…Well, don’t you worry. I’ll take care of it” (pg 147))
.He is Violent (“ Thud. A dull sound. It came from the outside. She looked out the window, heard it again –thud. And there was silence. She saw the man emerge from the shadows, wiping the spanner” (pg 148))
The most interesting part in this story was the ending of the story when she saw the man emerge from the shadows, wiping the spanner. It made me curious whether he killed the dog and clean the spanner or he moved the dog to another location and clean his dirty spanner. That is why it is the most interesting part in this story.
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Story: Pastime
Conflicts Internal
-Mr. Lee & Tai Poh
Mr Lee was laughing on the inside as he thinks that he thinks that Tai Poh has failed in trying to fool him .
External
Climax
When Mr. Lee started on his own “story”
Resolution Nothing had changed as it is just a story, it was a hobby and pastime and nothing was real.
Characters
Tai Poh
.He is quiet (“ …he didn’t talk to the passengers or disturb them in any way” (pg 212))
.He is observant(“He watched and carefully considered, before he picked one to feature in his story” (pg 212))
Mr. Lee
.He is cautious(“He thought he could fool me but I was prepared” (pg 216))
The most interesting part in this story was about the shampoo girl. She thought that the defeated –looking man with white hair which was staring at her was disturbing and when he comes over to her seat, she wanted to run away but in the end he hands her a picture of her mother.
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Story: Lee
Conflicts Internal
-Lee’s dad
.Felt awkward to be in the car with Lee (“…she listened, half-impatiently, without saying a word, and that merely increased his awkwardness” (pg 88))
.Does not like Lee to talk about Alan Piscopo (“He gripped the wheel, feeling a wholly unexpected jealousy irected at the faceless Piscopo, whom he visualized…” (pg 88))
External
Climax
Lee finally talked about her mother’s death which she related it to David Hockney prints (“ When I found Mom –in the pool- that’s what I thought. A David Hockney print come to life.” (pg 99))
Resolution
Complete resolution
Lee finally resent being a Asian or Chinese which makes Lee’s Dad satisfied. (“ I like being Asian. Or Chinese… “And they wrote you off in school, didn’t they?” she said. E shrugged. “Sure,” she said at last. “Maybe. But it’s still not easy.”…But he was satisfied.” (pg 105,106))
Characters
Lee
.She is healthy (“Oh yeah, I’m interested in health foods and stuff. Yogurt. Celery sticks. Do they sell that around here?” (pg 91))
.She is straight-forward (“You think I’m a bastard, don’t you, talking on about Alan…Hey –they didn’t f_k in front of me, if that’s what you mean” (pg 90))
Lee’s Dad
.He is weak at his studies (“Oh, I don’t know. I wasn’t very good at work. Scraped through A levels. I spent more time listening to the radio than studying” (pg 104))
The most interesting part in this story was when Lee’s Dad told her that he was a deejay and her response was “gross out, man” which I find that her response would be what I would say if my dad told me the same thing her dad did. Therefore it was the most interesting part in this story.
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Story: Lee
Conflicts Internal
External
-Grandmother and Uncle Raja
Grandmother was racism and bigotry about Uncle Raja who married her daughter(“And always, in Grandmother’s eyes, that black man who stole her most beautiful daughter” (pg 111))
Climax The climax began when Beverly mentioned that she was going around
Asia. It gave the author of the story something to think about his travels and
how he has never gotten a chance to explore Asia.
Resolution
Complete Resolution
-The conflicts are all resolved and when the narrator opened the lid to his tea, he saw in it all his relatives and his future.
Characters
Beverly
.She is high-class(“Hers in a pot, trimmed at the top and base in a blue and gold pattern –Japanese imitating Royal Doulton- with matching cup, saucer, tiny jug of milk, a plated spoon and tea strainer on its own base, all produced on a gleaming tray with roses and briars worked onto hangles” (pg 108))
.She is arrogant (“I studied nineteenth and twentieth century Chinese history, you know” (pg 111)) .She is ungrateful (“It’s just that you and your family, and all the other relatives have really spoilt me here in Singapore and Malaysia. You’re always feeding me, looking after me” (pg 112))
Grandmother .She is mean(“…a man eats the heart of a banana tree and at night becomes the evil oily man, committing atrocious crimes, black and slippery in the night…Uncle Raja was the oily man” (pg 112))
The most interesting part in this story was the starting of the story when the author and Beverly was served differently which I find it hard to understand if both were served tea at the same place, should they be given the same kind of treatment they paid equally for.
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Story: Evening Under Frangipani Conflicts Internal Prakash -Prakash felt very scared and streesed if he was going to perform well in the interview.("tried to apperar intentive"(pg47)) External Prakash and Elaine
-Argued about women's rights. Elaine states that women are worth more than just a housewife.("...marriage as got nothing to do with the fufilment of woman as woman..isn't it better to develop out full potential as human being"(pg 49)) -They fought with each other over her father's hand which Prakash said it looks like beetles.("...Don't get angry.It's your father.His hands.They're like beetles...And so are mine.Is that right?..."(pg 62)) Climax When Prakash and Elaine broke up. Resolution Open ended Characters Prakash .He is nervy (During his job interview,"...his armpits were circled in sweat:his confident starched white shirt betrayed by his body's sweat glands"(pg 47)) .He is a good worker (He is an officer in the army,(pg 48,49)) .He is conscience (He knows the suffering of the boys in Pakistan,"the long hours of concentration weaving the intricate patterns on princely carpets that dulled the minds and eyes of young boys in Pakistan; or the hours of toil in the stifling darkness of coal pits and blinding brilliance of iron boundaries in north-east China that were contained in the bargain kitchenware -bought and sold in five minutes of ritual haggling"(pg 50)) Elaine .She is feminist/feminism (She fight for women's rights,"...marriage has got nothing to do with the fufilment of woman as woman"(pg 49)) .She is private (Her home was in a private and quiet area,"their home was in a cul-de-sac lined with frangipani trees: their fragrance sweet and cloying when in full blossom:at other times their secent was more delicately spiced"(pg 53,54)) .She is conscience(She knows the suffering of the boys in Pakistan(pg 50)) .She does not like show off (She find people who show off as people who are stupid and people who wants attention,"...jostling with teenagers on parade,bright smart clothes on their fresh young bodies but the sharp scent of glue in their decaying minds"(pg 53)) .She is caring (She wants to cheer Prakash,"She had saved it to cheer him up if he was depressed by an aggressive unsympathetic interview and to add to his happiness if the interview had gone more successfully"(pg 53)) Elaine's Father .He is passionate (He loves insects,"...he had grown to resemble the loves of his life; and with centipede eyebrows and grasshopper noses playing through his mind"(pg 60,61)) Elaine's Mother .She is judgemental (She considered Prakash slow and stupid, and imagined him as physically aggressive, worrying that he would bully Elaine out of her depth(pg 83)) .She is unfriendly (the mother is sarcastic and unfriendly(pg 58)) The most interesting part in this story was when Elaine and Prakash broke up, Prakash said that her father's hand looks like beetles which I find it amusing, "Don't get angry.It;s your father. His hands. They're like beetles." Which is on page 62. I did not know that hands can look like beetles which could cause their relationship to end, therefore make this the most interesting part in this story.
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Hello my name is Darius.
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