The Interview... (The Disappearance)

Me        : Why you leave your husband, ma’am?

Her      : I don't love him like what I'm supposed to.That's the major reason of my decision to run away from him. I cannot live with someone that I don’t love.Love cannot be forced, right? People always describe him as a good husband. But the real him; I am the only one know.He is not as good as you all think.He even once forced me to do an intimate relationship and that makes me kind of phobia. I even cannot further my study even though that is the single thing that I can dream of. After quite some time struggling with all these inner pressure,I think I cannot withstand any longer. I finally plan to run away from him. For me it is such a harassment.Yes, which wife allow herself to be treated like a doll to her husband? I have my own feeling that need to take care of. Besides, America is such a new place for me. I just need some time to adapt with the environment. However, I am away now. It is such a relief. For being far away from those suffering.

Me         :  But ma'am, have you ever think about your son?

Her        : I know I am wrong for leaving my son. Even until now, I cannot get him out of my mind. I keep thinking about him all the time. He is the single reason for me to regret this decision of running away. However, it is also much better for him to stay with his father.His father can afford him better than I might can. His father has a good job. But, I am not. I am jobless.Yes,I miss my son but I just cannot give him a better life if he is with me.I do love him very much. But, what can I do? He deserves a better and luxurious life since he is our only son.

Me         :  So,what is your plan after this?

Her        : I want to go back to Calcutta and live my life there with my family. But then, I also promise to myself  that I will come back again for them some day.Perhaps I can ask for apologize with my son.I hope there will be some day that I can explain all these complicated situation.

 Me        :  Is that mean that you regret your decision?

Her       : Yes, I am.Especially when the thought of my son comes across my mind.But for now, being far away from my husband is still the best decision that I can think of. I just need some time. Perhaps I still can meeting them again someday. That is my desire.

The Disappearance (tasks)

1. Does the title hint at anything ominous? How?
   Yes. The title does hint on something ominous by giving the short story the title "The Disappearance", it give the hint of something missing and something disappear.
2. The father does not give any indication to the son that his mother is coming back. Why is that so? Do you think it is acceptable to tell a white lie?
   He didn't want to hurt his son feeling. Yes, it is acceptable to tell a white lie especially to kids. The reasons is that kids do not really understand what is going on if given such a complicated reasons. So it is better lying rather than explaining something complicated to the kids which at last will bring dissappointment
3. Do you think the saying 'out of sight, out of mind' summarises this short story? How?
   No. Eventhough the wife is out of the husband's sight , he never forget her for the rest of his life
4. Do Americans and Indians share the same values? Explain.
   No. American and  Indian do not share the same value especially when it comes to clothing. The American tend to wear sexy clothing but the Indian tend to wear the closed-clothing such as salwaar kameez.

Love For Family(task)

The theme of Love for family can be seen clearly in the ‘Jade Bracelet’ that was written by Mary Frances Chong. This theme can be seen in Mrs. Wong. She takes good care of her mother throughout her mother’s life. This shows that Mrs. Wong really loves her mother. She is an independent and strong person. She can managed her mother’s funeral at Sam Poh Tong very well without her husband at her side. This themes is also reflected in two short story that is, "A rose for Emily" and "Birthday".

 In the story "A Rose for Emily", the love for family is shown in Emily. When her father passed away, she did not want to let go of her father until she had been realised by other people. She only willing to let go her father corpse after three days pronounce dead. This show her strong love for her father.

Meanwhile, in the short story ‘Birthday’ that was written by Lee Kok Liang. It is seen in the anonymous character that is kept called ‘she’ in the story. She loves her grandmother very much. That’s why she always listen to her grandmother’s instructions. Her grandmother also show her love towards her granddaughter but in different ways. It can be seen when She made the match-making for her granddaughter.

                                                                                                                                                                  Written by all group members.                                                              

Possible Ending Of The Jade Bracelet (Task)

Today we are asked to discuss about the possible ending of The Jade Bracelet written by Mary Frances Chong. And this is what the possible ending our group has come up with :

Ah Kow was extremely happy when Mrs. Wong told that he would be the one that inherit the jade bracelet. He thought that it was the most appropriate decision because he was the one that  really in need of money.At the same time, he even thought about selling that jade bracelet. Siew May whined loudly for she did not get the single thing that she always wanted from her grandmother for all this while. Mrs. Wong consoled her and told that this was the best decision because she did not want Siew May to become a materialistic person in the future.

                                  Written by all group members except Falakh as he has his own opinion.


This is his opinion :


Ah Kow kept the jade bracelet in his old cupboard. It was forever forgotten. Dust became the best friend of the jade.

The JADE Bracelet (tasks)

1.What is the relationship between Mrs Wong and Mrs Lee?

        They are in-laws. Mrs Wong's husband is siblings with Mrs Lee. 

2.            Is Mrs Wong a filial daughter? Give three reasons.

         *For years she had been nursing her bed-ridden mother

         *She never permit any word of complaint to pass through her lips not a single word.

         *she prepared broth for her mother even though it was not consumed.

3.            What is Ah Kow's real name? How is he related to the dying woman in the short story?

          Ah Kow's real name is Fook Kee. He is the only son of the dying mother. We assumed that Ah Kow is husband to Mrs. Lee.

4.            Why is Sam Poh Tong mentioned in the short story?

         Sam Poh Tong is a Buddhist Temple. It was mentioned in the short story because they about to sent Grandmother to the temple because she is dying. They are going to perform praying ceremony for their mother.

5.            What do you think the jade bracelet symbolises? Give your reasons.

          It symbolises the life of the Grandmother. The jade bracelet will change colour when it is used for quite a while. The jade will help in in enhancing body system in which the Chinese believe.

          

6.            Do you think Siew May is naive? Cite your reasons with quotations.

          Yes. It is shown when her grandmother passed away. She 

        "i want to go home... Grandmother will be waiting alone!"

           

7.            Did Siew May get the jade bracelet in the end? Why?

          No. This is because Fook Kee is the only son of the family,and he has the right to take the bracelet. In Chinese culture, the son will have more right on the family wealth rather than a daughter. This is because long time ago, parent usually marry off their daughter

8.            Do you like the story? Why?

        Yes, it show how responsible a daughter take care of her mother. This acts should be follow by all child towards their's parent. The short story reveals a lot on Chines-Buddhist culture. It show a conflict happen among siblings on the rights on the family wealths and properties.

Birthday (Task)

On the 4th of August, we discussed about the short story entitled 'Birthday' that was written by Lee Kok Liang. At the end of class, our beloved English Studies lecturer ask us to do a recording task. These are the questions that he gave us:

Imagine you are Uncle Teng and you feel disappointed about the spilling incident. What will you tell your parents upon reaching home? You might include the following in your conversation with your parents:

• your initial perception of the girl
• your perception of the grandmother
• your perception of C.B
• your plans after the accidental spill

Make a recording of your conversation and post it in your blog. The recording should be about 4 minutes long. If you find it difficult to speak off-hand, you can write out the conversation first. Once you are happy with your recording, you can upload it here and embed it in your post.

  

We did the task. In this recording, Falakh becomes the voice of Uncle Teng, Albinus becomes the father while Elfera, Angela and Kelly becomes the script writer. We had a lot of fun doing this task. So, enjoy our recording :)

Birthday by Lee Kok Liang

Summary

The short story entitled ‘Birthday’ that was written by Lee Kok Liang is a story about a Chinese woman aged 25 years old that is living with her grandmother. Her grandmother is always controlling her life. Although she is already 25 years old, she is not married yet. According to her tradition, a girl should be married by the age of 18. It was her 25th birthday. But nobody remembers her birthday. Uncle Teng from the northern village came to have a look on her for the possibility of marriage. At dinner time, she clumsily spilled some curry on Uncle Teng's trousers. It was the cockroach that made her to spill the curry. Her grandmother scolded her for the simple mistake and says that she will be a spinster for the rest of her life.

                                           

                                                         Written by Elfera Achin.

The Chinese Culture

Today, we are having discussion on “Birthday” written by Lee Kok Liang. The protagonist in that story is not named but I know that she is from a Chinese family. In the story, her grandmother is getting really mad with her as she is prepared for an arranged married and yet she spoils the impression of the man, Uncle Teng toward her at the first meet by dropping the curry accidentally on his trousers.. Chinese culture mostly put stress on respecting elder and guest. Therefore, it is not a surprise to see her grandmother’s impression toward her for that. Besides, most Chinese also take things seriously when it comes to give hospitality to their guest. They always want to give their best so that people will not look down upon them
                                          Written by Angela Devung Denis.

Themes

The theme in the short story is social life. In the Chinese culture, it is important to respect the eldest. They also believe in arranged marriage. They also believed that a young girl must get marry as they reach the age 18. If they didn’t get marry by the age 18, they are believe that they miss their time and they have to marry to someone older. It is hard to marry off their young daughter.  In Chinese family, the girls must do all house works.
                                                       Written by Albinus Arbut.

Characteristic

Grandmother

• A very strict grandmother.
• But in the other side of her, there are caring values. She cares about her grand daughter's future. She wants her to have a soul mate.
• Very concerned about the Chinese Culture. She was trying to match the protagonist with Uncle Teng.

She

• The protagonist of the story
• Respect the elders and obedient.
• She wants to get married and have a family of her own.
• Clumsy and had a bad luck

Uncle Teng

• He was chosen by the protagonist's grandmother to be the protaganist's mate
• He does not speak much. A very quiet person.
• He is a good observer.                                                                                                                           

                                                                                            Written by Abdul Falakh Zafrieyl.

Style and Tone

1.            Visual Imagery – refer to descriptive language that evokes emotional responses.

“If she could only take care of him, she would keep him clean like a well-washed plate”

(Paragraph 1 line 6)

2.            Simile - a comparison of two things.

“..did not have such red lips as Grandmother’s”

(Page 26 line 1)

3.            Personification – make a thing, idea, or an animal do something only humans can do.

“..and the sharp rays of the sun caught the spinning particles of dust floating near the tiny skylight.”

(Page 24, last paragraph)

                                                 Written by Kelly Katty Jameson.