QUOTES FROM ISLAND VOICES

Island voices

paper
"not to worry, not to worry" he said jovially, not superstitious like his wife. "after all,its just paper gains so far."

"well just leave her alone,i was kind enough to offer to help her make money"

wife

the martyrdom of helena rodrigues
"george is such a good boy."
helena

"just in case you brought anyone home, dear"
helena

sundowner
"no doctor, tuan, but the bidan says Tijah is all right."
Aman

"i have seen everything, John, so let us relax and enjoy our sundowner"

tanjong rhu
"like a clove of garlic or what ,talking about peeling my eye!"
ah ma

"see-far glasses"

evening under the frangipani
"he knew his armpits were circled in sweat."

"whats so damn funny?"
elaine

Lee
"i don`t eat meat"
lee

"he disliked her tone, 'they are your people too!"

a history of tea
"she drank lapsang souchong and i had oolong"

there was a story grandmother used to tell

a dream of china
they could in singapore or they could return to build a new china

"don't leave me to die here. i have not long to live, i want to get out.can you get me out?"
uncle

release
"the voice on the other end of the line sounded cool"

"ask him about the fence..........."
eileen

an orbituary for fifth aunt come late
"my aunt developed a bronchial cough that wouldn't go away"

"do you remember your aunt?"

corrider
"who said i'm not happy?"

"there are naughty kids, sometimes they pee on the stairs"

mid autumn
"she can be a doctor ,make big money ,find a good husband."

"candle is so inconvenient"

hamid and the hand of fate
"if it happens ,it happens, if not...then its all god's will"

would he pay for this in another life?

the move
everything except her plants.

the question hurt his head for he had no answer.

pastime
"anyone here ,tell me their story"

"as a hobby ,he made up stories about the people he saw on the underground."

1b
In your opinion, how key is the parent-child relationship to Vinod`s inevitable end?

Vinod's parents basically abandoned him by denying that he has mental problems. Vinod's parent's absence in the play proves to us that they have no involvement and care for Vinod's life. Vinod also doesn't really talk and reveal much about his parents. Only during act 2 scene 3, Saloma asks him and he talks about his parents. Vinod's parent, like parents these days, dont spend much time with their children and spend more time on work. Vinod's parents is an example of parents in today's society. Vinod's father is a judge and his mother is a chairperson of a corporation. From the book, act 2 scene 3, " -Saloma, i'd rather not talk about my parents. Their careers are going well. They are top people. So high you cannot see them anymore ". Vinod also craves for love and warmth but, his parents only pushes him with high hopes and expectations. Evidence from the book are, act 2 scene 3, " I'm the physical physical type. I like touch. You know... but they are formal." and, act 2 scene 3 " he needs a hug ". Both evidences shows that Vinod wants love form his parents. His lacking in parental love could also be the cause of his mental illness and his end.

'Vinod`s high expectations of himself caused his downfall.' to what extent do you agree with this analysis of Vinod predicament and tragedy?

I agree to much extent that Vinod’s high expectation of himself caused his downfall. Vinod thought that he could carry any burden on his back. One such burden is, Saloma. From Vinod’s perspective, Saloma was a lost kitten that he had found. Instead, of having somebody to care about, it looks more as if it was an extra burden that he had to carry. Like the saying, 'misery loves company'. Vinod thinks highly of himself and this could be the result of his parent’s high hopes and expectations for him.

Discuss the reason for saloma`s transformation in the play.

The reasons for Saloma's transformation in the play could emotional help from her friends and medication as a cure for their mental illness. Firstly, when Saloma met Emily at the halfway house, Emily taught her a mantra,(from act 2 scene 2) " They are jealous because i am special" and " I am strong. Nothing can destroy me ". These two mantras that Saloma was taught about, made her feel emotionally stronger when facing problems and it also made her believe in herself. The mantra was used during a conversation she had with Vinod and he was impressed with her strong words. Secondly, taking her medication could also be one of the reasons. Since the start of the play,(act 1 scene 2) Vinod and Saloma have been in a disagreement on wether medicine could cure them. Saloma finds medication as the solution of her mental illness. Saloma has been taking her medicine eventhough Mak and Vinod disagree in medication. When Saloma takes her medication, she gets better. But on the other hand, when Vinod takes his medication, he encounters side effects such as trembling hands. This could be the reason why Vinod hates medicines. Apart from Vinod, Mak also disagree in taking medication as a cure. Mak, who is a very religious character, believes that there is nothing wrong with Saloma and refers Saloma's illness in religious terms such as not praying well, being cursed or offended God. Another point to add in is, when Vinod came into a state of depression and shuts himself in his room, Saloma felt that she had to be independant and learn to live by herself. On that act, Saloma might have learnt that has to take care of herself and not be dependable on Vinod. One incident is, the robbery. During the robbery, it was Vinod who freaked out instead of Saloma. Saloma seemed to be more brave than Vinod. She was also the one who proposed to write a letter of complain to the newspaper for insulting mental patients instead of Vinod who was supposed to be smarter and brave in the start. To conclude, the reasons for Saloma's transformation could be, the mantras that Emily taught her and medications that she took to cure her mental problems.


"Though a minor role in the play , the character Razali is the key to the plot of off centre." To what extent do you agree with this assement ?

Eventhough the character Razali played a minor role, i agree to much extent that he was the key to plot Off Centre. One incident that proves my stand is, the robbery. During the robbery Razali wasn’t there to help Vinod and Saloma. Vinod then blame Razali for his absence. From the book, (act 5 scene 1) “ During the robbery! You are the guard. You were supposed to guard us. How come you’re not around when we need you the most?”. His absence could also mean that mental patients are less important than normal people. In the society today, mental patients are being looked down, taken advantage of, and are being less important than normal people. This could be the key to the plot, Off centre.

Datta , Dayadhvam , Damyata" means to "Give , Sympathise , Control". How did the major characters in the play exert control in their enviroment and / or their lives ? Support your answer with evidence from the text .

one example of control ccan be seen throughout the story where vinod tries to control saloma`s life.He thinks that he is responsible for Saloma and that he should take care of Saloma like a stray kitten which he had found.Emily also tries to control Vinod when she appears in Vinod`s dreams.In that scene,the phrase 'Datta , Dayadhvam , Damyata' is first mentioned in the story.

Based on the text Off Centre, discuss how peer acceptance and family support are vital to social status and mental well-being.


Peer acceptance and family support are both important to social status and a person`s mental well-being. Firstly, family support,as seen form the play, we can see that Vinod's parent's absence tells us that they do not have any care and concern for him. And, in the end, Vinod`ssuicides and lack of parental love could be the cause of it. From the book, act 2 scene 3, " He wanted to rush home and confront his parents ". From the evidence, we can see that he craves for parental love. He wanted his parents to care and show concern for him.Secondly, Vinod's rejection from the society and his friends proves that support from friends are important. From the play, act 5 scene 1, " Maybe you're not ready to be intergrated into the real world ". This evidence shows us Mr Chow's rejection of Vinod. After being fired, Vinod doesn't want to work because of society's rejection of mental patients.Another evidence is, " Well, it would help if some of my friends called once in a while... if ONE of my friends called ". From this evidence we can see that Vinod's " friends " rejected him because of his mental illness.In conclusion, both peer acceptance and family support is important to social status and mental well-being.

5 Off-Centre quotes

act 4 scene 1 pg 103- Datta, dayadhvam, damyata. give, sympathise, control.

act 2 scene 2 pg 55-They are jealous because i am special.

act 2 scene 2 pg 58-I am strong, nothing can destroy me.

act 5 scene 1 pg122-Don`t... er... kill yourself.

act 2 scene 3 pg63- saloma had become a stray kitten he had found in the middle of the expressway.

choose two stories that reveal the thinking of an older generation of singaporeans. What new insights have you gained from such a revelation?

Mid Autumn


The mother is very old-fashioned and traditional because she still believes very much in the Mid Autumn festival while her daughter is more mordenized and does not believe in it as much as her parents.The mother also has an outdated thinking because she thinks that her daughter should lead a more normal life as a normal Singaporean.Her daughter, on the other hand thinks that she should lead her life as the way she wants to lead it.For example,the daughter wants to go to Uganda to help out despite her mother's wish for her to go to university and get a job.

Tanjong Rhu

The mother likes to think alot about her past and cherish them while the son is more morden thinking and looks more to the present and the future.The mother also like to think about her husband(which is the son's father).Her son,on the other hand,tries to forget his father who is gone.Addtionally,when the mother looks at the mordenized Tanjong Rhu she sees the old-fashioned port which she recognized sometime back.

4)How are young people and their ideals presented in two stories in the collection. How far do you indentify with this young people?

In Tanjong Rhu, the little daughter was rude to her grandmother. In society now, teenagers are generally rude to their elderly grandmother.

3)With refrence to suitable story, dicuss how far change is shown to be either welcomed or feared.

In Paper, the change of how they were poor at first,and then became rich, and finally became bankrupt overnight. It was ironic twist to the story at the end as they finally did not achive what they desire and the husband became crazy and died of his greed.This type of change was not welcomed as this was not what they have expected to happen.

2)Select two stories in which there is conflict between parent and child, and show how far there is some resoultion of these difference at the end of

In Mid Autumn, the mother was waiting for the daughter to come back every Mid Autumn festival.Whereas her daughter always does not turn up. In the end of the story, the mother accepted her daughter's choice of leaving to Uganda.

In Tanjong Rhu, the son does not trust and believe his mother when she see's the past when using the binoculars. Her son though that she was lying and her eyes need treatment.Another conflict is when her son argued with her mother regarding her going for eye treatment. In the end the mother passed away.

1)How is motherhood presented in any two stories in the collection?

In Mid Autumn the mother cares alot for her daughter,it can be seen from her actions, such as adding her daughter's favourite ingredients into the mooncake and buying her lanturn. She works hard as a primary school teacher while her father does not.

In Paper, at the end of the story the mother paid for the funeral and specialy made his dream house out of paper for him even though her son did not treat her well during his life.

Pastime

Conflict(internal) An internal conflict in the story is that the story which Tai Poh claims that is not true (but might potray his life as well), might be true. It could be that he does not want to tell Mr Lee the truth because he is too shy to talk about his past, so he tries to potray it as fiction. Pg 214
Conflict (external) An external conflicts is the story told about Tai Poh, the one about a young man who decides to fight in the jungle. Pg 213
Climax I think that the climax of the story is when Mr Lee decides to tell his own little story about a security guard which might also reflect on Tai Poh’s life. It adds more suspense to the story from this point.
Resolution The resolution of the story is a revelation. Nothing much happens other than the conversation ending, but, it has made both of them realize certain things about their lives and that some things about their lives and that some things are best kept as stories.
Characters Tai Poh: Mysterious (tells a story which could be about himself but claims it is fiction pg 215)
: Creative (likes to make up stories to past the time pg 212)
: Shy (never share his stories pg 212)
Mr Lee : Attentive (listens to Tai Poh’s story attentively pg 216)
: Creative (makes up his own story after hearing Tai Poh’s pg 2!7)
: Persistant (wants to continue his story despite Tai Poh’s objection pg 217)
Man mention in Tai Poh’s story: Brave (would go on television pg 213)
: Ambitious (full of dreams pg 213)
: Reckless ( join a fighter group when he was young)

I think the most interesting segment of the storyis when Mr Lee decided to tell Tai Poh his own story. This made the reader more interested in the story and made me wonder what Mr Lee was intending to hint at Tai Poh.

A history of tea

Conflicts (external)
An external conflict in the story is the opium wars mentioned in the story. The Opium Wars broke out with the English ready to go to war for free trade (their right to sell opium) against the Chinese government. Pg 119-120

Conflicts (internal)
An internal conflict in the story is when Beverly mentions that she is going to China and is looking forward to it. This is despite the fact that she knows that most travellers find food terrible and expensive. Pg 112
Climax I think the climax of the story is when Beverly mentions that she was going to tour Asia. It gave the author of the story something to think about his own heritage and how he has never had a chance to explore Asia. Pg 113
Resolution The resolution of the story is more of a revelation in my opinion. Nothing much happens in the ending besides the fact that the conversation ends. It does, however, give the author the opportunity to think about his family tree, his relative and the history of tea that has an impact of his family. Pg 122
Characters Beverly: Smart (planned to study history at Oxford/Cambridge pg 111)
:Understanding(understands her mother’s love for tea pg 111)
:Choosey(only likes certain types of tea which is not to bitter or too sweet pg 109)
Aunt Sherrie: Tea addict (pg 111)
: Religious (does not approve of Beverly’s Jewish boyfriend pg 119)
: Not used to changes ( spoke English in a Singaporean tone even after living in England for almost ten years pg 119)
Grandmother: Religious (churchgoer pg 117)
: Traditional (maintains Chinese tradition pg 115)
: Calls people names (conjured a story that Uncle Raja was an oily man pg 112)


The most interesting segment of the story is when Beverly talks about her Jewish boyfriend and how her parents do not approve of her relationship with him. It surprises me that their religious views can be very narrow and made me curious about what Beverly will do about it.

An obituary for fifth aunt come late

Conflict (internal)
An internal conflict in the story is between the aunt’s temptation to learn how to read and her belief in the stigma that a dressmaker’s assistant could not be literate at that time. The evidence is on pg 155 where her grandfather held a law fiercely on the family that a dressmaker’s assistant should be allowed to read.

Conflict (external)
An external conflict in the story is between the aunt and her father. When the aunt was sick during her childhood years, her father had apparently lost patience with her and did not feel it was right to spend the family fortunes trying to cure her when he should be spending it on his boys. (pg 153)

Climax
The climax of the story is when the Japanese forces invaded and occupied Singapore. It added more excitement to the story and helped to change the lives of the main characters in the story. (pg 156)

Resolution
The resolution in the story is complete because the aunt has pretty much lived a full and fulfilling life despite some setbacks. Although the life she lived is not quite fortunate compared to the lives of people today, she did not worry about that fact and lived her life as what normal people did at that time. She also died peacefully and is survived by her family members.

Characters
Aunt: Obedient (she always did the chores her parents assigned her pg 152-153)
: Filial (She is willing to join another family so that her family can save money pg 153)
: Hardworking (she always helps the author’s grandmother by doing chores pg 149)

Aunt’s parents: Biased (they care more about their sons than their daughter’s pg 152)
: caring (sent the aunt to another family for a better life pg 153)
: Old fashioned (they prefer to have sons pg 151)

Dressmaker: Kind-hearted (he told the aunt not to go to work on realising the soldier’s intentions pg 158)
: Business minded (offered discounts to the Japanese occupiers’ pg 157)
: Welcoming (offered tea to the Japanese occupiers’ pg 157)

The most interesting segment in the story is when the aunt joined another family. It is pretty much the start of a new life for the aunt and a lot of unexpected things can happen from this point until the end of the story it has made me wonder whether the aunt will finally be treated fairly or whether she will still be treated as she was with her old family.

release

Release

Conflict (internal)
The internal conflict in the story is between Eileen`s desire to complain to the neighbours and her natural habit to ignore the situation. The evidence of her neglect is on pg 144 where she “tried as hard as possible not to notice anything about her neighbours”. However the constant build-up of disturbances from her neighbours has force her to take actions like on pg 145 when she decided to call the SPCA.

Conflict (external)
One of the external conflicts in the story is between Eileen and her husband, Philip. Eileen was unhappy with how Philip always stood up for the neighbours and not for Eileen. Philip had always tried ignored the atrocities committed by the new neighbours and end up letting them get away with things. Also, the fact that Philip cares more about his work to be bothered with Eileen`s complaints has also infuriated her. (pg 140-142)

Climax
I think the climax of the story is when Eileen finally decides to call for help from the SPCA and the police. This is the part of the story where things can become unpredictable. It allows the reader to wonder what will happen next as there are endless possibilities as to whether the Eileen will finally get what she wants or if the neighbours will continue to provoke the hostile relationship between them. (pg 145)

Resolution
The resolution of this story is rather open ended. The story ends when the man murders the puppies and Eileen starts panicking. It allows the reader to guess what kind of outcome will occur. It also allows the reader to ponder about why the things happened the way they did and what kind of issues are shown in the story. (pg 148)

Characters
Eileen: Social\welcoming (went to visit her new neighbours the day they moved in pg 139)
: Easily agitated (upset about the guava tree even though it was not hers pg 141)
: Good at mothering (takes care of her baby no matter what pg 143-144)

Philip: Easy-going (he always gives in to his neighbour’s pg 141-142)
: Workaholic (focuses more on his work than on Eileen`s complaints pg 143)
: Gullible (easily convinced by simple blueprints pg 142-143)

Neighbours: Impolite (compared Eileen’s pregnancy with their dogs pg 140)
: Impulsive (they cut down the tree without asking permission pg 141)
: They must have things their way (pg 141)

I think the most interesting segment of the story is when the supposedly kind and gentle man killed the puppies; it was much unexpected because the man seemed very nice and he offered to help Eileen. He was also very gentle with the baby so that had pretty much wiped out any possibility of violence in him. When the man murdered the puppies however, it prompted me to think that there was definitely something sinister about him.
 

Lee

Lee
Conflict (internal)
There is an internal conflict with the father in the story. He does not want Lee to have dual loyalties but he also does not want his daughter to be unhappy so he allows Lee to go to an American school. (pg 101)

Conflict (external)
There is an external conflict between Lee and her father. The both of them have rather contradicting cultural views. Lee is more supportive towards western culture while her father supports traditional Chinese culture. Lee`s father often tries to encourage his culture view on her but Lee would always refuse to accept it. (pg 102 and 103)

Climax
The climax of the story is when Lee went to the family reunion at her grandmothers flat. It allowed her to meet up with her family members and learn more about her culture. It was also a chance for her father to get feedback from his relatives about what he should do with his daughter`s education which would later decide which crowd she moved along with later in the story. (pg 100)

Resolution
I think the type of resolution for this story would be a revelation. At the ending both Lee and her father realise that they both have something in common. They were willing to accept each other`s cultural differences and views. (pg 106-107)

Characters
Lee: descriptive (describes her other father very well pg 88-89)
: Likes to use vulgar language (pg 90)
: Likes to criticise (calls the Merlion “tacky” pg 95)

Father: traditional (prefers to stick with his own culture pg 103)
: Parochial (asked Lee to make some Chinese friends pg 102)
: Easily irritated (unhappy with the way Lee dresses pg 97 and the use of “tacky” 98)

Lee`s grandmother: Kind (lets Lee try a variety of local snacks pg 100)
: Concerned (afraid of what Lee might be eating pg 100)
: Traditional (pg 99)

The most interesting segment of the story is when Lee went to her grandmother`s house for a family reunion. At this point of the story, a contrast is obvious between Lee and her other relatives in terms of culture. It shows how different she is from Singaporeans and gave her relatives, particularly her aunt, to judge and review her negatively. The reunion also showed that Lee had very little knowledge on Asian heritage which might have surprised her father.
 

literature holiday homework

Done by benjamin 4\4 (27)

Evening under the frangipani

Conflicts (internal)
One of the internal conflicts is that Prakash is unsure of himself before he goes for an interview. He feels sad and stressed about whether he is going to do well in the interview for his job. (pg 47)
Another internal conflict is when Prakash feels that without a job, he would consider himself as outcast with no contribution to give to society. He is afraid that he is starting to drift away from the real world. (pg 65)

Conflicts (external)
An external conflict in the story is between Prakash and Elaine`s mother. The mother had been sarcastic and unfriendly towards Prakash. Prakash, in turn, also acted sarcastically towards the mother. (pg 58-60)

Climax
I think the climax of the story is when Prakash and Elaine broke up. It is the point of the story where there is a major turn in the storyline. Because of the turning point, the story no longer focuses on the love between two friends but on loneliness and separation and also the lives which they will lead after the separation.

Resolution
The story has an open ending; Prakash does not bother Elaine while Elaine is seeing someone else. The both of them go their separate ways instead of going back together which would have been a complete resolution. (pg 84)

Characters
Prakash: he is not conversant (during job interview, pg27)
: easily amused (laughed at Elaine`s father`s hands while kissing, pg 62)
: Mindful (dressed and prepared well for an interview, pg 69)
: Respectful (he does not start a fight Elaine`s new friend, pg 80-81)

Elaine: hardworking (had a “tremendous capacity for work” pg 68)
: Easily offended (did not like Prakash`s joke pg 62)
: Moral (“laughed at her own moralising tone” pg 53)
: Solitary (preferred a release from the “claustrophobia of Singapore courtship” pg 53)

Elaine`s mother: sarcastic (during dinner with Prakash pg 59)
: Not religious (Went to Catholic convent school but not a believer pg 59)
: Successful ( a successful lawyer pg 54)

I think that the most interesting segment is the part when Prakash made the joke about Elaine`s father. It seemed rather out of context to make a joke like that when making out and it also changed the atmosphere of the setting from romantic to hostile. It was also a turning point of the whole story which made it quite unpredictable. At first, the story seemed very romantic and it looked as if that romance between both of the main characters will continue till the end of the story but this part of the story prove otherwise. This segment of the story also adds excitement to the story because of the unpredictable twist.