-Online Task 2-

1.      Do we have a canon for Malaysian literary works? Let's say we do, who do you think are in it? Consider the fact that their works are well-known and most importantly included as part of the school syllabus- (both in BM and English)

                               a.            KS Maniam

                              b.            A. Samad Said

                               c.            Shirley Lim

                              d.            Usman Awang

                               e.            Che Husna Azhari

2.      The poems by Erica Jong raises some feminist issues. What are they?

Sex, risk taking, adulthood and the use of raw language.

3.      Do you think they are suitable to teach at the secondary school level? Explain.

I believe that poems by Erica Jong managed to create an impact to the students compared to Hillary Tham’s. This is because we need to let the students know the consequences after making a decision. It’s best to allow and guide them instead of telling them “no”. This reply is not going to work for the students. The more you object the more aggressive they’ll be.

4.      Is Hillary Tham's poem more suitable?

I think Hillary Tham’s poem can be used because like the old saying “There is no best method. All methods are the best if they suit your students”.

5.      The short tale from the Native American group is about a girl who is unsatisfied with her life. How is this a universal experience? Can it teach our students anything?

Humans will never be satisfied with what we’ve got. We are so greedy that we want almost anything in the world. For example once we owned a car, we will want to own another car. We can use this to teach the students to appreciate the things that we have. We must also be satisfied with what we’ve got and don’t be greedy.

6.      From internet sources find out more about Langston Hughes.
From your findings about his background, tell me about the dilemma he conveys through the poem CROSS.

Hughes was trying to tell us his dilemma in his crossed parentage. He was also crossed with his parents for putting him where he was because there was one time when he wanted to trace back his heritage, people in Africa would not believe that he was black and called him a white man instead. Being an African – American before 1950s was hard and that was why he was so crossed.

7.      I find "Dinner Guest: Me" laden with irony and sarcasm. Briefly state if you feel the same.

I feel that Hughes was frustrated when the African – American was being put at the lowest hierarchy in the society even at the dinner. He got no solution to this inequality but can only wait for the day where equality will be seen to come.

8.      The experience in the poem Harlem is one that is true for many people. Do you agree?

Yes, I do.

9.      Langston Hughes fights for the voice of his people. What is the movement called?

Harlem Renaissance.

-Online Task 1-

List some of the well-known folktales from Malaysia.

Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, Sang Kancil, Mat Jenin and Si Tanggang.

List some of the possible issues found in The Son of the Turtle Spirit.

Honesty and the importance of family ties.

Are those issues universal in nature or are they only relevant in the Chinese culture?

I think it’s a universal issue.

What are the other morals that can be gotten from the other fables by Aesop? List at least two.

I like something like “The Chronicles of Narnia”. I find that there are a lot of morals that can be gotten from it. For example, be confident, unity is strength and believe in what you do. 

Other than that, The Ant and the Dove – Helping each other and The Fox and the Partridge – Persuasion is better than force.

One well-known literary figure from the Elizabethan age used Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe as a model to one of his famous plays. Who is he and what is the play?

William Shakespeare – Romeo & Juliet.

List some of the popular legends we have in Malaysia.

Mahsuri, Puteri Gunung Ledang, Hang Tuah and Puteri Santubong.

1. Who is Thomas Malory?

Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur.

2. When was Le Mort d’Arthur written?

Malory probably started work on Le Morte d'Arthur while he was in prison in the early 1450s.

3. How many books/ parts are there in LMDA?

According to arthurian-legend.com There are 21 books in LMDA.

4. What is book 8 about?

The Death of Arthur.

5. Who were the two people who had an affair?

Lancelot and Guinevere.

6. Book 6 has a strong connection to a popular modern fiction which is now a movie. What is the title of the popular modern fiction?

King Arthur (2004) and Merlin: Lancelot and Guinevere.

7. State three well-known facts about King Arthur/ his time as a King

 1. Excalibur - King Arthur's sword.
 2. Guinevere – King Arthur married her and got the Round table as a wedding present from her father.
 3. Sir Lancelot – King Arthur’s greatest knight, who has an affair with Guinevere and betrayed by him.

Think of 2 ways in which you can use folktales/fables/myths or legends in the classroom. Explain briefly.

Activity 1: Role – play (Group)

Step 1: Divide students in groups.

Step 2: Assign or require students to choose a story.

Step 3: Require the students to plan, prepare and role – play the story.

Activity 2: Writing (Individual / Pair)

Step 1: Students write a story with the theme assigned. They need to create their own characters.

Step 2: Students share story with peers.

~P.O.V.~

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell (1936)

From the narrator’s point of view:

He was a policeman during an anti-European era in Burma. He often finds himself being ignored and hated by the Burmese. The experience was upsetting him because he thinks imperialism was an evil thing. When the elephant ran amok and killed a "coolie", only then the locals find him "momentarily worth watching". They were anticipating for him to kill the elephant. His action of asking the orderly to get an elephant gun was mainly for protection. He got no intentions of using it. The elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow when he found it. After he fired some shots and killed the elephant, he was glad it killed the "coolie" as that gave him a legal reason to do so. At the end of the story, he wondered if they will even understand his motive for having killed the elephant as he merely wished to uphold his pride.

From the people’s point of view:

The policeman was a conqueror. They hated him so much. They had shown no interests in their ravaged home compared to shooting the elephant. They were shouting excitedly and asked the elephant to be shot because they think it was "fun" and they wanted the meat.

From my point of view:

I’ve asked myself these questions:

The policeman killed the elephant to sustain his pride but will he be able to do so?

No, he won’t because he was a conqueror to the natives.

Will the natives accept him after he killed the elephant?

No, because it was the show and its meat they were after.

I think the narrator should label the elephant as a "little beast" and the natives as "great beast" instead of the other way in the text. It is because they think that killing is "fun". I’m sure any normal human being on earth will not think so unless the person is crazy.

I think shooting the elephant is so inhumane. If there’s one thing called "tranquilizer" at that time, they should use it instead of using a gun and killed the elephant.