Thoughts on Writing

Should You?

In The Midst Of Hardship

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

Stanza 1

At dawn they returned home	They had been out for the whole night and came back at dawn / They returned home after they have completed their task / work
their soaky clothes torn	Their clothes were torn and wet / They are engaged in hard labour as it is the nature of their work
and approached the stove	They quickly went to the stove to dry up and get warm / They go to the place that could provide them the warmth
their limbs marked by scratches and legs full of wounds	Their bodies were full of wounds and scratches / Their life is not an easy life because they have to suffer physically in the process
but on their brows there was not a sign of despair	However, they were not seen to be hopeless / There are no regrets and they appear to be receptive of their physical sufferin

With injuries on their arms and legs, the parents come home after a hard day’s work. Though garbed in smelly and shabby attire, they are not bothered by their appearance. They accept their life as it is and there are nor regrets or shame for the kind of work they do. They need to survive and that is all they care about for the moment.

Stanza 2

The whole day and night just passed	It rained heavily and continuously / That is their day to day life
they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks	There was a terrible flood and they have to endure the terrible floodwater with the dead animals and tiny chips of tree barks / They have to endure hardship, suffering and obstacles whatever the circumstances will be.
desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found	A couple of poor villagers were looking for their son’s albino buffalo but they could not find it / The parents continue seeking hope and a better future for their younger generation and even though they may know that they are searching for something that is beyond their reach because the condition that they have been living in has plagued them for years.

Life is a routine despite the fact that they have encountered many obstacles. The nature of their work forces them to face daily challenges and possibly even death but they are not easily broken. Their hard life seems like a disease. They endure hardship continuously and at the same time hope for a better future for their family.

Stanza 3

They were born amidst hardship	The villagers were born in poverty and had always lived in adversity / It is their misfortune to suffer
and they grew up without a sigh or a complaint	But they had learned to accept their fate and cope with it as they never complain or give up easily / They have accepted their life
now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves	They continue to enjoy simple pleasures in life, joking and rolling their cigarette leaves as they prefer to spend their time with their family and grateful that they still have their homes rather than moaning over what they have lost / Their lives are very much the same. Life has to go on, food is needed for survival and so is their peace of mind to keep them sane.

They are fated to suffer. However, they accept themselves as they are. Life goes on and they seek to survive. They treat life nonchalantly and instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they make the best of it. They have no illusions about life.

Vocabulary

approached – went towards, came neared

limbs – arms and legs

despair – losing hope

horrendous – frightening and terrible

carcasses – dead bodies

albino – a person or animal that lacks of natural colouring as a result of genetic malfunction

amidst – among or surrounded by

hardships – a very difficult condition

sigh – making a long sound especially because one feels boared, disappointed or tired

Elements Of The Poem

Setting

Place: poor flood-ridden village, inside the home of the family

Time: The time is at dawn after a bad flood

Point of View

The poet uses the third person point of view by using ‘they’, describing a family returning to their home after a bad flood. He is amazed by the strength, courage, and determination in the family experiencing hardship.

Tone

·      The poem carries grim tone and acceptance

·      The mood is sober and pity when the persona describes how the couple struggle to find the buffalo in the flood

·      The tone of relief and respect for the couple for their attitude and outlook and the ability to be cheerful even though in hardship.

·      The tone changes as the poem progresses

·      The poet finishes off the first and last stanza with a heartening note.

Themes

(i) Consequences of a flood on flood victims

- The poem portrays a clear picture of the effects of a flood

- The family sustains scratches and wounds during flood

- They have to brave the water amongst drowned, bloated carcasses

(ii) Being happy during hardship

- Life is full of difficulties and problems. Therefore, we should not let these problems spoil our happiness. We should not feel sad and depressed if we are born poor and things do not favour us.

- Living in poverty and adversity is not a setback. What is important is that we must learn to make the most of the situation regardless whether is pleasant or unpleasant.

- The poor couple is undeterred neither by their hopeless condition nor their failure to find the albino buffalo. They remain happy and cheerful.

(iii) Having the right attitude

- We determine our attitude our way of looking at things in life. By having proper attitude we can live happily even in the worst situation.

- The poor couple spends the whole day and night looking for their son’s albino buffalo in the floods.

(iv) Man’s relationship with Nature

- Man must appreciate nature. Man should not take nature for granted.

- Man is considered vulnerable and weak against natural disaster like floods.

- Nature can be destructive and man can be easily hurt and harmed. Therefore, man has to be humble before nature.

- The poor couple struggle in the terrible floodwater among bloating carcasses of dead animals and floating tree barks for their son’s albino buffalo. Unfortunately, they fail to find the buffalo.

(v) Facing hardship with optimism

- We should remain optimistic in the midst of hardship and must not lose hope and complain when things do not favour us.

- The poor couple gets soaked in the heavy rain and their clothes are torn while searching for their son’s albino buffalo in the horrible flood. They get their bodies scratched and wounded in the harsh, dark night. In spite of their discomfort, they do not seem to lose hope.

(vi) Value of Love

- The couple risks their lives to look for their son’s albino buffalo in the floods. This shows that they love their son very much

(vii) Determination

- The couple shows determination to search for the missing albino buffalo, braving the terrible flood water. Yet they do not give up as they do not want to disappoint their son. They are determined to remain cheerful and still carry on with their life.

(viii) Positive Attitude

- The poor couple fails in their attempt to locate the albino buffalo and they also fail to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Yet they portray stoicism in accepting their lost of life and adapt to their horrible circumstance with cheerfulness. They are poor but happy, made possible by their positive attitude in life.

Moral Values

1. We should not lose hope in the midst of hardship

Like how the family still can make jokes and role their cigarettes near the stove in the house. They are not really emotionally affected by the flood.

2. We must learn to remain calm and cheerful

Like how the family can still make jokes and roll the cigarettes near the stove in the house. They are not really emotionally affected by the flood.

3. We should not grumble and complain when things do not favour us.

The couple did not complain but just get on with their daily activities and enjoy simple pleasures in their lives.

4. We should respect and love our family

The couple spent the whole day looking for their son’s albino buffalo in the floodwaters because they love their son.

5. Be grateful with what we have

The couple is happy with whatever life they have as they still indulge in their daily simple pleasures.

6. Do not take nature for granted.

7. Man must appreciate nature.

8. Always look on the brighter side of things.

Like the family in the poem, they still manage to enjoy the simple pleasures that they have. We must always look on the brighter side of things. This is even when things prove to be difficult and we are surrounded by danger. By doing so, we are happier people.

9. Accept the hardship and be resilient

The poem gives an example of the hardships we can be in. Despite the hardship, we must remain resilient and strong. This is by accepting the hardship and enduring it. Often the difficult time is not a permanent situation. Like in the family in the poem, dealing with flood is something that they have been facing for quite some time. They take the situation as part and parcel of life as they are still able to enjoy simple pleasures of life and do not complain.

Message

1. We must always look at the positive side of things

2. We must accept hardship we are in and be resilient

3. We should never give up in whatever situation that we are in

Language

·                The poet uses free verse and speaks in a conversational tone

·                The poem does not have rhyme or rhythm

·                The poem does not use any full stops in the poem. This shows the continuous struggle of the couple who were born in poverty and grew up in poverty.

·                The poet uses simple words and most of them are common words.

‘their limbs marked by scratches’ – sense of touch

‘their legs full of wounds’ – sense of touch

‘bloated carcasses’ – sense of smell and touch

‘tiny chips of tree barks’ – sense of sight

Symbolism

‘legs full of wounds’ – represent pain and show difficulties

‘bloated carcasses’ – shows death and decay

‘albino buffalo’ – represents value thing
‘the stove’ – represents food and warmth

So True

Teenagers are the scariest things you'll have to face. :p

An Embarrassing Incident

An Embarrassing Incident

Whenever my best friend Susan, says “it’s to your benefit”, I will blush. Both of us never forget the embarrassing but amusing incident that happened last month.

Susan and I were browsing through some magazines at a bookshop. A short distance away was a handsome boy. He seemed to be engrossed in a magazine. As Susan walked past him to get a magazine, she saw the article he was reading. When she came back to my side, she whispered, “Guess what, that handsome boy over there is reading an article on how to date girls.”

I chuckled in amusement and the boy looked up. We immediately bent our heads over a magazine and pretend to be laughing at a picture there. Instead of returning to the interesting article in his magazine, the boy took out a piece of paper and pencil and scribbled something on the paper. We almost burst out with laughter, thinking that she was taking down notes on how to date girls.

Out of corner of our eyes, we saw the boy approaching us with the piece of paper. Susan nudged me and whispered, “He’s going to apply what he has just read.”

The boy came right to us. Holding out the folded piece of paper, he said awkwardly to me, “Please… read this.”

Susan gave me a knowing look. I put my hands behind my back and shook my head. The poor boy turned red in the face. He tried to press the paper into my hand and said, “Please take it. It’s to your benefit.”

The boy walked away quickly. Susan took the piece of paper from my hands and read it to me, “Miss, you have forgotten to zip up your jeans!”

Both of us looked at my jeans at once. Sure enough, what he had written was true. I blushed and hastily zipped my jeans. What an embarrassing incident it was!

Nature

Nature by H.D. Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring

We have instead the days

When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-

Magnificently.

The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofs

And there is no sound but the swish of water in the

gullies

And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off

guango trees

And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.

But best of all there are the days when the mango and

the logwood blosson

When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the

scent of honey,

When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest

breath of air,

When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow

stars

And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

Understanding the poem

Lines 1 – 10

The poet writes about his homeland, Jamaica. He rejoices in the beauty of the island nation. There is no seasonal change in Jamaica. The weather is hot and sunny. There are vast canefields in Jamaica as sugar is one of the main exports.

However, there are days when heavy rain falls in Jamaica. The rain comes down in torrents and the gullies (narrow channel formed by rainwater) are filled with fast flowing water. The trees struggle to stay rooted as they are battered by strong winds.

There are also days when the once lush canefields lie bare and empty under the sun. The sugarcanes have already been harvested and there is nothing in the fields except weeds.

Lines 11 – 15

In ending his poem, the poet tells us of his favourite time – days when the flowers of mango trees and logwood blosson. After the rain, the sun shines bringing beauty and life back to nature. He uses imagery – sound and smell, to illustrate abundant life and activity in the bushes when the sound of bees and the scent of honey add to the charm and beauty of Jamaica. He describes fields filled with lovely yellow buttercups. All this happens when the rains have stopped and the beauty of nature emerges once again.

Literal Meaning	Figurative Meaning
Lines 1 -2 Jamaica does not have four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.	It may appear that we, who come from different races and places, do not have the same things in life.
Lines 3 – 5 Jamaica has instead bright days when the weather is very hot and the gold sun shines brilliantly on the fields rich with green sugarcanes.	However, we all do have good times when everything is bright and pleasant and things that bring joy in their own ways.
Lines 6 – 9 During the rainy season, the torrential rain falls and beats with such force on the roofs of houses. One hears only the sound of water rushing through the gullies, The trees have to struggle against the strong wind to stay upright.	At other times, life is a struggle and we may feel overwhelmed by problems, personal and otherwise. Life may not seem worthwhile as the road ahead is full of obstacles.
Lines 10 – 12 At other times, trees shed their leaves and the fields of crops which have been harvested are left bare.	There will be times when certain problems seem insurmountable as we lose control and things get out of hand. We have no choice but to accept the circumstances and let them be.
Lines 13 – 15 The best times are when flowers and fruits are in full bloom as Earth becomes alive again. The bushes are full of bees and the fragrance of honey fills the air. Grass grows tall and sways to the slightest breeze. Yellow buttercups like shining stars cover the fields. The surroundings abound with beauty after the rainy days have gone.	After the unhappy bad days, we will see good days and they may be the best times of our life. We have to go through bad days. In order to appreciate the good days. When these good moments occur, everything goes right and we enjoy life to the fullest. Then, we will be able to realize that everyone is actually getting the same things in life, only in different ways.

Themes

1. The Changes in Nature / Appreciative of Nature

Nature can be seen in many forms. It can be sunny and fine one minute and dark and gloomy the next. We must learn to appreciate nature in whatever form it represents itself. Summer, winter, autumn and spring may represent certain images of beauty in our mind but the hot, rainy or windy days experienced elsewhere are just as wonderful. We see plants, insects and animals thriving under different weather conditions and continuing the cycle of life. This is nature’s way of ensuring every place on Earth is given what it needs best.

2. The Ups and Downs of Life

Life is not always easy – there will be ups and downs, good and bad times no matter where we are. We may go through rainy days when everything seems gloomy and our problems bring us down. However, life itself works in miraculous ways, after the rain, the sun will again shine and our surroundings will look bright again. Therefore, we should have faith that no matter what the problem is, it can be solved at some point and life will be even better than before.

Introduction to The Curse

SYNOPSIS

In this novel, “the Curse”, it is a story of the return of a young Malay girl to her village after leaving the confines of her traditional family to study in London. But her return to the village has revealed a series of gossips regarding her sister’s death, challenges that are at times frustrating, stifling, confusing, frightening and also an endless series of mysteries.

The story of “the Curse” focuses on the main character by the name of Azreen Salleh who returns home to Pulau Langkawi to mourn the loss of her elder sister, Madhuri. Azreen who is currently studying in London, receives news from home that her sister has passed away. She immediately makes her return to the hometown, a small island near Langkawi. Upon arriving home, Azreen is grappled with a lot of challenges like how her own mother hardly recognizes her and how her own father seems to detest her existence. Her only consolation and place to seek comfort is with the Old Lady, a character who is rejected by all the villagers but is treated by Azreen as her second mother. A series of bizarre events in the village leave Azreen puzzled and she is determined to get to the bottom of her sister’s mysterious death after she knows that her sister could have been murdered and the crime is covered. Azreen does not believe the gossip surrounding her sister’s death nor the rumours about the curse that has befallen the village. Therefore, she single-mindedly pursues the mysteries until the truth is finally revealed…

PLOT

The plot is divided into 12 chapters with events that are summarized into 5 main parts.

Exposition (Chapters 1 – 4)

Azreen was informed of Madhuri’s death and had to fly back to Malaysia from London. She was not looking forward to returning home as she knew she did not fit in with her family and the villagers. Once there, nobody was willing to tell Azreen what had actually happened to her sister but the rumour among the villagers, especially from the village gossip, Puan Normala, was that Madhuri had been murdered. Her blood had been white and that was a clear indication that the village had been cursed.

Rising Action (Chapters 5 – 7)

Azreen found out from her confidante, the Old Lady who lived in the jungle that Madhuri had been murdered. The Old Lady was treated as an outcast by the villagers because she had killed her husband. Meanwhile Azreen’s father, continued with his distant and angry approach towards her. So Azreen could only rely on her friendships with the Old Lady and Mohd Asraf who was a good friend of her when they were at school, to seek comfort and support. To make things worse, strange things kept happening to Azreen and she felt certain that she saw someone who resembled Madhuri lurking around her house.

Climax (Chapters 8 – 10)

Rain fell continuously in the village for several days. Drains and riverbanks were on the verge of overflowing, crops were drowned by the rising waters and a sickness seemed to be spreading among the villagers. People wondered if a curse had really been placed upon them. Asraf’s grandmother also fell ill and in desperate attempt to save her, he went to the Old Lady for help despite the fact that he was afraid of her. The rest of the villagers protested against the presence of the Old Lady in their village. But she helped Asraf’s grandmother to recover. However, his grandmother passed away shortly after the Old Lady’s visit. Overcome with grief and influence by the other villagers to take revenge on the Old Lady whom they accused of having poisoned his grandmother, Asraf led a group of men to the Old Lady’s house. In an attempt to prevent Asraf from entering the Old Lady’s house, Azreen stabbed his foot with a spade. Asraf accidentally dropped his torch and set the Old Lady’s house of fire. The Old Lady was trapped inside and died.

Falling Action (Chapters 10 – 11)

Azreen lashed out at Asraf for acting in haste. Asraf was regretful and in his remorse, he told the truth that people that were close to him had left him one by one – first was Madhuri and lastly was his grandmother. Azreen felt shocked at the fact and persisted in getting the truth from Asraf. Asraf divulged the truth that he and Madhuri had been in love and that Madhuri was leaving her husband for him. Azreen was devastated by the news and ran to a place where she met the ‘bomoh’. Then Azreen received another setback when the ‘bomoh’ told her that Madhuri was adopted and her real mother was still alive. It had been Madhuris mother that the villagers had been seeing and whom they had mistaken as the spirit of Madhuri.

Resolution (Chapters 11 – 12)

Azreen returned to her home, heart-broken and at that moment, she saw the long-haired woman who pointed endlessly at the pile of wood in her front yard. Her father, Saleh came home and removed the ‘parang’ from the pile of wood near their house. Azreen saw that it glistened with white sap. She thought back on how Madhuri’s blood was seen as white and connected it to the ‘parang’ that her father was holding. She suddenly realized that her father had killed Madhuri. When Azreen ran away from him, Madhuri’s mother took the ‘parang’ and walked towards Saleh. Saleh was terrified and suffered a fatal heart attack. After all the incidents, Azreen returned to London and left the village that brought so much hurt to her.