Using the details from the novel that you have

studied, write about a character that you dislike

/ detest. Give reasons for your answer.
In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the
character I dislike is Azreen Salleh. Although she is not
a bad person she has her faults.
Azreem is a fiery-tempered girl who always
speaks her mind. This has led people to see her as
rude, hateful and ungrateful. Azreen is very
protective of the people she loves. She slaps a girl
who mimics the way her mother walks with crutches.
When other children disturb the Old Lady, she throws
stones at the children. Even though her heart is in the
right place, I do not think she should have been so
aggressive. There are better ways to protect the
people you love.
I also do not like it that Azreen begins disliking
Madhuri when they are older. Madhuri does not really
do anything to hurt Azreen . It is not her fault that
people prefer her to Azreen , even Mohd Asraf , the
boy Azreen has a crush on.
Azreen is also a very stubborn person. One day
she is scolded by her father unfairly for stealing
mangosteens. She rebels by refusing to have her
dinner. She may not have stolen the mangosteens but
she did not have to behave so badly. She should be
more respectful to her elders.

In conclusion Azreen may have a good heart but

she has to treat people she does not like better.
Based on the novel that you have read, write
about one character that you like / admire / (find
interesting) / (look up to). Give reasons for your
answer.
In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the
character that I like / admire / found interesting / look
up to is Azreen Salleh. She has displayed great sense
of independence, intelligence and thinking rationally.
First, she displays a sense of independence for
someone who is only 20 years old. She never allows
other peoples view to disturb her freedom and
enjoyment such as when she plays hockey and
football even though this is frowned by other students
and the villagers. She also goes to Penang for a
student exchange programme.
Even though she comes from a poor
background, she never gives up. Her resilient and
intelligence in her studies and sports enable her to get
a scholarship to study in London.
Finally, I admire her ability to think rationally.
She is not easily influenced by the villagers who
rumoured that the Old Lady was an evil witch. She
goes against them and befriend the Old Lady and
defends her against the angry villagers.

In conclusion Azreen possesses all the

characteristics that make me like / admire /find
interesting / look up to her.

she takes the blame for the accident, she runs to the
Old Lady to refuge. She draws strength from the Old
Ladys counsel.

With close reference to the text, write a

detailed account of a problem faced by a
character and how she / he dealt with it.

Azreen finds that not much has changed

between her and her father when she comes home for
Madhuris death. Her father remains distant but she
continues to treat him respectfully. Meanwhile, she
feels no sense of loss or sorrow either at her sisters
death. However, she mourns following her mothers
death. She learns to forgive her father and Madhuri in
the end after learning the truth about Madhuris birth
and death.

Write about the difficulties faced by a character

and how the character overcomes his/her
difficulties.
In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, Azreen is
always compared to her sister Madhuri when they
were children. She finds that no matter what she does
or says, she cannot match up to Madhuri, the prettier
and more obedient one. In contrast, Azreen is the
stubborn and boisterous one who plays with the boys
in a hockey match.
When her father starts to favour Madhuri, her
relationship with her father is strained. It worsens
when she is blamed for her parents accident.
Nevertheless, Azreen deals with all these development
in a responsible manner. She continues to respect her
father despite his coldness and she does not cease to
care for her mother.
Azreen seeks comfort in the Old Lady whenever
she feels upset or unhappy with her parents. When

Write about the theme of love in the novel.

Please provide evidence from the novel.
In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the
theme of love is portrayed vividly when Salleh
Abdullah found Madhuri as a baby at a paddy field. He
brought her back home, and his wife and him
continued to take care of her as their own child.
Azreen and Madhuri also love their parents very
much. For example, when Azreen broke her mothers
favourite basket, both Azreen and Madhuri worked
hard to repair the basket to the extent that they
injured their hands in doing so. Madhuri even obeyed
her fathers wishes in marrying Haji Ghani, the village
headman, even though he was already married and
much older than her.

The theme of forbidden love is also evident in

the text as both Madhuri and Mohd Asraf loved each
other even though Madhuri was married to Haji Ghani.
Their plan to run away to Kuala Lumpur was unfulfilled

as Madhuri was killed in the rubber plantation after

their last meeting together. This clearly shows that the
theme of love is consistently portrayed throughout the
novel.