The Curse - event: Write on an important event...

In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, an important event is the outbreak of the fire which
results in the Old Ladys death. Firstly, it is an important event because after this event, it
creates a domino effect on a number of other events which in turn helps Azreen to finally solve
the mystery behind her sisters murder. The fire enrages Azreen and like a wildcat, she
confronts Mohd Asraf. He apologises and admits that he had been too grief-stricken to be
rational when he has lost two important people in his life his secret lover, Madhuri and his
grandmother, Nek. After the fire which kills the Old Lady who is trapped in the fire, Awang, the
bomoh informs Azreen that Madhuri is not her biological sister. The secret about Madhuris
identity is finally disclosed by Azreens father who reveals that Madhuri is actually an
abandoned baby whom Saleh pick up from the paddy field. Moreover, the village Pontianak is
actually Madhuris biological mother who returns to the village to seek revenge over her
daughters death. According to Awang, the ghostly figure is also the vengeful spirit that has
killed Azreens chicken. Secondly, it is an important event because we are finally shown the
reason for Madhuris murder and the culprit. When Azreen confronts her father, Encik Saleh
defiantly confesses that he had accidentally murdered Madhuri after learning that Madhuri, a
married woman, commits an adultery when she secretly sees another man. It is probably out of
shame, the angry father who is embarrassed of Madhuris unethical behaviour which he thinks
has brought shame to the family, confronts Madhuri and during the struggle, Madhuri falls to
the ground and her head knocks over the latex cup which stains her clothes. A distraught Azreen
flees after hearing the shocking news while Encik Saleh comes face-to-face with the shadowy
woman Madhuris mother who nears him with a parang in her hand. Saleh collapses and dies
of a heart attack. With this, peace is restored in the village when the spirit of Madhuris mother
disappears after bidding farewell to Azreen who leaves Langkawi to return to London. Thirdly,
the fire at the Old Ladys house is the climax of the novel. From that point onwards, events
dramatically unfold and Azreen gets to the bottom of the mystery. Azreen puts the pieces of facts
here and there together and begins to understand the reasons behind the cover-up of Madhuris
murder by her husband, Haji Ghani. Most importantly, we are also exposed to the crime of the
villagers who are willing to do anything including planning an attack on the innocent and
harmless Old Lady just because of superstition. Under the instigation of Puan Normala, the
villagers are convinced to believe that the Old Lady possesses a special power to turn people into
rats and squirrels, so the latter is accused to be an evil witch who brings all the misfortunes and
bad omen to the village. In fact, when the rain continues to pour for more than four days,
causing the town to be flooded, the Old Lady is blamed to have put the curse on the village.
From this event, we can see how gullible the villagers are to believe the vicious rumours spread
by the village gossiper, Puan Normala. She does not seem to care about the destruction she
causes. Her irrational behaviour thus destroys the reputations of victims such as the Old Lady
even in the eyes of children. At the same time, through this event too that we see the purity of
the Old Ladys heart. Despite being ostracised by the villagers, the Old Lady bears no grudges
and is still willing to help people like Asrafs Nek. More importantly, the Old Lady at the point of
her death before the burning house collapses on her, she reminds Azreen to forgive all the
villagers who have wronged her.

The Curse - Lesson - Write about a life lesson that you learnt from the novel...
The Curse is the novel written by Lee Su Ann which has many lessons that can be used in our
lives. Today, I am going to write on one lesson which really captured my attention in the novel
that is courage. The value of courage can be seen clearly in Azreens character. Azreen was a
good friend with the Old Lady who became a precious confidante and counsellor despite
ignoring the warnings and prejudices of the villagers. Azreen was determined to friends with
the Old Lady till the last minute of the Old Ladys life.As a child, she was not allowed to visit the
Old Lady by her parents. Even the villagers warned Azreen that the Old Lady is a witch. This
shows that Azreen is very courageous for accepting the Old Lady for what she is. From this, I
learnt to be courageous in order to speak and act according to what I think is right. I also learnt
not to judge others by listening to rumors and to think practically. Azreen also showed courage
when she took the blame for the bulls escape in order to save Mohd Asraf. At first, she wanted
to help Asraf out from the wicked farm owner, Mr. Mohan and his sons who were accusing Asraf
for letting the bull out. But to her dismay, she had to accept the faith of her mother loosing a leg
when her father hit into the bull and met with an accident. Even though Azreen was only
helping Asraf at first, but she took the blame and had to carry it for the rest of her life. I saw
Azreen as a very courageous person in this situation and agree to what she had done. She taught
me to stand up for my believes in my life and this will really help me a lot in the future. Last but
not least, I also find Azreen as a courageous person when she challenged her father to reveal the
truth behind Madhuris death. Azreen was very sure that Madhuri was killed by her father
because she found the stain of the rubber tree sap on the parang. When she put all the details
together, she came to a conclusion and told her father straight that he was the one who killed
Madhuri. Here, we can see that Azreen was too bold and had the courage to speak the truth even
to her father when she was sure that her sister was killed. This scene opened my mind that I
should be honest and bold to say what I think is right in my life. From all the evidences above,
Azreen had portrayed the value of courage very clearly, in this novel. As a student who will face
many challenges in my life, I learnt to be courageous and bold like Azreen from this novel. This
aspect will help me to be a better person in my life.

The Curse - Character : Which character do you like the most? The novel I have studied is 'The
Curse' by Lee Su Ann. The novel is about the main character, Azreen, who returns from England
after she finds out about her sister's death. Upon her return, she is surrounded by many secrets.
She discovers the circumstances of Madhuri's death later in the story. At the end of the story
she finds out the truth and leaves for London an orphan but more resilient and wise. The
character I like most is Azreen Salleh. She is a 20-year-old student who is studying in a
university college in London on an exchange programme. She is short, bespectacled, rather
bookish and outspoken. I like Azreen because she is outspoken and she is not afraid to spoke her
mind. She is vocal and says her opinions although sometimes she says the wrong things at the
wrong time. She also hates her father's treatment of her foster parents and Madhuri's burial
ceremony that is conducted without her presence. In handling the village gossip, Pn Normala,
Azreen tells her off that the rain has started even before the Old Lady comes into town. The
second quality she has is she is courageous. As a child, she plays hockey and football with the
boys. In the bull's incident, she is brave enough to accept the blame for the bull's escape instead
of blaming someone else. Azreen also shows her courage by taking up the dare to knock on the
Old Lady's door when none wants to do it. In another instance, Azreen confronts her father
about Madhuri's murder despite her young age. Azreen also has strength of character. When
she returns to her village, she hears a lot of gossip surrounding her sister's death such as as
Madhuri having white blood and her death signals a curse to the villagers. Azreen feels upset but
she never retaliates. Sheshows patience and strengh because she knows that whatever she does,
she cannot stop the villagers from gossiping about her family. In another instance, Azreen is
told that her sister is murdered. She should have been very upset about this news but
she takes it calmly and does not become hysterical. Later, when she finds out that her
father is the culprit who kills Madhuri, she feels no anger but regrets that it has to happen.
She understands her father's anger and shame because Madhuri has been having an illicit affair
with Ashraf although she is already married to Hj Ghani. Azreen also shows a lot of strength
because after all that has happened to her family, she stays composed and strong and returns to
England for her examinations.