FORM 4

MID SEM 1
HOLIDAY
ASSIGNMENT
LITERATURE

SHORT STORY :
NAME : SARAH WARDINA BT ABDUL
HALIM TANJONG RHU
CLASS : 4 IBNU BAJJAH

BY MINFONG HO
COLLAGE NUMBER : KB175286
 SYNOPSIS :
Mr T. W. Li, a successful businessman, has just lost his mother. As he
mourns her death, he recalls some important events before her demise,most
significantly revolving around a pair of binoculars. He had bought his mother
a pair of binoculars so that she could see farther as she had cataracts.
However, his mother's only concern was to see Tanjong Rhu, a place where
they used to live while he was growing up. His father owned a small shipyard
there before it was torn down about thirty years ago. When Mr Li finally
convinced his mother to use the binoculars, he was upset that she still could
not see the ships at the harbour, in front of his office. Instead, in her
mind's eye, she saw Tanjong Rhu in the past, back when Mr Li was still a
young boy accompanying his mother digging for crabs along the beach. He
became impatient with his mother who seemed adamant to hold on to the
past and had no interest in the present. He refused to listen to her stories.
Back in the present, Mr Li regrets his actions as now he too longs to go back
to his childhood in Tanjong Rhu. He finds that his memories are vague and
there are many things that he does not remember clearly. Unfortunately,
there is no one to answer his questions as the person who shares the
memories with him, his mother, has passed on.

PLOT :
EXPOSITION
Mr T. W. Li, a rich businessman stood at his office window high
above Shenton Way. Concerned about something which he could
not lay his finger on he was not ready to go home. His mother's
(Ah Ma) funeral was just a day before and everything had been
done correctly. He counted the number of ships in the harbour as
was his habit with his binoculars. The binoculars reminded him
of his mother.
 RISING ACTION
He recalled he had bought them for Ah Ma and was eager to give
them toher. He wanted her to use them as she did not want to
undergo a cataract operation. His wife was having tea with
friends in a room. Ah Ma was in the garden feeding her chickens.
Speaking to her in Cantonese, he mentioned the bin oculars as see-
far glasses. Ah Ma was irritated as it reminded her of her refusal
to have a cataract operation. Later, she mentioned her willingness
to use them at his office to see Tanjong Rhu where her husband's

CLIMAX
Next morning, Ah Ma prayed in the altar room. Then, she talked to her dead
husband to inform him of her going to their son's office. Her granddaughter, Ying
offered to do the praying with the joss sticks for her but she would not allow it. Mr Li
ticked off Ying for criticising her grandmother for wanting to do things her way.
While waiting for Ah Ma, Mf Li looked at his father's photograph and remembered
their time together. When they were in his office, Mr Li pointed out the ships and the
whole harbour to Ah Ma but she could not see anything. Instead, she talked about
seeing their old hut, walks and crabbing on the beach. Coming back to the present,
Mr Li felt nostalgic and
wanted very much to go back to the time of his childhood. He tried to recall but had

FALLING ACTION
He recalled that he tried to ask Ah Ma again. But, by then, she had become very sick
and was bedridden in hospital, unable to move or talk very much. Ying helped to
look after her. Knowing that her father wanted to talk to Ah Ma, she lifted her
grandmother's eyelids and told her father to say something. But, Mr Li could not
and scolded Ying for not being respectful. Ah Ma moved restlessly and managed to
say something about the key to the altar being hidden before she drew her last

RESOLUTION
Now back in his office/ the day was becoming dark and he suddenly
thought of the altar and what he had promised Ah Ma at her deathbed.
SETTINGS :
PLACE This
: was what had been troubling him the whole day, something he had
left undone. He rushed home to do that one last thing for her. He paid his
respects to Ah Ma but, he could not open the drawer. He cried and told Ah
Published
Ma he sawin 1986, Rhu
Tanjong the that
story isand
day setthen
in Singapore and
decided to leave the
well time frame goes back and
alone.
forth between the present (after the death of Ah-Ma) and the past (before the
TIME :
death of Ah-Ma)
The most important location mentioned is Tanjong Rhu, a shipping port in
Singapore
The time set in the
where Mrrecent past
Li grew up.and could
In the be applied
present day, itto
is the present
filled times
with tall too.
buildings
and skyscrapers. However, eighty years ago, Tanjong Rhu only had small shipyards
where fishing boats were built. Mr Li's father owned such a shipyard.
Mr Li's office is located on the 18th floor above Shenton Way, a central business
district in Singapore.
Mr Li has a big house with many rooms, a garden and a swimming pool. He first
shows the binoculars to his mother in the garden.
An important part of the house is the altar room, where Ah-Ma performs her daily
prayers.
The hospital where Ah-Ma passes away is also mentioned in the story.
 Mr. T. W. Li
SOCIAL:

A successful
As for thebusinessman
social setting,in
after
the read this piece,
shipping sectorwe can easily say that Mr. Li was
living in a rich neighbourhood. The reason
Has a happy childhood with his family in Tanjong why I said
Rhu that is because Mrs. Li was
shown
Happy as a life
family woman who happened to have lots of activities including -tea parties.
wife, son and
Another
daughter character mentioned in the story was Mr.Li's son who were studying in
Cambrige and his daughter, Ying, who are going to New
Close relationship with his mother but does not open up to her easily
York soon. And yet, his
mum's altar , the big house and their lifestyle reflects their wealth and position in
Modern in his ways and ideas - takes pride in
the society.
his modern ways - makes sure no one is about when he bows to show respect to his dead

CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERISTICS :

parents
Tolerant - does not
interfere in his mother's traditional ways
Meticulous - keeps track of
number of ships every day by counting them
Patient and respectful - waits for
MAJOR CHARACTERS :
mother to finish prayers although he had to leave for office - does not hurry her
Filial - made sure
funeral of mother is done in the right way - full of customs and traditions
Strict and does not entertain disrespect from the young -
expects daughter to respect elders
Regrets not talking to Ah Ma and never listening when she talked
 Mr Lis mother ( Ah Ma )

Small and thin with grey hair and a bent back

A mother of nine, grandmother of thirty-four and great-grandmother of
seventeen
Has cataracts but does not want to have surgery to fix it
Speaks Cantonese
A traditional woman who still keeps chickens in the garden and practises the
old Chinese customs and rituals
Particular and meticulous when it comes to taking care of the altar and
performing her prayers
Yearns to see Tanjong Rhu, where she used to live years ago
A simple woman who is content with what she has
Seems to belong in the past as she is often lost in memories and likes to relate
stories of the past
 Ying

Daughter of Mr Li and Helen

MINOR CHARACTERS :
Has an older brother at Cambridge University
Is soon leaving for New York
Speaks English to her father and Cantonese to her grandmother
Loves her grandmother, whom she calls Popo, and is very close to her
Affectionate towards her grandmother
Takes the customs and rituals lightly and does not seem to acknowledge the
importance of it
Takes care of her grandmother at the hospital and gives her blood
Very anxious that her grandmother is dying
 Helen
Wife of Mr Li
Often has tea parties with her friends
Seems to like socialising

Mr Lis father
Used to own a shipyard where he built boats in Tanjong
Rhu
Died at the age of 53
Upon his death, his wife offers daily prayers to him in the
altar room and sometimes even talks to him

Mr Lis son
Unnamed in the story
Soon to complete his studies at Cambridge
University
 THEMES :

SEEING
It tells us how the different generations view or 'see' their culture. 1 examines the relationship
between a successful businessman named Mr L and his mother, and looks into the different
meanings of'seeing'. Mr Li look: at material goods as sources of happiness and a better life. He
buys a pair o binoculars for his mother, who has cataracts, to see clearly. Mr Li assume* his
mother needs a pair of binoculars to see more clearly so that the rest of her life would be more
comfortable. But his mother sees Tanjong Rhu, not literally, but metaphorically, as the place
where the children had grown up.

TRADITION VS MODERNISM
Mr Li's mother values the importance of traditional practice. Everything must be done properly
and she must 'tell' his father about visiting her son's place of work. In Chinese traditions, praying
to the ancestor and the dead is important to every family.
Mr Li, his wife, Helen, and daughter, Ying, are moulded in modernism. Mrs Li plays host to her
high society friends with her tea sessions, and Ying speaks in English with her father but in
Cantonese with her grandmother.

GENERATION GAP
A picture of a big generation gap arises, with a conservative mother who refuses to have her eyes
'cut open', a severe and slightly self-centred father who always assumes young people do not
respect the elders and a naive daughter who openly shows her feelings and opinions without
considering her audiences. This generation gap is a result of modernisation eating into old ways,
causing each generation to misunderstand the next. It is a common situation faced by people
living in rapidly growing societies.
 MORAL VALUES :

We should always voice out our feelings especially the feeling of our love
for the family members

We should consider and accept chnges in our lives and progress with the
time

LITERATURE
We should trust family members and know that they always have our
interest at heart

SHORT STORY :

LEAVING

BY M G VASSANJI
SYNOPSIS :

Leaving is set in Tanzania. It is a story of a woman who raises her five

children alone after the early death of her husband.After her two elder
daughters get married and the eldest son acquires a job,the mother focuses
on the two younger ones, Aloo and the youngest (the narrator). Aloo is in his
final year in school and the girl is in university.She pins all her hopes on them
that they will have a better education.She sells their store and moves them
to Upanga.The place is quieter and provides a better environment for them
to study.The return of Mr Datoo, a former teacher inspires Aloo to think of
furthering his education in America. He wants study medicine. He starts
writing to American universities to get the necessary information .He is not
keen on studying agriculture in a local university.He is offered a place with a
scholarship in the California Institute of Technology. However,his mother
would not allow him to accept the offer,citing finances and fear of losing him
as the reasons.Finally,on the advice of a school officer,the mother relents
and accepts the idea of allowing Aloo to leave home for a different sky.The
narrator,for the first time,sees her mother as a person and not just as her
mother-someone who has always thought only of the children's
welfare.Aloo's first letter was a graphic enthusiastic account of London but
to the mother,she is uncertain of his return.

PLOT :
 3 . C l i m a x : -

1 . E x p o s i ti o n :

5 . R e s o l u ti o n : -

4 . F a l l i n g a c ti o n : -

SETTINGS :
CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERISTICS :
MAJOR CHARACTERS :
1.
w rites fro m Lo n do n to mo th er-lett er so ful o f excitem en t cre ates do u bts in mo th er's mind ab ou t h e fu ture .
is insp ired b y a fo rm er teach er w h o retu rn s fro m A m erica fo r a vis t o thin k o fu rth erin g his ed u cati o n ove rse as in A m erica.
ALO
d il ge nt-w rites to u niversiti es to get ne ces ary in fo rm ati o n fo r fu rth er stu d ie s
O
extrem ely h ap y w he n o ffered a sch o larsh ip to stud y in C alifo rnia Insti tute o f Te ch no l gy
2.
lcovuinldg aontdscuaprinegs-tahkie stxecpisetmo entsuwrhe ynomou ngtehstrsfionaleyavel fowrsfuhrimth etor sgtou d ivesrweiaths a hap y fram e o f mind
anmo tbkitie onu soanbsotudt yhienrgcahgildcruelnt'usredautcatil ocna-lwuanivtesrthieym to d o w el
MOT
aftgeor descteuivd en gtlewttheor dfroems wAelo inwshco worlitexsalmettineartifronms, Ltoranidgohnt -Afes. ls un su re th at A lo w il return to h om etow n in Tanzan ia
HER
thr ienkts ocfotnhveincheildortehn'rs tfhuatu rhe -w il ndgetfionistaeclyrificteufonr tohe mis h-clmo selsand o waftn etrh e isto ruedaiensd mo ves fam ily to a q uieter part o f to w n-b ett er enviro nm ent fo r stu d yin g-a b ig ch an ge fo r h er
aotb ehdei snatm-weilti nmgetwo iasce o rptumon detrhsetar'nsdinegcisab onu-dt oseitsu anti ot nsp-cehaikldarebno uhtaove trosegaros wedu pc atinodnleanvde phroempaerosn etodsatyu-dbyu taghroicpuelsutoreho lcdaloyn to them as lon g as p os ible
moam bthitieor u sf-twhaenfitsvetochstilud ryenmeand icrune s a store in U hu ru Stre t-single-hand ed ly raise s fi ve ch ild ren aft er e arly d eath o f h usb an d
aspfria tde toalnedt ycou nragesto uso-nwgiol nfogrtovdeorspearste-tidmu ceawti o nrk-awfrhailde hsetumid yginhgt n o t retu rn h o m e,take a Euro pe an w ife or fo rget his ro ts
Ayol uon'gsemost chieldr bine cthame fam wilyd- o winagthis rfitny-atlhyre arain dschaod rle. fu sed eve r sin ce to mar y fo r fe ar th at h e n ext hu sb an d w o u ld ask h er to take h er ch ild ren to th e 'bo ard ing'
MINOR CHARACTERS
Character and characteristics
Main characters:
1. Aloo

youngest child in the family-doing his final year in school.

a good student who does well in school examinations,straight As.
is inspired by a former teacher who returns from America for a visit to think
o furthering his education overseas in America.
not keen on studying agriculture at a local university
diligent-writes to universities to get necessary information for further
studies
ambitious-wants to study medicine
extremely happy when offered a scholarship to study in California Institute
of Technology
spirited and courageous-willing to do part-time work while studying
tries to convince other that he will definitely return to his homeland after his
studies
obedient-willing to accept mother's decision-does not speak about
overseas education and prepares to study agriculture locally
could not suppress his excitement when mother finally allows him to go
overseas
writes from London to mother-letter so full of excitement creates doubts in
mother's mind about the future.

2. Mother
 mother of the five children and runs a store in Uhuru Street-single-
handedly raises five children after early death of husband
Aloo's mother became a widow at thirty-three and had refused ever since
to marry for fear that the next husband would ask her to take her children to the
'boarding'
thinks of the children's future-willing to sacrifice for them -closes down the
store and moves family to a quieter part of town-better environment for studying-a
big change for her
ambitious about her children's education-wants them to do well
afraid to let youngest son go for overseas education-afraid he might not
return home,take a European wife or forget his roots
at the same time wise or understanding about situation-children have to
grow up and leave home one day-but hopes to hold on to them as long as
possible
loving and caring-take steps to ensure youngest son leave for further
studies with a happy frame of mind
after receiving letter from Aloo who writes letter from London-feels unsure
that Aloo will return to hometown in Tanzania

Minor characters
1. Aloo's sibling (narrator)

second youngest in family and studying in a local university

supportive of and understands Aloo's needs to study overseas and not in
local university
loving and caring of mother and understands mother's refusal to allow Aloo
to study overseas
observant-observes mother's face and sees her as a person and not just
as their mother-recalls mother's worried unsmiling face looking after them in her
own
2. Mr Datoo

a former teacher in Aloo's school-came back from America for a visit

it was his visit that inspired Aloo to think about his future-of studying
overseas in America
3. Mr Velji

a school officer who gives an objective comment about Aloo's studies

overseas
knows that Aloo will get a good education but fears mother may lose a son
has an understanding look when he reads the content of Aloo's letter from
London
Themes
1. Mother's love
2. Separation from loved ones
3. Seizing opprtunities
4. Sacrifice/Selflessness
5. The importance of education
6. Fear of the unfamiliar
7. courage and strength to stand up to one's principles
8. determination brings success
9. parental sacrifice for family members
10. .letting go of family members to let them become independent
11. willingness to gain new experience and exposure

Moral Values
1. Hard work and patience will be rewarded
2. Good education is very important
3. we must not let opportunities pass us by.
4. We must be grateful to our parents.
5. We must try not to be judgmental about the things we do not understand