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EVENTS IN SING TO THE DAWN

Event 1 – Beginning of the story

 Dawan and Kwai were at the bridge.

 Kwai supported Dawan to be full of self –confidence
 Dawan also supported Kwai and listened to her brother’s ideas.
 Kwai tells Dawan that she can also be the winner of the scholarship.
 Kwai respects Dawan as a sister and as another competitive person.
 Kwai pleaded to his father to let Dawan go to school.
 There is a strong relationship between the two siblings and respect for one another.

Event 2 – In the class

 The teacher was teaching in the classroom

 Teacher makes the students realise the injustice in their village. (paying high rent to the
landlords.
 Let the children see the invalidity of the landlords’ existence in the land ownership.
 Encourage the children to speak up their mind and not to accept everything blindly.
 Teacher shows and teaches the students to respect others – accepting others’ opinions and
respecting everyone, despite their gender ( he proudly declares Dawan as the winner of the
scholarship).

Event 3 – After Dawan was declared the winner of the scholarship

 At the school
 Dawan became the centre of attraction of her classmates.
 A group of monks also recognised her success as they congratulated her.
 Dawan could not see Kwai anywhere around. She ran out to look for him. Dawan sensed
that Kwai was not happy with the result.
 At home
 As she reached home, she asked for Kwai. Kwai ran off from the house.
 Dawan told her father about the scholarship. Father was not at all happy with it.
 Father was upset that Kwai did not win it.
 Grandmother congratulated Dawan but Mother did not want Grandmother to recognise
Dawan’s success. This is because, she knows Dawan will never go and she will only be more
hurt if Grandmother gives her hope.
 Grandmother decided to bring her to Noi’s house. Noi who had lived in the city may be able
to persuade father to let Dawan go to the city.
 A good discussion and negotiation between mother and grandmother had resulted in
mother bringing Dawan to Noi’s house.

Event 4 – At Noi’s house

 The appearance of Mr. Phaspras.
 Mr. Phaspras, an army officer in charge of recruiting young men from the village, visited
Ghan.
 Mr. Phaspras came to collect the money Ghan owed him for not drafting Ghan into the
army.
 Ghan had no money to pay Mr. Phaspras as they had used all their extra rice to pay the
landlord.
 Mr. Phaspras offered them to postponed their payment until next year with a 40% interest.

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 Noi and Ghan’s disapproval of Dawan going to the city

 Noi described the city as ugly and cruel.
 Ghan described how unfair it was for the men and women who had to sweat and slave
themselves in the buildings and factories in the city, yet never get to enjoy what they
produce.
 Mother protested the Dawan will not suffer the unfairness as she is going to the city to study
and not to work.
 Noi further described how bad the city is for the children and young women. The children
sell cigarettes and candies at cinemas. Others sell newspapers on the busy road.
 Noi imagined that Dawan could sell jasmine garlands in some side-alley. She even gets to
describe how young women from the village become prostitutes.
 Despites the negative responses, Dawan still wants to see the city for herself.

Event 5 – Getting home from Noi’s house

 Dawan and Kwai walked back together.
 Kwai was anxious to know if Ghan is going to come over and talk Father into letting Dawan
go to the city.
 Dawan tells Kwai about the discussion at Noi’s house.
 Kwai was surprised at the fact that Noi did not like the city.
 Kwai asked Dawan if she is still keen of going to the city.
 Kwai told Dawan that he still stand a chance to go to the city too as he found out that he
comes second after his sister.
 Dawan pleaded with Kwai to let her go as their father has told them that this is the last year
he is sending Dawan to school, while he is still willing to send Kwai to school as long as he
wants to.
 Kwai replied that father is going to send him to school as long as he can afford it and school
in the city is too expensive for their father.
 Dawan argued that Kwai might be able to win the scholarship next year.
 Kwai argued that the scholarship comes with a big responsibility of helping those who didn’t
get the same chance of getting a good education.
 Dawan reassures Kwai that she knows her responsibilities.
 Sensing that their argument had leads them to bitterness, they both express their hope if
only they both could go together.
 As they come near to their home, Dawan asked Kwai if he is going to tell their father about
him coming in second. Kwai did not want to give a definite answer.

Event 6 – A dinner

 At dinner time
 Mother added some fish balls in the vegetable soup as a treat probably to soften father’s
mood.
 Father did not want to consider the idea of Dawan going to the city school yet.
 When Dawan insisted her father to think of the issue as she may be leaving for the city
within the week, father got angry with her.
 Kwai took the chance to ask if father would let him go, if he had win the scholarship.
 Father agreed to the idea since Kwai is a boy and his education could help father.
 Dawan pleaded silently that Kwai would not tell father about him being in the second place.
 After doing the dishes, Dawan searched for Kwai but he was not to be found.
 She went to the river only to find a monk bathing. This gave her an idea to visit the head
monk.

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Event 7 – At the market place

 Looking for some flowers

 Dawan wanted to buy lotus flower for the temple, but she had only 10 cents.
 A girl offered her a lotus for 10 cents.
 Dawan told the girl of her mission to meet the head monk.
 Hearing Dawan’s mission, the girl gave her the lotus for free.
 Dawan told the girl about schooling which interest the girl a lot.
 The girl told Dawan about his brother, Vichai.
 Dawan told the girl that Vichai is her classmate and wonders why Vichai never told her
about him having a sister.
 The girl, Bao, told Dawan that nobody ever mentioned her ( her existence is
unimportant), she did not go to school or do anything important.
 Bao remembered learning about Dawan as the girl who had won the scholarship to
study in the city.
 She wondered how Dawan could be so intelligent.
 Dawan explained that nobody is born smarter or dumber than one another but it is the
way different chances are given or denied that makes people different.
 Dawan told Bao how she was given the chance to study when her brother helped talk
their father into letting her study years ago.
 Bao lamented how she wish her brother could be that special and how her own brother
only thinks of himself and even fighting her just to get what he wants.
 Dawan wondered if all brothers are like that as she tells of how Kwai wants to take away
her chance of going to the city so he could go instead of her.
 Bao was sceptical that the monk will not take sides with Dawan and persuade father, as
monks are not supposed to get involved in the affairs of lay people.
 Bao suggested that Dawan free a bird to get more merits before meeting the head
monk.
 Dawan did not have enough money to do so.

Event 8 – At the temple

 At the temple, Dawan placed her lotus in a big urn.

 When the monks were leaving the temple, Dawan rushed up after the head monk.
 Dawan told the monk that she wants to see him and she will be waiting for him in the
courtyard.
 Dawan was surprised to learn that the monk knew about her and her brother, Kwai’s
academic excellence.
 The monk told Dawan that she could learn a lot of things in the temple too.
 The monk told Dawan about the teaching of Buddha, about not hanging too much to
worldly pleasures and material dependence.
 The monk did not agree with Dawan about going to the city to learn.
 Dawan was frustrated.

Event 9 – Conflict at the market place

 Seeing Dawan’s frustration, Bao tried to comfort her.

 Bao told Dawan not to be frustrated and give up. She has to push herself forward and
struggle so as to be equal with the boys.
 Bao let Dawan free a pigeon and learn something from it.

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 Out of a sudden, Bao asked Dawan to hide because Vichai is coming and they had let a
bird out for free.
 Bao had an argument with Vichai when he discovered Bao was short of money.
 Vichai slapped Bao. Bao challenged her brother to hit her again. She then let the other
birds out and Vichai hit her on the shoulder.
 Kwai saw the incident and ran over to the scene. He grabbed Vichai’s arm.
 Bao asked who he was and he introduced himself.
 Bao described that she has been given false help as Kwai had not wanted to help her
own sister Dawan.
 Bao’s provocation had led Kwai to get angry and clutched his fist to hit her.
 Dawan came to stop Kwai.
 Kwai told her that it was not her business, and pushed her aside.
 This caused Dawan to fall in the top of a pile of broken birdcage and a piece of splintered
wood sliced through her ankle.
 Kwai tried to wipe her sister’s ankle but Dawan kept screaming and calling him a liar and
a bully.
 Dawan also questioned him about his intentions in grabbing her chance.
 Noi came and helped Dawan.
 Kwai left the market.
 Noi told Dawan that it will be very hurtful to get in the way of men.
 Bao gave Dawan an umbrella when it started to rain so she could go home.

Event 10 – In the storm

 When she reached the river, she thought of sitting on the bridge for a while.
 Kwai, however, was already there.
 Dawan asked what he was doing there.
 Kwai told her that he was reflecting upon what happened at the market and about what
had said to him.
 Kwai asked if Dawan really meant what she said.
 Dawan said that she meant it then but it may not be true. She was hurt then and was
angry.
 Kwai rationalise that it made sense. How can he say that he wants to study more and
help people later when in the course of furthering his studies, he robbed his own sister
of her chance to study.
 Dawan asked Kwai to go home and not be in the rain.
 Kwai wanted to stay think about the whole thing.
 Dawan gave Kwai her umbrella and hobbled home.
 This made Kwai think about his sister and made a decision.

Events 11 – The confrontation with father

 On the way home.
 As Kwai and Dawan were on their way home, the met their father who looked very
angry.
 They thought that their father had been angry because the buffalo was left in the storm.
 Kwai went to his father and offered to pull the buffalo home.
 Father was angry at Kwai. He had learnt from the teacher that Kwai was second in his
class and had not told father about it.
 At home
 The children went up to their grandmother for comfort from their father’s anger.
 Father demanded to see both the children.

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 Kwai went up to the house to meet their father first while Dawan was too scared to
meet their father.
 Grandmother comforted Dawan and told her not to be too scared.
 Grandmother told Dawan about how father was actually like when he was younger.
 Dawan pulled enough courage and went up the house to meet their father.
 Father demanded Kwai to explain why he had not told father that he was second after
Dawan.
 Kwai told father that he should not take his sister’s chance.
 Father forced Kwai to go to the city to study because Dawan could not do much because
she is only a girl.
 Father asserted that if Kwai does not go, he will not let Dawan go too.
 Dawan tried to argue with her father but father scolded her.
 Kwai told father that if he does not let Dawan go, he will not go either and so the
scholarship has to go to the third boy, Takchit.
 Father was very angry with the answer.
 Kwai told father that he was not trying to spite him but to show him that he does not
want his sister to give up her chance for him.
 Father stressed to Dawan that there is no use in a girl to have fancy education and there
is not much a girl can do to help their people.
 Dawan protested this idea, saying that their father had never given her a chance to do
so. She wanted her father to share his dreams with her too.
 Father at last agreed to let Dawan go to school and this made her very happy.
 Only then did Dawan realise that Kwai was shedding tears of sadness.

Event 12 – The last dawn at the bridge

 Dawan woke up and peeped into Kwai’s net. He had got up.
 Dawan headed to the bridge.
 She wanted to see Kwai. Kwai had been avoiding her for the last few days.
 She knew that it was not because Kwai was jealous or hostile but because of a sort of
gentle forlornness.
 She found Kwai on the bridge and talked heart to heart with him.
 Kwai was sad that Dawan’s leaving will change everything between them. They will not
be as close as before.
 Kwai felt the loneliness that he will feel every day after Dawan leave. He even
questioned Dawan about continuing her education when at last she will only be cooking
and taking care of her babies.
 Dawan consulted Kwai that she will try to fulfil their dreams of improving their life and
that she will always miss Kwai and the village.
 Dawan wants Kwai to look at the sunrise for her.
 Dawan had a mixed feeling of leaving for the city. She will miss her friends, Kwai and the
environment of the village.

Event 13 – The Leaving

 At home, some of the villagers and a few people who were special to her were already
waiting to bid her goodbye.
 Mother called to her to get ready.
 She ran up the house to change.
 She met her grandmother and told her that she was afraid to leave.
 After putting on her clothes, she knelt down in front of her grandmother.

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 Her grandmother told her that she has a long life ahead of her and this leaving is the first
step.
 Grandmother told her to be brave and face the world.
 Dawan told her grandmother that she had not packed everything yet. She wanted to
bring along the sunrise, the bridge, Kwai, her home and even the chickens, bullfrogs and
the forest.
 She told her grandmother to let her cry first.
 After a while, grandmother picked up a small glass jar filled with rainwater and a lotus
bud. She gave it to Dawan.
 She told Dawan to hold on to the lotus carefully and watch it unfold during the long bus
journey. It symbolises Dawan who is fragile, small and timid. The good water and strong
sunlight will unfold petals by petals like Dawan will unfold too.
 Grandmother told Dawan that life is an endless unfolding.
 Grandmother gave Dawan a little push so she will leave.
 Dawan went to the waiting bus but her eyes were looking for Kwai.
 She thought that Kwai was still angry with her.
 She wondered if fighting with Kwai about going to the city had been worthwhile.
 The bus moved and as it passed near the river where they used to play in, Dawan heard
Kwai singing on the bridge.
 Kwai was standing on the bridge and both arms thrown back in a gesture meant both to
embrace her and to send her off.
 As the bus left the village, Dawan noticed the first few petals of the flower had already
begun to unfold.

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