Sunday, January 16, 2011

qwertyuiop

QWERTYUIOP (Vivien Alcock)
‘QWERTYUIOP’ is about a poor, young graduate named Lucy Beck who has just finished her ‘O’ levels at Belmont Secretarial College. She is a slow learner herself but she is determined to find a job in order to get out of poverty. Fortunately, she is offered a job by Mr. Ross, the Manager of Ross and Bannister’s. However, she begins to face problems from her first day of work. She encounters many peculiar incidents when she starts using the electric typewriter. Whenever Lucy types, the words “QWERYUIOP” which is on the top lines on the keyboards will keep on appearing. She is determined to keep on her job, so she tries to overcome her fear. Later, she finds out that there is a spirit lingering around the office. She finds out from that Miss Broome, a former secretary of the late Mr Bannister was forced to retire after working for forty-three years. That was why the spirit of Miss Broome is adamant in holding on to her position as the company’s secretary. Towards the end of the story, Lucy tries to get rid of the spirit that has been haunting that place for many years. She assured Miss Broome that the late Mr Bannister needs her in the afterlife. She managed to convince Miss Broome to leave and finally she could maintain her job.

SETTING
The story was set in a small town, Belmont and it revolves around two main settings:
Ø Lucy’s house which she shares with her mother and her Uncle Bert,
In a poor neighbourhood
Ø The office of Ross and Bannister’s where Lucy works as a secretary.
It is a small firm which is over thirty years old.
PLOT
Exposition-
The main character, Lucy Beck is introduced and she lives with her mother and uncle. She has completed her secretarial course and wants a job. She is tried living in poverty and wants to lead a better life.
Rising Action~
Lucy managed to get a job as a secretary at Ross and Bannister’s after being interviewed by Mr. Ross. Harry Darke explained to Lucy that she needs to use the typewriter to do her work. Whenever Lucy types, the typewriter tries to control her. The word “QWERTYUIOP” keeps on appearing each time she types. Lucy types questions in order to investigate the mystery behind it. Harry Darke informs her of the old former secretary, the late Miss Broome, who was forced to resign.
Climax
Lucy is determined to defend her job and she started to type another copy by fixing her eyes on the keys. She was surprised when the typewriter typed out a threatening note. Through the battle of wits between Lucy and the spirit of Miss Broome at the typewriter, Lucy managed to gather all her courage. She erased all the words and she managed to type all her letters and sent it to be signed by Mr Ross.
Falling action
Lucy feels sorry for Miss Broome after she heard about Miss Broome’s loneliness and depression after losing her job. She sympathized Miss Broome and tries to persuade her to leave in peace. Lucy convinced her that Mr Bannister needs her help in the afterlife.
Resolution -
The typewriter become silent and Lucy types a goodbye note to Miss Broome. There was no reply and Lucy was relieved as she has finally helped the spirit of Miss Broome to find peace at last.
CHARACTERS
LUCY BECK
A young seventeen year old lady who got a job as a secretary at Ross and Banister’s
Characteristics:
She is a young, shy, a low achiever, not competent and highly qualified and insecure graduate of secretarial studies.
Textual evidence:
Lucy Beck was young and small and mouse-coloured, easily overlooked.
She had a lonely ‘O’ level and a typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh.
Characteristics:
She has a very low self esteem, inferior complex, no confidence and pessimistic
Textual evidence:
She is wondering who will employ her as she is aware of her inadequacies.
Lucy assumes that there are more qualified and brighter people than her who are qualified for the job vacancy.
Characteristics:
She became ambitious, determined and optimistic to change her life style.
Textual evidence:
Lucy is tired of being poor and she is fed up with macaroni cheese and baked beans. She is also sick of wearing second-hand clothes. She gathered her strength and determined to get a job to get out of poverty.
Characteristics:
Lucy becomes enthusiastic and a quick learner when she got a job. She also became courageous when she has to face the conflict with the spirit of Miss Broom.
Textual evidence:
Lucy got a job at Ross and Bannister’, a small firm with a factory just outside the town. She is so excited so came to her work place on Monday morning, at ten to nine and waited as the door to the office is closed. She faces problems when each time she types, the word ‘QWERTYUIOP” appears on the paper. When she finds that it was the ghost of Miss Broom, she became courageous and keep typing and liquid the unwanted words and reached the end of the letter by triumph.
Characteristics:
Lucy became sympathetic, caring, insightful and understanding after knowing Miss Broome’s history. She took the initiative to look for an amicable solution.
Textual evidence:
Lucy is shocked when she heard the news about Miss Broome from Harry Darke. She was forced to stop working after she had been working for forty three years. Lucy sympathizes Miss Broome
and tells her that Mr Bannister is only acting out of concern as he was worried of her health. Lucy managed to convince Miss Broome that the late Mr Bannister needs her help in the after life.
GHOST OF MS.BROOME :
The spirit of Ms Broome who haunts the office where she once worked as she is so attached to her job.
Characteristics:
Loyal, dedicated and took her job seriously at Ross and Bannister’s.
Textual evidence:
Ms Broome had worked for forty three years :girl, woman, old misery. She is unwilling to let go of her position and continues to defend her post, even after her demise.
Characteristics:
Lonely as she had no family and friends.
Textual evidence:
The office was her home; the job was all she lived for as she did not have any family of her own. She had no place worth to go and she insists to stay on.
Characteristics:
She is persistence, vengeful and also possessive over her secretarial job at Ross and Bannister’s.
Textual evidence:
Miss Broome dies but she does not want to leave her job and insist to stay on. She types nasty messages to new secretaries to instill fear. The typewriter rocked as if with laughter, its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth. She creates havoc with intention to scare those who will replace her place at the office.
Characteristics:
Finally she is convinced that she should leave as her help is needed.
Textual evidence:
Miss Broom leaves the office permanently after Lucy managed to convince her that Mr Bannister needs her help in the afterlife. The typewriter became silent, sunlight glittered on its keys making them looked wet.
HARRY DARKE :
Ross and Bannister’s handyman. He is an old man who has been working with the company for years.Characteristics:
Helpful and concern
Textual evidence:
He does all the odd jobs in the office and helps out new employees. He is helpful in giving useful information to Lucy regarding the spirit of Miss Broome and shows concern to her. He even told Lucy not to be like a frightened mouse, and not to worry.
Characteristics:
A loyal worker at Ross and Bannister’s.
Textual evidence:
He has been working for thirty years with Ross and Bannister’s, retired with a silver watch but still can’t keep away from his job.
Characteristics:
Encouraging and supportive to his colleague
Textual evidence:
He praises Lucy for her braveness and determination to keep on her job even after she has confronted the spirit of Miss Broome. He said that Lucy is no longer the timid mouse and she is a right little lion. Then he gives her chocolate biscuits with her tea as a credit and encouragement.
LUCY’S MOTHER/ MRS BECK
She is a patient and hardworking housewife who live a hard life. She has to support her brother.
Characteristics:
Content with her status in life.
Textual evidence:
Mrs Beck is satisfied with her status, she said to Lucy that “We are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life.” Thus she accepts her fate and shows no actions or thoughts of wanting more than what she has in life.
Characteristics:
Forgiving and compassionate
Textual evidence:
She had an argument/quarrel with Uncle Bert and had turned him out once. Six weeks later, she asked him to return as she sympathize him. She said he looks so lonely, so lost, living all by himself in a horrid little room with the worn lino and the curtains all shrunk.
Characteristics:
Patient
Textual evidence:
Lucy could not help wishing her mother would sometimes lose her temper, shout, scream, throw saucepans at the spinning, grinning head of Uncle Bert.
Characteristics:
Low expectations
Textual evidence:
She does not expect Lucy to get a job as she was not confident in Lucy’s ability.

UNCLE BERT :
A drunkard man who depends on his sister for support.
Characteristics:
Dependable and irresponsible
Textual evidence:
He drinks heavily and borrows money from Lucy’s mother.
Characteristics:
Caring
Textual evidence:
He is concern of Lucy and thought to prepare her supper since she is now a working girl.

MR. ROSS :
Lucy’s bossCharacteristics:
Accommodating and concern
Textual evidence:
He is easy to deal with, willing to help and even offers to do something about the typewriter if any problems continue.
THEMES
DETERMINATION:
Lucy has strong determination to keep her job as secretary of Ross and Bannister’s despite the supernatural forces that tries to fail her. Miss Broome’s spirit lingered in the room where Lucy works and demands her to leave but she shows no signs of giving up. Lucy is steadfast in defending her position as the secretary and she battled fearlessly with the spirit of Miss Broome who haunted the typewriter that Lucy was working on. Due to her strong determination, she managed to hold on to her job at the firm.
FAMILY LOVE AND CARE
Lucy’s mother is a responsible lady who takes care of Lucy and her brother despite of the hard life they have to go through. She manages to keep the bond of family love by forgiving Uncle Bert and accepting him back into the family. Lucy also regretted for being rude to Uncle Bert when she sees his shaking hands and miserable eyes, she apologizes and maintain the family bond. Lucy loves her mother and shares her happiness with her mother when she was successful of obtaining a job as a secretary.
COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY:Lucy and Miss Broome are both committed and loyal to their profession. Lucy takes her work seriously and does the job of typing which was given to her successfully. She has to face the battle with Miss Broome who is still attached to her work even after her death. Lucy did not give up even when Miss Broome demanded her to leave. Miss Broome was so possessive towards her job
and also extremely loyal towards Mr. Bannister. Lucy managed to convince her that the late Mr Bannister needs her so she left the office in order to continue her service to Mr Bannister in the after life.
LONELINESS:
Miss Broome has no friends and family members, so she commits herself to her job seriously and made the office her home. She became so attached to her position in the office and the feel of possessiveness went beyond the grave. Uncle Bert also felt the loneliness in life and became so dependable on his sister, Mrs Beck.
THE SUPERNATURAL:
Supernatural is being above or beyond what is unexplainable and natural by natural law. The character of Miss Broome in this story is presented as an ethereal entity. Her spirit lingered in the office where she used to work and haunts the new young secretaries who are supposed to replace her. She writes nasty messages and tries to drive away those who were choose to replace her. She instill the fear and eerie feelings in their hearts to frighten them.

COMPASSION:
The theme of compassion is revealed in the final confrontation between Lucy and Miss Broome. After hearing about Miss Broome’s life history from Harry Darke, Lucy became sympathetic and understanding. She interacts with the spirit of Miss Broome through typing on the typewriter and finally she managed to convince her of leaving the place. She told her that Mr Bannister needs her in the afterlife and the spirit left in peace. Compassion is also revealed by Mrs Beck to her brother who is lonely and needed a place called home. Lucy also had compassion towards her Uncle Bert and sympathize him as he is a lonely person who has no place to go.
MORAL VALUES
Ø In order to be successful in life, we need to have a positive mind set
Ø On our journey to success, we need to have high level of positive self esteem
Ø In communication, be compassionate not aggressive as compassion heals while aggression causes hurt.
Ø Appreciate and compliment others accordingly
Ø Preserve the family ties and unity through understanding and forgiving
Ø Do not judge a book by its cover
Ø We should not underrate people and their creativeness or abilities.

why the correct pronunciation is important

Thursday, January 13, 2011

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

SYNOPSIS
In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girl’s feelings for a man. She believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. She is taken in by his quiet eyes. If she had listened to advice about men who seek  pleasure, she would not be in this situation. The poet advises all young girls to be careful and not be betrayed by men.

THEME
  • Betrayal of love
  • Personal experiences
  • Relationships that are meaningful
MORAL VALUES
  • Don’t be naive and believe everything we are told especially in matters of the heart.
  • We must be careful when choosing friends.
  • Falling in love is normal but one should be careful.
  • We must learn from the experience of other people.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
  • Reflective
  • Sad and happy
  • Sympathetic
POINT OF VIEW
  • Second and third person's point of view
LANGUAGE & STYLE
  • Simple and easy to understand
  • Simple style with rhyming scheme
POETIC DEVICES
  • Imagery – e.g. ‘pools of lies’, ‘layered in thinnest ice’
  • Symbol – e.g ‘quiet eyes’, ‘dice’
  • Alliteration – e.g ‘lies layered’
  • Personafication – e.g The eyes were ‘breathing the desolate sighs’ as though he was talking charmingly to her.
taken verbatim from zahuren.wordpress.com

In The Midst of Hardship

SYNOPSIS (OVERALL)
In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and talk while preparing to relax with a smoke.

SYNOPSIS (ACCORDING TO STANZA)

STANZA 1
They returned home at dawn and headed for the stove. Their clothes were soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.

STANZA 2
They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They searched desperately for their son’s albino buffalo but were unable to find it.

STANZA 3
They were born into poverty and difficulty, but they do not complain about their suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes.

SETTING
The setting of the poem is in the house.

THEMES
  • Stoicism in life
  • Family love
  • Acceptance of way of life
MORAL VALUES
  1. We should learn to accept problems in life with a positive outlook.
  2. We must attempt to face and solve problems.
  3. Failure is part of growing up.
  4. Do not despair in the face of failure.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
  • Understanding and sympathetic
  • Dismal
  • Acceptance of situation
POINT OF VIEW
  • Third person point of view.
LANGUAGE & STYLE
  • Language is simple and easy to understand.
  • The style is simple with no rhyming scheme.
POETIC DEVICES
  • Imagery – Gives picture of poet’s thoughts e.g ‘soaky clothes torn’ and ‘legs full of wounds’
  • Alliteration – e.g. ‘but on their brows’
  • Symbols – e.g. ‘horrendous flood’ and ‘bloating carcasses’
  • Diction – e.g. ‘stove’ and ‘brows
(taken verbatim from zahuren.wordpress.com)

The Curse

SYNOPSIS "The Curse" by Lee Su Ann


“The Curse” is about a girl, named Azreen, her parents and sister, Madhuri. Azreen, a strong-headed girl is studying in London but has to take a leave from her study when she receives the news about her sister’s death. She is curious about the cause of her sister’s sudden death. When she reaches home, her sister’s body has been brought to the cemetery. She overhears a village gossiper, Puan Normala talks about her sister’s death. Normala claims that her sister has been murdered and has shed white blood.

On her return, Azreen discovers a few truths about her family and people around her. First she finds out that her sister has been in love with Asraf, and has planned to marry and divorced her husband, Hj Ghani. Second, Awang, the Shaman has actually caused the accident which his parents are involved in and causes her mother to become paralysed. Third, she learns that Madhuri is actually her adopted sister and the crazy woman is Madhuri’s biological mother. Fourth and finally, she discovers that Madhuri has accidentally been killed by her father.

There is one old woman whom Azreen has turned to for emotional support. The old woman lives alone in an abandoned house in the jungle. Azreen learns a lot about life from this wise old woman. The old woman however dies in a fire started by Asraf who has blamed her for his grandmother’s death.

At the end, Azreen returns to London to finish her study. She has learned a valuable lesson from her short break at her little village in Langkawi Island. She has learned to forgive others and to look ahead.
 
(taken verbatim from spmenglish@blogspot.com)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Are You Still Playing Your Flute? by zurinah hassan

The poet uses a conversational style with the poem. The person referred to here is the one who can play the flute. At first glance, it was like love poetry as much use of the words are soft and romantic. The conversations are soft and romantic with the flute player because it is one way or the style of the poet to express all the disturbing thoughts he has in his mind.

The theme for this poem is community. Overall, the expressions of the poet of his country and the nation is that his country is riddled with crisis and uncertainty. Amidst such circumstances, the poet can remember about the flute player. The poet can't help but also to be reminded about his villagers who are terminally ill.

He talks about his situation in the city. While the city is ill, the village has been deserted and abandoned by the young who seek for greener pastures in the city. Why is the flute player still there in the village playing his flute for? However, this also means that the flute player might be still defending the artistic traditions of a typical Malay village.

The flute musical instrument is chosen because it is the closest to nature. It is just a piece of bamboo and does not require sophisticated technology to be created. Thus, everything appears to be back to nature and the roots of things.

The poet feels guilty for treating nostalgia as akin to the flute player. That feeling of guilt is because he is thinking about something beautiful like arts. In the city, he should have been busy for that life passes quickly. As if he is giving his precious time to the trivial things of life while being hit by more serious problems in the city. These problems appear in the next stanza.

In the meantime, many of his villagers are unemployed. The people are divided because of politics. And around the world such as in Palestine, Muslims are being killed daily by the vicious Zionist bombs.

The poet believes that it is not the time to pay attention to the arts. It is time for hard work. It is time to solve problems, rather being lulled into artistic pleasure, eventhough the artists can not serve his passion for art. Sadly as they claimed, it was not to become an artist again.

(Adapted from zurinahhassan@blogspot.com)