FLIPPING FANTASTIC

Themes

1)    Selfish brings no benefits

-       James and Tristan believe that being selfish will not make them grow up. They depend on each other during primary school and it’s time for them to be separated and stand on their own feet.

2)    Love between a family is important

-       Both twin brothers in this story, James and Tristan, love each other till they can’t be separated.

3)    Equal and balance love given to children is important

-       The mother in the story gives equal love between both of her son, Tristan and James.

Characters

1)    Tristan

-       James’ twin brother

-       A disabled child

-       Loves his brother James

-       Going to Chesterlea Grange after his primary school

2)    James

-       Tristan’s twin brother

-       Always depends on Tristan for his homework and other things

-       Loves Tristan so much

-       Going to Highfields after his primary school

3)    Mum

-       Loving and caring

-       Care for both her children

-       Gives equal love between her two children

Plot

1)    Exposition

-      

2)    Rising action

3)    Climax

4)    Falling action

5)    Resolution

-       Both Tristan and James agree to go to separate schools

Point of view

-       1^st person point of view

Settings

1)    Place

-       In the school

-       At home

2)    Time

-       Day light

-       Night time

3)    Society

-       Family

ONE IS ONE AND ALL ALONE

Themes

1)    Lack of attention from parents will affect a child negatively

-       Trish gets to clone herself because of lack of attention from her father. She also misses her mother so much. The only friend that she has is Voice Printer. Finally she cloned herself in order to get a friend.

2)    Being selfish will end up in a bad manner

-       Without thinking of the consequences that might happen, Trish cloned herself in order to get a friend. She finally thrown by her own clone, Clo, through the disposal hatch.

Characters

1)    Trish

-       Main character

-       One of the spaceship crew

-       A teenager, going to be 13 on 2047

-       Cloned herself to get rid of her boredom

2)    Trish’s father

-       So busy with himself until he ignored his daughter Trish

3)    Voice Printer (VP)

-       The only friend that Trish has

-       Play together with Trish every time

4)    Clo

-       Trish’s clone

-       Threw Trish out of the spaceship through the disposal hatch

Plot

1)    Exposition

-       Trish is on her way to Trion in a spaceship. She is bored and got no friend to talk to. The only friend that she has is Voice Printer, the talking machine that will entertain her whenever she’s bored. Her father is too busy to give extra attention to her.

2)    Rising action

-       Trish finally cloned herself and named her clone as Clo. They play together happily and Trish is so excited and happy to have a friend who is similar so her.

3)    Climax

-       Trish got annoyed with her own clone, Clo. The main problem is because other than similar physical characteristic, they have similar thinking and feelings too. Trish planned to throw Clo out of the spaceship through the disposal hatch.

4)    Resolution

-       In the end, it turns the other way around where Trish is thrown away by Clo. Clo changed her name to Trish and she live happily all alone in the spaceship as Trish.

Point of view

-       1^st person point of view

Settings

1)    Place

-       In a spaceship

2)    Time

-       2045 to 2047

3)    Society

-       Spaceship crew

-       Futuristic society

QWERTYUIOP

Plot

Exposition: Lucy Beck had just graduated from Belmont Secretarial College and was searching for a job. She is tired of being poor and determined to improve her life.

Rising action: She was so happy to get a job at Ross and Banister’s firm as a secretary that she told her mom in the kitchen of her house. However, she had been warned by the handyman of the firm to be careful in her work, but Lucy had no idea what the old man was talking about.

Climax: She finally found out what the old man or Mr. Henry Darke tried to tell her on the first day of her job as she had been teased by the spirit of the typewriter. She was so surprised and scared at the same time that the letters that she was typing had been interfered by the word QWERTYUIOP all over the letter.

Falling action: She discovered the truth from Mr. Darke herself and understand why the spirit was haunting the typewriter all this time. Miss Broome was her name and she was the former secretary and had served the firm for forty-years. Lucy knew that she need to get rid of the spirit of Miss Broome immediately or else it will affect her job entirely

Resolution: She finally had a conversation with Miss Broome using the typewriter written on a paper telling her that her employer Mr. Banister had died many years ago, and thus she must also go off because she got no one else to serve for. At the end, she folded the finished letter into a paper dart and sent it out of the window, off with the wind.

Point of View

3^rd person of view

Setting

Time: The story most probably takes place in the early 20^th century since the works were done by using typewriters, computers may not exist yet during that time.  

Place:

1)    Belmont Secretarial College

- The institution where Lucy Beck finished her study and becomes the secretary at Ross and Banister’s firm. 

2) Lucy’s house

- the place where Lucy told her mother about her job and where she met her Uncle Bert.

3) Ross and Banister’s firm

-   the place where Lucy works as secretary

Society: 20^th century society

Character:

1)    Lucy Beck

-       A poor young girl who finally becomes a secretary in a firm called Ross and Banister’s and deals with a haunted typewriter in the early days of her carrier.

2)    Harry Darke:

-       Ross and Banister’s handyman who has worked for the company for so many years and has known of the spirit of Miss Broome whom has been haunting the typewriter for so long.

3)    Mrs. Price

-       A teacher at Belmont Secretarial College.

4)    Mr. George Ross

-       Owner of the firm- Ross and Banister’s

5)    Uncle Bert

-       Depends on her sister’s family for support which Lucy doesn’t like him at all as he is also a drunkard.

6)    Miss Broome

-       Former secretary of Ross and Banister’s firm.

-       Dead and became the evil spirit that haunted the typewriter for years.

Theme:

1)    Determination leads to success

-       Lucy is determined to find herself a job to support her family financial as she comes from a poor family. Being tired of poor life, she ignores her fear of Miss Broome’s spirit and continues her work until it is done. Lucy finally succeeded in getting rid of Miss Broome’s spirit and become the one and only secretary in the firm.

2)    Loyalty towards employer

-       Miss Broome had been the secretary at Ross and Banister’s firm for forty-three years and still wanted to continue her service although she had been given her retirement.

3)    Commitment is important in a profession

-       Although Lucy has been teased and disturbed by Miss Broome’s spirit so many times, she is still committed to her work and finished all the work given on time.

The Fruitcake Special

Theme:

1)    True love versus superficial love – every man who smells Anna’s Fruitcake Special Perfume will fall for her. However, Armstrong fell in love for Anna when she is not wearing the perfume.

2)    Abiding the family demands- Anna’s family, her mother and her Aunt Mimi are worried of her because she is not married yet. To satisfy her family, Anna tried her best to find a man to be her mate.

3)    Determination towards success- Armstrong who was once a pizza delivery boy is now the owner of the pizza company.

Plot:

1)    Exposition

-       Anna accidentally created the Fruitcake perfume and made David Amos enchanted to her because of the perfume. She herself had no idea what make the perfume so special.

2)    Rising action

-       Mr. Amos took Anna for a dinner at a restaurant; however he was not attracted to Anna as he was in the morning. Anna then dabs on the fruitcake perfume in the toilet.

3)    Climax

-       The perfume worked. Mr. Amos declared his love for her and so do the waiter who accidentally smells the perfume as well. A big fight starts between Mr. Amos, her girlfriend Sabina and the waiter. Anna knew it was the Fruitcake special perfume that caused the fight.

4)    Falling action

-       Anna tried to the special ingredient in the fruitcake but she failed.

5)    Resolution

-       Anna resigned from the cosmetic company. Surprisingly, the pizza delivery boy who finally owns the company came by and proposed Anna.

Character:

1)    Ann

-       Main actress in the story

-       A chemist in Amos Cosmetic factory

-       27 years old and not married

2)    David Amos

-       The owner of Amos Cosmetic factory

-       Dark and handsome

-       Her girlfriend named Sabina

3)    Aunt Mimi

-       Is concerned of her niece

-       Pleasant but like to mind other people’s business

4)    Anna’s mother

-       Is worried of her daughter for not having any boyfriend yet at the age of 27.

-       Suggesting the pizza delivery boy which turns to be real at the end of the story.

5)    Armstrong

-       The pizza delivery boy whom had promised himself to own the company one day.

-       Proposed Anna when he succeeded to be the owner of the pizza company

6)    Sabina

-       David Amos’s girlfriend

-       A model, beautiful

7)    Waiter

-       Fell for Anna after smelling the perfume at the restaurant.

8)    Old Woman

-       Have 7 husbands

-       The one who gave the fruitcake to Aunt Mimi.

Point of view:

-       1^st person point of view

Settings:

-       Place

1)    Anna’s workplace- a place where perfumes are designed by chemist. Anna is one of the chemists that are responsible for the perfumes designed.

2)    Home- the place where Anna had her conversation with her mother and her Aunt Mimi.

3)    Restaurant- Anna went to this restaurant with Mr. David where a big fight happened.

-       Time:

1)    Modern civilization

-       Society:

1)    High and middle class society- Anna comes from the middle class society whereas Mr. David comes from the high class society.

The importance of exercise

People nowadays seem to neglect the importance of exercise because of some circumstances. However, the word ‘circumstances’ here may best be replaced by the word ‘unaccepted reasons’! These people give thousands of excuses just because of their laziness that can be divided in many terms like money, time and work.  

Insufficient time

Lack of money

Tons of work to be done

Tired

 Laziness

If we look on the bright side, exercise may help in solving all the problems above. Some of the advantages of exercise are as below: 

Stress Reduction

Exercise involves physical activities that encourage the production of our endorphins- our brain feel good transmitter. Endorphins help in lowering our pressure which will give us full control of ourselves.

Energy booster

We will automatically increase our stamina level by doing some exercises regularly. With increasing stamina, it will give us extra energy to deal with our days ahead.

Weight loss

Everybody knows that lots and lots of exercises with controlled style of eating will effectively help in reducing weight. Exercises such as jogging and skipping help in burning fat and lowering our calorie level which equals to weight loss.

Increase self confidence

We will feel more confident with ourselves if we have a good looking personality, a full control of ourselves and extra energy to work on our days. 

Lower the percentage to get sick

We got toxin and many other poisonous substances in our body that will lead us to many health diseases. These substances must be eliminated from our body to avoid ourselves from getting sick. One best way to do this is by exercising. We will excrete an amount of toxins and other substances through the pore of our skin by sweating.

Therefore, people out there must realize that exercise do contribute to many advantages that will make our life better and more meaningful.

Form 4 and Form 5 Poem Analysis

In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin

Latiff was born in 1941. He is Malaysia's most celebrated living artist and poet and is considered a national treasure. Called 'Boy Wonder' since age 11, he got his art training in Germany at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste, Atelier La Courriere in France and Pratt Graphic Centre in America. He shaped the development of art practice and literature through his extraordinary vision.

Poem analysis

In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn

and approached the stove

their limbs marked by scratches

their legs full of wounds

but on their brows

there was not a sign of despair

The first stanza tells us about the condition of the people returning home as they were out in the flood. They returned home starving as they approached the stove, mentioned in the third line. Though their condition is quite bad with scratches and wounds, yet they do not show any sign of hopeless or worried.

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood

in the water all the time

between bloated carcasses

and tiny chips of tree barks

desperately looking for their son’s

albino buffalo that was never found

The second stanza explains to us how they faced the terrible flood together. Surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed, they failed in searching for their son’s albino buffalo.

They were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a complaint

now they are in the kitchen, making

jokes while rolling their ciggarete leaves

Although these people were born in poverty and hardship but they do not complain about their lives. Instead, they are enjoying their lives happily among each other.

Glossary

Torn /teər/ to pull or be pulled apart, or to pull pieces off

Stove  /stəʊv/ a piece of equipment which burns fuel or uses electricity in order to heat a place

Limbs /lɪm/ an arm or leg of a person or animal, or a large branch of a tree

Wounds /wuːnd/ a damaged area of the body, such as a cut or hole in the skin or flesh made by a weapon

Despair /dɪˈspeər /he feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation

Horrendous/həˈren.dəs/extremely unpleasant or bad

Bloated/ˈbləʊ.tɪd/swollen and rounded because of containing too much air, liquid or food

Carcasses/ˈkɑː.kəs/the body of a dead animal, especially a large one that is soon to be cut up as meat or eaten by wild animals

Amidst/əˈmɪd/in the middle of or surrounded by; among

Sigh/saɪ/to breathe out slowly and noisily, expressing tiredness, sadness, pleasure, etc.

Complaint/kəmˈpleɪnt/when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory

Midst/mɪdst/the middle of a group of people or things

                                                          

He Had Such Quiet Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo

Bibsy Soenharjo was born in Jakarta on 22 November 1928. Her father was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Indonesia. Bibsy began writing her first prose in 1957 and then poetry in the sixties. Her poems have appeared in bilingual anthologies, with her Indonesian works translated into English, Dutch and Japanese and her English poems into Indonesian and Dutch. Bibsy continued to write prose pieces in Indonesian that appeared in Jakarta dailies under the pen name Nusapati. She now lives in Jakarta with the youngest of her three sons, Haryo, his wife Sutji and their children.

Poem analysis

He Had Such Quite Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo

He had such quiet eyes

She did not realise

They were two pools of lies

Layered with thinnest ice

To her, those quiet eyes

Were breathing desolate sighs

Imploring her to be nice

And to render him paradise

In the first stanza, the persona explains how the girl is blinded by the guy’s personality. The girl had been lied by the guy’s eyes and surrendered her heart and soul to the guy.

If only she’d been wise

And had listened to the advice

Never to compromise

With pleasure-seeking guys

She’d be free from ‘the hows and whys’

The second stanza tells the possibility if the girl had only been clever to think and listen to the advice that may had been given from her family or friends and not to easily fall for men who are only searching for pleasure in women.

Now here’s a bit of advice

Be sure that nice really nice

Then you’ll never be losing at dice

Though you lose your heart once or twice

In the last stanza, the persona includes an advice for women to be sure whether the man is sincere or just playing with words in a relationship. In this stanza, life is referred to as a dice that we may lose or win at the same time.

Glossary

Desolate /ˈdes.əl.ət/describes a place that is empty and not attractive, with no people or nothing pleasant in it

Sighs saɪ/to breathe out slowly and noisily, expressing tiredness, sadness, pleasure, etc.

Imploring /ɪmˈplɔːr/  to ask someone to do or not do something in a very sincere, emotional and determined way

Render /ˈren.dər/  to cause someone or something to be in a particular state

Paradise /ˈpær.ə.daɪs/ a place or condition of great happiness where everything is exactly as you would like it to be

Wise /waɪz/ having or showing the ability to make good judgments, based on a deep understanding and experience of life

Compromise /ˈkɒm.prə.maɪz/ an agreement in an argument in which the people involved reduce their demands or change their opinion in order to agree

Pleasure /ˈpleʒ.ər/ enjoyment, happiness or satisfaction, or something that gives this

Dice /daɪs/ a small cube (= object with six equal square sides) with a different number of spots on each side, used in games involving chance

Nature by H.D Carberry

Hugh Doston (“Dossie”) Carberry was born July 12, 1921, the son of sir John Carberry, a former Chief Justice of Jamaica, and Lady Georgina Carberry, in Montreal, Canada. He came to Jamaica in infancy and spent most of his life there. He had his primary education at Decarteret school in Mandeville, Jamaica and then attended Jamaica College. After working with the Civil Service, to which he qualified as second out of over 100 applicants, Carberry went to St. Catherrine College, Oxford University, where he obtained his B. A. and B. C. L.. He read Law at Middle Temple and was called to the Bar in 1951, then returning to Jamaica to engage in private practice.

In 1954, Carberry married Dorothea, and they had two sons, Martin and John, and a daughter, Christine. In addition to his career in law, Carberry was a poet and gave outstanding service in the cultural field, being a member of the Managing Committee of the Little Theatre since 1951. A devout Christian, he was also a pillar of the Providence Methodist church as Class Co-leader. Carberry was Clerk to the Houses of Parliament from 1969-1978 and a member of the commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He was appointed Judge of the Jamaican court of appeal in 1978 and served for a decade. H. D. Carberry died on June 28, 1989.

Poem analysis

This poem by H.D Cranberry tells us about the weather conditions in Jamaica. Though Jamaica does not have all four seasons as in other countries, it is just as beautiful as compared to those that have. The other message that is being conveyed in this poem is we have to be proud for who we are and what we have. As seen in this poem, the persona starts with “we have neither summer nor winter neither autumn nor spring” as if he is lacking of something in his life. However, as we move on to the third line, “we have instead the days”, we can see that the persona is telling us that he has something that others don’t have.

Glossary

Summer /ˈsʌm.ər/ the season of the year between spring and autumn when the weather is warmest, lasting from June to September north of the equator and from December to March south of the equator

Winter /ˈwɪn.tər/ the season between autumn and spring, lasting from November to March north of the equator and from May to September south of the equator, when the weather is coldest

Autumn /ˈɔː.təm/ the season of the year between summer and winter, lasting from September to November north of the equator and from March to May south of the equator, when fruits and crops become ripe and are picked, and leaves fall

Spring /sprɪŋ/ the season of the year between winter and summer, lasting from March to June north of the equator, and from September to December south of the equator, when the weather becomes warmer, leaves and plants start to grow again and flowers appear

Instead /ɪnˈsted/ n place of someone or something else

Lush /lʌʃ/ A lush area has a lot of green, healthy plants, grass and trees

Cane /keɪn/ the long, hard, hollow stem of particular plants such asbamboo, sometimes used to make furniture or support other plants in the garden

Magnificently /mægˈnɪf.ɪ.sənt/ ery good, beautiful or deserving to be admired

Swish /swɪʃ/ to (cause to) move quickly through the air making a soft sound

Gullies /ˈgʌl.i/ a narrow, rocky valley or channel with steep sides, made by a fast flowing stream

Fade /feɪd/ to (cause to) lose colour, brightness or strength gradually

Reaped /riːp/ to cut and collect a grain crop

Bare /beər / without any clothes or not covered by anything

Fallow /ˈfæl.əʊ/ describes land that is not planted with crops, in order to improve the quality of the soil

Blossom /ˈblɒs.əm/ When a tree or plant blossoms, it produces flowers before producing fruit which can be eaten

Scent /sent/ a pleasant natural smell

Sways /sweɪ/ to move slowly from side to side

Shivers /ˈʃɪv.ər/ When people or animals shiver, they shake slightly because they feel cold, ill or frightened

Slightest /slaɪt/ small in amount or degree

Buttercups /ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp/ a small, bright yellow wild flower     

Paved /peɪv/ an area of ground with a hard flat surface of pieces of stone, concrete or bricks

Are You Still Playing Your Flute by Zurinah Hassan

BIODATA OF ZURINAH HASSAN

Date / Place of birth : 13 June 1949, Alor Setar Kedah.

Permanent address : No.2, Jalan Pinggir, 8/1L, Seksyen 8, 40000 Shah Alam since 1974.

Academic Qualifications : B.A.Hons (Universiti Sains Malaysia), M.A. (Universiti Putra Malaysia). Doktor Falsafah, Akademi Pengajian Melayu, Universiti Malaya.

Awards :

1.    Anugerah Penulisan Asia Tenggara (S.E.A. Write Award) 2004

2.    Book Category Award

-         Pujangga Tidak Bernama, Hadiah Sastera Perdana(1994/1995)

-          Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi, Hadiah Buku Perpustakaan Negara 2002/2004)

-         Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi , Hadiah Sastera Perdana 2002/2003.

Poem analysis

Are You Still Playing Your Flute by Zurinah Hassan

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love

I am feeling guilty

To be longing for your song

The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo

Uncovered by the breath of an artist

Composed by his fingers

Blown by the wind

To the depth of my heart.

Stanza 1

This poem talks about the responsibility of the leaders in the world which the leadership is symbolized as the flute. “Are you still playing your flute?” meaning iis the leader still doing his job in leading the country.  “The melody” is the government system and “in the slim hollow of the bamboo” is the government system as written in the book of constitution.  “Artist” is referred to as the leader and “his fingers” symbolizes the style used by the leader in administrating the system. “To be longing for your song” here means the people is longing for a wise leader that can bring them the peace and harmony in the country once again.

Are you still playing your flute?

In the village so quiet and deserted

Amidst the sick rice fields

While here it has become a luxury

To spend time watching the rain

Gazing at the evening rays

Collecting dew drops

Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Stanza 2

People nowadays are focusing more on the city life until there are less people to take care of the paddy fields in the village. The second stanza also tells us that it would have been so hard for people in the city to have leisure times enjoying the nature as it has been so much chaos with less people caring for each other.

Are you still playing your flute?

The more it disturbs my conscience

to be thinking of you

in the hazard of you

my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.

Stanza 3

Day by day, there are more people to suffer for the consequences of the irresponsible leaders. Politics disunite the people and kill more other innocent people in other country. This world is old until a leader comes and unites us all.

Glossary

Flute /fluːt/ a tube-shaped musical instrument with a hole that you blow across at one end while holding the tube out horizontally to one side of you

Longing /ˈlɒŋ.ɪŋ/ a feeling of wanting something or someone very much

Concealed /kənˈsiːl/ to prevent something from being seen or known about; to hide something

Hollow /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ having a hole or empty space inside

Composed /kəmˈpəʊzd/ calm and in control of your emotions

Deserted /dɪˈzɜː.tɪd/ If a place is deserted, there are no people in it

Amidst /əˈmɪd/ in the middle of or surrounded by; among

Luxury /ˈlʌk.ʃər.i/ great comfort, especially as provided by expensive and beautiful things

Gazing /geɪz/ to look at something or someone for a long time, especially in surprise, admiration or because you are thinking about something else

Rays /reɪ/ a narrow beam of light, heat, etc. travelling in a straight line from its place of origin

Dew /djuː/ drops of water that form on the ground and other surfaces outside during the night

Fragrance /ˈfreɪ.grənt s/ a sweet or pleasant smell

Conscience /ˈkɒn.t ʃənt s/ the part of you that judges how moral your own actions are and makes you feel guilty about bad things that you have done or things you feel responsible for

Hazard /ˈhæz.əd/   something that is dangerous and likely to cause damage

Unemployed /ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪd/ not having a job that provides money

Slaughtered /ˈslɔː.tər/ to cruelly and unfairly kill a lot of people

Mercilessly /ˈmɜː.sɪ.ləs/ /ˈmɜː.sɪ.lə.sli/ having or showing no mercy

 

Bibliography

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://dbp.gov.my/lamandbp/main.php?Content=articles&ArticleID=1176

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://dbp.gov.my/lamandbp/main.php?Content=articles&ArticleID=1176

(2007, 6 11). Retrieved from http://bibsybook-heartnsoul.blogspot.com/

zahuren. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://zahuren.wordpress.com/poems/in-the-midst-of-hardship-by-latiff-mohidin/

zahuren. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://zahuren.wordpress.com/poems/he-had-such-quiet-eyes-by-bibsy-soenharjo/

zahuren. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://zahuren.wordpress.com/poems/nature-by-h-d-carberry/

zahuren. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://zahuren.wordpress.com/poems/are-you-still-playing-flute/