On-line Task 4

Questions:
1. Think of at least 3 benefits of using speeches by famous figures, in the classroom.

• The speeches are always correct grammatically. Thus, these are the best authentic material for a language lesson as it easier to be taught.
• These types speech are usually cohesive and coherent easier for the students to spot the main ideas and supporting details.
• Knowing the background of these famous figures and what they had achieved in life, it is inspiring for the students and increases their motivation in learning. 
• These speeches by famous figures contain interesting facts and quotes which can be used by the studenst in enriching their speaking and writing skills

2. Go to www.youtube.com and find the audio-visual on the speech. In not less than 50 words, state would the audio-visual be of any use in helping understand the speech better? State your reasons.

Yes, an audio visual would indeed help the students to understand the speech better. when they look at it, they can clearly see the speakers expression. thus enabling them to relate better to the subject matter. for those who lack in good reading and pronunciation, this would indeed help them to know how to read certain words.

3. Who is Martin Luther King?

He was an activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights. He is an iconic figure in fights for civil rights in the United States and throughout the world. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against racial segregation and discrimination

4. Based on the questions below, analyse the features of the given written speech:

a. What is the purpose of the speech?

b. What is the tone of the speech?

c. What interesting major feature(s) can you see from the speech? (i.e.Repetition of phrases, emphasis on certain things said etc)

d. Any interesting facts that you can gather based on the background of the speech?

5. Suggest a while-reading activity that can be derived from this particular speech. 

Identifying main ideas and supporting details

On-line Task 3

NELSON MANDELA

Nelson Mandela

Wise, powerful, loving and selfless

A man full of kindness

Who loves justice, peace and forgiveness

Who is afraid of heartless man, cruel act and world of madness

Who wants to see a better world, prosperous and  harmonious

Resident of a world full of happiness

Nelson Mandela an angel who kept his promises.

On-line Task 2

Do we have a canon for Malaysian literary works? Let's say we do, who do you think are in it? Consider the fact that their works are well-known and most importantly included as part of the school syllabus- (both in BM and English)

• K.S. Maniam – The Return (novel)
• Prof. Dr. Muhammad Haji Salleh – Si Tenggang’s Homecomming (poem)
• Datuk A. Samad Said – The Dead Crow (poem)
• Kamaluddin Muhamad (Keris Mas)- Jungle of Hope (novel)

The poems by Erica Jong raises some feminist issues. What are they?

Penis Envy

On the First Night

Penis Envy by Erica Jong

I envy men who can yearn

with infinite emptiness

toward the body of a woman,

hoping that the yearning

will make a child,

that the emptiness itself

will fertilize the darkness.

Women have no illusions about this,

being at once

houses, tunnels,

cups & cupbearers,

knowing emptiness as a temporary state

between two fullnesses,

& seeing no romance in it.

If I were a man

doomed to that infinite emptiness,

& having no choice in the matter,

I would, like the rest, no doubt,

find a woman

& christen her moonbelly,

madonna, gold-haired goddess

& make her the tent of my longing,

the silk parachute of my lust,

the blue-eyed icon of my sacred sexual itch,

the mother of my hunger.

But since I am a woman,

I must not only inspire the poem

but also type it,

not only conceive the child

but also bear it,

not only bear the child

but also bathe it,

not only bathe the child

but also feed it,

not only feed the child

but also carry it

everywhere, evertwhere...

while men write poems

on the mysteries of motherhood.

I envy men who can yearn

with infinite emptiness

Do you think they are suitable to teach at the secondary school level? Explain.

I don’t think so. Some of the issue are too extreme for a secondary school students like the issue of sex and infidelity in a marriage. They are not suitable for their age level and they might be not be able to handle it properly. They are also against our traditional value which is full of politeness whereby these poems are more bold and sarcastic.

Is Hillary Tham's poem more suitable?

Yes, definitely. Hillary Tham’s poem are more relevant, fun, loving and meaningful. As a Malaysian, she is more aware of our multi-cultural status and sensitive issues in our society. Having able to portray our way of life in her poems her works are more pleasing and respectful to Malaysian. The poems too are very beautiful and rich in literary terms like metaphors. There are also a lot of values that I can be taught through the poem to the secondary school students.

The short tale from the Native American group is about a girl who is unsatisfied with her life. How is this a universal experience? Can it teach our students anything?

Being unsatisfied is natural when it comes to a human being. We always want more in life regardless of what we are having. But then again, this story about the girl who had  made choice by leaving her lover and marrying another man whom she does not love. Later on, when she realised that she had been wrong she goes back to the man she loves even though he is in lack of some qualities. This story can certainly teach our students to think wisely before any decision and be grateful for god’s gifts in life.

From your findings about his background, tell me about the dilemma he conveys through the poem CROSS.

            James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, Langston Hughes was mostly raised by his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas after his parents divorced when he was very young. He was an important contributor to the Harlem Renaissance, traveled and was read all over the world and died in New York in 1967. Also a prolific writer of novels, short stories, plays and essays, Hughes took it as his poetic vocation “to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America,” and became known as Poet Laureate of black life and culture. He embodied his radical ideals in poems of exhortation and portrayed black characters in both lyric and satirical modes.

            In this poem, Langston Hughes reflected the idea of slavery in America that happened a long time ago. Langston shows this by comparing his mother and his father. Both parents have a different race and treatment by others. By being biracial, thus ,he expresses his feeling of  frustration of not being able to ‘fit in’ in the society. 

I find "Dinner Guest: Me" laden with irony and sarcasm. Briefly state if you feel the same.

Yes, I feel the same way too. The lines “I know I am; the Negro Problem” is  full of sarcasm. He clearly pictures that even the Negros would not accept him and they address him as a problem because of his mix parenting. At that time, the United States of America is considered modern country,  to talk about darkness is actually to put into irony the darkness of the Negros in the bright country of U.S.A. this can also be considered as sarcasm. He even stated that “I’m so ashamed of being White” which makes him feel ashamed to be half white because of the  way they treat the blacks.

The experience in the poem Harlem is one that is true for many people. Do you agree?

Yes,  this experience of being ill treated doesn’t only happen to The Negros, but also for the females all over the world, where they were not given the freedom of speech.

Langston Hughes fights for the voice of his people. What is the movement called?
The Civil- Rights Movement.

To be Or Not To Be....Monologue Performance

            Here I am in my final semester and I thought I had gone through my deepest fear and darkest hours. Then, I realised I just moved from bad to worse. That’s how I felt when I got the news that I had to stage 2 performances this semester for Theatre in TESL course. One of it is a monologue performance. After hearing that each of us had to act out a monologue as the first performance, I went back home having all kinds of mixed feeling. I had some experiences in acting but it was almost 20 years ago, during my primary school days. As if acting was not bad enough, I had to do it all alone. The mere imagination of having so many pairs of eyes focusing on me alone was indeed seemed creepy. 

            After I had got the clear view of what monologue is about, I was relieved. Since it was more of expressing one own self, I thought it would be a piece of cake, since all I have to do is express my frustration like I had been doing all this while. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind. What if I got carried away of expressing my frustration? What if I tend to talk more than I supposed to? So, I decided to be safe than sorry, I wanted to play some other role which is easily controlled and I do not have to worry about blurting out things that I would regret later. I turned to look up on the internet and observe any monologue performance posted on ‘YouTube’. I was surprised to see how a person can transform themselves into any character that they played. Amazing! This is one of the monologue performance that really helps as a guide. Enjoy!

On-line Task 1

Folktale

List some of the well-known folktales from Malaysia .

·         “Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah”

·         “Badang”

·         "Si Tanggang"

·         The Story of the Coconut Tree

·         Paddy That Turns To Gold.

List some of the possible issues found in The Son of the Turtle Spirit

One of the issues found in The Son of the Turtle Spirit is about morality, where the maiden had a premarital relationship. The maiden’s mother was infuriated by her daughter’s act that she does not even have any clue about the man who was going in and coming out of her room. In the eastern culture, these kind of acts are intolerable.

Another issue is about social class. In the story, the maiden’s mother was even furious when she thought the man who was coming in and out of her daughter’s room was a mere student.  When she asked the maid about the young man’s background, she was seeking information about his social class level.  Both of them were from different origin, for the Chinese especially the aristocrats were very fussy about the issue. This can also be seen later in the story, where the intention of the rich man to bury the remains of his grandfather is merely to seek fortune for himself.

Loyalty, is in fact another issue portrayed in the story, when the boy’s act of being obedient to his mother had indeed paid him off later in life, when he eventually became the Emperor.

Are those issues universal in nature or are they only relevant in the Chinese culture?

Yes, these issues are universal in nature especially us, the Asians, who are indeed rich with many traditional values. The social class is also reflected in the Indian community where they go by the caste system. Then, even the Malay are also divided into “Golongan Bangsawan” also known as the aristocrats and “Orang Kebanyakkan” that refers to the commoners.

Fables

What are the other morals that can be gotten from the other fables by Aesop? List at least two.

·         Do not count your chickens before they are hatched. (The Milkmaid and her pail)

·         Little friends may seem weak, at times even the strongest of us needs help of the   

          smallest (The Lion and The Mouse)

·         It is wise to turn circumstances to good account. (The Bat and the Weasels)

·         It is best to prepare for the days of necessity. / Better be safe than sorry. (The Ant   

          and the Grasshopper)

·         Union gives strength. (The Bundle of Sticks)

·         Birds of a feather flock together. ( The Farmer and the Stork)

·         In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for

          your pains. (The Wolf and the Crane)

Myths

One well-known literary figure from the Elizabethan age used Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe as a model to one of his famous plays. Who is he and what is the play?

Williams Shakespeare play called Romeo and Juliet.

Legends

List some of the popular legends we have in Malaysia

·         The Legend of Mahsuri

·         Kedah's Legendary Fanged King

·         The Magical Lake Of Pregnant Maiden

·         The Legend of Hang Tuah

·         The Legend of Puteri Saadong

·         The Legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang

Look at the questions below. Answers can be found on internet sources. This will help you get a basic understanding of what Le Mort d’Arthur is about.
1. Who is Thomas Malory?

     Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1405 – 14 March 1471) was an English writer. He is  the author  

     or  compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur.

2. When was Le Mort d’Arthur written?
     Le Mort d’Arthur was first published in 1485. It was written while he was in prison in    

     the early 1450s and completed it by 1470

3. How many books/ parts are there in LMDA?
     There are 8 books or parts in LMDA.

4. What is book 8 about?
      The Death of Arthur  (Caxton XX–XXI)

5. Who were the two people who had an affair?

     Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere

6. Book 6 has a strong connection to a popular modern fiction which is now a movie. What is the title of the popular modern fiction?

     The Noble Tale of the Sangreal 

7. State three well-known facts about King Arthur/ his time as a King

·     Arthur would never sit down to meet at high feasts until he had seen or heard of a "great marvel".

      Arthur was betrayed by his greatest knight, Sir Lancelot .

      Arthur and his son Mordred killed each other in the battle of Camlann 

Think of 2 ways in which you can use folktales/fables/myths or legends in the classroom. Explain briefly.

Role Playing – teacher can delegate the role of the characters in the folktales/fables/myths or legends  among the students in groups. They have to work together and come up with a dialogue. This not only allow them to practice on their listening and speaking skill but also their writing skill. 

Jigsaw-reading activity – divide a story in half. Prepare comprehension questions for each half. Give one half of the class (Group A) one half of the story, and the other half (Group B) the other. The students read their article, answer the questions and check understanding. Students then pair up with from the other group and tell them about their half of the story, and listen to the other one. To help students remember their story you may get them to take notes. Eventually, all the students will know the entire story, this activity is to test their comprehension ability.