Island voices 2

1. How is motherhood presented in any two stories in the collection?

Story: Mid-autumn
The narrator worked hard for her daughter hoping that she will have a better future. She raised her daughter on her own. she gave her daughter the best education by sending her to one of the best school in Singapore and also sent her to art, piano and ballet classes at the communtiy centre and she even paid for the her daughter chinese tution. her husband didn't paid because he said when he was young, he didn't went for those classes. her husband also took away twenty-thousand dollars from her joint account and sold the bedok flat which she paid. when she knows about this she thought of running away. when she reached downstairs she felt drips of water and it remind her of her daughter's tear. when her daughter had grown up, she did not repayed her mother left to Uganda,to become a social worker. the narrtor do not like her daughter being a social worker still, she loves her daughter very much and she hopes her daughter would come back and see her. she also treasure the letters that her daughter send her. hence, every mother willing to do lots of things to protect their children and gives the best to their children even sarcrifing their life for them. this shows how motherhood is important.

Story: Paper
even thought the children are obessed with money. the mother play a big part in the story. Tay Soon fall sick as he lost all his money in shares and stocks. when he fall sick, his mother took charge of the situation while his wife, Yee Lian, did not do anything. his mother brewed him chinese medicines and even cal chinese medicine man to come to have a look at him. when he was beyond touch of healing, they sent him to the hospital. his mother also paid for Tay Soon's funeral. she bought him the best thing and gave him the big house that he always wanted. beside that, he also gave him cars and money. the mother play a big part when the child went bankcrupt. this shows how important motherhood is, in the story.

2.Select two stories in which there is conflict between parent and child and show how far there is some resolution of these differences at the end of the story.

Story: Mid Autumn.
the mother's pain and confusion takes place when the daughter decides to leave singapore and work in Uganda as a volunteer. even though the daughter obtained her GP qualifications, she wants to be different from other GPs. she don't want to be characterized like wad other GP who have mobile phones, golf weekends and membership in Club Langkawi. the narrator was very sad as she has go through a very tough life to raise her daughter up hoping she will have a better future.

Story: Lee
Lee comes back to Singapore after her mother death in America. since young, she had been staying with her mom in America. Lee and the father find it difficult to communicate with one another. Lee is rude, inconsiderate and straight foward. she like to insult people of her country and her father hate the way she insulted singaporeans. her father had to tolerate her behavior because he always wanted his daughter to come back to his side.
The resolution between Lee and her dad is when he told her of the story of how the Chinese and Indians had magnificient culture while the Caucasians were still not settled yet. He also told her about how things changed at the end and became that the Westerners were the one who ruled. He told her of how the Chinese and the rest looked like fools.

3. With reference to suitable stories, discuss how far there is change shown to be either welcomed or feared.

Story : Lee.
The relationship between a Singaporean father and his Americanized daughter, the eponymous character he hardly knows and re-enters his life following the death of his ex-wife. the awkward, uneasy relationship between father and daughter dramatizes the clash between the "Asian" and "Western" culture.

Q4. How are young people and their ideals presented in 2 or 3 stories in the collection? How far do you identify with those young people?

Story: Lee
Lee grown up in the States. we can see that the ideals of the young people presented in this story is that Lee, is a person who loves music. This may seem like its only based on one character, we can also identify with the author that youngsters nowadays live for music. This is one ideal of youngsters that is shown in the story. Lee she doesnt feel awkward or bad whenever she shows vulgaric behaviour in public. even when some random guy whistled to her, she immediately flashed him the finger wihout hesitation. Lee's dad who is obviously of a much older generation had to sustain a shock from seeing Lee do that. Lee does not like thinking in the conventional way. This shows the ideal of youngsters nowadays as they do not really think in the same steroetypical way as the older generation. Lee also dresses very casually. People from the older generation thinks that it is very normal and a must for youngsters to know their own dialect. When Lee met with her Grandmother who wanted to speak to Lee but couldnt because they both spoke different languages. This shows that the older generation which does not applies to the younger generation. We, yougsters does not think it is relevant to know much less understand the dialects because the world is changing and it is more important to speak languages that are relevant to the society.
Therefore this concludes the ideals that are presented in the story.

Q5.Choose two stories that reveal the thinking of an older generation of Singaporeans. What new insights have you gained from such a revelation?

Tanjong Rhu

Tanjong Rhu reveal the thinking of an older generation because of the Mr. Li's mother, as known as Ah-ma, shows that people from a older generation has a different thinking. Mr Li, could also be counted as a person from the older generation. Ah-ma, is thrifty, she doesn't want Mr. Li to waste his money, as she knows that she had everything that she need. For her eyes operation, she describe it as having her eyes sliced open. Like a clove of garlic or what, talking about peeling my eyes. People of the older generation also thinks of the past, unlike, modern people, who think of enjoying life and forget that happen in the past. When Ying, Mr.Li's daughter wanted Ba-ba [ ah-ma ] to go with her father, she volunteer to help ba-ba with the praying, but her ba-ba in the end, scold her and asked her stuffs like whether ot not, does she even know how to address her grandfather. Mr. Li also scolded her daughter for holding open her ba-ba [ ah-ma, po-po ] eyes.