Presentation Transcript

1. BBL 3221

   SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN LITERATURE 1ST. MEETING 7.9.2013
2. Dr. Manimangai Mani E-mail : manimanggai@hotmail.com Contact no: 016-5316715 Room : No. 4, MuziumWarisanMelayu
3. Course outline
4. Con’t
5. Con’t
6. Evaluation Test 1 - 10% Test 2 - 20% (Quiz) Assignment – 30% (Must pass up by Week 10) Final Exam – 40%
7. South Asian Countries
8. South Asian Countries South Asia or Southern Asia is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities, also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate, which rises above sea level as the Indian subcontinent south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush.
9. South Asia is home to one fifth of the world's population, making it both the most populous and most densely populated geographical region in the world. The countries in South Asia are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
10. Southeast Asian countries
11. Southeast Asian Countries Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a sub region of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plate, with heavy seismic and volcanic activity.
12. Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as Indochina, comprises Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, and Maritime Southeast Asia comprises Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines, Christmas Island, and Singapore.
13. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India are geographically considered part of Southeast Asia. Eastern Bangladesh and the Seven Sister States of India are culturally part of Southeast Asia and sometimes considered both South Asian and Southeast Asian. The rest of New Guinea is sometimes included so are Palau, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which were all part of the Spanish East Indies.
14. The Texts Novel 1. Thailand – Sing to the Dawn from Min Fong Ho Collection
15. Short stories 1. Indonesia – Her by TitisBasino 2. Malaysia – The Guardian Knot by K.S. Maniam in ARainbow Feast: New short stories edited by Mohammad A. Quayum. (156-170). 3. Vietnam – The Cat that Slept on the Altar by Truong Tiep Truong in ARainbow Feast: New short stories edited by Mohammad A. Quayum. Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2010. (Pages 313-318) 4. Singapore – Evening Under Frangipani by Philip Jeyaretnam in Blue Silk Girdle: Stories from Malaysia and Singapore edited Mohammad A. Quayum. Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2010. (Pages 190-218)
16. 5. Philippines – Celery, Tulips and Hummingbirds by Linda Ty-Casper in ARainbow Feast: New short stories edited by Mohammad A. Quayum. Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2010. (Pages 319-328) 6. India – The Wait by Vijay Lakshmi in ARainbow Feast: New short stories edited by Mohammad A. Quayum. Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2010. (Pages 132-140) 7. Bangladesh – Waiting by Farah Ghuznaviin ARainbow Feast: New short stories edited by Mohammad A. Quayum. Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2010. (Pages 52-63)
17. The European Invasion Southeast Asia Europeans first came to Southeast Asia in the 16th century. It was the lure of trade that brought Europeans to Southeast Asia while missionaries also tagged along the ships as they hoped to spread Christianity into the region. Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead into the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511. The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region. The Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641.
18. Britain, in the form of the British East India Company, came relatively late onto the scene. Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire. They also temporarily possessed Dutch territories during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1819 Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a key trading post for Britain in their rivalry with the Dutch. However, their rivalry cooled in 1824 when an Anglo-Dutch treaty demarcated their respective interests in Southeast Asia. From the 1850s onwards, the pace of colonization shifted to a significantly higher gear.
19. This phenomenon, denoted New Imperialism, saw the conquest of nearly all Southeast Asian territories by the colonial powers. The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies. Only Thailand was spared the experience of foreign rule, although, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers.
20. By 1913, the British occupied Burma, Malaya and the Borneo territories, the French controlled Indochina, the Dutch ruled the Netherlands East Indies while Portugal managed to hold on to Portuguese Timor. In the Philippines, Filipino revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898 but was handed over to the United States despite protests as a result of the Spanish-American War.
21. Colonial rule had a profound effect on Southeast Asia. While the colonial powers profited much from the region's vast resources and large market, colonial rule did develop the region to a varying extent. Commercial agriculture, mining and an export based economy developed rapidly during this period. Increased labour demand resulted in mass immigration, especially from British India and China, which brought about massive demographic change.
22. The institutions for a modern nation state like a state bureaucracy, courts of law, print media and to a smaller extent, modern education, sowed the seeds of the fledgling nationalist movements in the colonial territories. In the inter-war years, these nationalist movements grew and often clashed with the colonial authorities when they demanded self-determination.
23. With the rejuvenated nationalist movements in wait, the Europeans returned to a very different Southeast Asia after World War II. Indonesia declared independence in 17 August 1945 and subsequently fought a bitter war against the returning Dutch; the Philippines was granted independence by the United States in 1946; Burma secured their independence from Britain in 1948, and the French were driven from Indochina in 1954 after a bitterly fought war (the Indochina War) against the Vietnamese nationalists.
24. During the Cold War, countering the threat of communism was a major theme in the decolonization process. After suppressing the communist insurrection during the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960, Britain granted independence to Malaya and later, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak in 1957 and 1963 respectively within the framework of the Federation of Malaysia.
25. English literature in Malaysia emerged after the 1940s. Its origin can be traced to the late 1940s, in the activities of the Literary and Debating Society of the King Edward VII Medical College Union which published "The Cauldron", the first journal to publish literary work in English in Malaya and Singapore.
26. With the establishment of the University of Malaya in 1949, "The Cauldron" was transferred to the university's Raffles Society and it took the name of "The New Cauldron". Since then, Malaysian Literary works have been published in many journals, both in local and foreign universities and also by local and international publishing houses. Writing in English in Malaysia has been kept alive largely through the determination of an English educated minority, both Malay and non Malay.
27. South Asia (Indian Sub-continent)
28. British in India British involvement in India during the 18th century can be divided into two phases, one ending and the other beginning at mid-century. In the first half of the century, the British were a trading presence at certain points along the coast; from the 1750s they began to wage war on land in eastern and south-eastern India and to reap the reward of successful warfare, which was the exercise of political power, notably over the rich province of Bengal.
29. By the end of the century British rule had been consolidated over the first conquests and it was being extended up the Ganges valley to Delhi and over most of the peninsula of southern India. By then the British had established a military dominance that would enable them in the next fifty years to subdue all the remaining Indian states of any consequence, either conquering them or forcing their rulers to become subordinate allies.
30. Influence of English Language in India As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947, English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts. The rapid growth of India's economy towards the end of the 20th century led to large-scale population migration between regions of the Indian subcontinent and the establishment of English as a common lingua franca between those speaking diverse mother tongues.
31. English Literature in Indian Sub-Continent English literature in India refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. It is also associated with the works of members of the Indian diaspora, such as V. S. Naipaul, Kiran Desai, JhumpaLahiri and Salman Rushdie, who are of Indian descent.
32. English Literature in the Indian subcontinent is only one and a half centuries old. The first book written by an Indian in English was by Sake Dean Mahomet, titled Travels of Dean Mahomet. Mahomet's travel narrative was published in 1793 in England. In its early stages it was influenced by the Western art form of the novel. Early Indian writers used English unadulterated by Indian words to convey an experience which was essentially Indian. Raja Rao'sKanthapura is Indian in terms of its storytelling qualities.
33. Rabindranath Tagore wrote in Bengali and English and was responsible for the translations of his own work into English. DhanGopalMukerji was the first Indian author to win a literary award in the United States. Nirad C. Chaudhuri, a writer of non-fiction, is best known for his The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian where he relates his life experiences and influences. P. Lal, a poet, translator, publisher and essayist, founded a press in the 1950s for Indian English writing, known as Writers Workshop.
34. R.K. Narayan is a writer who contributed over many decades and who continued to write till his death recently. He was discovered by Graham Greene in the sense that the latter helped him find a publisher in England. Graham Greene and Narayan remained close friends till the end. Similar to Thomas Hardy's Wessex, Narayan created the fictitious town of Malgudi where he set his novels. Some criticisedNarayan for the parochial, detached and closed world that he created in the face of the changing conditions in India at the times in which the stories are set.
35. Others, such as Graham Greene, however, feel that through Malgudi they could vividly understand the Indian experience. Narayan's evocation of small town life and its experiences through the eyes of the endearing child protagonist Swaminathan in Swami and Friends is a good sample of his writing style. Simultaneous with Narayan's pastoral idylls, a very different writer, Mulk Raj Anand, was similarly gaining recognition for his writing set in rural India; but his stories were harsher, and engaged, sometimes brutally, with divisions of caste, class and religion.
36. References The Trading World of Asia and the English East India Company 1600-1760 by K N Chaudhuri (Cambridge, 1978) The East India Company: A History by Philip Lawson (London, 1993)
37. NOVEL SING TO THE DAWN by MINFONG HO
38. Minfong Ho Minfong Ho was born in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), to an economist father and chemist mother, who were both of Chinese descent. Ho was raised in Thailand, near Bangkok, enrolled in Tunghai University in Taiwan and subsequently transferred to Cornell University in the United States, where she received her Bachelor's degree in economics.
39. Her father was a businessman and diplomat named Ho RihHwa while her mother was a chemist and a bilingual writer, Li Lienfung. It was at Cornell that she first began to write, as a way to combat homesickness. She submitted a short story, titled Sing to the Dawn, to the Council for Interracial Books for Children for its annual short story contest. She won the award for the Asian American Division of unpublished Third World Authors, and was encouraged to expand the story into a novel.
40. After graduating from Cornell University in 1973, Ho returned to Asia and began working as a journalist for The Straits Times in Singapore. She left two years later for Chiang Mai University in Thailand, where she taught English. The three years she spent in Chiang Mai had a deep impact on her.
41. Together with her students and colleagues, Ho spent several periods living and working in nearby villages, as part of the ongoing student movement to alleviate rural poverty. While the student leaders were preoccupied with organizing the peasants into a political group in their search for democracy, Ho became more aware of the emotional world of the women and children there.
42. Minfong Ho presents realistic depictions of her native Southeast Asia. Her writings mainly focus on strong female protagonists who interact with their families and friends against the backdrop of real events. Ho is often recognized for the sensitivity and understanding with which she treats the feelings of her characters as well as for her depiction of Asian life and locale.
43. Setting Rural village in Thailand Peasant homes Poor houses
44. Characters Dawan Kwai ( Dawan’s brother) The teacher Noi The grandmothar Dawan’s parents The monk Bao (Dawan’s new friend)
45. Issues in this novel The oppression of women Poverty among the peasants Love between siblings

46. Her by TitisBasino

47. Recent trends and developments in the region’s literature - Indonesia
48. Dutch in Indonesia The Dutch came to Indonesia in the late 1590s, and they remained a dominant political force there until the advent of World War II in 1941. An interesting consideration is the development of Islam and the Dutch colonial presence. Once Indonesia declared her independence from Holland on August 17, 1945, Islam was more evident in Indonesian society. Today Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, with about 87 percent of the people practicing Islam.
49. The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Dutch government in 1800. During the 19th century, Dutch possessions and hegemony were expanded, reaching their greatest territorial extent in the early 20th century. This colony which later formed modern-day Indonesia was one of the most valuable European colonies under the Dutch Empire's rule, and contributed to Dutch global prominence in spice and cash crop trade in 19th to early 20th century.[
50. The colonial social order was based on rigid racial and social structures with a Dutch elite living separate but linked to their native subjects. The term "Indonesia" came into use for the geographical location after 1880. In the early 20th century, local intellectuals began developing the concept of Indonesia as a nation state, and set the stage for an independence movement.
51. Japan’s World War 2 occupation dismantled much of the Dutch colonial state and economy. Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, Indonesian nationalists declared independence which they fought to secure during the subsequent Indonesian National Revolution. The Netherlands formally recognized Indonesian sovereignty at the 1949 Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference with the exception of the Netherlands New Guinea (Western New Guinea), which was ceded to Indonesia in 1963 under the provisions of the New York Agreement.
52. Dutch’s Contribution In 1898, the population of Java numbered 28 million with another 7 million on Indonesia's outer islands. The first half of 20th century saw large-scale immigration of Dutch and other Europeans to the colony, where they worked in either the government or private sectors. By 1930, there were more than 240,000 people with European legal status in the colony, making up less than 0.5% of the total population. Almost 75% of these Europeans were in fact native Eurasians known as Indo-Europeans.
53. Abolishment As the Dutch secured the islands they eliminated slavery, widow burning, head-hunting, cannibalism, piracy, and internecine wars. Railways, steamships, postal and telegraph services, and various government agencies all served to introduce a degree of new uniformity across the colony. Immigration within the archipelago—particularly by ethnic Chinese, Bataks, Javanese, and Bugis increased dramatically.
54. Class System The Dutch colonialists formed a privileged upper social class of soldiers, administrators, managers, teachers and pioneers. They lived together with the "natives", but at the top of a rigid social and racial caste system. The Dutch East Indies had two legal classes of citizens; European and indigenous. A third class, Foreign Easterners, was added in 1920.
55. Education The Dutch school system was extended to Indonesians with the most prestigious schools admitting Dutch children and those of the Indonesian upper class. A second tier of schooling was based on ethnicity with separate schools for Indonesians, Arabs, and Chinese being taught in Dutch and with a Dutch curriculum. Ordinary Indonesians were educated in Malay in Roman alphabet with "link" schools preparing bright Indonesian students for entry into the Dutch-language schools.
56. Vocational schools and programs were set up by the Indies government to train indigenous Indonesians for specific roles in the colonial economy. Chinese and Arabs, officially termed "foreign orientals", could not enroll in either the vocational schools or primary schools.
57. Graduates of Dutch schools opened their own schools modelled on the Dutch school system, as did Christian missionaries, Theosophical Societies, and Indonesian cultural associations. This proliferation of schools was further boosted by new Muslim schools in the Western mould that also offered secular subjects.
58. According to the 1930 census, 6% of Indonesians were literate, however, this figure recognised only graduates from Western schools and those who could read and write in a language in the Roman alphabet. It did not include graduates of non-Western schools or those who could read but not write Arabic, Malay or Dutch, or those who could write in non-Roman alphabets such as Batak, Javanese, Chinese, or Arabic.
59. Some of higher education institutions were also established. In 1898 the Dutch East Indies government established a school to train medical doctors, named School tot Opleiding van InlandscheArtsen (STOVIA). Many STOVIA graduates later played important roles in Indonesia's national movement toward independence as well in developing medical education in Indonesia, such as Dr. WahidinSoedirohoesodo that established Budi Utomo political society
60. Literature in Indonesia Dutch language literature has been inspired by both colonial and post-colonial Indies from the Dutch Golden Age to the present day. It includes Dutch, Indo-European and Indonesian authors. Its subject matter thematically revolves around the Dutch colonial era, but also includes postcolonial discourse. Masterpieces of this genre include Multatuli’sMax Havelaar: Or The Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company, Louis Couperus’s Hidden Force, E. du Perron'sCountry of Origin, and Maria Dermoût'sThe Ten Thousand Things
61. Most Dutch literature was written by Dutch and Indo-European authors, however, in the first half of the twentieth century under the Ethical Policy, indigenous Indonesian authors and intellectuals came to the Netherlands to study and work. They wrote Dutch language literary works and published literature in literary reviews such as Het Getij, De Gemeenschap, Links Richten and Forum. By exploring new literary themes and focusing on indigenous protagonists, they drew attention to indigenous culture and the indigenous plight
62. . Examples include the Javanese prince and poet NotoSoeroto, a writer and journalist, and the Dutch language writings of SoewarsihDjojopoespito, Chairil Anwar, Kartini, SutanSjahrir and Sukarno. Much of the postcolonial discourse in Dutch Indies literature has been written by Indo-European authors led by the "avantgarde visionary" Tjalie Robinson, who is the best read Dutch author in contemporary Indonesia and second generation Indo-European immigrants like Marion Bloem.
63. Polygamy Polygamy (from πολύςγάμοςpolysgamos, translated literally in Late Greek as "many married") is a marriage which includes more than two partners. When a man is married to more than one wife at a time, the relationship is called polygyny, and there is no marriage bond between the wives; and when a woman is married to more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry, and there is no marriage bond between the husbands.
64. Polygamy in Islam In Islam, polygamy is allowed, with the specific limitation that a man can have up to four wives at any one time. The Qur'an clearly states that men who choose this route must deal with their wives justly. If the husband fears that he cannot deal with his wives justly, then he should only marry one.
65. Polygamy in Indonesia Polygamy is legal in Indonesia and a man may take up to four wives, as allowed by Islam. Despite such legality, polygamy has faced some of the most intense opposition than any other nation with the majority consisting of Muslims. Additionally, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Recent restrictions have brought about harsher penalties for unlawfully contracted polygamous unions and polygamy is said to be on the decline.
66. Indonesian civil servants and military personnel are also prohibited from practicing from polygamy. A man may take up to four wives as long as he treats them equally and can financially support them all. A man may also take multiple wives if he can prove to the government that his first wife is unable to carry out her duties as a wife. On a separate note, a study found that polygamous politicians are overwhelmingly more likely to gain female votes than monogamous politicians.
67. In late April 2008, a large rally of Indonesian women led a protest against the nation's laws allowing for polygamy and polygamous marriages; urging the government to enact a complete ban over such marriages. Male Indonesian politicians were found to be largely opposed, and such a ban has yet to take place.
68. RadenAjengKartini(1879-1904) Kartini was born in Mayong, Java on April 21, 1879. She was the daughter of a Javanese aristocrat. Her father was the Bupati (head of a region), the highest post an Indonesian could hold in the Dutch colonial bureaucracy. Her privileged position allowed her to attend a Dutch and she became fluent in Dutch.
69. RadenAjengKartini
70. At the age of 12, she had to give up her formal education and prepare herself for marriage. However , she continued to educate herself and read all the Dutch books. This made her realise how much freedom the Dutch women had.
71. She realised how little freedom the Indonesian women had and campaigned for a better treatment. She also started campaigning for more education, freedom and independence for women. She wanted Indonesian students to have rights to Western education.
72. She started school for little girls and also had friendships with some of the sympathetic Dutch people. From 1900, she kept a lively correspondence with her Dutch friends. A selection of her letters was published in a book in 1911. it was later translated into English and published as Letters of a Javanese Princess in 1921.
73. In 1903, she married a senior Javanese official. She died less than a later, five days after the birth of her only child, a boy. A Kartini fund was set up on her memory. Her birthday, April 21 is observed as Kartini Day in Indonesia.
74. TitisBasino
75. TitisBasino TitisBasino was born in Magelang, Indonesia on January 17, 1939. After completing secondary school, she graduated from the University of Indonesia in 1962. In 1963 she was introduced to Indonesian readers when one of her short stories was published in the Indonesian literary magazine, Sastra. Ms. Basino continued to write, although family and other personal demands on her time limited her creative output until 1997.
76. She is currently on the faculty of the University of Indonesia and since 1998 has had three books published. In 1999 the government of Malaysia awarded TitisBasino the Mastra prize, a competitive literary award that involved submissions from throughout Southeast Asia. Although Ms. Basino writes on a variety of subjects, she is best known for her stories concerning women and deceptive relationships.
77. Her by TitisBasino Characters Nameless narrator – Mrs. Hamid Husband – Mr. Hamid The other woman – Mrs. Hamid 2 Johan – eldest of the ten children
78. Setting Urban Indonesia Modern setting - Jakarta
79. Mrs. Hamid- Narrator Dedicated to her family, strong, good mother, intelligent, capable, responsible, unselfish, loyal, devoted woman, traditional. She sacrificed her needs to ensure that her children were taken care of; cared for her health because she did not want her children to live with their father’s new wife. She maintained harmony in the home without her husband.
80. She always got up and met her children at the kitchen door. She also joined a woman’s club and behaved in a mature manner when confronted by an uncomfortable situation with the second Mrs. Hamid.
81. Weak, irrational, dependent, insecure, overly devoted to her husband. She felt pain but chose to put up a facade; she "swallowed her pride with her rice“. She wanted to be an "ideal wife" and did not pursue her own interests and worked hard to keep him happy. Despite that, she had five more children with her husband after he had taken a second wife; was more of a mother than a wife to her husband.
82. Mr. Hamid Selfish, inconsiderate, immature, cruel, ungrateful and weak. He married another woman without telling his first wife. He did not consider her feelings, or those of his children in the matter. This embarrassed his wife and children (Johan). He constantly spoke about his new wife to his first wife without any guilt and left his first wife to see his second wife whenever he wished. He did not spend much time with his children and had five more children with his first wife.
83. Mr. Hamid is strong, self-assured, confident, and a devoted follower of Islam. He is successful, financially stable, active and interesting. He had a right to take additional wives so long as he could support his families. He made an effort to return to both wives and he wanted his wife to have outside interests but she refused.
84. He supported his children financially and did not spoil them. He was active and involved with different organizations. He spared his first wife’s feelings by refusing to list reasons why he married a new wife but promised to care for his children. He called her a "proverbial good woman" as a compliment. He was a well-respected high official.
85. She sacrificed her own interests and suppressed her feelings to "maintain this charade." Islam permeates Indonesian culture and society, and a devout Muslim adheres to its guidelines. Since polygamy is allowed for Muslim males, Mr. Hamid was not breaking any law, and in fact had every right to marry another person without consent or permission from his wife.
86. Others may perceive Mrs. Hamid as being the most responsible because she maintained the household independently, got up with her children every morning, had home-cooked meals ready, and refused to show her frustrations.
87. Short Story (Malaysia) Guardian Knot by K.S. MANIAM
88. Who is K.S. Maniam? Subramaniam Krishnan or K.S.Maniam, as he is known through his writing, was born on 4th March 1942, in Bedong, in the state of Kedah, in Malaysia. He spent a year in an estate Tamil school, then attended school in English at the Ibrahim School, Sungai Petani, from 1950 to 1960. He did a stint of temporary teaching at his alma mater, before being selected, in 1963, for Brinsford Lodge, a Malaysian teacher training college in the United Kingdom.
89. He trained as a teacher at Brinsford Lodge, Wolverhampton, UK (1963-64), and taught for several years in Kedah before going to the University of Malaya, where he graduated in 1973.
90. While there, he read more extensively and experimented with writing. He read the Lake District poets, Shakespeare, Stephen Spender, W.H. Auden, W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot.
91. He gained his MA in 1979 with his thesis, A Critical History of Malaysian and Singaporean Poetry in English. K. S. Maniam was awarded the Raja Rao Award in 2000 for his outstanding contribution to the Literature of the South Asian Diaspora.
92. For his graduation exercise he wrote 44 sonnets on the grief he felt at the death of a close friend. This gave him the opportunity to find his way through the discipline of condensation, suggestiveness, and layering of meaning.
93. On his return to Malaysia, in 1965, he taught in several secondary schools in Kedah, before going up to the University of Malaya. He read English Literature and after graduation in 1973 till 1975 he was a tutor at the Department of English. He also began his MA thesis on Malaysian and Singaporean poetry in English. After teaching in a private institution, he returned as a lecturer to the University of Malaya, in 1980. In 1997, he retired from the University as Associate Professor. The Creative Writing courses he established continue to be taught there.
94. Maniam’s works Novels The Return (London: Skoob, 1981, 1993) In A Far Country (1993) Between Lives (2003) Plays The Cord (1983) The Sandpit: Womensis (1990)
95. Short Stories The Eagles (1976) Removal in PasirPanjang (1981) The Pelanduk (1981) The Third Child (1981) The Dream of Vasantha (1981) Project: Graft Man (1983) We Make It To The Capital (1984) The Aborting (1986) Encounters (1989)
96. Parablames (1989) Plot (1989) Haunting the Tiger (1990) Sensuous Horizons: The Stories & The Plays (1994) In Flight (written 1993, published 1995) Arriving ...and other stories (1995) Faced Out (2004) Guardian Knot
97. Gordian Knot The Gordian knot has become one of the most known and most frequently used metaphors. It concerns an issue which is apparently unsolvable, something which requires a radical and brilliant solution. However, the less known aspect concerns the actual origin of the whole legend and the evolution of its perception in time.
98. The story behind the Gordian knot supposedly took place about 400 B.C. An oracle predicted that he who will ride up to the city of Phrygia in a wagon will become the king of ancient Greece. A man who went by the name of Gordius fulfilled the prophecy and, as a tribute to Zeus, tied his cart to the temple - but he didn't use just any type of knot. He used what later became known as the Gordian knot - a brilliant employment given to a piece of rope with apparently no end and no beginning.
99. The (same or other) oracle foretold that whoever would be able to untie it would rule all of Asia. Needless to say, numerous brave men attempted the deed - without success. All until Alexander the Great made his way to the Gordian knot - and simply slashed it in half with his sword.
100. Throughout history, perceptions and perspectives upon the Gordian knot have been diverse. It's been labeled both as a cheap cheat and as an exquisite example of revolutionary thinking. Suppositions have been many, but the highest probability, as recently proven, was as it follows: Gordius may have used a piece of a special kind of wet rope which was later left to dry in the sun until it tightened the Gordian knot.
101. Alexander, on the other hand, had been a disciple of Aristotle, so obviously riddles of all kinds couldn't have been an ultimate mystery to him. So the possibility must be admitted that he simply found there was no way of untying the knot.
102. In any case, the practical course of events is most likely less important than the mystical side of things. For above all the mathematical suppositions and practical speculations, the significant aspect about the Gordian knot is not concerned with the material out of which it might have been made, but it is rather concerned with the concept.
103. The idea of finding a solution like that brought awe; the solving method was controversial but efficient; though apparently thoughtless, some people see it more like a spark of genius.
104. It's a clear example of thinking outside the box. When in front of a puzzle like the Gordian knot, one must, ideally, exactly like Alexander, be rid of pre-supposed rules. He had not assumed any such complicated rule; therefore he applied the simplest of solutions.
105. Sacred mathematical symbols such as the Gordian knot are no longer inaccessible concepts - or, at least they are not entirely inaccessible. And that's because of the overwhelming benefic effects they seem to acquire, when worn as jewelry, upon their possessors.
106. Any symbol from the Tree of Life to the Gordian knot has a specific influence on its owner. The widespread practice of wearing such symbols as spiritual jewelry has been bringing overwhelming effects for years now.
107. From the better understanding of one's inner self to good luck and success, any aspect of one's life can be greatly improved under the protection of such symbols.
108. Guardian Knot Written in the first person point of view Relates the story of an Indian boy who grew up in the rubber plantation. The narrator is reminiscing his past under the wooden shed while waiting for the rain to stop. It is a tin-roof shed in the rubber plantation which is used as a collection point.
109. The floor of this shed was a wooden platform and was raised from the ground. The tapping lots nearby were called “punishment lots”. The tappers were sent there by lorries. “The women had pinched, fatalistic faces, the men defiant scowls” (Maniam 158).
110. The Knot There was a knot on the platform. Its strange whorls stood out against the plain wood. The more the narrator gazed at it, the more it felt like a knot inside him. “The more I gazed at it, the more it felt like the knot inside me. The more the inside knot became the outer, wooden knot, the stronger I grew. I don’t know how long I gazed at that knot. The sky was a fiery red when I finally stirred out of myself. I smiled, pleased, as if I too had come through a stormy darkness, made anew (Maniam 160).
111. Characters The narrator The narrator’s family Father Mother Elder Sister The chief clerk cum accountant (CC) The CC’s son The couple (rubber tappers)
112. The issues The sufferings of the rubber tappers The harsh life on rubber plantations in Malaysia The social problem that exist among the Indians in the plantations
113. Themes in Guardian Knot Determination Class system Oppression Suppression of women
114. Determination The narrator is a very determined person. He did not want the same fate to befall him. The narrator’s sister became brave after listening to the narrator’s advise. Refer Pg. 162, Last Paragraph.
115. Class system The CC cheated on the workers’ salaries because they were uneducated. He called them “you’re all from nameless parents!”. Refer Pg. 163.
116. Oppression The CC oppressed the workers. Refer Pg 157. The CC also ordered the narrator to clean his shoes. The narrator refuses to follow the CC’s son, the muscle boy and he is humiliated. Refer Pg. 162, Paragraph 1 and 2.
117. Suppression of Women The narrator’s sister was forced to stop schooling. Refer Pg. 157, Paragraph 1. The narrator’s mother had a child every year. Refer Pg. 57, Paragraph 1.
118. The issues in Guardian Knot The sufferings of the rubber tappers The harsh life on rubber plantations in Malaysia The social problem that exist among the Indians in the plantations
119. The sufferings The sufferings of the narrator’s mother on the pay day. Refer Pg. 159-160. “My mother clutched …. The narrator’s mother both dreaded and enjoyed the deliveries … (Pg 157)
120. Revenge The upper class people often take revenge on the workers. The narrator’s mother was sent to the punishing lots. Refer Pg. 162 Someone was sent to molest the narrator’s sister. Refer Pg.162 The CC cheats on the pay to take revenge
121. Give your opinion on the ending of this story. The ritual I intended takes a different form. I had wanted to saw out the knot from the platform. I had brought a small saw. Then, I would take it back and have it varnished and framed by some craftsman. I don’t do that now. Instead, I jump on the platform floor until the knot splinters and something else builds up in its place. Rage!
122. The Cat that Slept on the Altar
123. Truong Tiep Truong Truong was born in 1973 in NinhHoa, Vietnam. He worked as sports writer and a copywriter. He became a formal author after co-authored the book titled, The Truths About Advertising in 2004.
124. Vietnam
125. Timeline on Vietnam History China ruled northern Vietnam from about 100 BC until 900 AD The next 900 years the Vietnamese expanded their territory until the south, the present day Vietnam. 200 BC – a Chinese General Zhao Tuo named it Nam Viet 111BC – China conquered it and named it Jiao Zhi
126. 679 AD – the Chinese changed its name to Annam 939 AD – a Vietnamese ruler named it Dai Co Viet 1009 AD – the Ly family came to power/ ruled for 200 years 1225AD – the Tran family seized power
127. 1407 – 1427 – China regained control 1427 to 1787 - The Le family regained power and renamed it Nam Viet ***/ fought the Ming Chinese invaders 1471 – Le Thanh Ton, strongest of the Le rulers conquered Champa
128. 1500s – civil wars -Two families were involved -Trinh in the North - Nguyen in the South 1770s – three brothers (TaySon – named after their village) from central Dai Viet led a revolt against the Nguyen family They conquered the South and marched against the Trinh family
129. 1787- they conquered north and the Le ruler was removed -The youngest of the TaySon brothers became the ruler of the North and South 1802- Nguyen Anh, a member of the defeated Nguyen family gained control of Southern Nam Viet. He declared himself Emperor Gin Long of all Nam Viet. He renamed it Vietnam Members of the family remained the Emperors of Vietnam until the end of World War 11 in 1945.
130. French colonization 1600s - Roman Catholic missionaries from France began to arrive in Dai Viet. They converted thousands of Vietnamese to Catholicism. 1600- early 1800 – The rulers prosecuted the missionaries.
131. 1858 – The French army started to attack the Southern Vietnam the name of protecting the missionaries. 1861- the French seized Saigon 1883- The French forced the Nguyen ruler to sign a treaty that gave France control of all Vietnam.
132. The French divided Vietnam into three areas Co-chin china – southern Vietnam Annam - Central Vietnam Tonkin - Northern Vietnam
133. The Cat that Slept on the Altar The cat A black and white kitten Three months old Just another kitten that the narrator’s mother kept to scare away the mice.
134. Style of writing First person point of view A teenager’s ramblings on whatever he sees Uses flash backs History of Vietnam is often related The tradition of the Vietnamese is highlighted Many fables are also included in the story
135. By looking at the sleeping cat, the narrator links to many other incidences in his life and the stories he had heard from his elders. He describes the other inhabitants of the altar like the spiders and lizards. He talks about the Vietnam War, where his great grand father was killed.
136. He recalls the story that was passed to his father by his late grandmother – about the aunt who lived on a single bean soup due to poverty. When her son ate the bean she died and soon her son too died and became a bird. He also talks about Tet, the lunar new year where his mother prepares various meals for the ancestors.
137. He also mentions his cruel grandfather who use to beat his wife and son. He talks about the Cham people and their curse that caused civil war.
138. The themes Relationship The narrator talks about his dead family members He also incorporates myths in his story
139. The patriarchal society Male dominated society Children are not allowed to question certain things
140. Tradition - Worshipping of ancestors - The belief in reincarnation
141. Evening Under Frangipani Philip Jeyaretnam (Singapore)
142. Philip Jeyaretnam
143. Philip Jeyaretnam (1964- ) Philip Antony Jeyaretnam is a lawyer from Singapore. He is a Senior Counsel and a former President of the Law Society of Singapor.. He is also well known as a fiction writer. He is the younger son of the late-Singaporean opposition politician, J.B. Jeyaretnam (who was the first opposition politician to be elected to Parliament in post-independence Singapore), and Margaret Walker.
144. This makes Philip of Sri Lankan Tamil and English descent. His older brother, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, is currently an opposition politician in Singapore (leading the Reform Party, which was founded by his father shortly before his death in 2008).
145. Philip received his early education at Raeburn Park School and the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, and at the Charterhouse School in Surrey, England. He then went on to Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University, where he read Law and graduated with First Class Honours in 1986. He was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1987, and was conferred the title of Senior Counsel in 2003.
146. His fiction novel First Loves, published in Singapore in 1987, claimed record sales on Singapore's Sunday Times bestseller book list. It won him the compliment as Singapore's "home-grown Maugham”. He was presented with the 'Young Artist of the Year' award in 1993, and a South-East Asian Write Award in 2003.
147. In 1991, he was a Fulbright Fellowship visitor to the University of Iowa International Writers' Program and to the Harvard Law School. He was also an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Building at the National University of Singapore from July 2006 to June 2007.
148. He is a member of the Singapore Public Service Commission and of the SIAC Regional Panel of Arbitrators. In July 2005, Jeyaretnam was appointed as a board member of the Singapore National Kidney Foundation. He is a former President of the Law Society of Singapore, and was the Chairman of the Society of Construction Law from 2002 to 2004.
149. His Works Campfire (1985) Evening Under Frangipani (1986) First Loves (1987) Raffles Place Ragtime (1988) Abraham's Promise (1995) Tigers in Paradise: The Collected Works of Philip Jeyaretnam (2004)
150. Evening Under Frangipani In "Evening Under the Frangipani," Jeyaretnam shows how insecurities about race and colour finally break up a relationship which would otherwise have been perfect. "Dignity is all a man has. Respect yourself and never beg anyone for favours. Then you will be respected and respected you will be happy.
151. Characters Elaine- A feminist. - She fights for women's rights, "...marriage has got nothing to do with the fulfillment of woman as woman… unless you want to reduce us… beings…? (Pg 192).” - Dresses casually. (cotton slacks and a loose white T-shirt) (Pg 193).- Does not like conventional ideas. - “day in day out..for his boiling frustration” (Pg 194)
152. She is private Her home was in a private and quiet area. "their home was in a cul-de-sac lined with frangipani trees: their fragrance sweet and cloying when in full blossom: at other times their scent was more delicately spiced” (Pg. 195) She has conscience - She knows the suffering of the boys in Pakistan.
153. She does not like to show off - She finds people who show off as people who are stupid and people who want attention. - "...jostling with teenagers on parade, bright smart clothes on their fresh young bodies but the sharp scent of glue in their decaying minds“ (Pg 194-195)
154. Thoughtful - thought of telling Prakash about her good news. Add to his happiness if his interview went well. Cheer him up if he was depressed - "She had saved it to cheer him up if he was depressed by an aggressive unsympathetic interview and to add to his happiness if the interview had gone more successfully“ (Pg 194)
155. Prakash He is nervous - During his job interview, - "...his armpits were circled in sweat: his confident starched white shirt betrayed by his body's sweat glands"(Pg 190) • Motivated ( Pg 191)
156. He is a good worker - He was a National Service Officer in the army even though he just had a Diploma (Pg 191). He is full of conscience He knows the suffering of the boys in Pakistan, “ …the long hours of concentration weaving the intricate patterns on princely carpets that dulled the minds and eyes of young boys in Pakistan; or the hours of toil in the stifling darkness of coal pits and blinding brilliance of iron boundaries in north-east China that were contained in the bargain kitchenware -bought and sold in five minutes of ritual haggling” (Pg 193).
157. Imaginative and cynical He looks at Elaine and tries to figure out the looks that she had inherited. (Pg 197). - He comments on Elaine’s father’s hands (Pg 201)
158. Elaine's Mum (a successful lawyer)• Sarcastic (Pg 199)• Unfriendly.• Racist Commented on Prakash not being able to drink soup due to his religious tradition of using his hands to eat. (Pg 199)• Judgmental "considered Prakash slow and stupid..imagined him physically aggressive..bully Elaine out of her depth."
159. Elaine’s father He is passionate He loves insects,"...he had grown to resemble the loves of his life; and with centipede eyebrows and grasshopper noses playing through his mind”(Pg 200) - He seemed more interested in his collection of dead insects than his family (Pg 196)
160. Mike (Assistant Manager) -known as Chendol-baby - Elaine went out with him and Prakash saw them
161. Conflict in the story Internal Prakash -Prakash felt very scared and stressed if he was going to perform well in the interview.("tried to appear intentive" External Prakash and Elaine-Argued about women's rights. Elaine states that women are worth more than just a housewife.- “...marriage as got nothing to do with the fulfilment of woman as woman...isn't it better to develop out full potential as human being“.
162. -They fought with each other over her father's hand which Prakash said they looks like beetles. “...Don't get angry. It's your father. His hands. They're like beetles...And so are mine. Is that right?..."
163. Themes Racial issues Career oriented Singaporeans Deceit False relationships
164. The End