Opsss I Miss Out This... :P

                                                      THE JOURNEY OF WOMENHOOD

Hilary Tham's "Becoming A Woman" highlights the acceptance of maternal wisdom that only women goes through it. This poem presents various portraits of the transition of a female from childhood to adulthood. This clearly stated in stanza 3:

“You will bleed

at a special time of the moon.”

she told me. “Use these

to preserve modesty and the secret

of your femalesness.”

Becoming a woman is a rite of passage that starts with the changes of early puberty and ends with a woman's first periods. A girl grows and changes in ways that prepares her to be able to have a baby. These changes occur in certain stages. Gender representations on female clearly take places in this poem. The poet perhaps telling the story within her own experiences on becoming a woman. For the poet she is a female and have undergo all this stages in her life and through this poem is one way for her to share the experience. In stanza 4, the poet told :

Her mother’s way she passed to me

with the few words she had received

at her initiation.

After all, it become necessary for a little girl going through this phase; becoming a woman and it is someone called mother to teach her little child about becoming a woman through her own experienced and from what her late mother told her. Then, it becomes a woman responsible; the great responsibilities carry out from generation that men can’t do is to give birth. It’s an honour for a woman to give birth and it becomes mother’s responsibilities to carry out their jobs to tell their child especially girl on becoming a woman.

ONLINE TASK 4

Questions:

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

• The speeches always use good language and selected word and terms which requires high thinking order to analyze and understand. This will give space for students to think beyond the box and explore new style in learning.

• The speeches are well organised and the presentation are systematic with the usage of right grammar and inspiring quotes or phrase which gives opportunity for the students to explore the new reading material.

• The speeches have their own content and agenda to convey the message, not to miss it always rich in moral values where suits today’s world. Students can benefit by adapting and adopting the moral values in their everyday life.

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.

Most of the students in Malaysia are visual learners, the usage of audio-visual on the speech certainly will help the students to understand better in terms of who is giving the speech? Black or white? The scene in the audio-visual portrays the culture and the situation related to the speech which will awake the student’s curiosity in understanding the content in dept.

3.  Who is Martin Luther King?

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world.

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

a.       What is the purpose of the speech?

The key message in the speech is that all people are created equal and, although not the case in America at the time, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued passionately and powerfully.

b.      What is the tone of the speech?

       

“Now is the time” is the first. The second half of the speech paints the dream of a better, fairerfuture of raci al harmony and integration. The most famous paragraph carries the theme “I have a dream” and the phrase is repeated constantly to hammer home King’s inspirational concepts. The raises and lower of his voice shows how he feels about certain issues and urged the audience to ponder. “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” shows clearly the voice modulation raises high up for the audience to notice the main content of his speech.

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

King uses anaphora method in delivering his speech. Anaphora is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighbouring clauses, to show the emphasis. For example, "Now is the time..." is repeated four times in the sixth paragraph. The most widely often quoted phrase "I have a dream..." which is repeated eight times as King paints a picture of an ntegrated and unified America for his audience. Other occasions when King used anaphora include "One hundred years later," "We can never be satisfied," "With this faith," "Let freedom ring," and "free at last."

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

King himself was a Baptist minister and he respected sources as the Bible and invokes the Declaration of Independence, King alludes to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by saying "Five score years ago and additionally, King alludes to the opening lines of Shakespeare's "Richard III" when he remarks, "this sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn..." he use those sources to make the audience understand in dept about what he is fighting for and to gain support.

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

First of all break the speech into few parts, where it will be easy for the students to focus in completing the task.  Next, a list of questionnaire will be given and students will fill in accordingly base on the text. 

ONLINE TASK 3

Black Pearl in the Deep Sea

You resembles like the black pearl

Far sunk in the deep sea

Thou the Ray of light still spark

You

Fighting an equality and justice for all

Regardless of skin colour

Language or different culture

You

Resemble a tree where

Abundant leaves provide shades and

With stem can’t afford to be bent

Strong roots will not be disclosed

Thou when the storm hit the world

 

You

Once was sentenced in prison

Yet your spirit still alive till today

To defend all the people

That you regard as yours

You

Nelson Mandela

Black pearl in the deep sea

ONLINE 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).

Of course we do have canon for Malaysian literary work and one of them is Che Husna Azhari where her work is being used currently in school syllabus. Of Bunga Telur and Bally Shoes.

The poems by Erica Jong raises some feminist issues. What are they?
a. Position of a women as an artist.
b. Explore the Feminist and physiological issues.
c.  the search for self-identity and analyses the upbringing, neuroses, and sexuality of its heroine.
d.  experiences with fame, divorce, and new relationships.

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

To teach feminist issue is a very complicated where teacher should understand her students background, students mind setting and the acceptance towards the frankness in Erica Jong’s work. To discuss feminist and sexual issue is not cup of my tea as in rural area like Jerantut Pahang it will create controversial among the parents. Due of all this,I think it is not suitable to teach this issues at secondary level.

Is Hillary Tham’s poem more suitable?

In my point of view NO it is not suitable.

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?

This short tale portrays a very important experience that is to be thankful of what we have in life and obeying the elder’s advice never will be wasted.

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

Langston born into a world of confusion. He is confused by his heritage and cannot decide whether he is white or black. It is evident that there is an inner sense of not belonging in this child. In line three through eight, it is clear that the child is sorry for all the pain he has brought on to his parents, unknowingly. He shows remorse for all the curses and bad wishes he said to his parents, now that they are dead. He cannot seem to find any truth in himself, he is and forever will be lost in his own identity.

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

A white man dining with a Negro is the issue of sarcasm and irony here. Although the writer is dining in high class restaurant still he is a Negro a slave in society’s eyes.

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

Yes i agree f the unfairness of situation. Harlem is telling the story of Negro/black peoples bad experience even after the civil war. The isolation between the whites and blacks were clearly can be seen in public places and they were not treated with respect.

Langston Hughes fights for the voice of his people. What is the movement called?

Langston Hughes, 1902-1967: The Poet Voice of African-Americans