island voices

Paper

''You're a show-off, what's so grand about marble floor and a swimming pool'' [pg 3]

'' Her mother-in-law took charge of the situation'' [pg 7]

The Martydom of Helena Rodrigues

''Helena trained her husband into near perfect punctuality for meals'' [pg 11]

''she had never needed the weapon of ill health before'' [pg 15]

Sundowner

''There's no need to keep calling me 'tuan', Aman. i prefer to be called Mr Das'' [pg 21]

''Only in the morning, tuan. they could stop if tuan wishes." [pg 22]

Tanjong Rhu

"Those see-far glasses of yours, can they see Tanjong Rhu ?" [pg31]
"Perhaps, father of Ah-Wah, i will see you there" [pg36]

Evening Under Frangipani

"I don't suppose you have much in the way of soup at home . Difficult to drink soup with your hands" [pg ]

''The bungalow all to themselves! A release from the claustrophobia of Singapore courtship, the lack of places away from the watching judging eyes of parents, friends and strangers.'' [Pg 53]

Release

" Why do you always speak for someone else ? " [pg 143]
" She saw the man emerge from the shadows, wiping the spanner " [pg 148]

An Obituary for Fifth Aunt Come Late

" Oh sorry, oh sorry, I'm very clumsy " [pg 149]
" She was my aunt, but i didn't make it a point to be her niece " [pg 149]

Corridor

"That man might have been killed at the exact moment when I was sitting in that hotel room with the silly piped music." [Pg 167]
"If I was at home when it happened though, I don't know what I would have done." [Pg 169]

Mid-Autumn

"If God's eye is on the sparrow , he will provide for her" [pg183]
"It's a calling from God. It's a fire in my bones. If i don't go, i'll just burn and die." [pg186]

Hamid and the Hand of Fate

''He told himself he would be sabar." [Page 194]
"Gone without transacting in any tenderness or legal tender." [Page 202]

The Move

"Madam Teo blushed and murmured that she was proud to move with the times." [pg209]
"How could this be sadness ? Sadness was war, was famine. Sadness was seeing your father-in-law in China lose all this rice fields when the Communists took over." [pg209-210]

Pastime

"The system is too intricate and too cruel" [pg220]
"It's a hobby, a pastime. It's not real life" [pg 220]

1. In your opinion , how key is the parent-child relationship to Vinod's inevitable end ?

vinod's parents has always been putting alot of pressure on him, wanting him to do his best. they were even oblivious towards vinod's mental illness say that it was just an excuse. Both vinod's parents have high status jobs, hence they would expect him to get one too, but he fails to achieve that. vinod is very sarcastic when he talks about his parents

2.'Vinod's high expectation oh himself caused his downfall." To what extent do you agree with the analysis of Vinod's predicament and tragedy ?

I agree that 'Vinod's high expectations of himself caused his downfall'. When Vinod is around Saloma, his ego becomes bigger because firstly, he sees Saloma as a lost kitten that he has to protect and secondly, he wants himself and Saloma to always stay off-centred instead of being sane however in reverse psychology, he thinks that they are very centred, as sane as any other people. Vinod took care of Saloma even though in my opinion, he is just carrying this heavy burden to please himself, his ego. Not knowing that it is actually causing his depression to grow. Nearing the end of the book, Saloma told him that she wants to become a nurse, applied for her credit card, etc, it shows that Saloma was becoming more sane or normal which Vinod did not want, he wants Saloma to be by his side, being off-centred. However, he thinks that his job to look after Saloma was over, always thinking negatively, his depression finally consumed him thus Vinod committed suicide.

3.Discuss the reasons for Saloma's transformation in the play.

Saloma changes from a shy girl to one who survives from mental illness. She's even able to reason out with mak at the end. As she expresses her desires to live. There is also a reversal of roles between Saloma and Vinod, Vinod who used to be the pillar of strength for Saloma, ended up becoming the weaker one out of the two and actually need saloma.
The first turning point for Saloma is when she met Emily at the halfway house. Even though she starts out using the mantra, Emily taught tentatively, she does turn out to be the stronger chatracter between her and Vinod. For instance, although Vinod is the better educated one between the two, Saloma is one who is set on writing to the newspaper to address the discrimination against mental patients.When Vinod shuts himself in his room, Saloma grows desperate without him.
What becomes the turning point for her, pushing out to face the real world, is the bird in her room. Whether this bird is real or a figment of her imagination is not the point.This marks the second turning point for Saloma because before Vinod withdrew from the world, including her, she did not know what to do with her self, even where to go or what to do.

One night also argue that Mak is a reason for Saloma's transformation and survival. After all, Mak is constantly reminding her of her need to turn to God, an idea which Saloma accepts and even repeats to Vinod.

4."Though a minor role in the play , the character Razali is the key to the plot of off centre." To what extent do you agree with this assessment?

I do not agree with this assement to a large extend. To Saloma, Razali plays a role that is like her dad, he is the one who buys epok epok (curry puff) for her just like what her deceased father promise, one who talks to her & gives her advices. He fufills the role of fatherly model to Saloma. However, to Vinod, he is someone that protects the community as he is a guard, he protect the people living at the block. However during the robber incident, he fails to help them and Vinod blames him for not being there to protect the both of them. Vinod is tested against his manhood when the robber said "Your boyfriend coward ah ?" and "Your boyfriend got balls anot ?", he breaks down and this series of events is similar those that he faced when he is in the army. Platoon Commandor (PC) asked Vinod, "Are you a man or not Vinod?" Razali plays a role to help both Vinod and Saloma, however, he is not the key to the plot of off centre.

5."Datta , Dayadhvam , Damyata" means to "Give , Sympathise , Control". How did the major characters in the play exert control in their enviroment and / or their lives ? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Emily told Vinod to give, sympathise, control which is to say it's sort of like a cure to help Vinod with his illness. These words gave Saloma a sense of control and power that allows her to be able to control her life. What she wants to do and whether or not she wants to be normal, to live.

6.Based on the text Off Centre, discuss how peer acceptance and family support are vital to social status and mental well-being.

the very fact that vinod addresses the society as 'them' shows us that he feels that he is different from rest. this is because of the way they treat people like vinod. it is because they ostracized people like vinod. which make this mental patients feel that they are different. if the society were to treat them as normal people, people like themselves, the off-centered will feel like they are normal and they will be better. hence, acceptance from the society is essential for them, especially when it comes from their family and friends.

5 Off-Centre quotes

act 4 scene 1 pg 103- Datta, dayadhvam, damyata. give, sympathise, control.



act 2 scene 2 pg 55-They are jealous because i am special.



act 2 scene 2 pg 58-I am strong, nothing can destroy me.



act 5 scene 1 pg122-Don`t... er... kill yourself.



act 2 scene 3 pg63- saloma had become a stray kitten he had found in the middle of the expressway

4)How are young people and their ideals presented in two stories in the collection. How far do you indentify with this young people?

In Tanjong Rhu, the little daughter was rude to her grandmother. In society now, teenagers are generally rude to their elderly grandmother.

3)With refrence to suitable story, dicuss how far change is shown to be either welcomed or feared.

In Paper, the change of how they were poor at first,and then became rich, and finally became bankrupt overnight. It was ironic twist to the story at the end as they finally did not achive what they desire and the husband became crazy and died of his greed.This type of change was not welcomed as this was not what they have expected to happen.

2)Select two stories in which there is conflict between parent and child, and show how far there is some resoultion of these difference at the end

In Mid Autumn, the mother was waiting for the daughter to come back every Mid Autumn festival.Whereas her daughter always does not turn up. In the end of the story, the mother accepted her daughter's choice of leaving to Uganda.

In Tanjong Rhu, the son does not trust and believe his mother when she see's the past when using the binoculars. Her son though that she was lying and her eyes need treatment.Another conflict is when her son argued with her mother regarding her going for eye treatment. In the end the mother passed away.

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

In Mid Autumn the mother cares alot for her daughter,it can be seen from her actions, such as adding her daughter's favourite ingredients into the mooncake and buying her lanturn. She works hard as a primary school teacher while her father does not.

In Paper, at the end of the story the mother paid for the funeral and specialy made his dream house out of paper for him even though her son did not treat her well during his life.