Viewing Log: Australia

1)      How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?

Lady Sarah Ashley goes to Australia for years before World War II. She is very determined to continue her husband works. She drives a herd of cattle to Darwin herself with the help of her workers to get the animals there. Though she is a grown up city girl, she never complain or give up to achieve her goal. She is such a brave woman even her husband is not there for her.

2)      What is the main issue in the text?

The main issue that I found in the story is the bravery and determination of a woman who is willing to do anything to achieve her goal. She managed to drive her animals to Darwin though this job usually done by men. She does not afraid of anything that will face in the future and with whom she socializes with.

3)      What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?

I like the character of Sarah Ashley. She is not a proud woman though when her first arrive to Australia, she does not great any citizens there. When she finds out that her husband has dead, she does not give up and tries to do whatever her husband has wished to. Later, when she knows that Nullah is a mixed race and the police are looking for mixed race children, she never tell the police about it and has always treated him nicely. She also tries her best effort to find Nullah back to her though they have no blood relationship.

4)      How does the text develop your understanding of the world?

We should not discriminate people for a certain matter. Human beings are all the same. Nowadays, they are still people who like to discriminate person who shall not be blamed for. We have to accept people for what they are. For example, Nullah and the other children who are same fate as him, should not be sent to a further place. As an adult, they should not be mistreated and should be given a good education and morality in life.

Reading Log: Falling Leaves, Adeline Yen Mah

1)      How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?

This story is about an unwanted daughter by her family as her family members thought that she was the caused of her mother’s death shortly after delivered her. She was always ignored by her family especially when her father married a French woman whom she called Niang. Though she was a brilliant girl and always got top in her class, her father never congratulate her or even try to speak to her personally. Only when she was in the news that she won in a writing competition, for the first time she saw her father felt happy for her. As she grew older, she found herself a good university, better job and married a nice guy after the previous failure marriage. Though her family had always mistreated her, she was very patient in this situation.

2)      What is the main issue in the text?

The issue in the story is a girl that was mistreated by her family. After her mother’s death, she was blamed for it and subsequently labeled as bad luck. Her brother who was closed to her was James, the third son in her family,  had always protected her from their stepmother’s actions. Besides, the other two family members who treated her nicely were her Aunt Baba and grandfather. After Niang’s death, she found that she was not listed in her will. Finding her father’s original will, she felt that her father loved her and received an amount of money except her older sister, Lydia. In this situation, it seemed that all her siblings especially James who was once closed to her, had backstabbed her. This made her to be upset.

3)      What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?

I dislike the character of Niang, her stepmother. Feeling afraid that her stepchildren would unite and rebel, she tried to control in every situation. For example, she was the one who made any decision and yet her father-in- law and sister-in-law had to ask for pocket money from her. This has never happened that a father should ask for money from his daughter-in-law. Besides, she never showed her love or affection to her stepchildren and even to her own daughter, Susan, just because her child did not know her. She also had several bad plan for her own advantage.

4)      How does the text develop your understanding of the world?

Every child has different experience childhood. As for Adeline, she faced many bad situations and was mistreating by her own family. Surviving in life, we have to be more patient and make decisions wisely for our own good. We also should not blame other people in any situation as things are not happened as we wish to. Sometimes, it takes time for us use to be with it.

Reading Log: Boy - Tales of Childhood

Name : Nor Hazlinda binti Mohamed Taib

Class : Arts

Title of Narrative: Boy – Tales of Childhood

1)      How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?

The story is about a life of a boy named Roald Dahl. There were scenes from the day he started his school which included homesickness, candies, family tragedy and an accident when his family drove their first car. Besides, there was a ‘Great Mouse Plot’ when he put a dead mouse in a gobstopper jar at a sweet-shop. Dahl’s intellectual and determination enabled him to continue his adventurous of life. When he was in high school, he was caned many times though he was innocent. Yet he did not make any complaint on this.

 2)      What is the main issue in the text?

The main issue that can be found in the text is a life of an innocent child from a well-to-do family from childhood to a mature life. He was born in rich family and enjoyed his high living standard through the depression years. He received many cane of strokes during his school years though they were not his faults. He was fortunate to have a loving mother who did not agree with punishments that she moved Dahl to another school. In high school, he also did not participate in any high community as other people eager to join it. After finishing high school, he did not pursue his study but finding him a good job at the Shell Company.

3)      What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?

What I like about Dahl is his determination and hard work during his school years. He did not rebel or make any complaint though he was innocent and all the points that his teachers had accused him were faked. When he was in high school, he did the fagging duties that he had to perform for the Boazers which they called prefects. He told that he did not agree with Boazers who always bullied the juniors and asked them to do all the duties for them. He found a good job when he finished his school.

4)      How does the text develop your understanding of the world?

Nowadays, there is less communication between children and adults. The adults do not try to make a way to treat the youths. Therefore, the youths often feel that they are mistreated and less cared of. In my opinion, the children are growing up. They will treat their juniors same as the previous generation treats them.

Reading Log: Desert Flower, Waris Dirie

1)      How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?

Desert Flower is all about a Somalian girl that ran away from her family and began her own life. She wrote all about her childhood since she was in 4 until she had married with a guy that she had met in club. She was very brave in taking her decision to lead her own journey life after her uncle and his family moved back to Africa.

2)      What is the main issue in the text?

The main issue is the circumcision, mistreated to the women and young girl. As for Waris, she was circumcised at the age of 5. This had caused lots of health problems until she had a surgery when she was in London. When she had a menstruation or go to the toilet, she was in trouble and sometimes it took her days to recover. This circumcision is due to her culture that the young girl has to be circumcised before their marriage. However, only a few that survive as this has lead many of them to death. That is why Waris speaks to the public people and wants to help the women in Africa as majority of them do not dare to voice out their problems or suggestions.

3)      What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?

Waris is such a brave woman and is determined to survive in order to continue her life. After running away, she went to her relatives’ houses and even took a job at a construction site to get amount of money for her to send to the mother. Then she followed her uncle to London and worked there as his maid. After the family moved back to Africa, she stayed back and started her journey life. What I like most about Waris is she is brave enough though she has faced many challenges, including the marriage arrangement with an old man, numerous of unsuccessful rapes by bad guys when she was on her way to Mogadishu, and free taking language lessons without her aunt’s permission. Though she has no basic in English, she tried her best to learn it when she stayed with her uncle’s family and started a career as a model.

4)      How does the text develop your understanding of the world?

Things are not happened as we wish to. Therefore, we should prepare ourselves to face any challenges. As a conclusion, Waris never blame any situations that she was in. For example, she had to marry 2 guys illegally that she was not loved in to enable her stayed in Western country. She tried her best and put many efforts so that she could survive from being thrown out from the place she stayed. Besides, after 15 years apart from her hometown, she managed to meet her family and yet she still appreciated whatever she had and never waste it though at last she had a comfortable life.