The novel that I learnt in Form Five is The Curse written by Lee Su Ann.

There are many

places or settings involved in this novel but today I am going to write about the physical
setting of the novel. There are two main physical settings in this novel. The story started with
the setting in London when we were introduced to the main character, Azreen Saleh.
Basically, the readers are introduced to the university college where Azreen was pursuing an
undergraduate course. The readers are given more information that Azreen was going to sit
for her exams soon but she had to fly back to Malaysia due to her sister, Madhuris death.
Next, we are brought to experience the life of the university college when Azreen had to walk
through the colleges residential hall. Here, Azreens thoughts flew back when she recalled
her two years of student experiences. She had many sweet experiences in her life as a student.
She also met many new friends of various races here and she was reluctant to go back to
Malaysia even for a while. The second physical setting is when we are taken to KLIA (Kuala
Lumpur International Airport). Here, Azreen had to wait for two hours before she could
board a connecting flight to Pulau Langkawi, her hometown. When Azreen was recalling her
old times with her sister, Madhuri, the readers are brought to Langkawi International
Airport. Azreen meets her foster parents, Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli who came to
receive her at the airport. Last but not least, we are brought together with Azreen to Pulau
Langkawi and a little village. In this beautiful, small village, we are introduced to Azreens
home where she had bitter sweet memories for Azreen when she remembers about her
sister. Next, the village itself was the place where all the drama takes place, both in the past
and present.
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POEMS
Practice 1
IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP
At dawn they returned home
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found
There were born amidst hardship
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves
By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned
1.

Why were their clothes soaky?

.
.
2.

Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in a village?

3.

What does the phrase bloated carcasses refer to?

4. In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply? Explain.

Practice 2:
IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP (stanzas 1 and 2)
At dawn they returned home
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found
By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned
1.

Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?

.
2.

The theme may not be exactly about hardship as implied by the title. What is the theme related to?

3.

What does the phrase albino buffalo reveal?

4.

What moral value did you learn from the poem? Explain.

Practice 3:
He Had Such Quiet Eyes (Stanzas 1 and 2)
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise
If only shed been wise
And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
Shed be free from the hows and whys
Bibsy Soenharjo-1968
1.

What does the phrase two pools of lies refer to?

.
2.

Which lines show that the man is saying I love you, and if you love me, prove it!

.
.
3.

Which stanza shows that there is a sense of regret?

4.

What do you understand by the phrase the hows and whys?

.
.

Practice 4:
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise
If only shed been wise
And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
Shed be free from the hows and whys
Now heres a bit of advice
Be sure that nice really means nice
Then youll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart once or twice
Bibsy Soenharjo-1968
1.

What does the phrase thinnest ice imply?

.
.
2.In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girls feelings for a man. She believes in his sincerity to
her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. Write the two lines depicting this.
.
.
3.What is the main theme in this poem?

4.What did you learn from this poem? Explain.

Practice 5:
Are You Still Playing Your Flute?
Are you still playing your flute?
When there is hardly time for our love
I am feeling guilty
To be longing for your song
The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo
Uncovered by the breath of an artist
Composed by his fingers
Blown by the wind
To the depth of my heart.
Are you still playing your flute?
In the village so quiet and deserted
Amidst the sick rice fields
While here it has become a luxury
To spend time watching the rain
Gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops
Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.
Are you still playing your flute?
The more it disturbs my conscience

to be thinking of you
in the hazard of you
my younger brothers unemployed and desperate
my people disunited by politics
my friend slaughtered mercilessly
this world is too old and bleeding.
By Zurinah Hassan
1.

Who is the persona in the poem?

.
2. Write one line from the poem that depicts that people are jobless.
.
3. Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a nation in uncertainty of its future.

.
4.In your own words describe why the poet used the word sick to describe the rice fields.
.
.
Practice 6:
Are You Still Playing Your Flute? (Stanzas 1 and 2)
Are you still playing your flute?
When there is hardly time for our love

I am feeling guilty
To be longing for your song
The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo
Uncovered by the breath of an artist
Composed by his fingers
Blown by the wind
To the depth of my heart.
Are you still playing your flute?
In the village so quiet and deserted
Amidst the sick rice fields
While here it has become a luxury
To spend time watching the rain
Gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops
Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.
By Zurinah Hassan
1. What did the persona mean when she said deserted?

.
2. Why is the persona feeling guilty?


3. Why is the question Are you still playing your flute repeated as the starting line of all the stanzas?

4.In your opinion, is this a romantic poem? Provide reasons for your answer.
.

Practice 7:
Nature by H.D Carberry
We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefieldsMagnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,

When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.
1.

In your words describe the weather as depicted in the poem.

.
.
2. State one moral value that you have learnt from the poem.
..
3. Note that the poem ends with the line and beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone. Describe how this
bears a resemblance in our life.

4. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet describes the things that are absent. In your opinion, what is the poet
trying to convey?
..
.
Practice 8:
Nature by H.D Carberry
We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefieldsMagnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies

And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.
1.

Why do you think H.D.Carberry wrote the poem?

2.

List three words related to nature.

3.

Which line in the poem Nature suggests the sense of smell?

4.

Based on your knowledge of the poem Nature, describe a theme in the poem.

ANSWERS.

Poem
In The Midst Of Hardship
Practice 1
1.

They were wet

2.

desperately looking for their sons

albino buffalo that was never found

3.

animals killed as they drowned in the flood water.

4.

Optimistic,- they were making jokes not crying or show signs of despair.

Practice 2
1.

The whole day and night just passed

2.

Facing hardship with optimism

3.

They are in the village as people in the town will not rear buffaloes.

4.

Despite the hardship, we must remain resilient and strong. Often, the difficult time is not a permanent
one.

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

Practice 3
1.

The eyes are compared to deceit.

2.

Imploring her to be nice

And to render him paradise.

3.

Stanza 2

4.

The hows and whys is compared to a situation where one gets hurt emotionally and tries to solve the
problem.

Practice 4
1.

dangerous

2.

To her, those quiet eyes

Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice

3.

Deceit

4.

We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us. We should take precaution against
them.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Practice 5
1.

a very perceptive and reflective woman.

2.

my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

3.

my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.
4.Perhaps the yield is not rewarding/ the harvest is destroyed due to bad weather.
Practice 6
1.

the villagers have left/migrated.

2.

Feeling guilty as she is enjoying the music when the nation is plagued with problems

3.

This is to stress on the activity as something that should not be done when the nation is facing so much
trouble.

4.

No, it is not a romantic poem. It is poem that shows the irony between a leisure activity and problems
faced by the nation at the same time.

Nature

Practice 7
1.

The poem highlights the appealing climate conditions on theislandofJamaica.

2.

We must appreciate the beauty of nature.

3.

This is a big resemblance to our life, as it has been our experience that after bad times, good times will
follow and sometimes ever so abruptly.

4.

It is to highlight the pleasant climate on the island. It has no extreme weather conditions.

Practice 8
1.

He wants to celebrate the richness of the lands produce and how alive and plentiful Nature is.

2.

b.

3.

The line, When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey

4.

Appreciating ones country-Life in ones country has its share of ups and downs but one must always look

gold sun, rain, trees.

at the brighter side of life. In this poem, the poet stresses on his countrys weather being sunny, rainy and
windy. The poet states that we must appreciate what we have.

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows there was not a sign of despair
Latiff Mohidin

a.

What does the word dawn mean?

b.

Write down two phrases from the poem that indicate injury.
1.

1.
c.

Describe their feelings when they reached home. Provide a reason to support your answer.

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefieldsMagnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.
a.

What seasons did the poet say that they did not have?

__________________________________________________________________
b.

List out the verbs found in the poem Nature.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
c.

List words that describe the following in the poem.

i)

sunny days

____________________________________________________________
ii)

rainy days

d.

Do you agree that the sunny days are the best days as compared to rainy days? Explain why or why not?

__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Based on the Novel The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, a character that shows responsibility is
Mohd Asraf because he is being shown as a filial grandson and cares about her grandmother.
Firstly, he takes care of Nek, especially when she is sick. Mohd Asraf is concerned about his
grandmother deteriorating health. He is willing to take leave from work to take car of his
grandmother. In addition, Mohd Asrafs effort to look for cure for his grandmother further
exemplify that he is a responsible person. Secondly, Mohd Asraf wants to take Nek to the
mainland which she will get better medical care and when is offered teaching course in Kuala
Lumpur, he plans to take Nek with him as she will get better medical care then if she stays in
Langkawi. As a conclusion, based on the evidence given above I would say Mohd Asraf is
truly a responsible person. He is willing to do anything for her grandmother. You might also
like: The Curse - Character : Write on a character that show responsibility in her or his
actions The Curse - Character : Which character do you like the most? The Curse - Character :
Write on a character that is exemplary. The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is
exemplary. Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 12:17 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - Character : Write on a character that show responsibility

in her or his actions Based on the Novel The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character that
shows responsibility in her actions is Azreen Saleh. Azreen is not only a responsible sister and
daughter but also a responsible student and friend . Firstly, Azreen as a responsible sister
comes back immediately when she hears of her sisters death although at that time she is
about to sit for an examination that is important for her. She postpones her examination in
order of giving her sister her last respect. Secondly, as a daughter she shows her
responsibility firstly, when she spends the whole night repairing her mothers favourite rattan
basket that was broken by the heavy durians that she and Madhuri has brought in.
Subsequently, with Madhuris help she makes a new rattan basket that looks like the one that
she and Madhuri have broken. In addition to that, Azreen accepts the offer to further her
studies in London for the sake of upbringing her family social status and thus could then save
a lot of money to get a better treatment for her mother that is paralyzed by the bull escape
incidents that she . Thirdly, as a friend and a student, Azreen shows her responsibility when
she accepts to join the school hockey team as a substitution to Hock Seng that is injured. She
does that even though she knows that she will be the only girl in the team and this will tarnish
her image as a girl. In fact she plays very well and almost scores a goal. In addition to that,
Azreen shows that she is a responsible friend, when she brings a full basket of fresh
vegetables and tomatoes to The Old Lady of the forest to replace the one that she tramples
earlier when she comes to The Old Ladys house for the first time. In conclusion, throughout
the story, Azreen shows that she is a very responsible towards her actions. In fact, I would
like to have her as a friend as a friend as such is hard to come by. You might also like: The
Curse Themes: More Notes The Curse - Character : Which character do you like the most?
The Curse - Character : Write on a character that show responsibility in her or his actions
Plot Summary of the Curse Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 12:16 PM 0
COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is
exemplary. In the Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character whom I think is exemplary is The Old
Lady of the forest. Throughout the novel, she shows strength of character and wisdom. When
she first moves to the village as a newlywed, she is popular among the villagers and she
enjoys a blissful marital life with her husband. Everything changes as her husband who
becomes an alcoholic starts to abuse her and finally she retaliates and kills him. From then
on, the villagers treat her like an outcast. She is forced to move out of the village and makes
an abandoned house her home. She lives alone for years until she befriends Azreen and
becomes her mentor and will console her whenever she has a fight with her parents. When
Asraf approaches The Old Lady for help, she is hesitant about going back to the village. Yet
she agrees and doing so, she puts her life at risk. When she is trapped in the burning house,
she tells Azreen to save herself and she perishes in the fire. Even at deaths door, she reminds
Azreen about the importance of forgiveness and tells her to heed all the advice she has given
her. The Old Lady is therefore an exemplary character as she is strong, wise and honourable.
You might also like: The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is exemplary. The
Curse - Character : Write on a character that show responsibility in her or his actions The
Curse - Character : Which character do you like the most? The Curse Themes: More Notes
Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 12:15 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE
CURSE The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is exemplary. Based on the novel
The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character that I consider exemplary is Azreen because she is
courageous and brave. She shows resilience and she always fight for what she believes in.
Firstly, Azreen who does not believe the villagers tales about The Old Lady is being brave by
accepting her friends challenge to firstly knocking on the door of The Old lady and then meet
her in person. . Subsequently, she befriends The Old Lady and makes her, her precious

confidante and counselor. In addition, Azreen is courageous by confronting Puan Normalas

mob outside Mohd Asrafs house when Nek once again has fallen ill and died in order to stop
her from entering Neks house. Although she is outnumbered, she dares to face Puan
Normalas horde to protect Neks house from them. Moreover, she confronts a group of men
led by Asraf who goes to the Old ladys house to seek revenge after Nek dies as they believe
the Old lady has poisoned Nek. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there and we must be brave and
courageous to overcome our daily obstacles and stand for our own rights. We should not be
intimidated by our fear and we must be like Azreen in order to survive the world. The second
exemplary qualities of Azreen is that she portrays resilience throughout the story and she
constantly fights for what she believes in. This can be seen when Azreen does not give up and
is determine and resilience to seek the truth of Madhuris death even though others do not
want to tell her the truth. She asks Asraf and The Old Lady about Madhuris death and slowly
gather evidences and finally she knows the truth about Madhuris killing. In her village, a
woman should be conservative and well mannered but Azreen is a contrast to that and thus
she is hated but she ignores the villagers perception of her, as she believes that women have
their own rights. This can be seen as she befriends Asraf and joins the boys hockey team and
similarly makes The Old Lady her best friend. In this cruel world, we must stand for our own
right and fight for what we believe in. We must follow Azreens resilience to make this world a
better place. You might also like: The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is
exemplary. Plot Summary of the Curse The Curse - Character : Which character do you like
the most? The Curse Themes: More Notes Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT
12:14 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - Value:Write on the value of
Mothers Love The novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann touches on many values that are useful
in our daily lives. As for me, I am touched with the value of mothers love in this novel.
Azreens mother is forever seen talking nonsense since her Alzheimers disease was becoming
worse. She was not given a name in this novel but always referred to as Mak. Azreen felt
guilty because she was the one who was responsible for her mother to loose one of her leg.
Even though, we know that Azreen admitted leaving the gate of the farm open but actually
she was only helping Mohd Asraf from being blamed. Due to her act, her parents met with an
accident when her fathers motorcycle hit the bull. Azreens mother never hated Azreen for
what had happened and she always loved Azreen. She even told Azreen that it was not her
fault that she lost her leg in the accident. This proves that Mak was never angry towards
Azreen and she accepts what happened to her as faith. This shows the true love that a mother
has for her child even though she is in pain. Another incident that showed how true a
mothers love is when Madhuris mother, the mad lady who strolled in the village and always
watched over her daughter. Even though Madhuri was raised by Encik Saleh and his wife
from a baby, the mad lady always kept herself close to Madhuri. She used to watch Madhuri
and Azreen when they come back from school. This shows that she still loved her daughter
even though she gave in when her baby was lost. She knew she could not raise Madhuri in a
proper way so she just kept quite when Encik Saleh took the baby and decided to raise the
child. But as a mother, she still loved Madhuri and always sees how her daughter is living
with her foster parents from far. This is what we call mothers love. Even if the child is not
with the real mother but she always pray for her child to lead a happy life and that is why she
took revenge against Encik Saleh who killed Madhuri. From these two mothers, the readers
are shown the value of love that a mother has for a child. Both mothers in this novel are not
normal in certain ways but their love for their children did not fade but they loved their
daughters very much in their own different ways. You might also like: Plot Summary of the
Curse The Curse - Characters The Curse: Themes and Values The Curse - theme: Write on the

theme of love.... Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 12:13 PM 0 COMMENTS

LABELS: THE CURSE MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011 The Curse - Character - Based on the
novel, do you think Azreens father portrayed good/positive character traits ? In the novel
The Curse, the main character is Azreen. She has a father and his name is Encik Saleh. As for
me, throughout the novel, Encik Saleh portrayed negative traits even though the positive
ones were hidden within him.
Firstly, Encik Saleh is very hot-tempered. As a
poor farmer in a remote village in Pulau Langkawi, Encik Saleh is a strong man as he had
hard physique, huge fists and of course he is very hard-working man. He worked all the time
on the farm to earn a living and his daughters always know him as a very hot-tempered man.
We can see this when he ordered Azreen to take her mother home when she took her mother
to the cemetery to visit Madhuris graveyard. Encik Saleh was very angry because Azreen
took her sickly mother there I think he should have understood the situation and face the
fact that both of the ladies came to pay respect to Madhuri. He should not shout at them
because they are also sad about Madhuris death even though his wife doesnt know or realize
the fact that Madhuri was dead. Here, I would strongly say that Encik Saleh portrayed the
negative quality to the readers. Secondly, I see Encik Saleh as a very judgmental and biased
person. He loves Madhuri as his eldest daughter because she is full of good qualities whereas
he is always stern and angry towards Azreen. Actually, Encik Saleh often misjudges Azreen
because he sees himself in her. This is because Azreen reminds him of himself who also used
to be outspoken and hot-tempered when he was young and he still is the same until now. I
always see that Encik Saleh punishes Azreen wrongly or too severely until he used to cane her
even when she was small. All these prove that Encik Saleh is a very judgmental and biased
person and of course I would not be like him. Finally, I also find Encik Saleh is too mean in
his traditional ways by being strict to his children. The incident where he grabbed Azreen and
led her out of Madhuris room in anger proves how strict he was towards Azreen. He even
raised his fist to punch Azreen when she argued with him. But, to avoid punching her, he
ordered Azreen to go to the dining room and attend to her mother. There was even a situation
where Azreen and Encik Saleh ate their dinner in complete silence. All these proves that
Encik Saleh is too traditional and strict towards his children and I think this is not at all
appropriate. Parents and children should discuss whatever problems that occur in their
everyday lives. Based on all the evidences above, it is surely proven that Encik Saleh is all
covered with negative values. I do believe he has some love and cares for his children but he
was not able to show them . You might also like: Plot Summary of the Curse The Curse Character : Which character do you like the most? The Curse - Characters The Curse: Themes
and Values Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 8:18 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - Lesson - Write about a life lesson that you learnt from the
novel... The Curse is the novel written by Lee Su Ann which has many lessons that can be
used in our lives. Today, I am going to write on one lesson which really captured my attention
in the novel that is courage. The value of courage can be seen clearly in Azreens character.
Azreen was a good friend with the Old Lady who became a precious confidante and
counsellor despite ignoring the warnings and prejudices of the villagers. Azreen was
determined to friends with the Old Lady till the last minute of the Old Ladys life.As a child,
she was not allowed to visit the Old Lady by her parents. Even the villagers warned Azreen
that the Old Lady is a witch. This shows that Azreen is very courageous for accepting the Old
Lady for what she is. From this, I learnt to be courageous in order to speak and act according
to what I think is right. I also learnt not to judge others by listening to rumors and to think
practically. Azreen also showed courage when she took the blame for the bulls escape in
order to save Mohd Asraf. At first, she wanted to help Asraf out from the wicked farm owner,

Mr. Mohan and his sons who were accusing Asraf for letting the bull out. But to her dismay,
she had to accept the faith of her mother loosing a leg when her father hit into the bull and
met with an accident. Even though Azreen was only helping Asraf at first, but she took the
blame and had to carry it for the rest of her life. I saw Azreen as a very courageous person in
this situation and agree to what she had done. She taught me to stand up for my believes in
my life and this will really help me a lot in the future. Last but not least, I also find Azreen as
a courageous person when she challenged her father to reveal the truth behind Madhuris
death. Azreen was very sure that Madhuri was killed by her father because she found the
stain of the rubber tree sap on the parang. When she put all the details together, she came
to a conclusion and told her father straight that he was the one who killed Madhuri. Here, we
can see that Azreen was too bold and had the courage to speak the truth even to her father
when she was sure that her sister was killed. This scene opened my mind that I should be
honest and bold to say what I think is right in my life. From all the evidences above, Azreen
had portrayed the value of courage very clearly, in this novel. As a student who will face many
challenges in my life, I learnt to be courageous and bold like Azreen from this novel. This
aspect will help me to be a better person in my life. You might also like: Plot Summary of the
Curse The Curse Themes: More Notes The Curse - theme: Write on the theme of
forgiveness.... The Curse: Themes and Values Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT
8:17 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011 The Curse setting: Describe the physical setting of the novel... The novel that I learnt in Form Five is
The Curse written by Lee Su Ann. There are many places or settings involved in this novel
but today I am going to write about the physical setting of the novel. There are two main
physical settings in this novel. The story started with the setting in London when we were
introduced to the main character, Azreen Saleh. Basically, the readers are introduced to the
university college where Azreen was pursuing an undergraduate course. The readers are
given more information that Azreen was going to sit for her exams soon but she had to fly
back to Malaysia due to her sister, Madhuris death. Next, we are brought to experience the
life of the university college when Azreen had to walk through the colleges residential hall.
Here, Azreens thoughts flew back when she recalled her two years of student experiences.
She had many sweet experiences in her life as a student. She also met many new friends of
various races here and she was reluctant to go back to Malaysia even for a while. The second
physical setting is when we are taken to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). Here,
Azreen had to wait for two hours before she could board a connecting flight to Pulau
Langkawi, her hometown. When Azreen was recalling her old times with her sister, Madhuri,
the readers are brought to Langkawi International Airport. Azreen meets her foster parents,
Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli who came to receive her at the airport. Last but not least,
we are brought together with Azreen to Pulau Langkawi and a little village. In this beautiful,
small village, we are introduced to Azreens home where she had bitter sweet memories for
Azreen when she remembers about her sister. Next, the village itself was the place where all
the drama takes place, both in the past and present. From my explanation above, it is proven
that the physical setting of the novel varies and creates an enthusiastic feeling when we read
the novel. From London to Pulau Langkawi is what the whole novel is about. You might also
like: Plot Summary of the Curse The Curse - theme: Write on the theme of forgiveness.... The
Curse - Lesson - Write about a life lesson that you learnt from the novel... The Curse Characters Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 8:04 PM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - theme: Write on the theme of love.... The Curse written
by Lee Su Ann touches on many aspects of life. Basically, all the aspects revolve around our
own community and can be used as guidance in our life. In this essay, I am going to write

about the theme of love which is actually the main conflict in this whole novel. Firstly, we
can see this aspect between mother and child when we read how loving was Azreen towards
her mother when she came back from London. She realized her mother still does not know
about the death of her sister, Madhuri. Azreen took over the duty to take care of her mother
who was suffering from Alzheimers disease which was getting worse. Azreen cooked porridge
for her mother like Madhuri used to do and fed her. This shows that Azreen loves her mother
very much and feels responsible to take care of her after her sisters death. The concept of
love can also be seen through Encik Saleh who loves his daughters very much but does not
know how to show it. He kept his love within him and was always looking fierce and angry
towards his daughters and wife. He loved his family very much and that is why he worked
hard on the farm.He also repairs chicken coop, repairs fencse and roofs and chops wood in
order to earn a living for his family. As a hard-working man, he wanted to give his family the
best out of him due to his love towards them which he does not show openly. Here, I admit
that I admire Encik Saleh as a loving father towards his family but he should have shown his
love in a more appropriate way. Lastly, the concept of love can be seen in the characters of the
Old Lady and Azreen. Azreen was very lucky to find a meaningful and comfortable
relationship with the Old Lady of the forest. She was very close to the Old Lady until she told
her all her secrets. She always goes and visits the Old Lady whenever she felt bored, angry or
happy. This shows that Azreen really loves the Old Lady and does not give a single thought to
what the villagers say about the Old Lady. Azreens love towards the Old Lady was very
strong until she was willing to go into the burning house in order to save the Old Lady. But,
faith wins. The Old Lady died in the fire while Azreen was saved by her father due to his love
towards his daughter. As we can see, the concept of love is very strong throughout the novel.
Each and every character in this novel has the desire to love and to be loved. You might also
like: The Curse - theme: Write on the theme of forgiveness.... Plot Summary of the Curse The
Curse: Themes and Values The Curse Themes: More Notes Linkwithin POSTED BY
TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 8:02 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - theme:
Write on the theme of forgiveness.... Lee Su Ann, the writer of the novel The Curse had
brought up many themes in her writing. One of the themes that I liked very much in this
novel is forgiveness which was clearly portrayed in Azreens character. As we know from the
beginning, Azreen is a very outspoken, aggressive and stubborn character but towards the
ending of the story she had learnt to forgive others. Azreen was very much influenced by the
Old Lady who begged Azreen to learn to forgive others at the time of her death. We can see
very much that Azreen kept her promise when she forgave Mohd Asraf who had deliberately
played with her emotions. All the while Azreen thought Asraf liked her but, Asraf was actually
falling for Madhuri and when he admitted that to Azreen, she was speechless at first. Azreen
hid herself from Asraf by running away until she reached the cliff of the hills when Asraf
confessed his love towards Madhuri. But as time passed, her anger melted away slowly and
she forgave Asraf as the Old Lady had told to her just before she died. Azreen too learnt to
forgive her father who murdered Madhuri. Even though she felt sad at first but she did not
feel angry or resentment at him but she realized that she had lost her only father that she
used to know as a very hot-tempered man. Slowly Azreen forgave her father but she could not
see him eye to eye so she left him alone and that was the time when Encik Saleh had a heart
attack and collapsed. But if at all Azreen had not promised the Old Lady to forgive others, I
do not think that she would forgive her father for murdering Madhuri. Azreen too forgave
Madhuri for all the hurt and resentment she caused in Azreens life. Azreen was jealous of
Madhuris beauty and genteel behavior. She was the favorite daughter. She also resented
Madhuri as Madhuri was able to captivate Asraf who eventually fell in love with her. But,

when Azreen discovers that Madhuri was adopted and the truth about Madhuris murder at
the hands of her own father, she feels nothing but pity for poor Madhuri . Finally she forgives
her sister, Madhuri. Last but not least, Azreen also forgave Asraf and wished him luck from
the bottom of her heart when he left Langkawi to take a teaching course in KL. When she
read a note from him, she did not feel angry but she smiled after reading the note and also
questioned herself whether she had learnt to forgive others. From Azreens character, I too
learnt to forgive others in my life if they hurt my feelings. Being revengeful will not give us
anything in life except the negative value. From all the evidences above, the theme of
forgiveness had been portrayed very well in this novel through the protagonist, Azreen. I
hope each and every human will learn to forgive others in their life. You might also like: Plot
Summary of the Curse The Curse: Themes and Values The Curse - theme: Write on the theme
of love.... The Curse - Characters Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 8:01 PM 2
COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - event: Write on an important event... In the
novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, an important event is the outbreak of the fire which results
in the Old Ladys death. Firstly, it is an important event because after this event, it creates a
domino effect on a number of other events which in turn helps Azreen to finally solve the
mystery behind her sisters murder. The fire enrages Azreen and like a wildcat, she confronts
Mohd Asraf. He apologises and admits that he had been too grief-stricken to be rational when
he has lost two important people in his life his secret lover, Madhuri and his grandmother,
Nek. After the fire which kills the Old Lady who is trapped in the fire, Awang, the bomoh
informs Azreen that Madhuri is not her biological sister. The secret about Madhuris identity
is finally disclosed by Azreens father who reveals that Madhuri is actually an abandoned
baby whom Saleh pick up from the paddy field. Moreover, the village Pontianak is actually
Madhuris biological mother who returns to the village to seek revenge over her daughters
death. According to Awang, the ghostly figure is also the vengeful spirit that has killed
Azreens chicken. Secondly, it is an important event because we are finally shown the reason
for Madhuris murder and the culprit. When Azreen confronts her father, Encik Saleh
defiantly confesses that he had accidentally murdered Madhuri after learning that Madhuri, a
married woman, commits an adultery when she secretly sees another man. It is probably out
of shame, the angry father who is embarrassed of Madhuris unethical behaviour which he
thinks has brought shame to the family, confronts Madhuri and during the struggle, Madhuri
falls to the ground and her head knocks over the latex cup which stains her clothes. A
distraught Azreen flees after hearing the shocking news while Encik Saleh comes face-to-face
with the shadowy woman Madhuris mother who nears him with a parang in her hand.
Saleh collapses and dies of a heart attack. With this, peace is restored in the village when the
spirit of Madhuris mother disappears after bidding farewell to Azreen who leaves Langkawi
to return to London. Thirdly, the fire at the Old Ladys house is the climax of the novel. From
that point onwards, events dramatically unfold and Azreen gets to the bottom of the mystery.
Azreen puts the pieces of facts here and there together and begins to understand the reasons
behind the cover-up of Madhuris murder by her husband, Haji Ghani. Most importantly, we
are also exposed to the crime of the villagers who are willing to do anything including
planning an attack on the innocent and harmless Old Lady just because of superstition.
Under the instigation of Puan Normala, the villagers are convinced to believe that the Old
Lady possesses a special power to turn people into rats and squirrels, so the latter is accused
to be an evil witch who brings all the misfortunes and bad omen to the village. In fact, when
the rain continues to pour for more than four days, causing the town to be flooded, the Old
Lady is blamed to have put the curse on the village. From this event, we can see how gullible
the villagers are to believe the vicious rumours spread by the village gossiper, Puan Normala.

She does not seem to care about the destruction she causes. Her irrational behaviour thus
destroys the reputations of victims such as the Old Lady even in the eyes of children. At the
same time, through this event too that we see the purity of the Old Ladys heart. Despite
being ostracised by the villagers, the Old Lady bears no grudges and is still willing to help
people like Asrafs Nek. More importantly, the Old Lady at the point of her death before the
burning house collapses on her, she reminds Azreen to forgive all the villagers who have
wronged her. You might also like: Plot Summary of the Curse The Curse - event: Write on an
unforgettable event... The Curse Themes: More Notes The Curse: Themes and Values
Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 7:59 PM 1 COMMENTS LABELS: THE
CURSE The Curse - event: Write on an unforgettable event... In the novel The Curse by Lee
Su Ann, an unforgettable event is when Puan Fatihah fainted out of shock when she sees a
silhouette of a Pontianak that looks like Madhuri appearing from behind a pile of tree trunks.
Firstly, this is an unforgettable event because it makes me sympathise Puan Fatihah. I find it
sad that Puan Fatihah is a victim of her own belief in the supernatural. Prior to the encounter
with the Pontianak, she has gone to seek out the bomoh to get a charm to win back her
husbands affections. She is superstitious enough to resort to such a desperate act. It is her
superstition that makes her believe what she sees as a ghost and that is why she faints from
utter shock. What is so ironic is that she has thrown away the first charm which is a small
piece of paper with written incantation into the river. The result is her husband has taken the
younger woman, Madhuri as his second wife and she has only herself to blame. Now that his
younger wife is dead, she must win back her husbands affections with the help of Awang, the
bomoh. Secondly, I feel sorry for Puan Fatihah because she is so pathetic. She cannot bear
her husband a child and always feels insecure as she has no power to keep him all to herself. I
can understand her pain of insecurity as she looks at the mirror each day and sees her aging
face. She is haunted by the deepening lines, the crow's feet, the sagging skin and double
chin. Which man can still stay in love with a face like that? Her insensitive husband has
spurned her and laughs at her insecurities. Her declining beauty has caused her to feel envy
towards Madhuri and to be angry at her husband. This is really pathetic. Thirdly, I find this
incident memorable / unforgettable because it reminds me of how fragile a woman can be.
Puan Fatihah has tried to be strong and put up a great pretence of liking the second wife,
Madhuri. She has actually succeeded in deceiving everyone in the village and even Madhuri
herself. Madhuri, in her last letter to Azreen has told her sister that Puan Fatihah is such a
kind and understanding lady whom she looks up to as an elder sister. Madhuri sees her as
such a dear sweet woman and is not sure whether she can emulate her goodness as a person
and a wife. Poor Fatihah! She has suppressed her emotions and has to endure the fights she
and her husband have been having lately over trivial matters. She cannot get his attention
when Madhuri was alive and she still cannot get his attention after she was dead. She was so
emotionally fragile that it was not surprising she fainted when she came face to face with a
ghostly figure who has reached out her hands to touch her. I would not forget this incident
as it has taught me not to believe in superstitions nor resort to solving problems by using
supernatural methods. All of us have problems and we must not let them overwhelm us. You
might also like: The Curse - event: Write on an important event... The Curse Themes: More
Notes Plot Summary of the Curse The Curse - Characters Linkwithin POSTED BY
TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 7:57 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - Character
: Which character do you like the most? The novel I have studied is 'The Curse' by Lee Su
Ann. The novel is about the main character, Azreen, who returns from England after
she finds out about her sister's death. Upon her return, she is surrounded by many secrets.
She discovers the circumstances of Madhuri's death later in the story. At the end of the story

she finds out the truth and leaves for London an orphan but more resilient and wise. The
character I like most is Azreen Salleh. She is a 20-year-old student who is studying in a
university college in London on an exchange programme. She is short, bespectacled, rather
bookish and outspoken. I like Azreen because she is outspoken and she is not afraid to spoke
her mind. She is vocal and says her opinions although sometimes she says the wrong things
at the wrong time. She also hates her father's treatment of her foster parents and Madhuri's
burial ceremony that is conducted without her presence. In handling the village gossip, Pn
Normala, Azreen tells her off that the rain has started even before the Old Lady comes into
town. The second quality she has is she is courageous. As a child, she plays hockey and
football with the boys. In the bull's incident, she is brave enough to accept the blame for the
bull's escape instead of blaming someone else. Azreen also shows her courage by taking up
the dare to knock on the Old Lady's door when none wants to do it. In another instance,
Azreen confronts her father about Madhuri's murder despite her young age. Azreen also has
strength of character. When she returns to her village, she hears a lot of gossip surrounding
her sister's death such as as Madhuri having white blood and her death signals a curse to the
villagers. Azreen feels upset but she never retaliates. Sheshows patience and strengh because
she knows that whatever she does, she cannot stop the villagers from gossiping about her
family. In another instance, Azreen is told that her sister is murdered. She should have
been very upset about this news but she takes it calmly and does not become hysterical.
Later, when she finds out that her father is the culprit who kills Madhuri, she feels no
anger but regrets that it has to happen. She understands her father's anger and shame
because Madhuri has been having an illicit affair with Ashraf although she is already married
to Hj Ghani. Azreen also shows a lot of strength because after all that has happened to her
family, she stays composed and strong and returns to England for her examinations.
Clearly/In conclusion, there are many qualities in Azreen that I admire and she is the
character that I like most in the story. You might also like: The Curse - Practice (Chapter 1)
Test yourself: Sonnet 18 - Trial Mara 2010 The Curse: Literary Devices Analysis of past years
questions ..... prediction and tips- Novel PMR Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96
AT 7:52 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse - Character : Which character
do you like the most? The Curse is a novel with many mysterious events. Even the characters
in this novel portray many kinds of traits in order to capture the attention of the readers. As
for me, the character that I admire most is of course, the pretty and charming Madhuri.
Madhuri is Azreens elder sister and she is about 24 years old. Madhuri is liked by everyone
in the village and also by her parents because she was very filial and obedient. As a good and
obedient daughter, she helped her parents in household chores. Madhuri used to cook
chicken porridge for her mother and feed her. Besides, she had never gone against her
fathers wish when she married the man that her father chose for her. She was married to
Haji Ghani who was the village headman and he took her as his second wife. Even though
she knew that Haji Ghani was married but just to obey her fathers wishes, she was ready to
be the headmans second wife. The sense of obedience in Madhuris character really attracted
me and I learnt to love my parents more after reading this novel. The second reason why I
admire Madhuri is because she was very pretty and charming. She was introduced to the
readers when Azreen recalled about her sisters beauty during her journey back to Malaysia
from London. Madhuri was featured in many photos and in school concerts when she took
the role of the beautiful Puteri Gunung Ledang. Madhuri was very graceful and elegant in her
costume during the concert. Azreen herself admired her sisters beauty when she took part in
the concert. All these prove Madhuri as a very beautiful and elegant daughter and I too
admire her for that. The third and final reason why I admire Madhuris character is because

she was a kind and thoughtful person. She was very kind to Fatihah, Haji Ghanis first wife
when she wrote about her to Azreen. She even praised Fatihah and took her as Kak because
she looked up to her as an elder sister. Each time when her father, Encik Saleh scolded or
caned Azreen, Madhuri took it in a positive way that is, her father trying to educate her
younger sister. I feel that Madhuri is always thinking positive to each and every incident that
happens around her. This is what inspires me that is to think positively in my life in order to
achieve success. Mentioned above are all the character traits why I admire Madhuri, the most
beautiful lady in this novel. I wish I could be like her and be an obedient daughter to my
parents. You might also like: The Curse Themes: More Notes Plot Summary of the Curse The
Curse - Characters The Curse - Character - Based on the novel, do you think Azreens father
portrayed good/positive character traits ? Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT
7:49 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011 The Curse - More
Practice (Chapter 1) Practice 1: Put T for the statements which are true and F for the
statements which are false. 1. Azreen was looking forward to return to her hometown.
______ 2. Julian agreed to accompany Azreen on the flight back home. ______ 3. Azreen
volunteers at the front desk during her spare time. ______ 4. Azreen was eager to speak to
Julian before leaving London. ______ 5. Azreen had to postpone taking her exams. ______
6. Azreen had to leave London suddenly because there was a death in her family. _______ 7.
Julian was popular among students in college _______ 8. Both Julian and Azreen was from
Malaysia. _______ Practice 2 Complete the sentences below by matching them with the
following phrases. the matrons office the door did not jam as usual and made her way to
the nearest station. why she was leaving. Ill help you with your bag. In his place was a
tall amicable-looking young man. I wont be able to help out at the desk tonight? she
could never get used to the changing daylight saving time 1. Azreen Saleh stepped out blindly
from ____________________________________________ 2. Can you please tell
Mr. Goldman that ____________________________________________ 3. She did
not want to have to explain
_______________________________________________ 4. She heaved a sigh of
relief that ___________________________________________________ 5. No
matter how much time she spent in London
______________________________________ 6. Youre taking a tube to Heathrow
________________________________________________ 7. The fatherly Filipino
had apparently gone down to the cafeteria for breakfast and
________________________________________________________________
_______ Practice 3: Read the statements below. Then identify the characters who made the
statements. 1. Have a nice trip then, Love
______________________________________________________ 2. Oh, no,
not Julian ______________________________________________________ 3.
I didnt expect youd finish your exams so soon
______________________________________________________ 4. Youre
taking the tube to Heathrow? Ill help you with your bag....
______________________________________________________ 5. Youd
better return to you desk. Old Goldman might realise youre missing.
______________________________________________________ 6. I have to
go home earlier. Ive spoken to the principal
______________________________________________________ You might
also like: The Curse - Practice (Chapter 2) The Curse Themes: More Notes Plot Summary of
the Curse The Curse: Themes and Values Linkwithin POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT

7:14 AM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2011 The Curse Character Which character do you like or admire the most? Give reasons for your answer
with close reference to the text. I - Identify the needs of the question character that you like
or admire M - Based on the Novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the character that I
like
or admire is.because .(state 2 reasons) E - What happened that make the
character likeable/admirable? When did it happen?
Where did it happen? (give 2
evidences for each reasons) J - Justify why you say that the character is likeable/admirable?
(Closure relate it to our own life) Based on the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann the
character that I like and admire is Azreen because of a few reasons. The first reason is
because Azreen is such a strong character that has great courage as she is open, positive and
always fights for what she believes in. Firstly, she ignores the warnings and prejudices of the
Villagers by befriending the out casted Old lady. This is shown right from the time she dares
to accept the challenge from her friends to approach the old lady to finally knocking on the
door of the Old lady. In fact, she makes her, her precious confidante and counsellor.
Secondly, in defence of the Old lady she dares to confront Puan Normalas mob outside Mohd
Asrafs house when Nek once again has fallen ill and died. Subsequently, she confronts a
group of men led by Asraf who goes to the Old ladys house to seek revenge after Nek dies as
they believe the Old lady has poisoned Nek. Finally, when the Old lady died, trapped in the
burning house, she confronts Asraf and physically attacks him as she believes Asraf is to be
blamed. Being open, positive, courageous to speak and act accordingly, and in addition
always fights for what we believe in is important to us as we certainly help to make right what
are wrong in the society, bring healing to wounded hearts and make the world a better place.
The second reason is because Azreen is such a good and loyal friend . (complete the
task) POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 11:16 AM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: EXAM TIPS,
THE CURSE TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2011 The Curse - Practice (Chapter 3 & 4) Chapter 3 1. Name
the character who like to spread rumours.
_____________________________________________________ 2. What was
the rumour about?
_____________________________________________________ 3. Puan
Normala has a daughter. What is her name?
_____________________________________________________ 4. Puan
Kamsiah has a daughter. What is her name?
_____________________________________________________ 5. Why Puan
Normala said that they all have been cursed?
_____________________________________________________ 6. Who picked
Azreen up at the airport?
_____________________________________________________ Chapter 4 1.
Siti remember her moment with Madhuri. What was it about?
_____________________________________________________ 2. Puan
Normala talked about Azreen when she saw her. What did Puan Normala think of Azreen?
_____________________________________________________ 3. Why didnt
the villagers tell in details about Madhuris death to Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli?
_____________________________________________________ 4. Datin
Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli are outsiders, so how are they related to Azreen? Describe it.
_____________________________________________________ 5. Azreen
mother had a disease. What do you think the disease is? How does a reader know she is
suffering from a disease-provide evidence.
_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ 6. Azreen met
her brother in-law/ Madhuris husband. What is his name?
_____________________________________________________ 7. Who is
Mohd Asraf? Provide two characteristic of Mohd Asraf.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ 8. Where did
Azreen and Mohd Asraf met for the first time?
_____________________________________________________ 9. Why didnt
Asraf play football?
_____________________________________________________ 10. Asraf
invited Azreen to join him to play a game.What was the game? Why did he asked Azreen to
play? _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ 11. Asraf
admired Azreen, why is that?
_____________________________________________________ 12. Where did
Datin Sharifah and her husband stay in Langkawi?
_____________________________________________________ 13. What is
Mohd Asraf working as?
_____________________________________________________ 14. Haji Ghani
loved Madhuri so much. Provide evidences to support his statement.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ 15. Who is Haji
Ghanis first wife?
_____________________________________________________ 16. Give two
characteristics of Puan Fatihah.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ POSTED BY
TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 9:07 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The Curse Themes:
More Notes JEALOUSY The jealousy that occurs when one is favoured than the other. Azreen
is jealous of Madhuri. She is always being compared to her, especially for the things that she
is not, or does not have. She doesnt have her sisters grace and beauty, and it seems like her
parents favour her sister more. She could not stand it when her parents and friends
compared her to her sister. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she could
never match up to Madhuri. Pg. 8 It was that particular sentence that her mother had
uttered in her frustrationShe was not Madhuri. She was different. Why couldnt they accept
that? It was always Madhuri this, Madhuri that. Pg. 107 Puan Fatihah is jealous of Madhuris
existence in her marriage with Haji Ghani. Even after her death, she still cannot get her
husbands attention, what more his care. Shes very pretty, and very sweet-tempered and
respectful to her elders. And very young. She added the last sentence with a trace of jealousy
which escaped her husbands eas. Pg. 79 She had lost everything to Madhuri. Her silk, her
husband and her life her sanity! Pg. 80 Asraf is jealous of Haji Ghani as he married his
love, Madhuri. He couldnt do anything though because he had nothing at that time. Ive
loved her ever since I met her. Then that Haji Ghani came and took her away. Pg. 204
PREJUDICE People are prejudiced when they are different from what others expect of them,

or when they made past mistakes. Azreen behaves like none of what is expected of her. She is
outspoken, aggressive and daring. She does things that make people think negatively of her.
For example, being friends with the Old Lady. Dont touch me. Youre cursed. Youve been
affected ever since you made friends with the witch. But you refuse to let that rest. Instead
you have brought her here and now the curse is spreading all over the village. Pg. 186 The
Old Lady had killed her husband years ago. Because of that, the villagers deemed her evil,
and even think she is witch. Im sure your witch friend has never told you that she stabbed
her husband to death. Do you wished to be murdered along with the rest of us in our beds?
Pg. 187 IRRATIONALITY Irrationality due to rage can cause people to take extreme actions
that can endanger the lives of others. Saleh Abdullah murdered Madhuri out of rage, upon
seeing her in a private place with a man who is not her husband. Insolent, ungrateful child.
He saw red. The blade flashed in a flurry before his eyes. A cry escaped Madhuri as she fell,
knocking over the latex-filled container. Saleh pulled away the parang. But it was too late.
Pg. 225 Asraf, enraged with the Old Lady for thinking she had poisoned his grandmother to
death, led a mob of people with torches to kill her. Azreen tried to stop him, but eventually
the house was caught in fire and the Old Lady was trapped in the burning house. He, too,
held a torch in his hand. In the other, he held a hoe. He was much nearer to the house than
the other men And most importantly, loss and anguish fuelled his action. His eyes burned
wildly like the fire of his torch. Pg. 198 The Old Lady murdered her husband as she could not
tolerate any longer his abusive ways. He was holding her by the shoulder, shaking her hard
and yelling curses at her. He called her all sorts of names. He kneed her in the stomach, and
kicked her when she went down... As he started to force herself on her, her hands reached for
the knife and she struck. Pg. 103 SUPERSTITIONS Belief in the supernatural is still
prevalent in small villages. Almost all the villagers believe in the supernatural. Puan Normala
especially, believed that Madhuri bled white blood and thought that the whole village is
cursed. I saw it. It was white. Her grip tightened. Did you hear me? She had white blood.
We have all been cursed! Pg. 13 Most of the villagers believed that the Old Lady is a witch.
They do not dare to enter her compound in fear of being cast a spell. Azreen realised they
had not dared to move closer to the house. Superstition and fear of the supernatural
prevented them from physically hurting the Old Lady. Pg. 198 People of the village seek help
from bomohs or witchdoctors to cure sickness or for charms to get what they want. Was it a
bad thing to want to win back her husbands affections? What was a little charm from the
bomoh to push things in the right direction? Pg. 148 SOCIAL OUTCASTING People tend to
be cast out when they dont follow certain norms of a society. Due to Azreens outspoken,
unlady-like behaviour, the people in the village tend to dislike, as she is not the type of girl
who is supposed to act like one. Its not easy to be like that. Socially accepted, I mean. Look
at me. Everyone hates me. Pg. 38 The Old Lady was casted out from the village after they
found out that she killed her husband. Its true. Thats why Im here. Because the villagers
cast me out after they found out what happened. Pg.101 Bomoh Awang would have been cast
out from the village if Azreen didnt pretend to be responsible for the incident that caused her
mothers accident. But Cik Adik, if it hadnt been for you, the villagers would have cast me
out long ago.Pg.211 UNCONDITIONAL LOVE A persons background, or what people think
of them does not matter when it comes to unconditional love. Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zul
treats Azreen like their own daughter, not caring what the other villagers think about her. In
fact, they treated the girl very much like their own daughter. (pg. 27) Saleh Abdullah and his
wife loved Madhuri like she was their own child the moment they found her crying alone in
paddy field. All they cared was to keep the baby as their own. And they had loved her like
their own.Pg. 224 FORGIVENESS Forgiving is an act that can free a person from burden

and achieve peace. The Old Lady was abused and badly treated in her marriage, which drove
her to kill his husband. But in the end, she forgave him. Once youve forgiven sincerely
forgiven the weight is lifted from your chest, and youre finally free. Pg. 161 Azreen had
always feelings for Asraf, but Asraf loved Madhuri instead. Asraf has also caused the death of
her dear friend, the Old Lady. The Old Ladys last words to Azreen were that she learns to
forgive. Eventually, she did. From her heart, Azreen wished him all the best. She smiled.
Had she learnt to forgive? The Old Lady would be so proud if she knew.Pg. 231 POSTED BY
TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 8:48 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE TUESDAY, APRIL 5,
2011 The Curse - Practice (Chapter 2) Practice 1: Put T for the statements which are true and
F for the statements which are false. Madhuri despised her sister Azreen. _______ Azreen
treasures the happy memories of her childhood with Madhuri. _______ Most people
preferred Madhuri over Azreen. _______ Azreen was very popular among her family and
friends. _______ Azreen was envious of her sisters popularity. _______ Azreen was happy
when her sister died. _______ Azreen did not enjoy Malaysian cuisine. _______ People
found Madhuri more attractive than Azreen. _______ Azreen liked to be compared to her
sister. _______ Madhuri and Azreen did not spend much time together as
children. _______ Practice 2: Identify phrases from the text to support the following
statements. Azreen was Madhuris younger sister. Madhuri was four years older than
she__________________________________ Azreen felt ignored when Madhuri was
around.
________________________________________________________________
_ Azreen felt unloved because she was the complete opposite of her sister.
________________________________________________________________
_ Madhuri was popular in the village.
________________________________________________________________
_ Azreen was not looking forward to return to her village.
________________________________________________________________
_ Azreen felt hopelessly inferior to Madhuri.
________________________________________________________________
_ Azreen shared a very close relationship with her sister when they were very young.
________________________________________________________________
_ Azreen did not like to be compared to Madhuri.
________________________________________________________________
_ POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 6:25 PM 0 COMMENTS LABELS: THE CURSE The
Curse - Practice (Chapter 1) Practice 1 Complete the sentences below by matching them with
the following phrases. the matrons office the door did not jam as usual and made her way to
the nearest station. why she was leaving. Ill help you with your bag. In his place was a tall
amicable-looking young man. I wont be able to help out at the desk tonight? she could
never get used to the changing daylight saving time 1.
Azreen Saleh stepped out blindly
from ____________________________________________ 2.
Can you please
tell Mr. Goldman that ____________________________________________ 3.
She did not want to have to explain
_______________________________________________ 4.
She heaved a sigh
of relief that ___________________________________________________ 5.
No matter how much time she spent in London
______________________________________ 6.
Youre taking a tube to
Heathrow _______________________________________________ 7.
The
fatherly Filipino had apparently gone down to the cafeteria for breakfast

and _____________________________________________________________
Practice 2: Read the statements below. Then identify the characters who made the
statements. 1.
Have a nice trip then, Love
______________________________________________________ 2.
Oh, no,
not Julian ______________________________________________________
3.
I didnt expect youd finish your exams so soon
______________________________________________________ 4.
Youre
taking the tube to Heathrow? Ill help you with your bag....
______________________________________________________ 5.
Youd
better return to you desk. Old Goldman might realise youre missing.
______________________________________________________ 6.
I have
to go home earlier. Ive spoken to the principal
______________________________________________________________
Practice 3: 1.
Why did Azreen refrain from seeing her friends before leaving London?
________________________________________________________________
_________
________________________________________________________________
__________ 2.
Why do you think Julian ran after Azreen when he saw her leaving with
her suitcase?
________________________________________________________________
_________
________________________________________________________________
_________ 3.
Why do you think Azreen did not want Julian to accompany her to the
airport?
________________________________________________________________
_________
________________________________________________________________
_________ 4.
What have you learnt about Azreen from this chapter ? i)Azreen did not
like goodbyes. This is why she avoided her friends before leaving and left the campus
quietly________________________________________________________
ii)______________________________________________________________
_____________
_______________________________________________________________
____________
iii)______________________________________________________________
____________
________________________________________________________________
__________
iv)______________________________________________________________
_____________
________________________________________________________________
___________
5.
What have you learnt about Julian from this chapter?
i)_______________________________________________________________
_____________
________________________________________________________________
____________
ii)______________________________________________________________

_____________
_______________________________________________________________
____________
iii)______________________________________________________________
_____________
________________________________________________________________
___________
iv)______________________________________________________________
_____________
________________________________________________________________
___________ POSTED BY TORAIPSI86UM96 AT 6:13 PM 0 COMMENTS
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