TANJONG RHU

‘Edward’, she said, crossing her legs, ‘come and join us?’
He refused, and was just turning away, when she noticed the binoculars
he was holding,
And asked what they were.
‘Oh, these,’ he said. ‘I bought them today. For the children’. He could
not think of anything better to say. (p.20)

1 Who does the pronoun ‘us’ refer to?

2 Why do you think Edward or Mr Li refuses to join them?

3 In your opinion, why didn’t Edward tell the truth about the
binoculars he bought for his mother?

4 What does this incident reveal about the relationship of these two
characters?

There was one drawer which would not open. The joss sticks, he
thought, must be in there, with all the things that were most important
to her. He pulled again at that drawer, harder this time, but it stayed
shut. And then he realized that she always kept it locked. And he did
not know where she hid the key. (p.35)

1 Where is Mr Li?

2 Why is he looking for joss sticks?

3 What does the locked drawer symbolise?

4 If you were Mr Li, what would you do in this situation?

Writing Task

a) If you could change one part of the story, which would you change?
Give reasons for your decision.

The part of the story I would change is the scene at the hospital. Mr
Li would ask his mother the question about his childhood and she would be
able to answer him. After that, she would tell him where she hid the key
to the drawer. I think that this would give the story a more hopeful ending.
Mr Li would not have to live with so many regrets. He would be able to
revisit his memories of his happy and carefree childhood. If he could be
honest about his background and who really is, he would be a happier man.
If he had the key to the drawer, he would be able to continue the
traditional practice of ancestral worship. This, too, would free him of guilt
because he would be able to do what he knows his mother would want him
to do. Changing this part of the story would lead to a happier ending.

b) Describe a character in the short story Tanjong Rhu who displays an

admirable quality.

Ah-Ma is a person who is honest about her humble background and

enjoys the simple life. She is a mother of nine children, grandmother of
thirty-four and great-grandmother of seventeen. Her children, like Mr Li,
her eldest son, are grown-up, independent and successful. She has every
reason to be proud and to enjoy the success of her children.

Yet, she prefers to rear a few chickens in her son’s garden, and ten
to the family altar. She shuns material gifts. Her happiness is based on
her memories of the carefree days in a hut on the beach when her
husband was still alive. Her character is admirable.
c) What is the most important lesson you can learn from the short story
Tanjong Rhu?

The most important lesson I can learn from the short story
Tanjong Rhu is respect for elders. The main character, Mr T.W.Li, is a
successful businessman who has little time and patience for the old ways
of his culture. Yet, he is a filial son who respects his mother and tries his
best to please her. He buys a pair of binoculars for his mother so that
she would be able to see more clearly. He respects her wish to have a
family altar. He teaches his daughter Ying to treat her grandmother with
greater respect. I think this value is important in our culture.

d) What is the most important moral lesson you have learnt?

Based on short story Tanjung Rhu by Minfong Ho, the most

important lesson that I have learnt is to be responsible. As for example,
Mr. Li is a responsible son. He takes care of his old mother as she has
given birth to him and took good care of him since he was young. Mr. Li’s
responsibility to his mother inspires me to do the same. I realize that I
need to take good care of my old parents as they had sacrifived a lot for
me. I will pay back their kindness to me.

Besides that, when Mr. Li’s mother was sick and hospitalized, he
often visit her in the hospital and accompanies her there. He is very
responsible that he doesn’t neglect and abandon his mother.

His daughter, Ying is also responsible. She stays at the hospital

with her sick grandmother so that she won’t be alone. Mr. Li and Ying
show that we must be responsible to our old parents. They had done a lot
for us and we need to appreciate it.

In a nut shell, we need to be responsible and show our filial piety

for our parents. They are the one who brought us into this world, so we
need to pay back their sacrifice by loving them and take good care of
them.
e) From the story that you have studied, describe an event that you find
most memorable. Give reasons for your answer with close reference to
the text.

The event that I find most memorable is when Mr Li rushed home

to light the altar in his house. This happened a day after his mother’s
passing. At that time, Mr Li was in his office. As he was looking out from
the window of his office towards Tanjung Rhu, he recalled some memories
of his mother. Then, he felt that he had to do something for her so he
rushed home to the altar.

This altar was always used by his mother when she was still alive.
She looked after it and she had her husband’s photo hanging by the wall
at the altar. She used to burn joss sticks when she prayed there. The
sticks were kept in a locked drawer. When Mr Li got home, he tried to
look for the sticks but he couldn’t find the key to the drawer. Instead, he
switched on the electric candles and he spoke to his mother’s photo on
the wall.

There are three reasons why I find this event most memorable.
First, this event allows us to see how much Mr Li cares and loves his
mother. She grew old in his house, he put her in the hospital when she was
ill, he gave her a proper burial and he tried to fulfil he wish of looking
after the altar. This event completes the image of Mr Li as a filial son.

Secondly, this event also reflects Mr Li’s true belief of the Chinese
rituals despite of the fact that he never joins his mother praying at the
altar. This belief emerged after her death as he rushed home to light the
altar and spoke to his mother’s photo.

Third, this event contains an important moral value which is the

importance of cherishing one’s mother. Ah Ma was very different from
Mr Li. She was old fashioned but he was modern and successful. Despite
these differences, Mr Li respected his mother and tried his best to make
her happy. Even after her death, he tried to be a good son by lighting the
altar for her and speaking to her photo.

There are a few memorable events in this story. Based on the

reasons stated above, the most memorable one is the incident when Mr Li
rushed home to light the altar for his mother.
f) With close reference from the text, choose a theme from Tanjung
Rhu.

The short story I chose is Tanjung Rhu by Minfong Ho. A prevalent

theme in Tanjung Rhu is ‘Kindness and love are more important than
material possessions’. In Tanjung Rhu, this theme is shown through the
relationship between Mr Li and his mother, Mr Li’s failure to open the
drawer in the Altar Room and Ying’s error.

Firstly, this is shown through the relationship between Mr Li and

his mother, Ah Ma because Mr Li thinks that he needs to work hard and
give material wealth to his mother. This is evident in him asking Ah Ma to
go up the 18th floor of his office, a symbol of his success. He also tries
to make Ah Ma see the extent of his success by making her see the view
through the binoculars. Nevertheless, Ah Ma, refusing at first to see
through the binoculars, finally concedes but only sees the past memories
of her happier time at the beach with her young son, Mr Li. This proves
that Ah Ma only values the past as it was when they were happier and had
a closer relationship.

Secondly, this theme is shown through Mr Li’s failure to open the

drawer. He thinks that he had done enough for his mother, that by just
letting her live with him and making sure she lives well, he has done
enough and is a filial son. But he ignores his mother so much that he does
not even know where Ah Ma puts her joss stick at the Altar Room and
that he does not even have the key to the drawer where she puts
important stuff for praying means that he has failed as a son. What Ah
Ma needed was just his love and kindness, and his care and attention, and
he did not give her that.

Lastly this theme is shown through Ying, Mr Li’s daughter. Ying also
mistakenly thinks that she cares enough about her grandmother that she
often argues with her concerning the praying ceremony. Ying here also
falls mistakenly into the trap that material possession is better-she
urges Ah Ma to pray quickly so Mr Li could go to work faster and to use
better, safer electric candles. In the end, she does not get the love and
care she wants from her grandmother just because she thinks what she
values more are better.
 Mr. Li Ah Ma
Successful businessman Traditional thinking
Happy family life Strong religious beliefs
Close relationship with the mother Refuse to admit ill-health
Modern in his ways and ideas Strong determination
Tolerant Good memory
Patient Proud of her son’s success
Filial Refuse to accept changes
Respectful Loving

g) Compare characteristics between two characters.

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TANJONG RHU

‘Edward’, she said, crossing her legs, ‘come and join us?’
He refused, and was just turning away, when she noticed the binoculars
he was holding,
And asked what they were.
‘Oh, these,’ he said. ‘I bought them today. For the children’. He could
not think of anything better to say. (p.20)

1 Who does the pronoun ‘us’ refer to?

Mr Li/ Edward’s wife and her friends.
2 Why do you think Edward or Mr Li refuses to join them?
He dislikes these kind of women’s social gatherings.
3 In your opinion, why didn’t Edward tell the truth about the
binoculars he bought for his mother?
He could be embarrassed to admit how much he cared for his old
mother. / He did not think his wife would understand why he
bought the binoculars for his mother.
4 What does this incident reveal about the relationship of these two
characters?
The relationship between Mr Li and his wife is not very good.

There was one drawer which would not open. The joss sticks, he
thought, must be in there, with all the things that were most important
to her. He pulled again at that drawer, harder this time, but it stayed
shut. And then he realized that she always kept it locked. And he did
not know where she hid the key. (p.35)

1 Where is Mr Li?
In the family altar room.
2 Why is he looking for joss sticks?
He wants to burn some joss sticks for his ancestors like his
mother used to do.
3 What does the locked drawer symbolise?
The locked drawer symbolizes the traditional values that Ah-Ma
upheld and which her son does not understand.
4 If you were Mr Li, what would you do in this situation?
I would call a locksmith to open the drawer for me.