TANJONG RHU

BY MINFONG HO

AUTHORS PROFILE
Minfong Ho was born in 1951 to Chinese
parents in Myanmar. She grew up in
Thailand and studied at Tunghai
University, Taiwan. Then, she went to
cornell University, USA.
She now lives in New York with her
husband and 3 children

Synopsis
This short story is about a successful man who
forgets his roots as a kampong boy in Tanjung
Rhu and only realises the importance and how
much he misses it after his mother`s death.
The poignant story demonstrate the cultural
circumstances and dilemmas about people
face in Southeast Asia. It also looks at the
conflict., struggle and tension between
modem and traditional society in Singapore
through the relationship between Mr.T.W.Li
and his mother

Plot
Exposition
Mr Li is 63 years old. He is a
wealthy, successful, modern
businessman. He works in an office
locatede on the 18th floor above
Shenton Way. From his office window,
he could see Tanjung Rhu. He lives
with his wife, Helen, daughter, Ying
and mother. His son is studying at
Cambridge University.

Plot
Rising Action
One Day, Mr Li bought the
binoculars for his mother because she
did not want to do the operation for
her cataracts. He told her that she
could see things in a distant and his
mother wanted to see Tanjung Rhu. He
promised to bring her to his office the
next day.

Plot
Before going to his office, his daughter,
Ying quarrelled with his mother
because she wanted to help in the
worship but the grandmother did not
allow her. This is because she did not
know the right way to do worship. After
the grandmother had complete the
worship alone, she followed Mr Li to
the office.

Plot
Climax
When they were at the office, Mr Li
tried to show his mother the big ships
in the harbour through the binoculars.
However, his mother saw young Mr Li
walking barefoot on the beach
searching foe crabs and see herself
was walking beside him. After Mr Li
took away the binoculars from her, her
smile disappeared.

Plot
Falling Action
Mr Li`s mother became very sick and was
admitted to the hospital. She was so weak that
she could hardly open her eyes. When Mr Li
visited her, his daughter tried to force open the
grandmother`s eyes. Mr Li talked to his mother;
she could only recognise him but could not talk
more. Then, she reminded the key to the altar
that was hidden in a special place. Without
knowing where the key was, Mr Li assured her
that the key was safe.

Plot
Resolution
After her mother has passed away,
Mr Li needed the joss sticks to worship
his parents. However, he could not find
the key to the altar as he did not know
where the key was. So he left the altar
room.

Characters
Mr Li
-Responsible
Mr. Li takes care of his old mother.
When she
insist on worshipping his
late father, he does not stop her
although he is late for work.

Characters
Mr Li
- Filial
Mr. Li is a filial son. He buys a pair of
binoculars for his mother so that she
better and further.

Characters
Mr Li
Rich and successful
Mr Li is a 63 years old successful
businessman in Singapore.

Characters
Ying
Impatient
Ying is Mr Li`s daughter who is going
to study in New York. She argues with
her grandmother as she wants to help
in the worship.

Characters
Ying
Disrespectful
Ying tries to open her
grandmother`s eyes when she lies on
the hospital bed. This makes her father
very angry .

Characters
Mr Lis Mother
-Old
She is an old woman who has 9
children,34 grandchildren and 17
great grandchild
-Loyal
Mr Lis Mother very loyal to her late
husband that she often worship him
at the altar.

Characters
Helen
-Materialistic
Mr Lis wife she enjoy a rich life by
spending time with her friend in the
big house.She also uses expensive
perfume and eats expensive food.
-Inconsiderate
She makes fun of her husband in
front of her friend for buying the
binocular for his mother.

Themes
Loyalty to one`s family
Mr Li`s mother is very loyal to her
husband. She worship him frequently.
She keeps the small wine, cups, gold
sheets, candles and joss sticks
carefully in the top drawer of her
special desk. She does not forget her
duty to serve her husband even
though he is dead.

Theme
It is norm for a Chinese family to
show loyalty to their family by
worshipping the ancestors. However,
this practice has been neglected
gradually since the change of time.
People today are more materialistic
then they are not concerned with the
spiritual things that can bring them
inner peace.

Setting
1. Mr Lis big house
Mr Li had a big house with many
vacant rooms. He had a servant to
help with the housework.
2.Mr Lis old house in a hut
Mr Li stayed in a hut at Tanjong Rhu
when he was young. He often saw
the fishing boats sailing

Setting

3.The Hospital
Mr. Lis mother was admitted to the
hospital when she was sick. Lying in bed,
she was tied to machines which gave her
blood or carry her urine into a bag
4.Mr Lis office
Mr. Li works in a towering building which
was on the 18th floor. He could see the
ships at Tanjung Rhu harbour and he
counted the ships everyday

Moral Value
1.We must be responsible to take
care of the old people.
-Our old parents have done a lot of
sacrifices for us, we should not neglect
them when they are old. We have to
provide them the necessity as to pay
back their kindness.

Moral Value
2.We should respect the old people
-Though we might have different opinions and
beliefs with the old people, we need to accept
their views and respect them. We have to be
patient when dealing with them and show our filial
piety.
3.We must be loyal to our family
-Family is the most important thing in our life.
Even though we are successful in life, we should
not be proud and forget our family. Money cannot
buy happiness. Therefore, our family should be
focus in life