QWERTYUIOP (Vivien Alcock) SYNOPSIS QWERTYUIOP is about a poor, young graduate named Lucy Beck who has just

finished her O levels at Belmont Secretarial College. She is a slow learner herself but she is determined to find a job in order to get out of poverty. Fortunately, she is offered a job by Mr. Ross, the Manager of Ross and Bannisters. However, she begins to face problems from her first day of work. She encounters many peculiar incidents when she starts using the electric typewriter. Whenever Lucy types, the words QWERYUIOP which is on the top lines on the keyboards will keep on appearing. She is determined to keep on her job, so she tries to overcome her fear. Later, she finds out that there is a spirit lingering around the office. She finds out from that Miss Broome, a former secretary of the late Mr Bannister was forced to retire after working for fortythree years. That was why the spirit of Miss Broome is adamant in holding on to her position as the companys secretary. Towards the end of the story, Lucy tries to get rid of the spirit that has been haunting that place for many years. She assured Miss Broome that the late Mr Bannister needs her in the afterlife. She managed to convince Miss Broome to leave and finally she could maintain her job. SETTING The story was set in a small town, Belmont and it revolves around two main settings: Lucys house which she shares with her mother and her Uncle Bert, In a poor neighbourhood The office of Ross and Bannisters where Lucy works as a secretary. It is a small firm which is over thirty years old. PLOT ExpositionThe main character, Lucy Beck is introduced and she lives with her mother and uncle. She has completed her secretarial course and wants a job. She is tried living in poverty and wants to lead a better life. Rising Action~ Lucy managed to get a job as a secretary at Ross and Bannisters after being interviewed by Mr. Ross. Harry Darke explained to Lucy that she needs to use the typewriter to do her work. Whenever Lucy types, the typewriter tries to control her. The word QWERTYUIOP keeps on appearing each time she

types. Lucy types questions in order to investigate the mystery behind it. Harry Darke informs her of the old former secretary, the late Miss Broome, who was forced to resign. Climax Lucy is determined to defend her job and she started to type another copy by fixing her eyes on the keys. She was surprised when the typewriter typed out a threatening note. Through the battle of wits between Lucy and the spirit of Miss Broome at the typewriter, Lucy managed to gather all her courage. She erased all the words and she managed to type all her letters and sent it to be signed by Mr Ross. Falling action Lucy feels sorry for Miss Broome after she heard about Miss Broomes loneliness and depression after losing her job. She sympathized Miss Broome and tries to persuade her to leave in peace. Lucy convinced her that Mr Bannister needs her help in the afterlife. Resolution The typewriter become silent and Lucy types a goodbye note to Miss Broome. There was no reply and Lucy was relieved as she has finally helped the spirit of Miss Broome to find peace at last. CHARACTERS LUCY BECK A young seventeen year old lady who got a job as a secretary at Ross and Banisters Characteristics: She is a young, shy, a low achiever, not competent and highly qualified and insecure graduate of secretarial studies. Textual evidence: Lucy Beck was young and small and mouse-coloured, easily overlooked. She had a lonely O level and a typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh. Characteristics: She has a very low self esteem, inferior complex, no confidence and pessimistic Textual evidence:

She is wondering who will employ her as she is aware of her inadequacies. Lucy assumes that there are more qualified and brighter people than her who are qualified for the job vacancy. Characteristics: She became ambitious, determined and optimistic to change her life style. Textual evidence: Lucy is tired of being poor and she is fed up with macaroni cheese and baked beans. She is also sick of wearing second-hand clothes. She gathered her strength and determined to get a job to get out of poverty. Characteristics: Lucy becomes enthusiastic and a quick learner when she got a job. She also became courageous when she has to face the conflict with the spirit of Miss Broom. Textual evidence: Lucy got a job at Ross and Bannister, a small firm with a factory just outside the town. She is so excited so came to her work place on Monday morning, at ten to nine and waited as the door to the office is closed. She faces problems when each time she types, the word QWERTYUIOP appears on the paper. When she finds that it was the ghost of Miss Broom, she became courageous and keep typing and liquid the unwanted words and reached the end of the letter by triumph. Characteristics: Lucy became sympathetic, caring, insightful and understanding after knowing Miss Broomes history. She took the initiative to look for an amicable solution. Textual evidence: Lucy is shocked when she heard the news about Miss Broome from Harry Darke. She was forced to stop working after she had been working for forty three years. Lucy sympathizes Miss Broome

and tells her that Mr Bannister is only acting out of concern as he was worried of her health. Lucy managed to convince Miss Broome that the late Mr Bannister needs her help in the after life. GHOST OF MS.BROOME : The spirit of Ms Broome who haunts the office where she once worked as she is so attached to her job. Characteristics: Loyal, dedicated and took her job seriously at Ross and Bannisters. Textual evidence: Ms Broome had worked for forty three years :girl, woman, old misery. She is unwilling to let go of her position and continues to defend her post, even after her demise. Characteristics: Lonely as she had no family and friends. Textual evidence: The office was her home; the job was all she lived for as she did not have any family of her own. She had no place worth to go and she insists to stay on. Characteristics: She is persistence, vengeful and also possessive over her secretarial job at Ross and Bannisters. Textual evidence: Miss Broome dies but she does not want to leave her job and insist to stay on. She types nasty messages to new secretaries to instill fear. The typewriter rocked as if with laughter, its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth. She creates havoc with intention to scare those who will replace her place at the office. Characteristics: Finally she is convinced that she should leave as her help is needed. Textual evidence:

Miss Broom leaves the office permanently after Lucy managed to convince her that Mr Bannister needs her help in the afterlife. The typewriter became silent, sunlight glittered on its keys making them looked wet. HARRY DARKE : Ross and Bannisters handyman. He is an old man who has been working with the company for years. Characteristics: Helpful and concern Textual evidence: He does all the odd jobs in the office and helps out new employees. He is helpful in giving useful information to Lucy regarding the spirit of Miss Broome and shows concern to her. He even told Lucy not to be like a frightened mouse, and not to worry. Characteristics: A loyal worker at Ross and Bannisters. Textual evidence: He has been working for thirty years with Ross and Bannisters, retired with a silver watch but still cant keep away from his job. Characteristics: Encouraging and supportive to his colleague Textual evidence: He praises Lucy for her braveness and determination to keep on her job even after she has confronted the spirit of Miss Broome. He said that Lucy is no longer the timid mouse and she is a right little lion. Then he gives her chocolate biscuits with her tea as a credit and encouragement. LUCYS MOTHER/ MRS BECK She is a patient and hardworking housewife who live a hard life. She has to support her brother.

Characteristics: Content with her status in life. Textual evidence: Mrs Beck is satisfied with her status, she said to Lucy that We are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life. Thus she accepts her fate and shows no actions or thoughts of wanting more than what she has in life. Characteristics: Forgiving and compassionate Textual evidence: She had an argument/quarrel with Uncle Bert and had turned him out once. Six weeks later, she asked him to return as she sympathize him. She said he looks so lonely, so lost, living all by himself in a horrid little room with the worn lino and the curtains all shrunk. Characteristics: Patient Textual evidence: Lucy could not help wishing her mother would sometimes lose her temper, shout, scream, throw saucepans at the spinning, grinning head of Uncle Bert. Characteristics: Low expectations Textual evidence: She does not expect Lucy to get a job as she was not confident in Lucys ability.

UNCLE BERT : A drunkard man who depends on his sister for support. Characteristics: Dependable and irresponsible

Textual evidence: He drinks heavily and borrows money from Lucys mother. Characteristics: Caring Textual evidence: He is concern of Lucy and thought to prepare her supper since she is now a working girl.

MR. ROSS : Lucys boss Characteristics: Accommodating and concern Textual evidence: He is easy to deal with, willing to help and even offers to do something about the typewriter if any problems continue. THEMES DETERMINATION: Lucy has strong determination to keep her job as secretary of Ross and Bannisters despite the supernatural forces that tries to fail her. Miss Broomes spirit lingered in the room where Lucy works and demands her to leave but she shows no signs of giving up. Lucy is steadfast in defending her position as the secretary and she battled fearlessly with the spirit of Miss Broome who haunted the typewriter that Lucy was working on. Due to her strong determination, she managed to hold on to her job at the firm.

FAMILY LOVE AND CARE Lucys mother is a responsible lady who takes care of Lucy and her brother despite of the hard life they have to go through. She manages to keep the bond of family love by forgiving Uncle Bert and accepting him back into the family. Lucy

also regretted for being rude to Uncle Bert when she sees his shaking hands and miserable eyes, she apologizes and maintain the family bond. Lucy loves her mother and shares her happiness with her mother when she was successful of obtaining a job as a secretary. COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY: Lucy and Miss Broome are both committed and loyal to their profession. Lucy takes her work seriously and does the job of typing which was given to her successfully. She has to face the battle with Miss Broome who is still attached to her work even after her death. Lucy did not give up even when Miss Broome demanded her to leave. Miss Broome was so possessive towards her job and also extremely loyal towards Mr. Bannister. Lucy managed to convince her that the late Mr Bannister needs her so she left the office in order to continue her service to Mr Bannister in the after life. LONELINESS: Miss Broome has no friends and family members, so she commits herself to her job seriously and made the office her home. She became so attached to her position in the office and the feel of possessiveness went beyond the grave. Uncle Bert also felt the loneliness in life and became so dependable on his sister, Mrs Beck. THE SUPERNATURAL: Supernatural is being above or beyond what is unexplainable and natural by natural law. The character of Miss Broome in this story is presented as an ethereal entity. Her spirit lingered in the office where she used to work and haunts the new young secretaries who are supposed to replace her. She writes nasty messages and tries to drive away those who were choose to replace her. She instill the fear and eerie feelings in their hearts to frighten them. COMPASSION: The theme of compassion is revealed in the final confrontation between Lucy and Miss Broome. After hearing about Miss Broomes life history from Harry Darke, Lucy became sympathetic and understanding. She interacts with the spirit of Miss Broome through typing on the typewriter and finally she managed

to convince her of leaving the place. She told her that Mr Bannister needs her in the afterlife and the spirit left in peace. Compassion is also revealed by Mrs Beck to her brother who is lonely and needed a place called home. Lucy also had compassion towards her Uncle Bert and sympathize him as he is a lonely person who has no place to go. MORAL VALUES

In order to be successful in life, we need to have a positive mind set On our journey to success, we need to have high level of positive self esteem In communication, be compassionate not aggressive as compassion heals while aggression causes hurt. Appreciate and compliment others accordingly Preserve the family ties and unity through understanding and forgiving Do not judge a book by its cover

He Had Such Quiet Eyes By: Bibsy Soenharjo 3.1 SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM The poem is about a woman who has been deceived to think that she was loved by a man with quiet eyes. She suffers for this and only learns on hindsight not to trust or give in to men who seek women only for pleasure. The poet gives an advice on being able to recognise what is true and what is not, when a person is truly friendly and when he is not. You may lose in the game of love and give your heart away, but knowing the truth of the situation will mean that you will not suffer any lasting losses. 3.2 UNDERSTANDING THE POEM [STANZA BY STANZA] Stanza 1 The woman is taken up with his quiet eyes. The eyes mesmerise and beg her to be nice to him and make him extremely happy, that is render him paradise. The poet uses a very long imagery of the eyes breathing desolate sighs to enhance the effect of the eyes on the girl. The woman, being enamoured with those eyes, does not notice he is deceiving her. It would not be difficult to see through the man if the woman had her feet on the ground because the eyes have only the thinnest ice, easy to break through to learn the mans true nature. Stanza 2 Something has happened to the woman and she has learnt the truth about the man. The poet suggests that she has learnt the hard way that is she learns her lesson through bad experience. She has made a mistake of trusting the man because she has refused to listen to the advice not to compromise, that is, lower her standards or expectations in order to please a man who seduces women. Stanza 3 The poet extends her friendly advice to women to understand what is meant by nice what it means when men are nice to you. When he is nice, friendly and pleasant to you, make sure that he is sincere and trustworthy and not because he has ulterior motive, that is he wants something from you in return. The poet further comments that love may be a gamble as suggested in dice, you take your chances with someone, you may find true love or you may not. The important issue here is that ultimately you have not lost anything because you have not compromised, you are not deceived. 3.3 THE POEM LINE BY LINE STANZA 1 MEANING BY LINE He had such quiet eyes His eyes were calm and quiet

She did not realise She did not know

They were two pools of lies- His eyes were like two pools filled with lies Layered with thinnest ice Thinly veiled, like very thin ice To her, those quiet eyes To the woman, those calm and quiet eyes Were breathing desolate sighs Looked very sad and desolate Imploring her to be nice The eyes were begging her to be nice to him And to render him to paradise And to give him happiness and bliss so that he would feel like he was in paradise (heaven) STANZA 2 MEANING BY LINE If only shed been wise The woman wished she had been wiser in her past actions And had listened to the advice And she had listened to the sound advice given to her by people who cared about her Never to compromise They had advised her not to give up her moral values or principles With pleasure-seeking guys When she was with men who wanted only pleasure and fun Shed be free from the hows and whys If she had listened to them, she would not be haunted by questions of hows and whys and the difficult situation she was in. STANZA 3 MEANING BY LINE

Now heres a bit of advice Let me give you a bit of advice Be sure that nice really means nice Make sure that the person you think is nice, is truly sincere and trustworthy Then youll never be losing at dice Then, you will not lose in a game of chance or a game of love where you can lose your heart to an undeserving man Though you may lose your heart once or twice Even if you should fall in love and lose your heart to love once or twice 3.4 Elements of the Poem Literal and Figurative Meaning Stanza 1 Literal Meaning When the persona looked into the young mans sincere-looking eyes, she was

deceived into thinking that he needed someone to love. She was not aware that betrayal was second nature to him. His eyes even made her feel compelled to be nice to him. Figurative Meaning Meeting people and getting involved in a social relationship is part and parcel of life. However, along the way, we may meet two-faced people with ulterior motives.

Sometimes, they may come across as so sincere that we innocently accept them as friends or partners. Stanza 2 Literal Meaning When the persona was betrayed by the man, she wondered why she had not been wiser. She should have remembered the age-old advice of not believing man blindly. If she had held on to her principles, she would not be asking herself why she had been cheated. Figurative Meaning Social relationships can turn sour if one party betrays the other. Hence, one should be careful of the other partys motives. In any case, do not compromise your principles, as someone who is sincere would not force you into giving up your morals. Stanza 3 Literal Meaning The poet advises young ladies to be more careful before getting involved in relationships with men. They must make sure they know then men well. They should learn to differentiate between sincerity and falsehood. They will eventually meet the right man, though they may lose their heats to a few times before that. Figurative Meaning It is always good to be cautious before committing to a relationship to avoid serious consequences. You have to make sure you can trust the person you befriend. Do not gamble with your affections, even when you fall in love.

3.5 Themes (1) Strong Moral Values and Self-Respect The woman in the poem got herself into a difficult situation and was cheated by a man because she gave in to his pleading and his insincere lies. She displayed weakness in her moral standing and lost her self-respect as a result. We should never lower our self-esteem no matter how much we like a man. If a man has respect for the woman he loves, he too would not ask her to do what is morally wrong. (2) Deception in Appearances The woman is taken in by the mans gentle and quiet eyes. She thinks he is a truthful and trustworthy person. The theme in this poem focuses on deception in appearances. Do not judge a persons character by his appearance. As can be seen in this poem, a gentle and kind-looking man can actually be a wolf in sheeps clothing.

(3) Consequences When we make mistakes in life, we have to live with the consequences. The persona tells us that the woman is haunted with questions of hows and whys. She probably asks herself every day how she could have fallen for his lies; how she could have forgotten the moral values instilled in her by her parents; how she could have ignored all the advice given to her by people who love and care about her. She would probably also wonder why she had not been wiser in her choice of men; why she did not see through his deception and insincerity. (4) Listen to Advice The poet wants to reach out to all young readers. The woman in the poem wished she had listened to the advice. She poured out her disappointment, frustration and hurt in this poem and wished she had been wise. The poet cautions young readers that they should not be impulsive in their actions and they should, above all, listen to the advice of their elders so that they would not end up like the woman full of regrets.

3.6 Moral Values & Lessons Learnt (1) Avoid Being Deluded by Looks or Appearance We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us. These are con men who prey on young women. They look nice and decent but have bad motives. So we should take precaution against them. We should not judge a book by its cover. (2) Listen to Beneficial Advice We are given good advice when others feel that we need it. We should listen to their advice. The advice is for our own good. It prevents us from getting hurt or getting into trouble. 3.7 Setting The poem is set in the present the world around us now.

It highlights the fact that the people around us are not always sincere. They may have ulterior motives towards us. Some have the intention to cheat us. In the case of the woman in the poem, the man only wanted to have sexual pleasure from her. However, she saw him as a man in need of love and consolation.

The poem puts forward the need to practise caution when we deal with the people around us. 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 They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their ciggarete leaves SYNOPSIS (OVERALL) In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and talk while preparing to relax with a smoke. SYNOPSIS (ACCORDING TO STANZA) STANZA 1 They returned home at dawn and headed for the stove. Their clothes were

soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried. STANZA 2 They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They searched desperately for their sons albino buffalo but were unable to find it. STANZA 3 They were born into poverty and difficulty, but they do not complain about their suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes. SETTING The setting of the poem is in the house. THEMES Stoicism in life Family love Acceptance of way of life MORAL VALUES We should learn to accept problems in life with a positive outlook. We must attempt to face and solve problems. Failure is part of growing up. Do not despair in the face of failure. TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE Understanding and sympathetic Dismal Acceptance of situation POINT OF VIEW Third person pint of view. LANGUAGE & STYLE Language is simple and easy to understand.

The style is simple with no rhyming scheme. POETIC DEVICES Imagery Gives picture of poets thoughts e.g soaky clothes torn and legs full of wounds Alliteration e.g. but on their brows Symbols e.g. horrendous flood and bloating carcasses Diction e.g. stove and brows