POEMS & NOVELS

10/11/16

He Had Such
Quiet Eyes
10/11/16

Bibsy
Soenharjo

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

Bibsy Soenharjo
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those were 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 at one or
twice
10/11/16

THE POET
Bibsy Soenharjo

An Indonesian poet, wellversed in Indonesian, English,

French and Dutch
Her poems are characterized
by rhymes , wit, verbal puns
and alliteration
Her imagination draws the
readers into the world of
fantasy and surprises
Her
sense
engaging.
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of

humor

is

THE CONCEPT MAP

OF THE POEM

The poem deals with

the
issue
of
deception in society,
especially in matters
of the heart.
It is about a woman
who
has
been
deceived
by man
with quiet eyes.
The woman was
blinded by the mans
quiet eyes
who
actually wants to
have pleasure with
her only.
Readers are advised
not be deceived
easily
by outward
appearances

10/11/16

Language: free verse;

flows gently and freely
as the poet narrates.
Ryhmes
Personificaton
Metaphor

LANGUAGE AND
STYLE

The Third
Person (Stanza
1&2)

A place where a
man can charm
and seduce a lady

The Poet
(Stanza 3)

SETTING
PERSON
A
Deception

OVERVIEW

TONE AND
MOOD
Sadness and
regrets due to
unwise actions.
Didactic: when
the persona
gives advice in
stanza 3.

He
Had
Such
Quiet
Eyes

love

Wisdom

MESSAGE
S

MORAL
VALUES
Do not be fooled by
outward
appearances or
sweet talk
Listen to advice

The
trap

THEME
S

Learn from
mistakes
Appearances
can be
deceptive
5

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

STANZA 1
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those were quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise

Meaning:
the first line describes a man as having quiet
eyes
the woman saw the man as a harmless human
being.
To her, the man had good intentions towards her.
10/11/16

But the truth is that the man just wanted

pleasure from the woman.

STANZA 2
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

Meaning:

The stanza expresses a wish.

Now the young woman realizes the awful
truth.
The woman was not being wise and she was
deceived by the man.

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The poet notes that if the young woman had

listened to the advice given, she would never
give in, nor would she have so many questions
and regrets afterwards.

STANZA 3
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 at one
or twice

Meaning:

The main idea of this stanza is advice for the

readers.
Here the poet is didactic and advices the
reader not to be deceived by appearances
A persons true character is revealed over
time.
10/11/16

Caution will benefit us especially when it

involves feelings.

SETTING
TIME

SOCIAL SETTING

Probably
Probably a quiet evening.

Middle-class, young
working people.

Set in the present.

PLACE
No specific physical setting.
It can be a quiet place in town
or city, where a man charms a
lady into believing him and to
fall in love with him.

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PERSONA
Two Personas:
a) Stanza 1 & 2 :
the persona is the third person ( the one who observes the
folly of the young woman being seduced)

b)Stanza 3

the persona is the poet.

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10

DECEPTION

THEMES
THE LOVE TRAP

From this poem, a young

woman
is
lured by the
insincere charm and romantic
pretences of a man.
The
young woman is
deceived by a man who
deliberately sets out to woo
her to satisfy his own bad
intentions and not because of
love.

This is a twin theme which

snares the unwary and the
innocent.
Taken in by the charms of the
opposite sex, many people fall
in love, only to be duped.

WISDOM

This theme is portrayed

the poem.

in

One can learn from ones

mistake and learn to discern
right from wrong.
It is the beginning of maturity.

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It is also wise to listen to

good advice to prevent us
from
making
too
many
mistakes in life.

11

Messages
LEARN FROM MISTAKES
We must be able to learn from our mistakes.
We
We should not give up and lose our heart if we
make a mistake as it gives us the opportunity to be
more experienced.

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE

We must be careful about whom we trust and how
much we can trust them.
We must be alert with someones outward
appearances, personality or disposition as they can
be very deceiving.

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We cannot simply believe a person at face value, as

this means that we are gullible and thus easily
deceived.

12

MORAL VALUES
DO NOT BE FOOLED BY APPEARANCE OR SWEET
TALK
We must be careful about whom we trust and how much
we can trust them.
We must be alert with someones outward appearances,
personality or disposition as they can be very deceiving.
We cannot simply believe a person at face value, as this
means that we are gullible and thus easily deceived.

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13

MORAL VALUES
LISTEN TO ADVICE
A wise person will always listen to advice given.
Seeking counsel and advice helps a person to
make the best decision or choice.
A good advice will save from doing unwise
actions and time.
Appreciate that people have good intentions
when they give advice.

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14

TONE AND MOOD

SADNESS AND REGRET
*This is based on Stanza 2.

*The persona sounds sad

and regret due to the unwise
taken by the woman.
*The woman in the poem
also sounds sad and regretful
of what had happened to her.

DIDACTIC

*This is based on Stanza 3.

*The persona sets a
didactic tone when she
gives advice to the woman
and to the readers

*The tone is also

gentle throughout the
poem.
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15

LANGUAGE
and
STYLE

Language
Free verse and speaks
in a conversational
style.
The lines flow gently
and freely as the poet
narrates the poem.

Personification
The mans eyes become
alive as they were
breathing desolate sighs ,
like a human being.
The sad and pleading look
the man gave the victim tugs
at her heart and she gives in
to him.

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16

LANGUAGE
and
STYLE

Metaphor 1
The poet describes the mans eyes
as two pools of lies. We can
almost visualize the mans eyes as
two inviting clear pools of water,
charming the young woman into
believing everything that he says.

Metaphor 2
layered with thinnest ice indicates
that the man hid his true intentions
well that the woman was totally
deceived. In real life, when the ice
breaks , it may cause a lot of damage
to the victim.

Metaphor 3

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losing at dice refers to the

gambles a person takes when
making a decisions. The poet
compares making wrong or harmful
choices in life to throwing the dice
in a board game.

17

LANGUAGE
and
STYLE

Rhyme
The last word in every line of the
poem ends with the pronunciation a I
z or a I s, for example, lines 1-2
( eyes/realize); and lines 14-15
( advice/nice)

Alliteration
The sound s is repeated throughout
the poem.
This could imply that the man in the
poem is like hissing snake: dangerous,
sneaky and cunning.

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18

Now you try!

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19

ANSWER KEYHE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The man has sincere-looking eyes

He asks her to surrender to him.
It means happiness
It means to fall in love
The words refer to the pair of eyes
and they are full of deception.
6. The eyes
7. The eyes charm hypnotized the
girl into accepting the man.
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20

8. They mean questioning about how ones

carelessness in letting something
unpleasant happen.
9. a) The expression means ayes that look
sincere
b)Yes, I would because I would have no
reason to
doubt the sincerity.
No, because the eyes are the mirror of
the soul
and the true character of the person
would be
reflected in the eyes.
10/11/16
10 a) it is usually associated with gambling 21
or

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

10/11/16

22

IN THE MIDST
OF HARDSHIP
LATIFF MOHIDIN

THE POET
LATIFF MOHIDIN
*

Born in 1941

* A celebrated artist and poet

* Studied art in Germany, France and
America.
Received Malaysias National Literary Prize
and
Southeast Asians Writer Award in 1984

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

LATIFF MOHIDIN
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 cigarette leaves
translated by
Salleh Ben Joned

SETTING

OVERVIEW
This poem paints
a realistic picture
of life in a
Malaysian
/Indonesian/ rural
setting.
The villagers live
in hardship and
poverty, made
more difficult by
natural disasters
like flood and
storms.
However, they
accept their fate
and make the best
of their situation.
TONE AND MOOD
Sympathetic
Impressed by how
villagers accept hardship

Place: A village where

a flood has recently
occurred.
Time: The Present

PERSONA
The persona is probably
a visitor or a person who
has
lived
with
the
villagers.

IN THE

THEMES

MIDST OF
HARDSHIP

Poverty and hardship

Resilience and
perseverance
MESSAGES
Hardship and suffering build
character.
Positive thinking s important
when faced with lifes challenges
We must carry on and persevere
despite hardship

MORAL VALUES
Be thankful for everything that you
have
Empathize with the poor and do all
you can to help them.

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

Meaning of the Stanza 1
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 occupants of the house have just returned

home at daybreak.
Their wet clothes are torn and their arms and
legs are covered with scratches and wounds.
They walk to the stove in the kitchen.
Though it has been a rough day, they do not
appear unhappy.

Meaning of Stanza 2
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

The people of the house had been out in the

floodwaters for the past 24 hours.
They were looking for their sons albino buffalo,
which they never found.
As they waded in the floodwaters, they saw signs
of destruction, such as dead animals and parts of
trees

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

Meaning of Stanza 3
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 cigarette leaves

The persona observes that though these people

were born into hardship, they never complained
nor were they letting it get them down.
Instead they took the situation in their stride and
even had time to sit around the kitchen making
jokes and enjoying a smoke.

SETTING

PLACE

TIME
Set in the past.
The scene could also
in the present in
more remote areas of
country.

be
the
the

The poems opens with

dawn when
the family
returns home and is
relaxing in the kitchen.
They have spent the
entire previous day and
night in the floodwaters
searching for a buffalo.

A remote village where

life is simple and the
people live in hardship
and poverty.
A
flood
has
just
occurred
causing
destruction to livestock
and crops.
The
The scenes take place
out in the flooded village
and inside the house
( kitchen)

PERSONA

The persona is one who has visited or lived

the rural folk he is describing.
He
is
observant
about
attitudes,
appearance, habits and the culture of the
people.
The persona is sympathetic.
He understands and admires the villagers
for their positive and cheerful attitude as
they soldier on despite their troubles.

THEMES
THEMES

TTYY
R
E
V
R
PPOOVE
AANNDD P
SSHHIIP
D
R
A
D
HHAR

The main theme of the poem is

hardship suffered by this rural
community.
They suffer physically (their
limbs marked by scratches) and
also emotionally and mentally
(desperately looking for their
sons albino buffalo)

THEMES
THEMES

CCEE
N
IE
EN
IL
I
L
S
I
RREES
D
AANNDRAANNCC
VVEER
R
E
R
PPEESSE EE

An important sub-theme is
the vllage folks resilience
and perseverance. Despite
the many adversities, they
still carry on with life
( making jokes and
rolling their cigarette
leaves as if they do not
have any problems.

MESSAGES
HARDSHIP AND
SUFFERING BUILD
CHARACTER

Although at times we
may suffer hardship more
than
we
celebrate
triumph, we should see
this as an opportunity for
personal
character
growth. This will allow us
to be self-reliant.

MESSAGES
POSITIVE
THINKING IS
IMPORTANT
WHEN FACED
WITH LIFES
CHALLENGES

We should not sit and

mope and feel sorry for
ourselves whenever we
have a problem. If we have
a positive attitude, the
challenge will be less
unpleasant and easier to
manage.

MESSAGES
WE MUST CARRY
ON AND
PERSEVERE
DESPITE
HARDSHIP
Life is a continuous journey with ups
and downs along the way.
It is the way we approach the
adversities that will truly show our
determination and spirit of life.
People admire
and
look up
to a
strong
and persevering
person,
therefore we should be brave and carry
on with living despite the problems we
may face.

Moral Values
We must be thankful for everything that we
have

We must empathize with the way poor

people live and do all we can to help them.

Tone & Mood

The persona is sympathetic towards
the people in the poem
At the
same time, the persona
admires the rural
folk for their
positive attitude and perseverance
despite their hard life.

Language & Style

CONTRAST
*between the physical appearance and facial
expressions
*between the cold weather and the warm
climate in the house.
* between two types of destruction caused by
the flood.

Language & Style

DICTION
The words were used correctly to
bring this poem to life

Language & Style

IMAGERY
Vivid descriptions of the villagers
The images associated with a flood
The picture of villagers relaxing

ANSWER KEY- IN THE

MIDST OF HARDSHIP
1.The whole day and night just passed
2.To warm themselves/ To dry themselves
3.Looking for the albino buffalo
4.Dead animals
5.Horrendous
6.They live in poverty (or any answers
where the same meaning can be inferred)
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42

7. Yes. They were willing to risk their lives just

to find their son's albino buffalo (or any
answers where the same meaning can be
inferred)
8. They are happy despite the diffulties and
move on with life (or any answers where the
same meaning can be inferred)
9. They accept the life they have and are happy
as long as they have each other. (or any
answers where the same meaning can be
inferred)
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43

10. Love. The parents have shown their

unconditional love by bravely wading the
terrible flood just to find the albino buffalo
that the son loves/
Grateful. The family does not show
sign of hopelessness and despair
despite the difficulty that they are facing.
They are grateful that they have each
other.
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44

ANSWER KEYARE YOU STILL PLAYING YOUR

FLUTE

a. quiet, deserted
b. The villagers have left the village to the
city
c. Watching the rain, gazing at the
evening rays, collecting dew drops,
enjoying the fragrance of flowers
d. Because she is longing for her lovers
song
e. i. Breath ii. Fingers
f. In the city. ( any logical answer )
g. Any logical answer
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45

THE CURSE

Lee Su Ann

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46

SYNOPSIS

AZREEN takes time off from her studies in

London, UK to return to her village in one
of the legendary islands of Langkawi, to
mourn the loss of her older sister,
MADHURI. But it turns out, she has to
confront the mystery that shrouds her
sisters sudden death in suspicious
circumstances.
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47


You wont believe me, but Im telling
you the truth. I saw her, hissed Puan
Nirmala. It was no accident. It was
murder. Listen to me and keep this in
mind. This is just a beginning. The
women chuckled nervously. But Puan
Normala continued. Laugh if you like.
Youll soon see. Were all cursed.

Lee Su Ann
10/11/16

48

Plot

Exposition Azreen leaves London to return

home when she receives news of her sisters
death
Conflict There are many rumors surrounding
her sisters death and Azreen tries to get to the
truth of the matter
Climax A series of deaths occur in the village
and Azreen discovers that it was her father who
murdered Madhuri. She then learns about
Asrafs secret relationship with Madhuri

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49

Falling action The mysteries of the

strange occurences that took place in the
village are solved.
Resolution Azreen leaves her village
and returns to London

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50

Setting (Place + Time)

10/11/16

London where Azreen

studies
Village a kilometre
south of Langkawi
Island
Rubber estates where
Madhuri was murdered
Azreens house
The graveyard
Modern Day
Old Ladys house
Flashbacks of the past
51

Setting (society)
Traditional

a tough life to
make ends meet
b backward
thinking
- Patriarchal
- Behaviour
- Womens role

Modern

a educated, working
in a big city
b outspoken, daring,
individualistic
Polygamous
Superstitious

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52

Point of view
Is told from an omniscient point of view
Storyteller is not one of the characters in
the story
Told from the third person point of view
narrator is able to describe the thoughts
and feelings of the characters involved.

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53

THEMES

Jealousy
Overcoming Prejudice
Irrationality
Superstitious
Social outcasting
Unconditional love
Forgiveness

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54

10/11/16

Caring for family members

The danger of indulging in gossip and
rumours
Betrayal
Crime and punishment
Revenge
Importance of friendship
Respect elders

55

MORAL VALUES

10/11/16

We must be proud of who we are and we

need not change our personalities to
accommodate societys perception of what
we should be
We must respect, support and protect our
loved ones
We must stand up for what we believe in.
Crime must not be covered up and the guilty
must be punished for their wrongdoing.
56

CHARACTERS

Azreen Saleh
Madhuri Saleh
Saleh Abdullah
Mak
Mohd Asraf
The Old lady
Datin Sharifah & Datuk Zulkifli
Haji Ghani
Puan Fatihah

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57

Awang
Siti
Nek
Puan Kamsiah
Puan Normala
Noor
Encik Mohan
Pak Huzaimi
Mr Costa
Julian Ng
Mr Goldman

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58

Azreen Saleh

10/11/16

Young student, about 20 years of age,

studying in London, returns to Langkawi for
her sisters funeral.
Short, bespectacled fiery-tempered girl who
always speaks her mind.
People sees her as a rude, hateful and
ungrateful

59

Loving

Azreen cares for her wheelchair bound

mother; takes her to the graveyard to see
her sisters grave.
Loves the old lady very much and goes to
see her although other resent her actions

Loyal and
protective

Slaps the girl who mimics her mothers way of

walking crutches
Fights the people who make remarks against the
Old Lady
Protects Asraf by saying that she left the farm
gates open and takes the blame for the nasty
accident that robs her mothers leg.
Loyalty is greater than self-preservation for her.

Tomboyish

Plays football, hockey, takes part in silat

competitions, things nothing of punching boys,
considered nerdy and fierce
Refuses to be feminine ifit means obeying a man
without question.

stubborn

When scolded unfairly by her father for stealing

mangosteen, she refuses to have her dinner.

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60

Jealous

and talented. Asraf is more attentive

to Madhuri and falls in love with her
but Azreen loves Asraf and is jealous
of her sister.

Clever

Gets a scholarship to study in London

Strength of character

Unafraid of others comments, and has faith

in her own beliefs

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61

Mohd Asraf

A teacher in the village, handsome and kindhearted

His good looks get a lot of attention from young
girls and both Azreen and Madhuri fall in love
with him
Intelligent accepts a teaching course after the
loss of his grandmother and goes to Kuala
Lumpur
Caring Cares for his grandmother and looks
after her when she falls ill.

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62

Hardworking tries to earn extra money by

doing part-time jobs
Emotional gets angry with the Old Lady when
his grandmother and blames her for the death
Accidently sets fire to her house and the Old
lady gets trapped there and dies.

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63

After
Later she learns from her father how Madhuri
was killed
Makes her grow and change
Her tomboyish ways dim and a new maturity
comes to her
Azreen feels great loneliness after the old
lady dies
She seeks shelter in nature
learns to forgive everyone who had hurt her
before
Become wiser and calmer
She change for the better
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64

Choose the problem faced by a character in the novel

you have studied. Discuss how the character deals
with the problem. Use details from the novel to
support your answer

Azreen
Major problem finding out the truth about
Madhuris death
Puzzled by the rumors she heard
The villagers said that Madhuri was murdered
and that there was white blood on her
She also disturbed to see a blurry shape of a
woman with long hair drifting around the village
Mysterious things happened and seem to have
no rational answer

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65

She finds out that Madhuri is not her real sister

Her father tells her that he accidentally
murdered Madhuri with his parang
Then azreen realizes a lot of things after talking
to her father
She weeps at the sense of loss she feels
She has lost almost all her beloved parents,
sister, Asraf and the old lady
All experiences teach her acceptance
She rationalizes things
She learns to forgive everyone
The truth helps her to mature and handle life
better

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66

ANSWER KEY:
SEE WORD FILE
(POEMS & NOVELS)

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67

The End

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