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BY

5 SYAFIE AND 5 ABU HANIFAH

SM Sains Sembrong, Kluang

This booklet belongs to:

________________________

(*ijan * zafri * finas * maisara*)

QUESTION 1: Write about a character who is courageous. Show evidence of his/her courage with close reference to the text you have studied.

INTRODUCTION

The novel ‘The Curse ‘, written by Lee Su Ann is a story about Azreen , who returns home from London to find out the reason for her sister’s death . There are many interesting characters in this story but the character who is courageous is Azreen.

EVIDENCE

1. AZREEN MAKES FALSE CONFESSION

She admits that she is the one who leaves the gate of the farm open She does that in order to save her friend, Mohd Asraf from being fired She is loyal to Mohd Asraf because of their friendship This shows that she risks herself to make a false confession to save her friend This side of her shows that she is a courageous person who is willing to take risks for the

sake of friendship

2. SHE AGREES TO BATTLE WITH THE BOYS IN A SILAT-CUM BOXING MATCH

She is confident that she can beat half of those boys even though she has no training in any martial arts This is another part of Azreen’s tomboyish character that gives her courage to take up any

challenges in her life

3. SHE BEFRIENDS THE OLD LADY

The Old Lady has a bad reputation because the villagers accuse her of many things. But Azreen is brave enough to befriend her It all begins with a dare from her friends and she takes up the challenge Everyone thinks that Old Lady is an evil witch and has a negative perception of her But Azrin does not feel scared, in fact, she thinks it is just a silly old-folks’ tale She proves that she is a person who will not judge a character without getting to know the person first

4. SHE CONFRONTS HER FATHER REGARDING MADHURI’S MURDER

Everyone knows that her father is a strict and a hot-tempered person She is courageous enough to confront her father to seek the truth about her sister’s death She learns about the truth when she finds out her father is the guilty one who murder s her sister. She is shocked beyond reason

CONCLUSION :

In conclusion, based on the evidence above, it is proven that Azreen is a courageous person. I do not know if I can be as courageous as Azreen if I am in her shoes.

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(dzikri.arif.ezza.intan.agu.)

QUESTION 2: Choose ONE theme that you think is important in the novel you have studied. Support your answer with evidence from the text.

INTRODUCTION

Based on the novel that I have studied, The Curse by Lee Su Ann, there are many themes one can find in the text but I think the most important theme is the theme of forgiveness.

EVIDENCE

1. The Old Lady forgives the villagers who treat her like an outcast after her husband’s death

The villagers believe that the Old Lady is a witch. They claim she has murdered her husband and feeds him to her neighbours. She is said to have the power to turn people into squirrels and rats. She will eat them once she changes their form. Therefore everyone fears her and children are brought up thinking that the Old Lady is a cannibal. In actual fact, she is a wise, rational lady who has been misjudged due to the villagers’ gossips and a

closed-minded traditional society. Despite all these accusations, the Old Lady has the heart to forgive everyone. She definitely has a big

heart.

2. Azreen learns to forgive Mohd Asraf

Azreen has been disappointed with Mohd Asraf for accusing the Old Lady to have poisoned his grandmother and has accidentally sparked the fire to the Old Lady’s house.

When Azreen hears that the Old Lady is in danger from Mohd Asraf and the villagers, she rushes to the Old Lady’s house.

She tries to stop Mohd Asraf from storming into the Old Lady’s house. In the ensuing struggle, the Old Lady’s house catches fire. Azreen dashes into the burning house to save the Old Lady but she is unsuccessful. She is devastated by the death of the Old Lady and blames Mohd Asraf for it. It is very difficult for her to forgive because the Old Lady means a lot to her but she remembers the

Old Lady’s advice about forgiveness and she finally finds it in her heart to forgive and forget.

3. Azreen forgives Salleh after figuring out that Salleh is the one who murders Madhuri

Azreen knows that Madhuri’s death is not an accident but she is murdered for being in a relationship with Mohd Asraf.

Salleh tries to cover up Madhuri’s death. Although there are rumours spread about the mysterious manner in which Madhuri dies, Salleh does

not put an end to the rumours. He does not reveal his action of killing Madhuri. He does not surrender himself although it is he who has killed her with his parang. However, in the end, Azreen finds out the truth that her father is the one who murders Madhuri when

she sees the latex on the parang hold by her father. Despite all these, Azreen has forgiven all those who hurt her, especially her father. In fact, Azreen

forgives everyone. That is why she finds peace in London and she feels very much at home there.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, these characters in this novel display that in order to head a happy life, we must learn to forgive others. After all we are not perfect ourselves.(Aifateha, Balqis, HighNazmi, Mael])

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QUESTION 3: Based on the novel that you have read, write about the theme of FRIENDSHIP. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

INTRODUCTION

Based on The Curse by Lee Su Ann, the theme of friendship is highlighted in this story through Azreen and Mohd. Asraf, Azreen and the Old Lady also Azreen and Julian Ng.

EVIDENCE

1) Friendship between Azreen and Mohd Asraf- They first meet at the school field when Mohd Asraf asks Azreen to join hockey team since

Azreen has outstanding skills in hockey. He asks Azreen to replace Hock Seng in the hockey match.

- They often spend time together at school and after school.- They can say anything to each other and can still remain friends after a fight.- Azreen shows loyalty to Mohd Asraf by making a false confession that she is the one who has

left the gate of Encik Mohan’s farm open to save him. However, Awang actually is the one who has left the gate open.

- Mohd Asraf has caused the death of the Old Lady but Azreen forgives him in the end.- He accidentally sets fire at the Old Lady’s house because he is angry with the Old Lady after the

sudden death of Nek. He believes Puan Normala slanders the Old Lady has poisoned Nek.

2) Friendship between Azreen and the Old Lady- They first meet at the Old Lady’s house when Azreen’s friends challenge her to go to Old Lady’s

house.- She does everything to befriend the Old Lady such as buying a basket of fresh vegetables and a

few packets of seeds and leaving them at the Old Lady’s door.- This is because she has trampled all over her plants and wants to repair the trampled bed.- Azreen finds comfort in the Old Lady’s house. She always quarrels with her father. After

quarreling with her father, she goes to the Old Lady’s house and shares her problem and secret.- She spends time cooking and eating with the Old Lady. Her friendship with the Old Lady is

peculiar because it starts when Azreen likes her Curry Kapitan.- The Old Lady teaches her a lot about life such as how to control one’s anger and to forgive

others. Her last advice to Azreen before she dies is to forgive and let go the weight of grudge in Azreen.

- They both have a special and deep friendship unlike other villagers.

3) Friendship between Azreen and Julian Ng- He cares about Azreen and is willing to copy exam questions and accompanies her in London

while she is sitting for the exam.- While Azreen is still mourning for her loved ones, he does not want to leave her alone and

supports her

CONCLUSION:

Based on the evidence above, the theme of friendship is portrayed through Azreen and Mohd. Asraf, Azreen and the Old Lady also Azreen and Julian Ng.

(Anas, Aiman Najmi, Nuriena, Nur Amirah)

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QUESTION 4: Do you like the ending of the novel? How would you like it to end ? Give reasons why.

INTRODUCTION

Based on the novel I have studied in Form Five , The Curse written by Lee Su Ann , the ending instead should end with something that can induce the readers satisfaction and leaves no question in the reader’s mind. I have a few suggestions on how the story should end.

EVIDENCE

1. Salleh is arrested by police instead of dying at the end of the story the police should have meted him the right punishment for his wrongdoings they should uncover the truth about the mystery of madhuri’s death and silent the rumors spread by puan normala readers will feel satisfied that justice has been done to some characters in the story

2. Azreen’s relationship with julian ng become more closer azreen’s first love is ruined by her sister when asraf falls in love with madhuri giving azreen her second chance to be in love with julian ng , a kind-hearted guy, would be a great

ending to the novel the story will be more romantic and attractive to young readers like myself

3. The Old Lady is alive and accepted by the villagers She is saved by Azreen with the help of Salleh She does not deserve to die because she is innocent. She is a victim of village gossips. The villagers can help her to build her life again and give her a sense of purpose in life by accepting

her as part of the community This will send a strong message to readers that the righteous should be defended and the guilty should

be punished.

CONCLUSION

In my opinion, end the story in this way as the writer has left too many question arise in the reader’s mind. The changes we have suggested are more interesting and will complete the story instead of having some incomplete or hanging parts.

(Abd Zahir Bin Abd Razak , Nur Nabilah Binti Mohamad , Siti Maisarah binti Jasman , Hairil Azly Bin Hairi)

QUESTION 5: “ Love enriches our life”. How is this shown in the novel you have studied? Support5

your answer with close reference to the text.

INTRODUCTION

Based on the novel The Curse, written by Lee Su Ann, there are many instances that show love enriches our life. This is supported by numerous of evidences.

EVIDENCE

1) Love between Azreen and her foster parents Datuk Zulkifli and Datin Sharifah treat Azreen like their own daughter and care for her

financially Her foster parents also fetch her at the airport and bring her back to her village Datin Sharifah is outspoken about Madhuri ‘s death to Azreen. She does so because she cares for

Azreen

2) Love between Azreen and the Old Lady The Old Lady shows more attention to Azreen than her parents The Old Lady listens to Azreen’s problems and gives her good advice Azreen infact finds comforts at the Old Lady’s house whenever she spends her time there Azreen enjoys spending time cooking and eating with the Old Lady The Old Lady also teaches Azreen to forgive others

3) Love between Azreen and Madhuri Madhuri always defends Azreen when Salleh wants to beat her When Azreen dirties her clothes with mud , Madhuri is the one who cleans her sister ‘s clothes Madhuri helps Azreen to make a new basket to replace the old basket damaged by Azreen Madhuri oftens writes letters to Azreen Azreen mourns for her death and always remembers their childhood experience

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, many events and instances in the story show very clearly that love enriches our life. In the novel, Azreen shares her love with many types of people regardless of whether they are a part of her family or not. They are able to achieve happiness and peace of mind due to their love with each other. Hence, we should love everyone to bring us a lot of happiness in this challenging life.

(Iqbal, Aiman Irfan, Nurain, Afiqah Nur, Sri Maisarah)

QUESTION 6: There are many interesting events in novel you have studied. Write about an event or incident that you think is MEMORABLE. Give reasons why you think it is memorable.

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INTRODUCTION

Based on the novel ‘The Curse’ by Lee Su Ann, there are many important events in the story. One of the memorable events is when the Old Lady’s house catches fire. I find this event memorable because it is very tragic.

EVIDENCE

1) It is memorable because we must think before we act Ashraf should not have been rational instead of emotional- he is angry at Nek’s death and in his

anger, accidentally puts the Old Lady’s house on fire during the mob the Old Lady shows kindness when she prepares a remedy for Nek when Nek falls sick unfortunately Ashraf is not grateful for all she has done in my opinion, we should think before jump to conclusions and think rationally before acting it is bad to act when one is angry no one will be the victim of a person’s irrational thinking if one is patient enough

2) We must accept our fate Asraf cannot accept the fact that nek has died he loves nek very much as she is the only family he has in my view, he should accept the fate and not blame others as death is a part and parcel of life Asraf should also have a stronger faith and persevere with what God has fated in life

3) We have to be grateful the old lady helps to cure Nek and therefore Asraf should be grateful and thankful to her for her

good deeds she may not have cured Nek but her gesture should be appreciated especially by Ahsraf Ashraf should not have been blinded by the gossips spread by the villagers and be able to think

rationally from the event, we learn that we must show appreciation to those who help us when we are in

need of help help from others is indeed important because we cannot solve all our problems in life. We should

be grateful when someone lends a helping hand

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, this event teaches us that this life is all about bitter sweet experiences. When kindness is offered, it should be

(Muhd Irfan Zufayri, Abdullah Tahir, Nur Nabilah, Nur Khalidah Adibah, Nurafifa Akmal)

QUESTION 7: Choose an important event in the novel you have studied and shows how it affects the life of a character in the story. Provide evidence to support your answer.

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INTRODUCTION

The Curse by Lee Su Ann, centres on a college student, Azreen, who has to leave London in return home to Malaysia because her elder sister,Madhuri passed away. The event has an impact on a character’s life is the outbreak of fire at the Old Lady’s house.

EVIDENCE

After the outbreak of fire, Asraf feels guilty for causing the fire. He apologises and admits that he has been too grief –stricken to be rational

He finally tells the truth about his plan to elope with Madhuri to Kuala Lumpur. He says he loves Madhuri ever since he first meets her

Mohd Asraf also says Madhuri has agreed to elope with him The obedient daughter confesses everything to her husband Azreen acknowledges that her filial sister is not as obedient as may expect

How its changes Azreen’s life

Azreen learns to forgive others Before the Old Lady dies, she advises Azreen to forgive others for all they have done This is depicted by Azreen forgiving Asraf for accidentally killing the Old Lady and her father, who

intentionally murders her obedient sister, Madhuri. Awang the bomoh reveals more secrets; Azreen learns that Madhuri is not her real sister and that

Madhuri’s mother is still alive She is the fleeting figure of a woman lurking around the village, out of avenge the death of her

daughter Azreen finally confronts her father A bereft Encik Saleh admits that he kills Madhuri in a fit of anger For Azreen, the death of the Old Lady signifies the loss of the true friend; a confidante She accepts the advice given by the Old Lady about forgiving others She finally finds out the truth behind Madhuri’s death and understand the rationale behind the secrecy

and mystery of Madhuri’s death She learns to forgive and moves on with her life

CONCLUSION

The outbreak of the fire at the Old Lady’s house has changed Azreen’s life in a positive way. She becomes more forgiving, rational and matured. Gratified, Azreen sees a new beginning before her.

(Ismail, Badriozzaman, Nabihah, Nasrin Nazifa)

QUESTION 8: Based on the novel you have studied, write about an important/significant/interesting/memorable event that has changed your view of one of the characters

INTRODUCTION8

Based on the novel I have studied, there are many important events that has changed my view of Azreen’s character

EVIDENCE

Death of The Old Lady Azreen asks Old Lady to cure Nek but Old Lady refuses to do so Old Lady agrees after Azreen persuades her Old Lady gives Nek herbs Nek finally recovers fully from her illness although the Old Lady does not expect it Siti informs Azreen that Nek dies on the next day Villagers misunderstand- and accuses the Old Lady for posisoning Nek Asraf and some men attack the Old Lady’s house Asraf accidentally burns and kills the Old Lady

Azreen becomes a forgiving person she forgives Asraf for causing the death of the Old Lady she forgives her father for killing when he is chopping some wood she forgives the villagers for spreading bad thoughts about her sisiter’s death (Puan Normala claims that

Madhuri has shed white blood)

Azreen becomes a calmer person after the death of the Old Lady and her family, she goes back to London to sit for her exam and continues

her study She lives her life to the fullest because she believes that everything happens for a reason She finds her happiness when she accepts the death of her family members and the Old Lady Instead of being depressed, she looks ahead and continues her studies.

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, the death of the Old Lady has changed Azreen in many ways in my opinion. She does not blame God for giving her these challenges. Instead, she accepts everthing with all her heart.

(Muhd Hamka, Ahmad fahmi, Nik Misya Mazlan, Norsuraya)

QUESTION 9 : “Life is an education” How is this shown in the novel you have studied?

INTRODUCTION9

“The Curse”, the novel that I have studied shows many challenges faced by the characters like Azreen, Madhuri, Asraf and Salleh. The plot teaches us that life is an education because experience is the best teacher.

1) Life teaches us to take responsibility

Asraf tries to find the cure for her sick grandmother although there is no hope Azreen’s has a responsibility to further her studies in the United Kingdom. She has an obligation

to her foster parents who sponsor her Azreen also has a responsibilty as a family member. Azreen returns to Langkawi when she knows

the death of her sister although her examination is just around the corner responsibility as a friend- Azreen has made a false confession that she opened the gate and let the

bull out. This causes her mother’s accident. As a friend ,she does not want Asraf to be punished by the owner of the farm

2) Life teaches us to handle challenge with courage

Azreen is courageous to further her studies although her father, Salleh who does not think it is a good idea for his daughter to accept the offer of virtual strangers and later allow them to pay for her education abroad.

Azreen tries to save the Old Lady when the Old Lady’s house is on fire courageously although she know there is no hope in saving the Old Lady.

After the dreadful incident in which the Old Lady accidentally murders her husband as self-defense, she is ostracized by the villagers but she still has the courage to go on with her life and tries to lead a normal life.

The Old Lady tries to help Asraf’s grandmother after being persuaded by Azreen. Although, she knows the villagers do not trust her, she still helps to cure Asraf’s grandmother.

3) Life teaches us that love is greater than hate

Azreen is a very good daughter towards her mother and she takes care of her paralysed mother after she comes back to Pulau Langkawi to discover her sister’s death.

Azreen falls in love with Mohd Asraf and she is willing to do anything for Asraf especially when she admits that she leaves the gate open as she does not want Ashraf to get the blame.

Madhuri really loves Azreen in whatever situation and she always sides Azreen every time Azreen is scolded by their father.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the evidence in the novel shows that life is as an education. It helps us become a better person after facing a lot of trials and tribulations. Despite all the conflicts and sadness, the characters rise above all the challenges by showing that love still exist and that is what matters most.

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