Set Induction

Weddings. A once in a life time moment. A long anticipated moment.



Which comes with commitment, responsibility, love and trust.

That was the main message that I wanted to convey through my set induction. I showed students a series of photos related to weddings. This is to activate their schemata on weddings that they might have seen or attended. Later I asked questions on how much are they willing to give to their partner and what do they expect from them.

My set induction may be something not done by my teachers in school but I am disappointed with my set induction as I could not think of any other better ideas to present my set induction. It was hte usual powerpoint with pictures and questioning.
Mr Harold gave a different and interesting example of set induction after the whole class finished the set induction. It was the teacher coming in and talking to himself to portray the idea of imaginery friend. Never have i thought of that.

Besides, I was also nervous during the presentation and that affected my voice projection. I did not discuss students' responses either. Therefore I felt that I have done badly for my set induction.

If I were to deliver the lesson again, I must do it differently. I know that the questions that I have asked are from Dr Edwin, now i feel embarassed to have used it. I would probably focused on characters instead. I would show pictures of a few characters and ask students to name their character traits. It is hope that this idea would be more different.

I'll have to start preparing for my pre and while reading activities. =)

Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical

14 February 2009 is a date to remember. It is the first time I went to watch a theatre - Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical at Istana Budaya.

I have always wanted to watch Puteri Gunung Ledang the movie but I never had the chance to, so the theatre is sort of a compensation for missing the movie. However, the musical turned out to be more than compensation, it was an eye opener! Never would I have imagined going to watch a theatre. During the first lesson, Dr Edwin asked if anyone has been to a theatre before, less than five people has been to the theater. This shows our ignorance and lack of interest towards theatre. I was not even aware of Istana Budaya or KLPAC.

Student priced tickets are bought and the day to watch came. I was in awe as I walked into Panggung Seri. The Panggung Seri has royal boxes on each side and is patterned after the windows of a Malay House. The entrance to the theatre immitates a palace's main hall, or the Balairong Seri which is said to be modelled after one in Malacca. I goggled Istana Budaya and found out that Istana Budaya is among the top ten most sophisticated theatres in the world, at par with Royal Albert Hall, London. Aren't we proud of that achievement? (However the cost of the building is RM210 million. WOW. )

The musical was fantastic! The cast acted perfectly, they portrayed the character successfully. They must have practiced hard for the performances as they have to sing, dance and act at the same time and all the timing for speeches and songs seemed all to perfect!Their actions were fast and eye catching, keeping audiences glued to the performance the whole 3 hours. The subtitles were a great help because the play was staged in poetic Malay and Javanese accented Malay.

The musical was worth watching. It has nurtured the interest of theatre in me and I can't wait to watch more shows in the future. If it is not for this course EDU 3217, I do not know when will I step into a theatre.

Yea! Grateful to be doing TESL, exploring and learning new things!

THe SwordFish, Then the Concubine

The Swordfish, Then the Concubine was an interesting read. The play started with a covenant between Demang Lebar Daun dan Sri Tri Buana. Demang Lebar Daun’s descendants shall never be disgraced and his descendants shall never be disloyal. This covenant contributes to the development of the play.Nurhaliza, the Sultan’s favourite concubine was accused of participating in the activities of the deviationist sect led by Ibu Zin and accused of attempting to his the Sultan’s consort, Tun Dara. Although Nurhaliza was found not guilty, the Sultan was too egoistic to take back his execution order. Sultan Iskandar did not abide to the covenant; he publicly disgraced Nurhaliza by sentencing her to impalement. As a result, Sang Ranjuna Tapa, Nurhaliza’s father decided to betray the Sultan by helping Majapahit attack Singapura. Sang Ranjuna Tapa was also punished for going against the covenant. He and his wife, Kesuma became stone.

Throughout the story, I find that there are issues in the play which seems to be criticizing the lawmakers. Nurhalisa was accused of participating in the activities of the deviationist sect led by Ibu Zin. Nurhaliza questioned whether it is wrong for her for wanting to learn, wanting to open her mind. Leaders of the country have always encouraged the people to broaden their mind and be progressive thinkers, but at times, there are people who are prosecuted for being progressive. It seems to be an irony to me.

This play also appears to portray the Maharaja and his son, Iskandar as foolish leaders. The Maharaja gave insensible idea to form a rampart with legs to tackle the Todak attack. He justifies that it would demonstrate the warriors’ solidarity. The Maharaja must be out of his mind. Also, the Maharaja does not have a mind of his own. He follows what the majority of his ministers say. They talked him into killing Hang Nadim for fearing that they would appear silly compared to a boy. It also shows how far a person is willing to go to protect his position.

This play also invokes a thought in me. Do leaders of the country create hype about something to distract the people from depressing issues such as price hikes and recession? The phrase “the illusion of people power” worries me as the people may be tricked into believing that they have a say in the country when they do not really have the power.

Several issues have been brought up. One is about National Service. I am not sure if it is talking about the National Service in Malaysia or Singapore. If it is Malaysia then probably it is trying to ridicule the National Service programme that was introduced, thinking that National Service can solve problems. Another issue is the freedom of speech in mass media. The mass media is usually controlled by the government and they have limits to how much they can report. This is evident in the play “the media should write only about things that bring about harmony.”

My interpretation might be wrong. Therefore, I am looking forward for Dr Edwin’s explanation of this play.

One Act Play: Endless Tears

I never think of myself to have any creative cells to write stories, what more to write a one act play! I did not know where to start. However, the work still has to be done. My partner for this assignment, Nur Adli and I brainstormed for the possible themes we want to write about. We agreed to a play that central around family problems, broken family and the effects on the children.

Ideas started to come, so we wrote on a girl, a bright girl name Betty who is from a happy and loving family. However, the happiness does not last as Betty’s father is retrenched due to the economic downturn. Betty’s mother has to look for job to share the family’s financial burden but Betty’s father fails to find a job. He resorts to gambling and drinking. He intends to make fast money but he make matters worse. He accumulates debts and blames others for his misfortune. He becomes abusive and abuses Betty. As Betty’s father can not even afford a workbook for his son, Betty decides to take up a part time job to earn some extra pocket money to reduce her parents’ burden. Betty’s teacher notices the change of behavior in Betty – from an active and participative student to a student who falls asleep in class. Betty does not want to reveal her family problem. Then comes the day for Betty to receive her first pay for working at a cafe. Betty is overjoyed when her employer decides to reward her RM50 for being hardworking. She wants to give the money to her parents but she is ran over by a car on her way home. Betty passed away and the play ends with Betty's father crying in regret after reading Betty's Diary.

This issue of family problem is chosen because it is undeniable that there are students in school who are facing such problems. Their family might be financial problems, they might be child abuse victims, who knows? I think that this play would appeal to secondary school students better because they have the maturity level to comprehend the hardship felt by Betty. This play is also intended to create an awareness that the people around them might need some caring friends. In this era of technology and advancement, we human beings tend to be more individualistic. We care about ourselves only and neglect others. A listening ear or a sincere smile will brighten others' day. Also, students might take things for granted, not realising how blessed they are. This play is hope to instill a grateful heart in the students.

As for now, it has been an enriching experience to create a one act play and the teacher's notes. Without the teacher's note, I will not realise that my one act play can actually be taught in class. It seems convincing to me that it could be put into practice. It actually gives me a little authority, that I am in control of what my students will learn.

A reminder for myself: Be grateful and thankful for what I have! :)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Firstly, I would like to thank Dr Edwin for letting us watch this movie.

I have always been interested in some parts of England’s history, especially the House of Tudor, King Henry VIII, because he married six wives! Elizabeth was the last ruler from the House of Tudor as she was childless.

After watching the movie, I find King Philip II of Spain a crooked man. He made used of Mary, Queen of Scots to achieve what he wants. He knew that Walsingham has been intercepting the letters between him and Mary. He knew that Mary would be charged of treason. He used the death of Mary to gain the pope’s permission to go to war. He intended for his young daughter Isabella to be queen of England. In lives, there will be people who will try to achieve what they want, by hook or by crook.

As i watch the movie, I am again reminded that overconfidence is never beneficial. King Philip II was too confident that his Spanish Armada would successfully invade England. However, it might be fated that he would not win. He might be going against God by launching the Spanish Armada. There was a part when the candle suddenly went off. I think that foreshadows his defeat. Even the nature was against him. A major storm began to blow the Armada towards the beaches, endangering their formation and ships. When they drop their anchor, the English ships took the opportunity to burn their ships before evacuating from the ship and let the burning ship sail into the armada. As a result, Spanish naval fleet suffers their most humiliating lost in history.

King Philip II tries to play God, judging that Queen Elizabeth is not fit to be Queen. He tries to bring down Elizabeth. It makes me wonder, if I were to be in that era, would I accept Queen Elizabeth as queen as she is a Protestant? The Catholics would not know whether this new teaching is something from God or is it a totally new teaching.

The Queen’s portrayal shows the difference in appearance and reality. Elizabeth may appear to be strong outwardly but deep inside; she is also scared, fearful and lonely. When Dr Dee, an astrologer prophesized that two empires will go to war and one would triumph, Elizabeth feared for the worst for her country and her people. Besides, Elizabeth also longs for love and comfort. she is no different compared to any other human being. It is sad that being a queen limits her in many ways and deprived her of genuine love from others. That is why no one is perfect, you may have power but you may lack in other areas.

Another lesson that i have learnt from the movie is FORGIVENESS. The Queen forgives Raleigh and Bess although she felt betrayed by them. She finally changed her perspective and chooses to forgive them as she also longs for forgiveness. She might have felt guilty for the execution of Mary. This value is applicable to us as we all need forgiveness from others and we need to forgive others. We need to forgive to be forgiven. This would take the many burdens away from us.

In short, This movie is a great movie not to be missed!

One question I have in mind is “Why does the Queen wear a wig?”

Tiresias

Teiresias is a blind prophet of Thebes. He was the son of Eueres, a shepherd and Charicloa, a nymph, a minor goddess or spirit of nature.

There were several reasons for his blindness.
1. Teiresias accidentally saw goddess Athena bathing and she blinded him. Teiresias’s mother begged Athena to undo her curse but she could not. Instead, she gave him the gift of prophecy and a life seven generations longer. After Athena cleaned his ears and gave him the ability to listen to bird song, Teiresias was able to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of the birds.


2. Teiresias saw two snakes coupling and killed one of them with a stick. Hera, the goddess of marriage and woman was displeased and transformed him into a woman. Teiresias became the priestess of Hera, got married and had children. After seven years, he met mating snakes again and struck it. As a result, Teiresias was free from his punishment and regained his masculinity.

3. There was an argument between Zeus and Hera about who has more pleasure in sex Zeus thinks that the woman had more pleasure while Hera thinks it is the man. As Teiresias has experience as both man and woman, Teiresias was questioned. Teiresias reveal women’s secret where woman enjoy greater pleasure compared to man. Hera instantly struck Teiresias blind because of his disrespect. Zeus could not do anything but compensated him with a gift of prophecy and a life of seven generations.

Teiresias name appeared in several Greek tragedies in the history of Thebes.

In The Bacchae, by Euripides, Tiresias appears with Cadmus, the founder and first king of Thebes, to warn the current king Pentheus against denouncing Dionysus as a god.
In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus, the king of Thebes, calls upon Tiresias to help him in the investigation of the killing of the previous king Laius. Teiresias revealed that it was Oedipus himself who single handedly killed his father, King Laius.
In Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, Megareus kills himself because of Tiresias' prophecy that a voluntary death from a Theban would save the city.
In Antigone by Sophocles, the gods express their disapproval of Creon's decision through Tiresias. However, it was ignored, resulting in many deaths.

Teiresias died when he was struck by an arrow of Apollo at the spring Tilphussa.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

This week's lecture regarding Oedipus Rex is a good start. Selected students were asked to walk the way Oedipus would walk when he enters the stage.

When i first read the play, i did not pay much attention to the stage direction. All i wanted to know was the contnent of the story. I knew that Oedipus had clubfoot, but never would I imagine the way he ways and that he needs a staff to help him walk. I imagined him to be walking arrogantly, with head held high.
Only when Dr Edwin mentioned that only one friend walked the right way which is with a little limp, I realised how ignorant I have been.

Maybe in the future, I should also ask my students to act out the stage directions for the prologue/ Act one so that they have a clearer picture of how the setting of the stage would be like.

Of course, Dr Edwin's lecture has always been informative as he introduced new ideas in each lessons.

New things learnt this week:
Wisdom/ Wise
Fool/Foolish
Significance of hands and eyes
How ironic Oedipus' speech could be
How the dialogue can portray the characters

Have you ever wondered that one person may think that he is wise but he is actually foolish? Oedipus tries to help Thebes, his people to overcome the plague that they are facing by finding the murderer of King Laius. He thinks that he is being wise but the truth destroys him. He is the murderer that he is looking for. His good intentions end up hurting him and he had to live in exile. So, be wise :)

-EYes-
One can have eyes to see, but does not see the truth. One can be blind but see more than a sighted person can see. Why do I say so? Teiresias, a blind prophet knows the truth but not Oedipus. Oedipus has eyes to see, but he does not see the truth. He does not know that he is the pollution of the country.


:)