Legends

Legends are good teaching materials. The text Le Mort d’Arthur written by Thomas Malory can be too difficult for some students because of its archaic language. However, I don’t think the text should be discarded from the classroom just for the reason. Many students enjoy watching “Merlin” on TV, therefore they would already have some background knowledge about the era. I am sure many are intrigued with the Excalibur. Therefore, the original text can be adapted by teachers using simpler, modern language or perhaps teachers can use just a chapter from the book – it all depends on the level of proficiency of the students. However, I strongly believe that all students should be given the opportunity to read about legends from around the world. From then the students can learn to see the significance of each legendary character. Teachers may spark the love for books and legends with just one interesting story.  Apart from Le Mort d’Arthur that tells us about the legendary King Arthur, teachers can also bring legends of Puteri Gunung Ledang, Mahsuri and Hang Tuah into the classroom for some local tastes.

Demystified

A myth is a sacred story from the past. It may explain the origin of the universe and of life, or it may express its culture's moral values in human terms. Myths concern the powers who control the human world and the relationship between those powers and human beings. Although myths are religious in their origin and function, they may also be the earliest form of history, science, or philosophy.

A folktale is a story that, in its plot, is pure fiction and that has no particular location in either time or space. However, despite its elements of fantasy, a folktale is actually a symbolic way of presenting the different means by which human beings cope with the world in which they live. Folktales concern people -- either royalty or common folk -- or animals who speak and act like people.

A legend is a story from the past about a subject that was, or is believed to have been, historical. Legends concern people, places, and events. Usually, the subject is a saint, a king, a hero, a famous person, or a war. A legend is always associated with a particular place and a particular time in history.

Definition by Donna Rosenberg, in her book Folklore, Myth and Legends: A World Perspective

Source:  http://www.indigenouspeople.net/stories.htm

I Shall Never Breathe Again

If I never feel you in my arms again
If I never feel your tender kiss again
If I never hear I love you now and then
Will I never make love to you once again
Please understand if love ends
Then I promise you, I promise you that
That I shall never breathe again
   
                                Toni Braxton - Breathe Again

Such are the determined words of a woman who rather dies than being without the one she loves. Love is a magical, mysterious  feeling.  Love can either be defined by bliss or misery.  Love will bring you closer to heaven or drag you to hell. In short, love can either bring the best or the beast in you.  It is funny how love works and how it can make you do unimaginable things…all in the name of love. 

 

Pyramus and Thisbe is another tragic love story, just like the tales of Romeo and Juliet.  They are the examples of supreme love.  The theme of forbidden love that leads to tragedy is found in the myth written by Ovid.  The essence of romanticism is apparent in this work. Both Pyramus and Thisbe could not bear to live without each other. To bring this story in the class would be interesting.  Some young couples today still face the same conflicts faced by Pyramus and Thisbe with their parents. Students can give their opinions about Pyramus and Thisbe’s actions in the story – to discuss whether the acts of running away or taking their own lives were deemed appropriate or necessary. The teacher can perhaps link this to the problem of teenagers who run away from home.  The consequences of acting rashly could also be the theme of this myth. Students may be asked to write another version of the story with the question of “what if” in their minds. Another theme that can be discussed is that true love prevails in the end.  The fact that the story ends with Pyramus and Thisbe being together after their death and that their parents’ forgave them suggests that love can conquer all. God will always have mercy on pure love and that we should never give up hope.  

To me personally, true love is when you can be there for another person during his/her lowest moments; to be the light and source of hope for another person. Until you have the chance to be with someone during trouble times and stick around no matter what, you can never be sure that it is truly love.

"To love for the sake of being loved is human, but to love for the sake of loving is angelic."

                        Alphonse De Lamartine

Jangan Monyet Jangan!! - My Favourite Fable Of All Time

"Jangan monyet, jangan!"- that is the phrase that I remember the most from my favourite fable - Hikayat Sang Kancil dan Monyet. I used to use the phrase all the time with my friends.  I bet many other people around my age could still remember this story. RTM (the only tv channel at that time) used to air this everyday whenever they had extra five minutes between programmes. I was ecstatic every time this opportunity came. This simple yet wonderful story was among many other fables that I learnt and enjoyed in my childhood. Mama is the first person who introduced me to the exciting world of fables and fairy tales. I still remember how me and my sisters used to sit around Mama eagerly while she read from this thick book with beautiful coloured illustrations. I just miss those moments.

While fables mostly involved animal characters, fairy tales include the elements of fantasy and magic that always have happy endings.  Who can forget the phrase “…and they lived happily ever after”, that some of us even grow up believing that life can be just like a fairy tale. I enjoy both fables and fairy tales when I was young though I was more excited about the latter.  I believe fables and fairy tales are the two alternative texts that are most appealing to children below the age of 12, so teachers can use them in the classroom. Nowadays, it seems like less and less parents seem to have the time to read books to their children, therefore teachers can make up for this. 

Fables teach us a lot of moral values either explicitly or implicitly. We are shown how patience and determination wins against pride and conceit in The Hare and the Tortoise; never to be too trusting and get lost in compliments in The Fox and the Crow; always accept who you are and never try to be something you are not in The Jay and the Peacock; and that when you do good to others, others will do good to you in Androcles.  

I believe fables can also be used for older learners. Secondary school students can be asked to write their own fables after discussing the plot and the language of various fables in the classroom. They can even choose their own animal characters to make it more interesting. My wish is that fables and fairy tales will live on in Malaysian's classrooms for a long, long time.

Below are the links to some websites on fables and fairy tales:

www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_fables.html

http://aesopfables.com/

http://ivyjoy.com/fables/

http://hca.gilead.org.il/

The Son of the Turtle-Spirit (2)

I will use my own experience reading this story (pre, while, post–reading stage) in teaching the students.  As I discovered the message in the folktale myself, I think the students should go through the same process.  Students may compare their conception of the two animals before and after reading the story. Chinese students may already have the beliefs passed down to them. They can be asked how they come to know about the belief and what are their opinions or feelings about it. 

 

This story also brings some interesting issues that can be discussed in the class. First, students can discuss the moral values found in the story that I think is abundant. Hmm…wouldn’t it be interesting if somebody said that we should never play with strangers? Well that would create another interesting discussion altogether!  Students can ultimately discuss the values they learnt from the son of the Turtle spirit, despite the fact that he was being punished for his origin and deprived of education. Teachers may also guide the students to see where the values of obedience, loyalty and determination are presented in the story. 

Besides that, students can discuss the significance or importance of upholding their traditions. Here, students can express their own views and perhaps list some tradition and cultures that they think should be uphold and ones that should be discarded and then provide their reasons.  Teachers can also get the students to compare and contrast relevant issues (e.g.  tradition vs modern cultures or personal beliefs vs common beliefs).  Talking about being critical! Therefore I totally agree with the use of folktales like this that can help make the class more lively and get the students to crack their brains! But most importantly, the students can be exposed to their own or a different culture and learn to respect it.

The Son of the Turtle-Spirit (1)

Love it! – This was my reaction after reading the text. This folktale from China is indeed an interesting one. Perhaps this interest has got something to do with the fact that I am a Dragon myself (Oops…I do not mean to brag).  Every folktale is closely related to the culture of a certain group of people. Therefore when we introduce this story to the class, we bring together the culture of the Chinese to the students.  It is known that in early generations, beliefs and values are passed from forefathers to their descendants through stories. In this story, we learn about the significance of animal symbols to the Chinese community particularly the Turtle and the Dragon. 

 Dragons are mystical creatures that symbolise strength, power and good luck.  I know this fact before reading the story but I cannot say the same for the Turtle. This is because the Turtle is not one of the twelve animal signs in the Chinese horoscope.  Personally , I have always been interested in the Chinese horoscope though I must admit I am guilty of vanity (I am a Dragon. I doubt I would be interested if I am a Pig). And yes, I will only read the good part because it is good to know and it helps me to be more optimistic in life. Everyone needs every little hope that they can find to keep them going, don’t they? But when I lost my temper I can always blame the fact that I am a fire dragon! How cool is that?  

 

Before reading the story, my existing knowledge about the Turtle is that it is shy, slow and patient. At the beginning part of the story, I thought that the Turtle must be a bad omen and that was why the nobleman did not think twice about killing it. Besides, it deceived the maiden by disguising as a handsome youth. The son of the Turtle spirit however turned out to be a good boy. He was an obedient son as well as full of confidence and determination. His action of putting his father’s bones into the dragon’s mouth and hanging the rich man’s grandfather on the dragon’s horns had brought good luck and fortune to his future. Therefore, after I finished reading the story I believe that both the Turtle and the Dragon bring good luck and fortune and that is the message in the folktale. 

To validate my point, I did some research on the Internet about the symbol of the Turtle in Chinese community. I was happy to find that I did not deviate from the true message in the story. There are many interesting facts that can be found about both the Turtle and the Dragon.  For instance, according to the Chinese belief, the Turtle is actually one of the divine animals along with the Dragon, Phoenix and the Chimera. However, they believe that there is a spirit in the Turtle. Therefore, they cannot rashly kill a turtle without a proper ceremony.  To the Chinese, the Turtle is sacred and symbolises longevity, power and tenacity. In feng-shui, the dragon-headed turtle is believed to bring good luck and protection. Even today, most Chinese still believe in these two important animal symbols. Else, people would not still be all hyped out about having babies in Dragon years!

Harassing the Lecturer

On 8th of March, I got an information from Barisha telling that we were supposed to send our position with a few points to Cik Dzeelfa. Okay so how did she know? I've been checking the blog from time to time, there was nothing new there. And then whoooaa...hey you got the wrong blog address! Silly me! What a way to start the semester! Thank goodness that Barisha was kind enough to spread the message. (Barisha got the information from Mogana, so thank you Mogana too.) And thank God that Cik Dzeelfa was kind enough to extend the dateline to send the position by 11th March. So I started working on the position on Friday and sent it to Cik Dzeelfa on Saturday night. Yap, two days! Nothing new to Miss Procrastinator!!


And today I started to annoy Cik Dzeelfa by sending her a few smses to inquire about my mails. Well I was starting to freak out when I did not see my blog address when I checked her blog on Friday. How could she forget about me? Or didn't she receive my mail? What if she didn't receive my position too??? If I heard and remembered correctly, Cik Dzeelfa did mention that she was terribly annoyed by some of the students who kept on pressing her about whether she got their mails. Ok so hmm maybe I should wait a few more days. And today is the day when I can't hold my suspense any longer. I have got to ask her! And lucky that I did because she did not receive any of my e-mails (thank God for her reply). I just resent my blog address and my position to her. I cannot help but to pity myself but I hope things will be easier from today. I am determined to work on a few assignments this week and I sure hope I will not let myself down.