THE CURSE SAMPLE ANSWER ( THEME)

Theme

1)Write on the theme of love

‘The Curse’ written by Lee Su Ann touches on many aspects of life. Basically, all the aspects

revolve around our own community and can be used as guidance in our life.

The theme of ‘love’ which  is actually the main conflict in this whole novel. Firstly, we

can see this aspect between mother and child when we read how loving was Azreen towards her

mother when she came back from London. She realized her mother still does not know about the

death of her sister, Madhuri. Azreen took over the duty to take care of her mother who was

suffering from Alzheimer’s disease which was getting worse. Azreen cooked porridge for her

mother like Madhuri used to do and fed her. This  shows that Azreen loves her mother very

much and feels responsible to take care of her after her sister’s death.

The concept of ‘love’ can also be seen through Encik Saleh who loves his daughters very

much but does not know how to show it. He kept his love within him and was always looking

fierce and angry towards his daughters and wife. He loved his family very much and that is why

he worked hard on the farm.He also  repairs chicken coop, repairs  fencse and  roofs

and  chops  wood in order to earn a living for his family. As a hard-working man, he wanted to

give his family the best out of him due to his love towards them which he does not show openly.

Here, I admit that I admire Encik Saleh as a loving father towards his family but he should have

shown his love in a more appropriate way.

Lastly, the concept of love can be seen in the characters of the Old Lady and Azreen.

Azreen was very lucky to find a meaningful and comfortable relationship with the Old Lady of

the forest. She was very close to the Old Lady until she told her all her secrets. She always goes

and visits the Old Lady whenever she felt bored, angry or happy. This shows that Azreen really

loves the Old Lady and does not give a single thought to what the villagers say about the Old

Lady. Azreen’s love towards the Old Lady was very strong until she was willing to go into the

burning house in order to save the Old Lady. But, faith wins. The Old Lady died in the fire while

Azreen was saved by her father due to his love towards his daughter.

As we can see, the concept of ‘love’ is very strong throughout the novel. Each and every

character in this novel has the desire to love and to be loved.

2)   Write on the theme of forgiveness

Lee Su Ann, the writer of the novel ‘The Curse’ had brought up many themes in her writing. One

of the themes that I liked very much in this novel is ‘forgiveness’ which was clearly portrayed in

Azreen’s character.

As we know from the beginning, Azreen is a very outspoken, aggressive and stubborn

character but towards the ending of the story she had learnt to forgive others. Azreen was very

much influenced by the Old Lady who begged Azreen to learn to forgive others at the time of her

death. We can see very much that Azreen kept her promise when she forgave Mohd Asraf who

had deliberately played with her emotions. All the while Azreen thought Asraf liked her but,

Asraf was actually falling for Madhuri and when he admitted that to Azreen, she was speechless

at first. Azreen hid  herself from Asraf by running away until she reached the cliff of the hills

when Asraf confessed his love towards Madhuri. But as time passed, her anger  melted away

slowly and she forgave Asraf as the Old Lady had told  to her just before she died.

Azreen too learnt to forgive her father who murdered Madhuri. Even though she felt sad

at first but she did not feel angry or resentment at him but she realized that she had lost her only

father that she used to know as a very hot-tempered man. Slowly Azreen forgave her father but

she could not see him eye to eye so she left him alone and that was the time when Encik Saleh

had a heart attack and collapsed. But if at all Azreen had not promised the Old Lady to forgive

others, I do not think that she would forgive her father for murdering Madhuri.

Azreen too forgave Madhuri for all the hurt and resentment she caused in Azreen’s  life.

Azreen  was  jealous of  Madhuri’s beauty and genteel behavior. She was the favorite daughter.

She also resented Madhuri as Madhuri was able to captivate Asraf who eventually fell in love

with her. But, when Azreen discovers that Madhuri was adopted  and the truth about Madhuri’s

murder at the hands of  her own father, she feels nothing but pity for poor Madhuri . Finally she

forgives her sister, Madhuri.

Last but not least, Azreen also forgave Asraf and wished him luck from the bottom of her

heart when he left Langkawi to take a teaching course in KL. When she read a note from him,

she did not feel angry but she smiled after reading the note and also questioned herself whether

she had learnt to forgive others. From Azreen’s character, I too learnt to forgive others in my life

if they hurt my feelings. Being revengeful will not give us anything in life except the negative

value.

From the evidence above, the theme of ‘forgiveness’ had been portrayed very well in this novel

through the protagonist, Azreen. I hope each and every human will learn to forgive others in their

life.

3)   Write on the theme of ‘Mother’s Love’

The novel ‘The Curse’ by Lee Su Ann touches on many values that are useful  in our daily lives.

As for me, I am  touched with the value of mother’s love in this novel.

Azreen’s mother is forever seen talking nonsense since her Alzheimer’s disease was

becoming worse. She was not given a name in this novel but always referred to as ‘Mak’. Azreen

felt guilty because she was the one who was responsible for her mother to loose one of her leg.

Even though, we know that Azreen admitted leaving  the gate of the farm open but actually she

was only helping Mohd Asraf from being blamed. Due to her act, her parents met with an

accident when her father’s motorcycle hit the bull. Azreen’s mother never hated Azreen for what

had  happened and she always loved Azreen. She even told Azreen that it was not her fault that

she lost her leg in the accident. This proves that ‘Mak’ was never angry towards Azreen and she

accepts what happened to her as faith. This shows the true love that a mother has for her child

even though she is in pain.

Another incident that showed how true a mother’s love is when Madhuri’s mother, the

mad lady who strolled in the village  and always watched over  her daughter. Even though

Madhuri was raised by Encik Saleh and his wife from  a baby, the mad lady always kept herself

close to Madhuri. She used to watch Madhuri and Azreen when they come back from school.

This shows that she still loved her daughter even though she gave in when her baby was lost. She

knew she could not raise Madhuri in a proper way so she just kept quite when Encik Saleh took

the baby and decided to raise the child. But as a mother, she still loved Madhuri and always sees

how her daughter is living with her foster parents from far. This is what we call mother’s love.

Even if the child is not with the real mother but she always pray for her child to lead a happy life

and that is why she took revenge against Encik Saleh who killed Madhuri.

From these two mothers, the readers are shown the value of love that a mother has for a

child. Both mothers in this novel are not normal in certain ways but their love for their children

did not fade but they loved their daughters very much in their own  different ways.

4) Discuss the theme of violence in the ‘The Curse’ and how violence has affected the life of two characters in the story.

The novel I have chosen is ‘The Curse’. The theme of violence is prevalent in the novel. The first character that has been affected by violence is Azreen. From the very beginning, we can see how Azreen has been subjected to violence in her childhood. Saleh Abdullah was a very stern father who would not hesitate to discipline Azreen whenever she was defiant or rebellious as a child. Her mother, when reprimanding her for slapping a classmate in school has reminded her that her father has punished her ‘a thousand times’ whenever she misbehaved, yet she was so stubborn. One incident was when Azreen’s father accused her of stealing mangosteens from the estate and she was caned severly by her father and scolded by her mother. Her parents refused to believe that she was telling the truth when she said she only picked the ripe fruits from the ground. Azreen reacted to the beating by not eating her dinner and sulking in her room.

Violence begets violence. Azreen threatened to hit Mohd Asraf with a hockey stick between his ears when he tried to tell her she was ‘ganas’ or aggressive. Azreen did not think twice about taking part in the silat-cum-boxing matches in her school even though she was a girl. In one match, she ended up giving an innocent spectator a bleeding nose. Azreen did not change her ways even when she grew older. After the Old Lady’s death, Azreen turned on Mohd Asraf who was irresponsible, like a wild cat. She beat him, scratched him and kicked him till she broke down in exhaustion. She was angry because of his stupidity and anger.

Another incident of violence is when her parents thought she was responsible for the motorcycle accident with the bull that has caused her mother to be paralysed. Azreen has to go to bed with slases of rotan all over her legs and back. Ever since that incident, the relationship between Azreen and her father has been strained. Azreen found it hard to forgive her father when she learned that he was the one who had killed her sister with his parang. It was only after he has died that Azreen can put the past behind her.

Another character that has been affected by violence is the Old Lady. She was a beautiful, modern and educated young woman who has the misfortune of marrying a man who was a wife abuser. Ever since he lost his job, he has been drinking heavily and returning home late every evening. Then he started to hit her. First, it was a slap on the face and he apologized when he was sober. She forgave him. The following week, she was hit again. He hit her on the chin, a shard of broken bottle he was holding slashing her on her neck. The hast straw was when he kneed her in the stomach and kicked her when she was down. When he pounced on her, she stabbed him with the kitchen knife. Her whole life changed after that incident. Even though the police listened to her story and let her go free, the damage was done. She was seen as a husband-killer. She was a mad woman who has slashed her husband to death in the kitchen. All her friends avoided her like a leper and she was forced to live alone in an abandoned house in the jungle. Many superstitious stories were created about her and people in the village were afraid of her. They would not let her come back to the village. When she relented to go to Mohd Asraf’s grandmother’s house to see whether she could help her, she incurred the villagers’ wrath and they tried to chase her away. When Mohd Asraf’s grandmother died, he led a mob to her house in the jungle and subsequently the Old Lady was killed in a fire that burnt down her house.

Violence is never a good thing. It should be avoided at any cause. We can seethe harm that violence does to people as seen from the characters of Azreen and the Old Lady.

5)Using details from the novel you have studied, write about a theme that you can relate to in your daily life.

            The novel I have read is ‘The Curse’ by Lee Su Ann. A theme from ‘The Curse’ is about the negative effects or rumours and hearsay. Gossip is basically idle talk that goes bad if one is not careful enough but malicious gossip is even more dangerous because it does the most damage. For example, in the past, the villagers’ constant gossiping had caused the Old Lady to move to the jungle because they thought that she was a crazy woman who killed her husband in cold blood. They failed to understand and consider the reason behind the act and it caused the Old Lady to live alone for the rest of her life in the jungle. The villagers continued to spread wrong information about the Old Lady by saying that she will cast a spell or kill those who trespass on her property.                Puan Normala warned that a curse will befall the village by claiming that the incessant rain was caused by the Old Lady coming into the village even though she came only to cure Nek, Mohd Asraf’s grandmother. She gathered some of her neighbours and convinced them to drive the Old Lady out of the village. Sadly, not long after the Old Lady had cured Nek, Nek passed away and the neighbours convinced Mohd Asraf that the Old Lady was to be blamed. The confrontation between them and the Old Lady ended tragically with her house being burnt down and her untimely death.                 Throughout the novel, we are constantly reminded of how rumours can turn bad and how they can lead to destruction or a tragic conclusion. As stated by the Old Lady, “Rumours can be damaging even if they are untrue, especially if they are untrue. All a person can do is to ignore them and the rumours will die off as soon as another juicier one comes along.”                 I have learnt from the theme in this novel that I should not believe or be influenced by rumours in our daily lives. More importantly, I should also not create and spread rumours about another person. These, we must apply in our daily lives.

6)Using details from the novel you have studied, write about a theme that you can relate to in your daily life. Give examples of the theme that you have chosen. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

            The novel I have read is ‘The Curse’ by Lee Su Ann. A theme from ‘The Curse’ is about the negative effects or rumours and hearsay. Gossip is basically idle talk that goes bad if one is not careful enough but malicious gossip is even more dangerous because it does the most damage.

For example, in the past, the villagers’ constant gossiping had caused the Old Lady to move to the jungle because they thought that she was a crazy woman who killed her husband in cold blood. They failed to understand and consider the reason behind the act and it caused the Old Lady to live alone for the rest of her life in the jungle. The villagers continued to spread wrong information about the Old Lady by saying that she will cast a spell or kill those who trespass on her property.

               Puan Normala warned that a curse will befall the village by claiming that the incessant rain was caused by the Old Lady coming into the village even though she came only to cure Nek, Mohd Asraf’s grandmother. She gathered some of her neighbours and convinced them to drive the Old Lady out of the village. Sadly, not long after the Old Lady had cured Nek, Nek passed away and the neighbours convinced Mohd Asraf that the Old Lady was to be blamed. The confrontation between them and the Old Lady ended tragically with her house being burnt down and her untimely death.

                Throughout the novel, we are constantly reminded of how rumours can turn bad and how they can lead to destruction or a tragic conclusion. As stated by the Old Lady, “Rumours can be damaging even if they are untrue, especially if they are untrue. All a person can do is to ignore them and the rumours will die off as soon as another juicier one comes along.”

                I have learnt from the theme in this novel that I should not believe or be influenced by rumours in our daily lives. More importantly, I should also not create and spread rumours about another person. These, we must apply in our daily lives.

7) Using details from the novel you have studied, describe how it has taught you to be a responsible person. Give examples of how you learned to be a responsible person.

               The novel I have read is The curse by Lee Su Ann. In the novel, we learn about responsibility in terms of thinking before we speak and not spreading rumours. The gossipy villagers spread rumours about Madhuri’s death and how it will bring a curse to the village. Puan Normala begins to spread rumours by claiming to have seen Madhuri’s dead body and white blood. To make matters worse, she starts to link happenings like the endless rain and flood to the curse. This only creates more fear among the villagers. Puan Normala and her neighbours gossip and speculate about everything. To top it all off, when the Old Lady is sought after by Mohd Asraf to treat his sick grandmother, the villagers gang up to chase her away because they consider her evil as she had murdered her husband in the past. They feel that she is the cause of the curse.

               Sadly, due to the irresponsible villagers’ rumours at that time, the Old Lady becomes the victim and she is labelled as a mad woman and a murderer. She was forced to leave the village and had to live in a deserted house in the jungle. She is forced to come to the village again when Mohd Asraf pleads with her to treat his grandmother. When his grandmother passed away, the villagers were quick to accuse the Old Lady of poisoning Mohd Asraf’s Nek and it was enough to convince Mohd Asraf to confront the Old Lady at her house. When things got out of hand, the house is burned down and the Old Lady dies.

              On the other hand, Azreen is a responsible person by the way she treats her parents even though she feels that they love Madhuri more than her. She never receives her father’s warmth as his daughter as much as Madhuri but being the responsible daughter that she is, she continues to treat her father respectfully. Azreen also takes care of her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s till her mother’s death.

              I have learned that I have to be responsible for my own actions. I should not spread rumours nor cause harm to others without thinking carefully no matter what happens or challengers I have to face. For being irresponsible, we can also cause harm to other people.

MORAL VALUES

1)Based on the novel that you have read, what is the lesson that you have learned from the ending of the novel? Give reasons why you think the lesson is important.

       The novel I have read is The curse by Lee Su Ann. In the novel, it ended with Azreen learning the truth about a lot of things surrounding her sister’s death. It was very sad for Azreen too because she had to cope with the deaths of the Old Lady and her parents. In the epilogue, Azreen went back to London to continue her studies. It is important to not that in the end, Azreen learned to forgive. The theme of forgiveness and the importance of the truth resonate throughout the ending of the novel.

        I learned that forgiveness is the key to finding inner peace and strength. Somehow, it helps a person to move on despite having gone through negative situations. Azreen’s character teaches us to be strong, bold and upright in order to withstand vicious gossips and to fight injustice like how she defended the Old Lady.

         The same goes for Azreen when she returned to London. If she allowed hatred, anger and other negative emotions to take over, those emotions would have consumed her and made her life worse. But because she learned to accept the truth and to forgive, she was able to smile at the end. Although the truth was difficult to handle for Azreen, especially about Madhuri and Mohd Asraf, her father being Madhuri’s murderer, and how Madhuri was not her real sister, Azreen managed to cope with all those unfortunate events.

         From the ending of the novel, I learned that sometimes, although the truth may not be what everybody wants to hear, it is always best to tell the truth because it helps people to find inner peace and to be truly happy.

2)Based on the novel that you have read, give examples of what hope means to the characters that you have chosen.

            The novel I have read is The curse by Lee Su Ann. Hope is the feeling of wanting something you desire to come true. In the novel, Mohd Asraf and Madhuri are in love and they hope to be together when Mohd Asraf leaves for Kuala Lumpur for a teaching course.  

             However, Madhuri is married to Haji Ghani. She plans to confess everything to her husband and get his permission to release her. Asraf hopes that Madhuri is right that her husband is a reasonable person who wants the best for her and she will ultimately be released from her marriage. Madhuri also plans to reveal everything to her parents about their relationship. Unfortunately, their hope of being together is dashed when Madhuri’s father discovers the truth

before she could explain everything tohhim. Saleh Abdullah, catches Madhuri and Mohd Asraf together in the rubber estate and he wanted to go after        

              Mohd Asraf. Sadly, as he wields his parang, it strikes Madhuri and kills her. Due to Mohd Asraf’s ailing grandmother, he forced himself to visit the Old Lady and ask her to cure his grandmother. When she did come to his house, some of the villagers found out about it and they think that all the bad incidents happening around the village is due to her presence.

              In addition, another character, Puan Fatihah feels like she is slowly losing her husband after Madhuri’s death. She hopes to win his affections again by cooking a breakfast feast for him. But he did not appreciate her deed due to the many happenings in the village; instead, he left without eating what she had cooked for him.

In conclusion, the novel helps us to see how hope drives different characters to do different things and there are positive and negative consequences of their actions.

CHARACTERS

1)Based on the novel you have read, write about a character whom you admire. Give reasons why you admire him or her. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

             The novel I have read is The Curse written by Lee Su Ann. There are many characters in the novel but the character I find most admirable is none other than Azreen, the younger daughter of Saleh Abdullah. I admire Azreen because she has many positive characteristics. I will give examples from the novel to support my answer.

              First and foremost, Azreen is an independent girl. She goes wherever she wants to without seeking permission from her parents. She was determined to go for the exchange programme where she lived with Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkipli in Georgetown. She even applied for a scholarship in an effort to leave the village. Azreen is also loyal. This can be seen when Azreen saw Encik Mohan and his sons manhandling Asraf, she came to his aid by taking the blame for him.

              In addition, Azreen prepares meals for her parents and takes good care of her mother after Madhuri’s death. She is a filial and dutiful daughter. Azreen did not believe the villagers who claimed that the Old Lady could turn anyone into squirrels or rats as well as cook and eat them for dinner. This shows that she is a sensible person.

              I also admire Azreen because she accepts challenges. Azreen was dared to pay a visit to the Old Lady and she went to her house. They became good friends.

              Azreen is also a determined person. Azreen could not tolerate her father’s and neighbours constant complaints. So, she accepted the two-month foster programme to stay with Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkipli. Similarly, she was determined to accept the scholarship to study in London and so her foster parents decided to support her financially

              From the novel, we know that Azreen is also an open-minded. I admire Azreen as she does not believe in the stereotype role of a woman who is supposedly to be docile and feminine. She is also modest. Azreen is not proud and does not put on airs although she is studying in London. Besides that, Azreen is admirable because of her diligence. Both Azreen and Madhuri work diligently to weave a new basket for their mother as the former broke the basket which was laden with durians. I also admire Azreen because she is intelligent. Azreen obtained a scholarship to pursue her tertiary education in London.

              In conclusion, the character I admire most from the novel I have read is Azreen. Although she is not perfect and has some negative characteristics, she has even more positive characteristics. She is someone I can relate to and I hope to be just like her.

2)   Write on a character that show responsibility in her or his actions

Based on the Novel “The Curse” by Lee Sue Ann, the character that shows responsibility in her

actions is Azreen Saleh. Azreen is not only a responsible sister and daughter but also a

responsible student and friend .

Firstly, Azreen as a responsible sister comes back immediately when she hears of her

sister’s death although at that time she is about to sit for an examination that is important

for her. She postpones her examination in order of giving her sister her last respect.

Secondly, as a daughter she shows her responsibility firstly, when she spends the whole

night repairing her mother’s favourite rattan basket that was broken by the heavy durians

that she and Madhuri has brought in. Subsequently, with Madhuri’s help she makes a new rattan

basket that looks like the one that she and Madhuri have broken. In addition to that, Azreen

accepts the offer to further her studies in London for the sake of upbringing her family social

status and thus could then save a lot of money to get a better treatment for her mother that is

paralyzed by the bull escape incidents that she .

Thirdly, as a friend and a student, Azreen shows her responsibility when she accepts to

join the school hockey team as a substitution to Hock Seng that is injured. She does that

even though she knows that she will be the only girl in the team and this will tarnish her image as

a girl. In fact she plays very well and almost scores a goal. In addition to that, Azreen shows that

she is a responsible friend, when she brings a full basket of fresh vegetables and tomatoes to

The Old Lady of the forest to replace the one that she tramples earlier when she comes to

The Old Lady’s house for the first time.

In conclusion, throughout the story, Azreen shows that she is a very responsible towards

her actions. In fact, I would like to have her as a friend as a friend as such is hard to come by.

3)   Which character do you like the most?

The novel I have studied is ‘The Curse’ by Lee Su Ann.  The novel is about the main

character, Azreen, who returns from England after she finds out about her sister’s death. Upon

her return, she is surrounded by many secrets. She discovers the circumstances of Madhuri’s

death later in the story.  At the end of the story she finds out the truth and leaves for London an

orphan but more resilient and wise.

The character I like most is Azreen Salleh. She is a 20-year-old student who is

studying in a university college in London on an exchange programme. She is short,

bespectacled, rather bookish and outspoken.

I like Azreen because she is outspoken and she is not afraid to spoke her mind. She is

vocal and says her opinions although sometimes she says the wrong things at the wrong time.

She also hates her father’s treatment of her foster parents and Madhuri’s burial ceremony  that is

conducted without her presence.  In handling the village gossip, Pn Normala, Azreen tells her off

that the rain has started even before the Old Lady comes into town.

The second quality she has is she is courageous.  As a child, she plays hockey and

football with the boys. In the bull’s incident, she is brave enough to accept the blame for the

bull’s escape instead of blaming someone else. Azreen also shows her courage by taking up the

dare to knock on the Old Lady’s door when none wants to do it. In another instance, Azreen

confronts her father about Madhuri’s murder despite her young age.

Azreen also has strength of character. When she returns to her village, she hears a lot of

gossip surrounding her sister’s death such as as Madhuri having white blood and her death

signals a curse to the villagers. Azreen feels upset but she never retaliates.  Sheshows patience

and strengh because she knows that whatever she does, she cannot stop the villagers from

gossiping about her family.  In another instance, Azreen is told that her sister is murdered.

She should have been very upset about this news but she takes it calmly and does not become

hysterical. Later, when she finds out that her father is the culprit who kills Madhuri, she feels no

anger but regrets that it has to happen. She understands her father’s anger and shame because

Madhuri  has been having an illicit affair with Ashraf although she is already married to Hj

Ghani.  Azreen also shows a lot of strength because after all that has happened to her family,

she stays composed and strong and returns to England for her examinations.

In conclusion,  there are many qualities in Azreen that I admire and she is the character that

I like most in the story.

4) Write on a character whom I think is exemplary

In the Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character whom I think is exemplary is The Old

Lady of the forest. Throughout the novel, she shows strength of character and wisdom.

When she first moves to the village as a newlywed, she is popular among the villagers

and she enjoys a blissful marital life with her husband. Everything changes as her husband who

becomes an alcoholic starts to abuse her and finally she retaliates and kills him. From then on,

the villagers treat her like an outcast. She is forced to move out of the village and makes an

abandoned house her home. She lives alone for years until she befriends Azreen and becomes her

mentor and will console her whenever she has a fight with her parents.

When Asraf approaches The Old Lady for help, she is hesitant about going back to the

village. Yet she agrees and doing so, she puts her life at risk. When she is trapped in the burning

house, she tells Azreen to save herself and she perishes in the fire. Even at death’s door, she

reminds Azreen about the importance of forgiveness and tells her to heed all the advice she has

given her.

The Old Lady is therefore an exemplary character as she is strong, wise and honourable.

5)Based on     the novel The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character that I consider     exemplary is Azreen because she is courageous and brave. She shows resilience and she always fight for what she believes in.

Firstly, Azreen who does not believe the villagers tales about The Old Lady is being

brave by accepting her friend’s challenge to firstly knocking on the door of The Old lady and

then meet her in person.  . Subsequently, she befriends The Old Lady and makes her, her

precious confidante and counselor.

In addition, Azreen is courageous by confronting Puan Normala’s mob outside Mohd

Asraf’s house when Nek once again has fallen ill and died in order to stop her from entering

Nek’s house. Although she is outnumbered, she dares to face Puan Normala’s horde to protect

Nek’s house from them.  Moreover, she confronts a group of men led by Asraf who goes to the

Old lady’s house to seek revenge after Nek dies as they believe the Old lady has poisoned Nek.

It is a dog-eat-dog world out there and we must be brave and courageous to overcome our

daily obstacles and stand for our own rights. We should not be intimidated by our fear and we

must be like Azreen in order to survive the world.

The second exemplary qualities of Azreen is that she portrays resilience throughout the

story and she constantly fights for what she believes in. This can be seen when Azreen does not

give up and is determine and resilience to seek the truth of Madhuri’s death even though others

do not want to tell her the truth. She asks Asraf and The Old Lady about Madhuri’s death and

slowly gather evidences and finally she knows the truth about Madhuri’s killing.

In her village, a woman should be conservative and well mannered but Azreen is a

contrast to that and thus she is hated but she ignores the villagers’ perception of her, as she

believes that women have their own rights. This can be seen as she befriends Asraf and joins the

boys’ hockey team and similarly makes The Old Lady her best friend.

In this cruel world, we must stand for our own right and fight for what we believe in. We

must follow Azreen’s resilience to make this world a better place.

6)Write on a character that I admire / like

The novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann is very interesting. The character I like the most is

Azreen. Azreen is from Langkawi. She studies in London. Her father is Salleh Ghani. Her sister

is Madhuri. Madhuri is not Azreen real sister. I like Azreen because she is responsible. She

takes care of her sick mother. She bathes and feeds her mother. When Old Lady vegetable garden

is trampled, she repairs it.

Azreen is determined. She always studies hard. She also wants to find Madhuri’s

murderer. She does not give up. Finally, she finds out the truth. Azreen is also brave and

courageous. She is Old Lady’s friend. She is not afraid of the stories. The villagers say she is a

witch. Azreen does not care. It is not true. When Old Lady’s house is in fire, Azreen wants to

rescue her. She is really brave.

I like Azreen because she is a loyal. She defends Mohamad Asraf. She says she opens the

gate of the farm. Azreen is a strong girl. I wish I have a friend like her. When her mother’s

basket is damaged, she takes the blame. Azreen wants to protect the people she loves.

Azreen is responsible, determined, brave and loyal. Those are the reasons why I like her.

She is a good role model.

EVENTS

1)There are many interesting events in the novel you have read. Write about an event or incident that you think is important or that you will never forget. Give reasons to substantiate your answer.

          The novel I have read is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. I think the incident when Mohd Asraf tells Azreen that he and Madhuri were in a relationship is important in the novel The Curse. Here are a few reasons to substantiate my answer.

           First and foremost, this piece of news is shocking to Azreen as she has always liked Mohd Asraf from her school days. She even joined Mohd Asraf’s hockey team so she could spend more time with him. Though she knew that Mohd Asraf was taken up by Madhuri’s beauty and always praised her syair recitals, she never knew that Madhuri too, had feelings for him as she had never mentioned it to anyone before. 

          Secondly, this event adds a twist to the story as Madhuri agreed to the idea of getting a divorce from Haji Ghani and run away from the village with Mohd Asraf to Kuala Lumpur where he will be furthering his studies. This should never have happened in the first place as Madhuri is already married to Haji Ghani, the village headman.

         Thirdly, with this revelation, Azreen is able to understand what Madhuri had intended to tell her in the letter she had written to her before she died. She also realised that Madhuri has not been happy with her marriage. This is because, to many, she seems to be living a perfect family life. Nobody knows what she is going through.

        In conclusion, this incident is very important and I will never forget this incident because it makes the story more interesting. From this incident, I also learn that people are not always as they seem to be so we should not judge them just based on what they portray.

MORAL VALUES

There are many moral values found in The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is set in an island off

Langkawi Island. The Curse revolves around the events surrounding the death of a village girl,

Madhuri, who is also the adopted sister of the main character, Azreen.

The first moral value is bravery. This value is shown by Azreen. First, even as a young

girl she takes challenges and tries to prove to her friends that the Old Lady is not an evil witch.

When she is yelled at for entering the Old Lady’s house and destroying her vegetable garden,

Azreen bravely defends herself. In fact, she returns the next day and repairs the trampled garden.

Her action wins the Old Lady’s heart.

The second evidence is when Azreen bravely takes the blame for Mohd Asraf in the bull

incident. She demonstrates courage.The same bull later injures her mother’s leg causing he to

lose the use of her leg. She was blamed and scolded by her father as well as the villagers. She

bravely endures that and never tells anyone of what really happened.

Her bravery is once again tested. The third event that displays her bravery is when she

tries to tackle the angry mob who are about to attack the the Old Lady. When the Old Lady’s

house is in fire, Azreen tries to rescue the Old Lady but at the end she has to be rescued by her

father. When the Old Lady dies in the tragic fire, she confronts Mohd Asraf like a wildcat.

Finally, towards the end of the story, she finds out the secret that her father has been

keeping. She confronts her father about Madhuri’s murder until he is forced to confess about the

truth. She is very brave to confront people whom she knows have done wrong to others. At the

same time she is very brave when defending herself and the people she loves.

Write about a moral value you have learnt   in the story. Support   your answer with evidence from   the novel

The novel that I choose is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is about the mysterious death of Azreen’s adopted sister, Madhuri, and how Azreen goes through everything to find out the truth behind the death. A moral value that I have leant in the story is bravery.

This value is shown by Azreen. First, even as a young girl she takes challenges and tries to prove to her friends that the Old Lady is not an evil witch. When she is yelled at for entering the Old Lady’s house and destroying her vegetable garden, Azreen bravely defends herself. In fact, she returns the next day and repairs the trampled garden. Her action wins the Old Lady’s heart.

The second evidence is when Azreen bravely takes the blame for Mohd Asraf in the bull incident. She demonstrates courage. The same bull later injures her mother’s leg causing her to paralyze. She was blamed and scolded by her father as well as the villagers. She bravely endures that and never tells anyone of what really happened.

The third event that displays her bravery is when she tries to tackle the angry people who are about to attack the the Old Lady. When the Old Lady’s house is in fire, Azreen tries to rescue the Old Lady but at the end she has to be rescued by her father. When the Old Lady dies in the tragic fire, she confronts Mohd Asraf like a wildcat.

Finally, towards the end of the story, she finds out the secret that her father has been keeping. She confronts her father about Madhuri’s murder until he is forced to confess about the truth.As conclusion, bravery is the moral value that I have learnt through Azreen. For me, Azreen is very brave to confront people whom she knows have done wrong to others. At the same time she is very brave when defending herself and the people she loves.