WELCOME TO TESL POWER HSBM. I BELIEVE THAT LEARNING IS A NEVER ENDING PROCESS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DROP YOUR COMMENTS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THIS BLOG. THANK YOU.

MS MARIA LIZA LATIFF

Saturday, June 28, 2014

SAMPLE QUESTIONS- PT3 2014 (ENGLISH LANGUAGE)




it's her birthday...



It’s her birthday
Time for the celebration
of one’s personhood
I need to get her something special
To cheer her up and boost her mood

Her birth date is engraved
in my heart and mind
It is well kept and saved
In a place where only I can find

Each year I try to call her without fail
The same wishes might go stale
To make her smile and
brighten her day
Why not surprise her in my own way?

I browse the net searching for florist
I know none which is in my list
I spend hours to search for the best
Bloom is the best and I leave the rest

Is that necessary one may ask
Wasting your time on unnecessary task
For years asking for her home address
She did not bother to give but I’m not stressed
As I love her and
she deserves the best…


MLPML

 


 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

When you are not a writer...

When I first ventured into the world of blogs (2009), I tried to get some pictures of how it would be like to have my own blog. For your information, my first ever written blog (which lasted for 2 years) was technically taken down and no longer exist after I did something really silly and I don't wish to talk about it. It took me some time to start from scratch again.

I don't know much about blogs and being a slow learner, I need a teacher who can be patient with me and repeat things a few times. I find that Mr You Tube is really very helpful all the time. I learn about different widgets for blogs, how to embed slideshow, and many other tips and tricks which are useful for my blog.

Looking  at my blog now gives me a sense of satisfaction, it is an achievement, but I'm still not happy about it. I find that it is empty without my own voice in it. I should be writing something...
 I have this problem... in which I always feel that I'm not really good in expressing myself, especially in writing. Sometimes I wonder how some people can so easily and freely write on various topics. Honestly, I see the use of words as a form of luxury that is open to everyone but only few really know how to utilise it well, while others abuse it to create the impacts that they desire.

Still considering myself as a beginner or novice in the bloggers' world, I am indecisive whether I should continue writing or not. Isn't it easier to just share what others have beautifully penned down rather than to crack my head searching for ideas to start writing?...What I write may be read by others- perhaps those who accidentally being routed to this blog in their search for some information. I don't think I'm going to impress anyone with my writings and that is certainly not the reason I write. I AM NOT A WRITER...and I do not wish to jump on the bandwagon- writing in blogs as everyone else is doing it. So, why am I writing now?
I guess, I just need my own space and my own voice, for my own sake...I live in my own world...how selfish does that sound huh?...




MLPML






  

Saturday, June 14, 2014

UNDERSTANDING FORM 5 POEM- ARE YOU STILL PLAYING YOUR FLUTE by Zurinah Hassan

SYNOPSIS


This poem is told from a first person point of view, where the persona, reminisces her feeling of guilt, missing the beautiful melody of the bamboo flute played by her beloved long ago. She later questions and wonders if the flute is still being played now, as the village is now under populated and the paddy field is in a deplorable state. She mentions that, nowadays, relaxing and savoring the beauty of nature is a rare luxury. In the final stanza, she questions for the third time, whether her beloved is still playing the flute.  This time around, she admits that she couldn’t help but on the contrary, she feels guilty to be thinking of their love at their difficult times. The hardships portrayed here are unemployed young men, people disunited by politics and a ‘dying’ world.


Setting
The poem is set in a rural Malay village, which is undergoing a change. It is a quiet and deserted village. The paddy fields looked barren. Nevertheless, the ‘luxuries’, such as watching the rain, gazing at the evening rays, collecting dew drops and enjoying the fragrance of the flower, still exist in the rural.
Themes

·         Adapting to changes. This is inevitable. We need to adapt to all kinds of social, economic and political changes. In this poem, the flutist is aloof to changes happening around him.  
·         Love and appreciate the arts.
·         Love and appreciate the arts.
Moral Values
·         Aware of your family commitment.
Everyone needs to take responsibility to the changes that take place in life and act accordingly. The flutist does not succumb to the changes around him. He clings on to his roots. He is not aware of his family commitments. The persona, his former lover has progressed in life while he still leads his conventional lifestyle.  

·         Get your priorities right.
Eg: Village nowadays is left quiet and deserted. Rice fields are left barren, but the flutist continues to play his flute. He needs to realize there is time to play and time to work. Hence, one must get his priorities right.

Literary Devices

·         Point of View
Written in first person point of view

·         Structure
3 Stanzas (1st stanza- 9 lines; 2nd stanza – 8 lines; 3rd stanza – 8 lines)

·         Rhyme Scheme
Free Verse



Repetition
·         In this poem the question “Are you still playing your flute?” is repeated three times.
            Each time, the question is asked in a different tone.
·         The word ‘my’ repeated in stanza 3, line 5-7. This emphasises how the persona care for people who are close to her.

Personification: Portrays human suffering

·         ‘the sick rice field’
·         ‘this world is too old and bleeding’

Metaphor: sick rice field (stanza 2, line 3)

·         The word ‘sick’ is used to describe the rice field. This gives us an idea that the rice field is barren.

Symbol

·         Flute is a symbol of solace or comfort.

Tone

·         First stanza, the persona is longing to hear her beloved playing his flute.
·         Second stanza, nostalgic, when the persona recalls how she used to enjoy the luxury of nature.
·         Third stanza, the persona sounds worried as she addresses the violence that is taking place around her.

Diction is used to illustrate the persona’s idea.

·         Stanza 1, line 1-9 explains how the music from the flute by the flutist mesmerized the persona.
·         Stanza 2, line 2-8, the beauty of nature is emphasized.

Alliteration of the sound /f/

·         ….fragrance of flowers
Language and style
  • Rhetorical question
  • Descriptive and questioning
  • Simple style and no rhyme
 

UNDERSTANDING FORM 5 POEM - NATURE by Hugh Doston Carberry

Nature
We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-
Magnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.
                                                                                    H.D.Carberry


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Hugh Doston Carberry, 1921-1989, was educated at Jamaica College before going to Oxford University. He worked as a Barrister of Law and was later appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, where he remained until his retirement at the age of 67.


Synopsis
This poem is about celebration. It is a descriptive poem about the changing scenes. It celebrates the richness of the land’s produce and how alive and plentiful Nature is. However, amidst the harsh rain and lashing wind, things are always bright and glorious when the sun shines again. 


SETTING

The poem is set in Jamaica. The poet uses nature and describes the weather being hot and wet. The poet also uses trees, bushes, flowers, and fruits to portray nature as alive and abundant. The weather is seen as bright and sunny with flowers in full bloom. If it turns wet with its torrential rain and gushing wind, or when water swirls on the ground and nature is in mayhem, it will all eventually pass. He shares his enthusiasm and gratitude and appreciation for nature as the poem ends.


TONE AND MOOD

H.D. Carberry uses a joyful and casual tone. He celebrates nature using words like ‘gold’, ‘magnificent’, stars’ and ‘beauty’. His light-hearted mood invites the readers to celebrate Jamaica’s opulent nature.


THEME

1)            Celebrating nature yet be humbled by it

The wonder of nature should be admired and revered as its power is limitless and unpredictable. Weather changes in a wink of an eye, latent one moment and the other, unleashing its destructive force. The same weather can be stagnant one moment and the next revitalizing the earth with growth and beauty the next.

2)            Cycle of life

Though, we are saddened at the passing of beauty and life, we must learn that it is the natural cycle of life. Nature has its moments of life and death; moments of construction and destruction. When the struggle is over, we will see the rejuvenated nature blossoming itself.

3)            Appreciating one’s country

Life in one’s country has its share of ups and downs but one must always look at the brighter side of life. In this poem, the poet stresses on his country’s weather being sunny, rainy and windy. He mentions its produce of mango and honey, and the beauty of its canefields and the openness of the countryside. The poet states that we must appreciate what we have.