ONLINE TASK 2

ONLINE TASK 2

Do we have a canon for Malaysian literary works? Let's say we do, who do you think are in it? Consider the fact that their works are well-known and most importantly included as part of the school syllabus- (both in BM and English).

Yes we do have a canon for Malaysian literary works. Definitely the Education Ministry and university professors from the literature departments. Writers like Ali Majod, Heidi Munan and Che Husna Azhari have their shorts stories used in the form I component.
 

 

 Do you think they are suitable to teach at the secondary school level? Explain.

Personally, I think nothing wrong in using Erica Jong’s poems in class, but the teacher has to make sure she understands the poems before using them as literary materials.  Students should be exposed to feminist issues not only by local writers but also by foreign writers. 
They can compare and contrast two poets and their style of writing.

Is Hillary Tham's poem more suitable?

Hillary Tham’s poems/ works can be used together with Erica Jong’s.

The short tale from the Native American group is about a girl who is unsatisfied with her life. How is this a universal experience? Can it teach our students anything?

This short tale can teach our students about self-value the importance of listening to our elders.  Respecting our elders is a universal code and one must always be content with what we have is something which is understood universally.

From internet sources find out more about Langston Hughes.

From your findings about his background, tell me about the dilemma he conveys through the poem CROSS.

 In this poem, Langston Hughes( both his parents were blacks; but he understood what people felt with mix heritage)  tries to convey his turmoil of having mixed parents and his heritage. He is neither black nor white. His is angry with his parents but forgives them. Forgiving them has not solved his dilemma or that him being persecuted for no reasons.

I find "Dinner Guest: Me" laden with irony and sarcasm. Briefly state if you feel the same.

The poem is definitely oozing with sarcasm and irony. The irony part is where the white man is dining with a Negro in a fancy restaurant, eating food which has fancy names. Even though the white man is talking, but it clearly that he is uncomfortable and embarrassed to be seen dining with a Negro. To the poet, all these fancy frills have no impact on him because he is still seen as a slave in the eyes of many.

The experience in the poem Harlem is one that is true for many people. Do you agree?

Yes I totally agree. It was very had for the blacks even after the Civil War. Even though they were free, but they still mistreated and looked down upon by the whites. The segregation between the whites and blacks were evident in many public places as schools, public toilets and even public transportations. They black were given menial jobs and were not treated with respect. I read the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett which is based on true events in Mississippi.

Langston Hughes fights for the voice of his people. What is the movement called?

Langston Hughes, 1902-1967: The Poet Voice of African-Americans