Tanjung Rhu

SETTING

• Published in 1986, the story is set in Singapore and the time frame goes back and forth
between the present (after the death of Ah-Ma) and the past (before the death of Ah-Ma).
• The most important location mentioned is Tanjong Rhu, a shipping port in Singapore
where Mr Li
grew up. In the present day, it is filled with tall buildings and skyscrapers. However, eighty
years
ago, Tanjong Rhu only had small shipyards where fishing boats were built. Mr Li's father
owned such a shipyard.
• Mr Li's office is located on the 18th floor above Shenton Way, a central business district
in Singapore.
• Mr Li has a big house with many rooms, a garden and a swimming pool. He first shows
the binoculars to his mother in the garden.
•An important part of the house is the altar room, where Ah-Ma performs her daily prayers.
• The hospital where Ah-Ma passes away is also mentioned in the story.

CHARACTERS
Mr T. W. Li
• A successful businessman in the shipping sector
• Has a happy childhood with his family in Tanjong Rhu
• Happy family life - wife, son and daughter
• Close relationship with his mother but does not open up to her easily
• Modern in his ways and ideas - takes pride in his modern ways - makes sure no one is
about when he bows to show respect to his dead parents
• Tolerant - does not interfere in his mother's traditional ways
• Meticulous - keeps track of number of ships every day by counting them
• Patient and respectful - waits for mother to finish prayers although he had to leave for
office - does not hurry her
• Filial - made sure funeral of mother is done in the right way - full of customs and traditions
• Strict and does not entertain disrespect from the young - expects daughter to respect elders
• Regrets not talking to Ah Ma and never listening when she talked

Mr Li's mother (Ah-Ma)

• Small and thin with grey hair and a bent back
• A mother of nine, grandmother of thirty-four and great-grandmother of seventeen
• Has cataracts but does not want to have surgery to fix it
• Speaks Cantonese
• A traditional woman who still keeps chickens in the garden and practises the old
Chinese customs and rituals
• Particular and meticulous when it comes to taking care of the altar and performing her
prayers
• Yearns to see Tanjong Rhu, where she used to live years ago
• A simple woman who is content with what she has
• Seems to belong in the past as she is often lost in memories and likes to relate stories of the
past
Ying
• Daughter of Mr Li and Helen
• Has an older brother at Cambridge University
• Is soon leaving for New York
• Speaks English to her father and Cantonese to her grandmother
• Loves her grandmother, whom she calls Popo, and is very close to her
• Affectionate towards her grandmother
• Takes the customs and rituals lightly and does not seem to acknowledge the importance of
it
• Takes care of her grandmother at the hospital and gives her blood
• Very anxious that her grandmother is dying

Helen
• Wife of Mr Li
• Often has tea parties with her friends
• Seems to like socialising

Mr Li's father
• Used to own a shipyard where he built boats in Tanjong Rhu
• Died at the age of 53
• Upon his death, his wife offers daily prayers to him in the altar room and sometimes even
talks to him

Mr Li's son
• Unnamed in the story
• Soon to complete his studies at Cambridge University

THEMES
Seeing

It tells us how the different generations view or 'see' their culture. 1 examines the relationship
between a successful businessman named Mr L and his mother, and looks into the different
meanings of'seeing'. Mr Li look: at material goods as sources of happiness and a better life. He buys
a pair o binoculars for his mother, who has cataracts, to see clearly. Mr Li assume* his mother needs
a pair of binoculars to see more clearly so that the rest of her life would be more comfortable. But
his mother sees Tanjong Rhu, not literally, but metaphorically, as the place where the children had
grown up.

Tradition vs modernism
• Mr Li's mother values the importance of traditional practice. Everything must be done
properly and she must 'tell' his father about visiting her son's place of work. In Chinese
traditions, praying to the ancestor and the dead is important to every family.

• Mr Li, his wife, Helen, and daughter, Ying, are moulded in modernism. Mrs Li plays host
to her high society friends with her tea sessions, and Ying speaks in English with her father
but in Cantonese with her grandmother.
Generation gap
A picture of a big generation gap arises, with a conservative mother who refuses to have her
eyes 'cut open', a severe and slightly self-centred father who always assumes young people do
not respect the elders and a naive daughter who openly shows her feelings and opinions
without considering her audiences. This generation gap is a result of modernisation eating
into old ways, causing each generation to misunderstand the next. It is a common situation
faced by people living in rapidly growing societies.

Leaving
1. Aloo

 youngest child in the family-doing his final year in school.

 a good student who does well in school examinations,straight As.
 is inspired by a former teacher who returns from America for a visit to think o
furthering his education overseas in America.
 not keen on studying agriculture at a local university
 diligent-writes to universities to get necessary information for further studies
 ambitious-wants to study medicine
 extremely happy when offered a scholarship to study in California Institute of
Technology
 spirited and courageous-willing to do part-time work while studying
 tries to convince other that he will definitely return to his homeland after his studies
 obedient-willing to accept mother's decision-does not speak about overseas
education and prepares to study agriculture locally
 could not suppress his excitement when mother finally allows him to go overseas
 writes from London to mother-letter so full of excitement creates doubts in mother's
mind about the future.

2. Mother

 mother of the five children and runs a store in Uhuru Street-single-handedly raises
five children after early death of husband
 Aloo's mother became a widow at thirty-three and had refused ever since to marry for
fear that the next husband would ask her to take her children to the 'boarding'
 thinks of the children's future-willing to sacrifice for them -closes down the store and
moves family to a quieter part of town-better environment for studying-a big change for her
 ambitious about her children's education-wants them to do well
 afraid to let youngest son go for overseas education-afraid he might not return
home,take a European wife or forget his roots
 at the same time wise or understanding about situation-children have to grow up and
leave home one day-but hopes to hold on to them as long as possible
 loving and caring-take steps to ensure youngest son leave for further studies with a
happy frame of mind
 after receiving letter from Aloo who writes letter from London-feels unsure that Aloo
will return to hometown in Tanzania
Minor characters
1. Aloo's sibling (narrator)

 second youngest in family and studying in a local university

 supportive of and understands Aloo's needs to study overseas and not in local
university
 loving and caring of mother and understands mother's refusal to allow Aloo to study
overseas
 observant-observes mother's face and sees her as a person and not just as their
mother-recalls mother's worried unsmiling face looking after them in her own
2. Mr Datoo

 a former teacher in Aloo's school-came back from America for a visit

 it was his visit that inspired Aloo to think about his future-of studying overseas in
America
3. Mr Velji

 a school officer who gives an objective comment about Aloo's studies overseas
 knows that Aloo will get a good education but fears mother may lose a son
 has an understanding look when he reads the content of Aloo's letter from London

Themes
1. Mother's love
2. Separation from loved ones
3. Seizing opprtunities
4. Sacrifice/Selflessness
5. The importance of education
6. Fear of the unfamiliar
7. courage and strength to stand up to one's principles
8. determination brings success
9. parental sacrifice for family members
10. .letting go of family members to let them become independent
11. willingness to gain new experience and exposure

Moral Values
1. Hard work and patience will be rewarded
2. Good education is very important
3. we must not let opportunities pass us by.
4. We must be grateful to our parents.
5. We must try not to be judgmental about the things we do not understand
 MODEL RESPONSE
Leaving by M.G. Vasasanji is the short sory I learnt. This story is about Aloo a young
boy who wants to pursue his studies in America. Aloo is the youngest child in a single-parent
family. Aloo is a bright student and he is inspired to go to America after his ex-teacher Mr
Datoo talks so much about America. His mother does not take him seriously until a well-
known university, California Institute of Technology offers him a place there with full
scholarship. Seeing her son's determination, finally with heavy heart, Mother relents to Aloo
and allow him to go to America. There are many characters that I admire in the story. The
character that I admire the most is Mother because she is determine , caring and loving and
selfless.

The first reason why I admire Mother the most is because she is a determine woman
because she always put her children first. She is a single mother with five children. Her
husband passed away when she was thirty-three. This is shown in the story when she
chooses to stay with her children rather than remarry and loses them. She sold her shop
after her daughter Razia was married. She wanted her sons the narrator and Aloo to study
hard. She moved from Uhuru, a noisy and busy palace to Upanga. She became a tailor in
Upanga. She hoped for the two youngest children, her flesh and blood to to excel in their
studies. Upanga was a quiet place, with wild land and tall trees was a perfect place for her
sons to study. As we can clearly see now Mother is a determined woman because
she always put her children first.
Next, Mother is loving and caring. She feels sad when her children leave her. She finds it
difficult to let Aloo go to America. This is shown in the story when she told Aloo that she
cannot afford to send him to America. Three thousand shillings was a large amount of
money. Aloo was very upset. Aloo was the apple of her eyes. Seeing her son's
disappointment, Mother sought advices from Mr Velji. Mr Velji was very impressed when he
learnt that Aloo got flying colour results in his examinations. Mr Velji told Mother that going
to America would be good for Aloo's future but added that she might lose Aloo as he
might not return to Upanga. She decided to let her son to go to America after listening to Mr
Velji advises. It is as clear as day that Mother is a loving and caring person.
Lastly, I admire Mother because she is selfless because she allows Aloo to go to America.
Mother asks Aloo to show her the prospectus of the university. Aloo eagerly shows her the
prospectus and tells her he can learn everything there. This is shown in the story when she
thought deeply about the offer Aloo received. Aloo was a very ambitious boy who wanted a
better life for himself. He did not want to venture into agriculture in the local university. He
sought for a better opportunity and was ecstatic to receive the scholarship to study in
California Institute of Technology. He hungered to learn more. Letting Aloo to go to America
depicts her selflessness as she knew he would be devastated is she refused him. Mother
also feared that Aloo would pick up negatives habits. She sternly warned Aloo not to marry
with a white woman and stayed away from smoking and drinking. Even knowing that she
might never see him again, Mother decided to let him go to America. Now we can see that
Mother is selfless because she allows Aloo to go to America.
In a nutshell, the character that I admire the most is Mother. There are many various
reasons why I admire her such as she is determine , caring and loving and selfless. The
character teaches me to be determined, caring and loving and selfless.
 MODEL RESPONSE
Leaving by M.G. Vasasanji is the short sory I learnt. This story is about Aloo a young
boy who wants to pursue his studies in America. Aloo is the youngest child in a single-parent
family. Aloo is a bright student and he is inspired to go to America after his ex-teacher Mr
Datoo talks so much about America. His mother does not take him seriously until a well-
known university, California Institute of Technology offers him a place there with full
scholarship. Seeing her son's determination, finally with heavy heart, Mother relents to Aloo
and allow him to go to America. There are many themes that is potrayed in the story. One
of the theme is fear of separation. Mother fears that as the children grow up they will leave
the family home.
The first reason to be highlighted is Mother does not want to be separated from her
children. Her husband passed away when she was thirty-three. She becomes a single
mother with five children at the age of thirty three. This is shown in the story when she
chooses to stay with her children rather than remarry and loses them. She sold her shop
after her daughter Razia was married. She wanted her sons the narrator and Aloo to study
hard. She moved from Uhuru, a noisy and busy palace to Upanga. She became a tailor in
Upanga. She hoped for the two youngest children, her flesh and blood to to excel in their
studies. Upanga was a quiet place, with wild land and tall trees was a perfect place for her
sons to study. As we can clearly see now Mother fears of being separated with her
children because she always put her children first.
Next, Mother feels upset about being separated with her children. She feels sad when
her children leave her. She finds it difficult to let Aloo go to America. This is shown in the
story when she told Aloo that she cannot afford to send him to America. Three thousand
shillings was a large amount of money. Aloo was very upset. Aloo was the apple of her
eyes. Seeing her son's disappointment, Mother sought advices from Mr Velji. Mr Velji was
very impressed when he learnt that Aloo got flying colour results in his examinations. Mr
Velji told Mother that going to America would be good for Aloo's future but added that she
might lose Aloo as he might not return to Upanga. She decided to let her son to go to
America after listening to Mr Velji advises. It is as clear as day that Mother fears separation
but relents to Aloo's dreams.
Lastly, Mother fears of the separation with Aloo. Mother asks Aloo to show her the
prospectus of the university. Aloo eagerly shows her the prospectus and tells her he can
learn everything there. This is shown in the story when she thought deeply about the offer
Aloo received. Aloo was a very ambitious boy who wanted a better life for himself. He did not
want to venture into agriculture in the local university. He sought for a better opportunity and
was ecstatic to receive the scholarship to study in California Institute of Technology. He
hungered to learn more. Letting Aloo to go to America depicts her selflessness as she knew
he would be devastated is she refused him. . She feared of the unknown especially the
Western countries and people. Mother also feared that Aloo would pick up negatives
habits. She sternly warned Aloo not to marry with a white woman and stayed away from
smoking and drinking. Even knowing that she might never see him again, Mother decided to
let him go to America. Now we can see that Mother fears the separation because she might
not see Aloo again.
In a nutshell, everyone fears separation. There are various reasons why Mother fears to
be separated from her children because she loves her children very much. Mother fears that
as the children grow up they will leave the family home.
1. Where is the setting of the poem?
The battlefield
2. Which line in the poem tells us that the soldiers obeyed the order without question?
"theirs not to reason why"
3. Why do you think the line "Rode the six hundred" is repeated many times in the poems?
to emphasise that the 600 soldiers sacrificed their life on that day in the battlefield
4. Give one quality that you admire about the soldiers. Give a reason for your response.
Loyal as they follow orders.
5. What is the command given to the soldiers?
to charge forward and fight the enemies
6. Give an example of a metaphor used in the poem.
the valley of death
7. Which line in the poem tells the reader that the command was a mistakes?
someone had blundered
8. What do you think is the outcome of the battle? Support your response with evidence from the poem.
Many soldiers die. The phrase into the jaw of death shows that many of them will die in the battle.
9. In stanza 1, who is speaking to the soldiers?
the leader/captain
10. In stanza 2, what does the line, "theirs but to do and die" tell us about?
the soldiers are loyal and courageous
11. What happened to the soldiers in stanza 3?
they were attacked by the enemies
12. What emotions does the poem evoke? What do you feel as you read it? Support your response with
evidence from the poem.
Sympathetic. full of sympathy as many soldiers die in the battlefield.
13. In stanza 2, which phrase in the poem means to go forward over a set distance?
"Forward the Light Brigade"
14. What were the soldiers told to do when they rode into the valley of death?
"Charge for the gun"
15. Why do you think the soldiers followed the order even is it would cause their death?
They are loyal
16. Despite being attacked from all sides, the soldiers continued on. What consequences would the
soldiers have to face if they decided to retreat? Provide reason for your answer.
Death.The soldiers should never go against the leader and always follow orders
17. Why do yo think the persona asked whether there was " a man dismayed"?
some of the soldiers are not courageous and have weak heart/ will/spirit
18. There are many jobs today that require people to be brave. Give another example of a job that
requires bravery. Provide reason for your answer.
Policeman. They need to fight for justice.
19. In stanza 2, which word in the poem means 'made a mistake'?
" blundered"
20. What is the theme of the poem?
courage
21. What is the Light Brigade?
a division in the army
22. Give one example of personification used in the poem?
"the jaw of death"
23. What does the Valley of Death symbolises?
battlefield/a place where battle/ war takes palace/ a place where army fight enemies/ a place where
armies fight enemies and many of them die
24. Which word in Stanza 2 means "mistake"?
blundered
25. How many soldiers were involved in the war?
600 soldiers
26. Suggest two ways to protect your country?
1. Be patriotic
2. Cherish these natural wonders/cherish the natural resources/ cherish the history and romance as a
sacred heritage for your children and your children's children.
3. Be loyal to one's country
27. How do you feel about war? Provide a reason to support your response.
I dislike war. Many people die in the war.
 1. About which war was "The Charge of the Light Brigade "written?
The Crimean War
2. According to the first stanza of "The Charge of the Light Brigade", how many British forces
rode into the battle?
Six hundred

3. In stanza one, what does the phrase “the Valley of Death” refer to?
The valley where the British soldiers rode/ the battle occurred/battle field/ battle field where the
army died

4. Why do you think the poet refers the valley as “The Valley of Death”?
It is because the soldiers knew that they were going to lose in the battle and they would die.

5. Why did the soldiers ride to their death?

They had to obey their commander’s order.

6. In stanza 1, what was the light brigade ordered to do?

They were ordered to move forward on a frontal assault against a well-armed Russian soldiers/ to
attack the Russian soldiers

7. What kind of weapons did the Light Brigade have?

Spears, swords and bows

8. What weapons did their opponents/enemies have?

Cannons, rifles

9. In stanza 2, what does the word ‘dismayed’ suggest?

It means to lose your courage/ to be overcome by terror or sadness

10. Did the British soldiers feel discouraged? Why?

No, they did not. It was because they were carrying out their duty and if they were to die, they
would die with honour/ They had to obey the command of their leader.

11. In stanza 2, what does the line “Someone had blundered” suggests?
The commanding officer had made a stupid and clumsy mistake by ordering them to charge the
well- prepared Russian soldiers/ the leader had made a mistake in giving order

12. Write the meanings of the following lines:

i. Theirs not to reply :
The soldiers must not talk back to their commanders.
ii. Theirs not to reason why :
They must follow the orders without asking why.
iii. Theirs but to do and die:
All they could do was to ride and fight and possibly die in the battle.

13. Who won the battle?

The Russian soldiers
14. Give two adjectives to describe the six hundred men?
Courageous/ brave/ noble/ heroic/ loyal/ patriotic/obedient
15. In Stanza 1 the phrase valley of Death means
Death awaiting/to die/no escape from clutches of death
16. In Stanza 1 which word means “to advance”?
Forward
17. In stanza 2 who has made the mistakes that caused the tragedy?
 The leader of the troop/ the commander/ office in-charge
18. There are many ways to show our love towards our nation. Suggest two ways.
i. Contribute towards nation building by being a good citizen
ii. Be united and uphold justice in our country.

19. If you were in the army and your commander told you to fight in a battle where you would most
likely die, what would you do? Why?
20. Do you believe that war is sometimes necessary? Why?
21. Is it noble to follow orders without asking questions? Why?
22. From Stanza 1, what was the command given?
Forward the light brigade
23. From Stanza 2, which line shows the evidence that the soldiers had followed orders?
Theirs not to make reply/theirs not to reason why/ theirs but to do and die
24. From Stanza 2, where do you think the battle take place?
In the Valley of Death