Barrion, Reahwin

Castillo, Jehiel
Concepcion, Angelica

Have a glimpse of Brunei (surf the net). What is it famous for? What government does it have?
What is its foremost product? What are your thoughts about it after having a glimpse of it?

Check the use of the word in the fiction

 distraught
o very upset : so upset that you are not able to think clearly or behave normally
 Only a number of distraught old mothers remained, weeping and wishing
they were dead.
 conflagration
o a large destructive fire
 Two conflagrations of fire were seen about a hundred and forty-two yards
from the burnt houses.
 suspended
o to stop (something) for a usually short period of time
 He raised his face and stared far ahead and saw sparks of fire flickering
as if they were suspended in the darkness of the night.
 mist
o water in the form of very small drops floating in the air or falling as rain
 He was out early the following day in the mist of the morning dew.
 stumps
o the basal portion of a bodily part remaining after the rest is removed
 Amidst the haze, black stumps could be seen still rooted to the earth.
 Smouldering
o burning slowly without flames but usually with smoke
 In his imagination, he saw fire smouldering wildly outside, burning every
grass and twig on the beach and rising to the treetop.
 derrick
o a tall tower that is built over an oil well and used to support and guide the tool
that is used to dig the hole and get oil out of the ground
 Having nothing to say, he proceeded to climb the derrick
 taunting
o to reproach or challenge in a mocking or insulting manner
 Their stares were taunting.
 Emblazoned
o to write or draw (a name, picture, etc.) ona surface so that it can be seen very
clearly
 Yazid secured his safety buckle and wiped off his sweat, the shadow of
the derrick’s poles emblazoned across his chest.
 protrude
o to cause to project
 The veins on Jamal’s forehead would protrude when he spoke loudly or
whenever he opened his mouth wide.
 akimbo
o having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward
 William stood with arms akimbo
 frantic
 o feeling or showing a lot of fear and worry
 The labourers were frantic.

Character Analysis:
1. What role does Yasid play in the story? Is it major or minor?
 Yasid is a major character in the story because most of the dialogue and inner thinking
happens with the Yasid and he is the central to the main plot.
2. Who does he interact with? Who is/ are important to Yasid?
 Yasid is interacting with his friends which are also oilfield labourers especially to Jamil
whom he had a deep talks. His co-workers are important to Yasid. And also an old-man
because we can see how much he cared for him.
3. What possessions does Yasid have?
 Yasid had a house, shoes, helmet, and safety buckle as we can notice in the story.
4. What character is Yasid?
 For me, Yazid is a round character having complex traits and distinct personality,
background, and motive. He was physically and mentally strong because even if he was
one of the victims of fire and had visions of the dead old man, he managed to go to the
graveyard and work at the oilfield by climbing the derrick.
5. What words are used to describe Yasid?
 The author described Yasid as:
o Covered with coal dust his naked feet had turned black.
o Very high-spirited
o Full of praise for the happiness and peace.
o head white, covered with dew
o steps were slow
o He had been troubled since morning.
o Very careful with his steps
6-7. Pick out notable actions and dialogues of Yasid. Do the same with other characters.

CHARACTER ACTION DIALOGUE

Yasid He was cursing the fate of his village At the very least I have the
right to put out the fire that had
destroyed my house.

Yazid looked at the horizon that split the
sea and the sky. In his heart he could not
understand why Jamal was so scared to
face death.
Easy, wasn’t it?... Death
without having to suffer long
illness.
Everyone dies differently.
Because death is necessary…
to sever something.

Adam Adam offered Yazid a place to stay the You can stay at my place.
night.
Let’s go home. You need to
take a shower and remove all
those worries.

Ghani When he flung a coil of wire to Jamal. Stop right there!

 Jama Jamal quickly shifted his glance to Perhaps his pain was far greater than that
l the greenery nearby. suffered by those having a normal illness.

He threw the wire to Yazid. It is amazing that oil can also be extracted from
the sea.

8. What desires and fears do the characters have?

CHARACTER DESIRE FEAR

S

Yazid I think he wants to fight the
fire that engulfed the village
since he dreamt about it.
His heart stopped when he dreamt of the
falling object from the derrick caused by the
fire that destroyed the village, maybe he is
afraid of falling from it as well, and of the
object itself.

Adam He wanted Yazid to leave Maybe he is afraid that Yazid might be

the village and build a new homeless for a long time.
home, and to remove
Yazid’s worries for 

Jamal Peaceful death Harrowing death

He always wants to be maybe he is afraid of being left behind.

updated and informed with
the company’s strategies
and plans.

9. From your details above, how do you find Yasid, Adam, Jamal, and William?
 Yazid is traumatized by the destruction of his house due to the fire and I think he talks
about death because he witnessed it with his father and one with the old man who was
burnt alive. 
 Adam is a helpful friend. He insisted to give Yasid a shelter and even expressed his
desire to remove his worries.
 Jamal is someone who does not want to feel so much physical pain.
 William might be a curious person.  
10. It was not clear who fell. Who do you think fell? Was it intentional or accident?
 I think Yasid was the one who fell and it was intentional. Because while he was talking to
Jamal, it was stated in the story that Yasid was looking from the top of the derrick down
to its base. Probably, he got an idea that he could kill himself by jumping from the
derrick. In addition, maybe he urged to commit suicide because that was the way why
her father died. Lastly, he is the major character in the story and it was stated at the last
sentence of the story that Minutes later his eyes shut and he turned stiff - pertaining to
Yasid.
Setting:
1. Does the description of the burnt village give you a vivid picture? What words or descriptions
help you picture out the place?
  The description of the burnt village gives us a vivid picture. It was described that there
were two conflagrations of fire that were seen about a hundred and forty-two yards from
the burnt houses. There was a tiny smoke dancing in the haze and nothing was left
untouched by the flames.
2. Go back to the text. Pick out the oilfield or derrick description. Given a chance, would you
work in this place? Support your answer.
 According to the story the oilfield was a hot and humid place and there were tall derricks
there in. And even if I have a chance, I would not like to work in the oilfield because
aside from how hard to work there, I know the risk while working there. And I would not
put my life in danger working in the oilfield.
3. Is the author good enough in making you understand the story place?
 The author is good enough in making the reader understand the story place because he
used adjective that help us to visualize the scenario.

Culture:
1. What cultures of Brunei are shown in the fiction.
 The cultures of Brunei that are sjown in the fiction are how they value their work. They
are also valuing their friendship and they are always there to help each other. Jamal
asked Yasid to stay in his place to take a shower and take a rest.
2. Are there any similarities with the Philippines?
 There are similarities with the Philippines. Like in Brunei, Filipinos known for their
bayanihan. In the story, we can notice that Yasid and Jamal were willing to help to dig
the old man's grave.

Creating with Them:

The fiction is also a cliffhanger. It does not tell who fell. Filipino readers do not like unfinished
stories. Add a concluding paragraph or an ending which fits the flow of the story.

Yazid suddenly awakened by Adam.

"Yazid, get up! We have to work at the derrick!" Adam said to Yazid.
Yazid realized that it was all just a dream. And they hurriedly go to the oilfield and continue
working at the derrick.

On a Personal Note:
Write a short account of how you see life after reading this story.

Undoubtedly, life is beautiful but we have to be prepared to deal with trials and difficulties -
which help us to achieve success. These test the real nature of our soul. We face challenges
that make us strong and live our lives with equanimity and boldness. There is no doubt that
fortune favors the bold.
Therefore, life is not just a bowl of cherries; hardships are also a part of it and should be
accepted by us just as we accept the beautiful side of life.

The hardships remind us of how success and happiness can be tricky and thus not to feel
displeased and discouraged rather remember that these trials are just temporary, and the
beauty of life would soon overcome the trials and tribulations.