Describe one problem faced by the main character.

Give your opinion about the way the

problem was solved.

For this question, I would like to write about Sing to the Dawn by Minfong Ho. This
novel is about two siblings who were having a conflict about a scholarship. The scholarship
would enable a person to study at a better school in the city. Regarding to the question
given, the main character Dawan had to face a problem she had never faced before. This
happened after she was announced as the recipient of the scholarship. Kwai distanced
himself from her and the father was angry as the result. He even accused Dawan of taking
away Kwai’s opportunity to study at the city school. The problem she had was the father
didn’t want to give permission for Dawan to study at the city school.
To solve her problem, Dawan tried a few ways. First, with a suggestion from her
grandmother, Dawan and mother when to meet Noi. This is because Noi had lived and
worked in the city. Plus, they needed Noir to persuade father to give his consent for Dawan
to study at the city. However, Noi was reluctant to do so as she feared, an innocent village
girl like Dawan would be corrupted if she went there alone. Noi’s decision didn’t deter
Dawan’s dream to study at the study. She then tried another way, that is to meet the Head
Monk of the village.
The Head Monk was well respected by the villagers. Dawan hoped he could
persuade father to give permission for her to study at the city. However, the Head Monk
had the same perception towards females in the village, where they should stay at home,
take care of the family instead of going out to find money and do the hard work. Dawan was
quite frustrated but it didn’t bring her down. Then, she had a huge conflict with Kwai at the
market that made Kwai felt terrible of himself. Dawan didn’t get mad long as when she was
in her way home, she saw Kwai sitting alone under the rain without any cover. Worried that
Kwai could catch a cold, she gave her umbrella to Kwai. They went back home together until
they were stopped by father at a junction. Father looked mad and asked both of them to
meet him at home.
Father wanted to meet Dawan and Kwai to discuss on the scholarship. He was mad
because Kwai kept quiet that he got the second place. This means Kwai would get to go if
Dawan was forced to give up on the scholarship. Kwai however defended his sister and
didn’t want to steal the scholarship from her. He even threatened his father that if he was
forced to do so, he would give the scholarship to Takchit, the student who got the third
place in class. Then, father gave a chance for Dawan to speak. Dawan asked father to give
her a chance to prove to him and the villagers that a mere girl could also be on par with
men. She wanted father to let her out of the cage so she could fly high up and helped the
village in the future. After listening to his daughter, father agreed to let Dawan study at the
city school.
In my opinion, the problem was solved in a good way. Dawan didn’t have to fight her
father for the scholarship. We could also see that father could still think rationally even
though he was mad in the first place. As a father, he had provided a solution to the problem
without having to be hated by his daughter for the rest of his life. Father also managed to
avoid the conflict from being dragged for a longer time. Kwai on the other hand showed me
that the bond between them was very strong. It seemed at first Kwai wanted the
scholarship for himself. However, the unselfish attitude shown by Dawan, especially after
what Kwai had done to her, made Kwai wanted to help his sister more. He couldn’t bear to
see Dawan sad and hated him forever.
 In conclusion, whatever conflict or problem Dawan faced, she managed to solve
them all with the help from her sibling and family. It is true what the saying said, “blood is
thicker than water.”