Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part Four)

haszie's christmas gift

Part Four

By Delfin

After dinner, she crept up to her room, and waited.  She was waiting for the perfect moment when the house would grow silent; no pesky siblings to entertain, no boring chores to complete, no searching questions about school work from Papa - gosh, the list could go on and on and on!  You had to be saint to live in this house!

Her ears strained to hear the slightest sound.  No, the house was asleep; you could hear even a pin fall in this silence.  She could feel the growing excitement as her heart thumped hard against her chest.  She retrieved the comet-jewel from the bedside drawer where she had left it the day before.  She trained her table lamp onto the comet-jewel.  Was there something wrong with her eyesight?  There were more of the brown, mouldy dots.  Her heart sank and she stared at it, almost in shock.

The jewel had lost its shine.  This cannot happen.  She tried to recollect.  Did she drop it somewhere again?  Was one of her scarves on which she had left it in the drawer dirty?  She hadn't cleaned her room in ages though her Mama had been pestering her to do so for sometime now.  That must be it!  Her drawer had polluted her precious comet-jewel!  She wished she had listened to her Mama and kept her room clean and tidy.

Anyway, that must be it.  Just some dust that had enveloped her comet-jewel.  She will start her cleaning now; she will start with the comet-jewel.  She grabbed a clean handkerchief that was lying on her laundry basket filled with washed, unfolded clothes.  She began to rub the jewel, first, slowly, with gentle circular movements.  Then, as the moulds remained, her actions became more vigorous.  In a heart-stopping moment, she realised that the spots weren't going away, clinging stubbornly to the jewel as though they were fused onto it.  Her eyes welled up and her vision blurred.

Surely, The Father couldn't have cheated her!  There must have been a mistake of some kind! Surely... no... there must have been a mistake.  She reached for the box which she had flung into the waste-paper basket after removing the comet-jewel from it the day before.

She examined the box carefully.  No clue on the exterior of the plain mauve box.  She lifted the top and looked inside the box.  What was that?  On the bottom, there was a note printed on a cream-coloured petal.  In her excitement, she had eyes only for the comet-jewel; the plain box was a non-entity.  With shaky hands, she carefully dislodged the petal from its haven and placed it on the reader.  The translation read,

And that is the end of the short story, `Haszie's Christmas Gift.

Find out more about the Online Writing and Literature Courses offered by The Pear Tree Centre for Education. Please note that there is a 20% discount for our Creative Writing: Narrative course and the offer ends on Jan 15, 2015.

Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part Three)

haszie's christmas gift

Part Three

By Delfin

"Hasz, guess what?!  We're having a Roachie," Reminghee shouted out to her, before mouthing, "God save us" and shaking her head side-to-side rather vigorously. Reminghee was seated at a table in the far right-hand corner, about three tables away from Haszie who was playfully tossing a blue-black fruit in the air and catching it. It was a fruit packed with nutrients that her mum swore by to stay healthy but it had a bitter-sour taste that Haszie did not relish. Haszie thought it made a better toy.

"What?! A Roachie! Oh, gosh, when, when is she or he coming?"  The toy was forgotten; no, this news was better sport!

"Next year, transferring to our school from the one she goes to in her ghetto planet. And oh, yes, it's a she, though I don't see why we should bother - for all we care, she's an it!" Reminghee almost spat out the last word.

"Why can't they just stay in their ghetto planet?  Why would they want to come and ruin our beautiful planet as well? I have heard about these guys; they are pretty odd. It was just last year that Maallang's father went to work there. Maallang said they are incredibly ugly. They have spindly legs, or at least, long, thin limbs they call legs."

"Really? I have never seen a Roachie before. I have always wondered how they look like," little Miss Do-Gooder Jemimiah squeaked.

Haszie rolled her eyes and smiled knowingly at Reminghee. "So, Jemimiah, would you like to see one?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah, I think a different kind of person would, you know, would add colour to our school. I am sure it would be interesting to get to know them. We could, you know, we could, maybe, learn from them, maybe?" Jemimiah's voice was tinged with uncertainty as she glanced first at Haszie and then, at Reminghee.

"My dear, why wait! I will show you what they are like." Haszie's voice took on a professorial tone as she got up from her seat. "Let me first show you how those precious darlings walk." She stood on tiptoe with her hard claws touching the golden-brown grassy patch on the canteen floor. Wobbling around, she managed a few steps before falling with an exaggerated tumble.

Most of her classmates fell forward, laughing hard. Jemimiah became silent, looking on uncomfortably.

Haszie had a wonderful day, indeed. She was the star, the one who caught everyone's attention. Ah, if only every day was like that - the coveted comet-jewel in her possession and her classmates' admiration at her cleverness. She was clever, wasn't she? She giggled silently to herself as she walked home. Then, her thoughts returned to comet-jewel and her paces quickened. She needed to get home to give the comet-jewel the shine it deserved before attaching it to the necklace. The Christmas Ball was in a couple of days; she didn't have a moment to lose if she wanted to make sure she was not just the star of her school but, most of all, of the Ball as well.

Part Four will be posted on 20/12/2014

Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part Two)

haszie's christmas gift

Part Two

By Delfin

"Hey, so how are we?!" Cereen sprinted up close to Haszie and flung her right hand around Haszie's bony shoulders.  "I am having an appointment with The Father tomorrow.  I wonder what I will get," she beamed dreamily at both Haszie and Plasee.  "Wait, wait a minute!" Plasee interrupted excitedly.  "Didn't you go today, Hasz?  We met Johia after the bell went and she said you had gone to meet The Father as soon as school ended.  Come on! Tell us, tell us, quick!  What did you get?"

"Er...um...I...I didn't, couldn't go.  Felt sick, um, maybe, maybe tomorrow....  Sorry, have to go.  I'm late, my mother will be looking for me, sorry," Haszie muttered hastily and turned her back on them.  As she hurriedly splashed her way through the puddles in the orange undergrowth, her mind was in a twirl; a thousand angry thoughts ran berserk, causing her to huff and puff as she plodded along.

Really?!  Gosh, did they really think she was going to tell the world she had received the best present, ever, before the Christmas Ball?!  Did they honestly expect her to be the one to spoil her own surprise?  What did they take her for, a dunce?!  Really!

She took a deep breath when she reached her spiked-roofed home, with several antennae reaching to the heavens.  She let out a sigh; no, she wasn't going to let a couple of giggly girls get to her.  She was going to be the star at the Ball and she could picture the grand entrance she will make, to the envy of everyone.  All eyes will be on her as she sweeps into the elaborately decorated hall.  She would be dressed in the gown stitched from the soft muslin that Pa had brought back from Earth.  The comet-jewel would be glittering on her plain black necklace.  Aye, that would be a dream come true, indeed!  She smiled, her lips curving upwards with a hint of a simmering glee that she tried her best to suppress.

She was a little early for dinner so she slipped past the dining room and went below into the crater to her room.  She jumped onto her wicker bed, and reached into her pocket.  She fingered the box for a few seconds before she drew it out.  She stared at the box, cradled in the palm of her hand.  Just then, she heard a hard rap.  Startled, she looked at the door.  Hurriedly, she pushed the boxed gift under her pillow and slid off the bed.  She turned the pearl handle on the leather door and peeped out.  There, holding a pot of mud, stood her youngest brother, Charmant.

"Oh, what do you want now?!" Haszie could hardly hide her impatience as she continued, "I am busy. Go!"

"Please, it will only take a minute, just a minute, not a second more, I promise.  In school, my teacher gave all of us beige mud for us to make presents for anyone that we choose.  And I thought Mama would love to have flowers like the ones you sculpted for school, you know, those shiny wild flowers, with minute petals that look like diamonds?  But I forgot how you make permanent glitter after you freeze the spring water.  Please, Hasz, puhlease?  Mama would surely love to have those for Christmas.  Will you show me how? Will you, will you, please?" Charmant pleaded.

"Charmy, you are so stupid!  I've got better things to do. Now, go away!" and Haszie slammed the door.  Charmant lowered his head to hide the tears that threatened to overflow and dragged his feet back to his room.

Haszie returned to her bed.  Sculptured flowers, indeed!  She had important matters to take care of.  What would a little boy know about the value of a comet-jewel.  She took the black necklace from the side-table drawer and the fast glue which was on the table.  She, then, retrieved the jewel from under her pillow.  She placed it on the necklace, shifting it from one position to another till she found a suitable resting place for it in the middle of the necklace.  It was then that she noticed something amiss.  She thought the jewel had lost some of its shine.  She lifted it and peered at it closely.  What were those brown, mouldy dots on the surface?  Did she drop it in the orchard?  She couldn't remember, but she must have.  There was no other reason.  She took the end of her sleeve and began to wipe it gently.  Just then, she heard her older brother, Zibar call out, "Dinner!"

Part Three will be posted on 13/12/2014

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A Christmas Story - Haszie's Christmas Gift (Part One)

For four weeks, every Saturday, a Christmas story, Haszie's Christmas Gift, will posted in parts on this site.  Part One is posted today, and subsequently, Parts Two, Three and Four will be posted on 6/12, 13/12 and 20/12 respectively.

 Hope you will find the Christmas Story an enjoyable read!

haszie's christmas gift

Part One

By Delfin

She skipped up and then, down the bright yellow mound; it was a stout hump in the ground that she loved to explore with her happy feet whenever she felt that the world was with her.  Once she was off the mound, she twirled herself round and round till she fell gleefully against her favourite tree, laughing between short breaths.  It was an interesting tree, a beautiful tree with red polka dots on its trunk and pink coloured inedible globs of tempting yield bobbing up and down in the mild breeze.  Ah yes, even the orchard seemed to be in a jolly mood as crystal leaves jingled its merry song to the bright amber sky.  She was happy.

Settling down and resting her hard back against the soft, rubbery bark, she reached into the depths of her pocket and drew out a green, boxed package.  She gripped it, stared excitedly at it and cried out to no one in particular, " I've got it!"

Her nervous fingers fumbled, just a bit, as she carefully pulled the ends of the crinkled wrapper apart.  She lifted the top of the box and peeped in, squinting expectantly against the glare of the setting sun.  There it was!  The pint-sized comet was a jewel indeed.  Its sky-blue surface was encrusted with minute diamonds on which the reflected light danced and twinkled.  Her thin, long fingers closed in on the jewel and soon, it found rest on her scaly palms.  Long and hard she looked at it, her lidless eyes rounding with a mixture of joy and disbelief.  "This is it, alright!" she whispered, almost reverently, to herself.

The comet-jewel was the envy of everyone at the Christmas Ball.  She first set eyes on it three years ago when Jemimiah attached it to a creamy ribbon, embossed with images of praying angels.  The angels were cute, but she didn't have eyes for those, no, she only saw the comet-jewel dangling from the ribbon which was tastefully wound around Jemimiah's shiny pate and secured with a velvety white bow.

There and then, she wanted it but she didn't think she would succeed, however hard she tried.  Gosh, what were you to do if you had a pesky sibling and irritating friends who would drive you nuts sometimes?  How was she ever to get that precious treasure if she was only allowed to commit sins that can be counted on her three little fingers?!

But she did succeed, and she smiled in satisfaction.  It took her three long years, years that seemed like an eternity, but she worked hard.  And it wasn't easy, but she bit her tongue and visualised the comet-jewel whenever she felt like committing a wrong.  Take the time her brother, Zibar, got on her nerves.  She yelled her lungs out till she felt she was going blue in the face; fortunately, that was as far as she went.  The image of the comet-jewel lying in a vision of a cottony-white cloud appeared just in time and she restrained herself from giving Zibar a taste of her clenched fist!  Finally, she had sins, relatively minor ones, mind you, that didn't add up to a significant number.  It was worth it, indeed, it was well worth the effort; as she gazed at the comet-jewel, she was in seventh heaven.

"Youuu-hooooo! Hasz!" Plasee's shrill voice cut through the air.  Haszie's head jerked up and she saw Plasee and Cereen making their way toward her.  Oh, no, not those darn girls!

Part Two - will be posted on 6/12/2014

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Creative Written Expression - The Shakespearean Way (Continued)

You would have had the chance to mull over the following extract from Shakepeare's The Merchant of Venice and come up with your own interpretations and thoughts about the piece.

Shylock:

O father Abram, what these Christians are,

Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect

The thoughts of others! Pray you tell me this:

If he should break his day, what should I gain

By exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh taken from a man

Is not so estimable, profitable neither,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I say

To buy his favor I extend this friendship,

If he will take it, so; if not, adieu.

And for my love I pray you wrong me not.

Here are my thoughts:

Shylock is being very crafty here.  He, in brushing off their suspicions of his motive and appealing to their logic by saying that there is no material benefit in getting a pound of human flesh as opposed to animal meat, is attempting to put Antonio and Bassanio at ease.  He leads them to think that the request is illogical, preposterous, of no benefit and hence, harmless.  Coolly, he claims that he is doing it to befriend Antonio and ends by telling them not to think ill of him when all he wants is to extend his affection.

Shylock is successful in getting Antonio to accept the condition on signing the bond.  And the rest of the story...?  Well, pick up Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice to find out!

Happy reading!

Creative Expression - The Shakespearean Way

I have often heard people groan when Shakespeare is mentioned. They seem to think he is beyond the comprehensible; his language is too far removed from the present age. Yes, there are uses of archaic vocabulary and references to Greek mythology that may not be familiar to generations of current readers spanning the globe. Then, there are all those cultural inferences immediately evident only to those who have lived in that age and in England and those who study the history of those times.

Yet, if you look closely and make some effort to visualise what is being said in the plays, one can appreciate the beauty of the language used. In the present age of limited vocabulary, often interspersed with `ah, yeah, like', `you know' and `whatever', Shakespearean language gives one an opportunity to go beyond the mundane and find expression in playing with the language.

Let's look at an extract from Act 1, Scene 3 of The Merchant of Venice.

Shylock: 

This kindness will I show:

Go with me to the notary; seal me there

Your single bond, and - in a merry sport -

If you repay me not on such a day,

In such a place, such sum or sums as are

Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit

Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken

In what part of your body pleaseth me.

The use of the term `merry sport' not only indicates that Shylock adds the following condition, "as a joke" but it gives an air of playfulness, an air of `look, let's just have some fun and include this preposterous condition as well." Those two words implies quite a bit, enabling Shylock to quite craftily make the whole proposition sound innocent and not serious.

Antonio:

Content, in faith. I'll seal to such a bond,

And say there is much kindness in the Jew.

Instead of a boring, "Alright, I agree to sign the bond", Antonio expresses his satisfied feelings too in merely saying, "Content, in faith."

Bassanio:

You shall not seal to such a bond for me!

I'll rather dwell in my necessity.

And I love this - "I'll rather dwell in my necessity"! What a wonderful use of the word `dwell' to mean that he would rather continue to be in his predicament of being in need of money.

Antonio:

Why fear not, man; I will not forfeit it.

Within these two months - that's a month before

This bond expires - I do expect return

Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

So what would be `thrice three times the value of this bond'?! So, there is Math in there as well!

Shylock:

O father Abram, what these Christians are,

Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect

The thoughts of others! Pray you tell me this:

If he should break his day, what should I gain

By exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh taken from a man

Is not so estimable, profitable neither,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I say

To buy his favor I extend this friendship,

If he will take it, so; if not, adieu.

And for my love I pray you wrong me not.

Read through and observe closely the expressive language. What can you gain from such a mode of expression? There will be many perspectives from just this short dialogue. In mid-week, Part 2 for my perspective on this will be posted - keep a lookout for it!

Meanwhile, try The Pear Tree's course on Literary Analysis for Beginners to gain a greater appreciation for literature and in the process, language!

Developing Critical Thinking Skills through Reading - Part 2

In relation to Irving's commentary (found in the extract in the previous post) of the two groups of people he met in The Country Church, how do the images below correspond to his opinions?

Now, consider the following and link the probable meanings with your answers to the questions above.

Use of Language	Probable Meanings
unpretending great	`great' - in terms of cultured behaviour, inherent higher social standing; self-assured enough to be unassuming, no need to pretend?
arrogant little	`little' - in terms of social achievements, character and yet, proud because of accumulated wealth
titled rank... accompanied with true nobility of soul	higher social status derived from one's birthright, play on the word `nobility' - the aristocratic upbringing leading to a personality that is selfless, kind and helpful
aspirings of vulgarity	`vulgarity' - the common and crude persons who seek to elevate themselves in society

What you find above is Irving's opinion about the two groups.  Of course, you may have different ideas about the two groups since in your experience, you may have come across the kinds of behaviour mentioned above in the pompous `great' and/or noble `little'.

If you are interested in dwelling further into literary analysis or in enhancing critical thinking skills, join our lessons, at The Pear Tree Centre for Education, on reading comprehension and literary analysis.

Developing Critical Thinking Skills through Reading - Part 1

Gaining Wisdom through Reading

When you read, say, a prose, is it a superficial read or do you go beyond the superficial meaning found therein and ask yourself, "What does the author really mean in writing this piece?"  One might even ask, "Are there multiple meanings here that even the author did not envisage?"  One perspective of literary appreciation, which is found in the Reader Response mode of literary analysis, transfers ownership of completed works into the hands of the reader.  Once an author creates a piece, the work of art is out of his or her grasp.  The work becomes the property of the reader, leading him or her to an interactive endeavour through which multiple meanings, and even emotional ties, are created.

Such an interaction with a well-written work of literature can lead to the development of critical thinking skills. Let us now look at an extract from Washington Irving's The Country Church.

I have been rather minute in drawing the pictures of these two families, because I considered them specimens of what is often to be met with in this country - the unpretending great, and the arrogant little.  I have no respect for titled rank, unless it be accompanied with true nobility of soul; but I have remarked in all countries where artificial distinctions exist, that the very highest classes are always the most courteous and unassuming.  Those who are well assured of their own standing are least apt to trespass on that of others; whereas nothing is so offensive as the aspirings of vulgarity, which thinks to elevate itself by humiliating its neigbour.

Irving paints a contrast between two social classes: the aristocrats and those who scaled the social ladder through newfound wealth.  He expresses strong feelings for or against each of these groups.  Some possible questions one could ask are:

      What are these contrasting opinions? 
      He was an American, and so how would this have an impact on his views on the English countryside?  Would it be different if the author was an Englishman?

      Are there other possible perspectives?  Do you agree with Irving? What would be your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with him?
      Strong words are used to express strong views.  What is the role of the use of language here in:

o   persuading the reader to accept the author's viewpoints?

o   the graphic representations of the two groups?  What was the purpose? Was the purpose achieved?

o   allowing us to see that the author is himself opinionated and makes generalised observations?

Indeed, in comprehending, different devices, such as contextual clues, use of language and use of prior knowledge, come in handy to help us better understand the text.  In the next blog post, the questions mentioned above will be explored so as to appreciate the given extract even more.

Appreciating the English Language

  

Language has these, and more.

The following story, about the famous English poet, Lord Byron, was told by one of my university professors:

When Lord Byron was a young child and in school, he was told to write an essay on the `Wedding at Cana'.  Before I continue with Lord Byron's childhood exploit with his writing skills, let me enlighten those unfamiliar with this Biblical reference.  Jesus was once invited to a wedding at Cana, but midway through the wedding reception, the wine ran out.  He then instructed that jars be filled with water.  When the guests were served from these jars, it was found that the water had turned to wine and the guests complimented the host on serving the finest wine toward the end of the feast.  Now, let's get back to our story about the young Lord Byron.  While the other children in his class feverishly wrote their essays, our young Lord Bryon was gazing out of the window, seemingly lost in a dream.  Just as the teacher told the class they had five minutes to finish their essays, Lord Bryon wrote the following one-liner:

The water saw its Lord and blushed.

That one-liner is what I call, `art'! The whole story of `The Wedding at Cana' is captured in that one-liner.

In that one-liner, you will find that water is personified and takes on the characteristics of a bride.  The active verb, `blushed', provides a beautiful imagery of not only the changing properties of the water, but it also hints at the inner feelings of a bride.  The reference to `Lord' is an allusion to how a groom was perceived in a bygone era.  Yes, all it took was a one-liner to capture the essence of the changing of the water to wine and link it beautifully to an event set during a wedding.

Now, would you like to discover more of the `art' in the language? Enrol in our course, Literary Analysis for Beginners I, and learn to appreciate the `art' in the English Language!

Though the course is targeted at students who will be learning English Literature for the first time, anyone can enrol in the course as this will be useful for those who would like to, not only learn the English Language, but also gain an appreciation of its artistic usage from the masters of the language.

Adult Communication Skills - Pronunciation

 What I learnt from the letter `X'

Hmm, you may well wonder, what has adult communication skills, in general, and pronunciation, in particular, got to do with the letter `X'?  One would have heard of something being X-rated, and come across too few words beginning with `x' and the impossibly sounding x-words with a hint of the snake's hiss in it!

I was having a particularly challenging moment!  The adult student in front of me stared hard at me, probably trying to get a hint from the way I moved my mouth.  I laboured on and stressed, "Ex' but she continued to vocalise it as "Es".  I needed a breather, a time-out period, to think how I could lead her to differentiate between `ex' and `es'.  It didn't help even when I continually tried telling her it was an `x' and not `s' after the `e'. 

I had taught language acquisition courses in the university and read through quite a bit of literature on the `critical age theory' when I embarked on my research in designing and testing the effectiveness of the Literature-Driven English Curriculum.  So, could this be an instant of the `critical age theory' proving itself correct in that this adult learner of the English Language simply could not vocalise the `x' because it is not a sound she is familiar with in her native language?  As such, she has reached a stage where unfamiliar sounds may be difficult for her to vocalise since she is already set in her ways.  Her repertoire of sounds becomes limited to what she has learnt in her native language, and hence, non-native sounds that require different modes of working one's speech apparatus become difficult to imitate.

What I have learnt in my experience is that theories are well and good to increase our understanding of the status-quo, of the state of affairs as it exists in the present moment.  However, as an educator, I have to go beyond being a linguist and discover a way to reach the student, whatever the `critical age theory' may say.

A few more attempts were made to spit out the correct `ex' in preference to the `es'.  Then, lo and behold, the `Eureka' moment descended on both of us.  We looked excitedly at each other as I scribbled on the whiteboard, `eks'.  "You are missing out the `k'!" I was almost in a rapture as she finally pronounced `ex' and thereafter, `expert' correctly. 

Indeed, our lean and mean, `x' stealthily hid three letters in it!

If you think, learning a language is boring, think again!  It is a puzzle to be solved, and that puzzle also holds the key to unlocking man's ingenuity in creating languages and systems to propagate these languages.

Come join us for our first online Adult Communication Skills course in which you will learn pronunciations of words in common usage, learn sentence structure and create sentences with appropriate structures.

Making sense through grammar

Grammar is a system and we make sense using a known system to discover the meanings in written and spoken words. This system may develop over time or it may be created but it is one that is acknowledged by those using that particular language.

So, as in any other language, evolved or created, English too has its system of grammatical rules, conventions of usage and mechanics.

Now,  we are going to see how simple grammatical rules, mechanics and English Language usage were ignored when e.e. cummings wrote his poem, anyone lived in a pretty how town. Let's consider the first stanza of the poem.

	Unusual Use of Grammar and Mechanics
1)   anyone lived in a pretty how town	No capitalisation at the beginning; odd insertion of `how' that is usually used when asking a question
2)   (with up so floating many bells down)	The parenthesis indicates that this is an explanation, not quite a part of the main sentence. So, what would the implications of that be? Notice that the syntax, the way in which parts of the sentence are constructed.
3)   spring summer autumn winter	There are no commas to separate the seasons and no linking words to indicate a link with the beginning of the main sentence (1).
4)   he sang his didn't he danced his did	Again, linking words are not used to connect (4) with (3) and there is no punctuation to separate the ideas. Use of the possessive pronoun `his' with no explicit mention of what or who belongs to the `he'.

How would Cummings' unusual use of grammatical rules and neglect of the common usage and mechanics of the language provide us with clues that will help us to make sense of the poem?

To get at the clues, we need to have a knowledge of the grammar, mechanics and usage as is commonly followed in the English Language.

Try to work out the solutions on your own before you check the possible answers when you go into: Making Sense through Knowing Grammar, Remember, language is subjective and there could be other possible responses.

Also remember to check out our available Online Courses for students in Upper Primary and Lower Secondary or Grades 5 to 8.