Literature in English for SPM

1. If you are Aisya's friend, what advice would you give her to help her resolve her conflict and mend her relationship with her mother? Discuss with close reference to the story. (12m) First advice: Aisya should tackle the problem of her mother's self-loathing about her advancing age and her physical decline Her mother is jealous of her daughter's beauty She is extremely critical of her own appearance in the mirror Her imagintation of her husband tells us of her subconscious insecurities ("You're still beautiful and desirable, my husband says") Aisya should   constantly remind her mother that she will always be beautiful to help her self-esteem She should also be more willing to compromise with her mother's wishes about borrowing clothes or accessories Furthermore, she could bring her mother out shopping together to spend time with her as well as address her mother's need for beautifying herself Second advice: Aisya should tack...

1. We should not chase shadows when we have light. Discuss with close reference to the text. (12m) Definitions: Shadow In the context of this story, the "shadows" are desires that cannot be fulfilled In a literal sense, there is no way a person can chase or catch a shadow Light In the context of this story, "light" represents happiness and prosperity Evidence: The author has a very loving family (i.e. light) Rose(his wife) has been extremely loving towards him She loves that he's a philosopher and a smart-ass Luna(his daughter) shares a close bond with him They wish each other goodnight, every night The author loses his family because of his obsession with the mystery woman (i.e. chasing shadows) Rose senses the secret place the mystery woman occupies in the author's heart She is unable to tolerate his secret desires anymore and is jealous that the author is unable to love her completely After talking to his wife abo...

1. "Every time he proposes a new idea to his father, he runs into a brick wall." Describe three incidents to justify the statement above. Refer closely to the text. (8m) Hanif suggests to Pak Samad to change the way of cooking sambal Hanif proposes that the sambal and anchovies to be cooked separately With this method, the sambal can be refrigerated overnight and the anchovies will not turn soggy As a result, wastage is reduced and profits increase Pak Samad vehemently refuses because he insists that this new method will change the taste of the sambal Hanif counters that all the other stalls do the same and Pak Samad gives up arguing Hanif suggests to Pak Samad to sell nasi lemak without lining it with banana leaves Hanif argues that selling nasi lemak without banana leaves can save costs and increase profits He also states that the customers don't care about the banana leaves Pak Samad rejects the idea for the sake of tradition and nostalgia He adds ...