SPRINTING FORWARD WITH ENGLISH :ACTIVITIES FOR THE CURSE by
Veronica SomasundramNoName of activityProcedureNotes
1Curse! It rightCard game (Characters and plot)
1. Students divided into groups of 4 each2. The 4th person is
the leader who will control the game, check the correct answers,
make sure others members do not cheat 3. The other 3 will hold 8
cards with pictures of characters and 1 which is the CURSE card4.
The deck sentence card (B) is kept in the middle overturned5. To
start:i. The leader will overturn the 1st deck sentence card (B).
The CURSE card is for students who do not know the answer and wants
a pass.ii. Others will have to put down the picture that
corresponds to the deck sentence cardiii. The game goes on till all
8 cards are completely used OR the CURSE card was not used at
all
This game can be adapted to suit the number of students.
For this game to be successful, teachers will have to make at
least 30 sets of cards
2Bridging the Gap(Plot)1. Students divided into groups of 4
each2. Each group is given an extract from the story and a single
question 3. Each group answer the question and present it to the
class4. Teacher does not given the correct answer but instructs
students to find out for themselves
3Matching Game(Characters)1. Each group given pictures (5
characters), names and sentence strips2. Students just mix and
match the sentence, picture and name3. Teacher gives the
corresponding answers
For extremely weak students
4Azreens mystery messages(Themes)1. The themes are presented in
a coded form2. Students work in groups to decode to get the theme3.
First group to decode the theme will get a prize
5Word Search(Moral values)1. The values are given by the side of
the word search2. Students locate the vales given by striking out
in the grid provided
6Jigsaw themes(Themes)1. Teacher cuts out the text 9make your
own jigsaw puzzle)2. Laminate it so that it is stiff3. Allow
students to make a jigsaw puzzle and then write out the themesFor
average and weak students
CURSE!DECK A
DECK B
The village headman fell in love with the beautiful village girl
and took her as his second wife.She was murdered and her body was
found in the jungle.This is the young lady who was studying in
England and had to return because her sister had been murdered.
He dwells in a lot of supernatural beliefs and wears a talisman
round his waist.He was in love with the girl who was found dead in
the jungle.This is the village gossiper. She is very superstitious
and enjoyed gossiping.She lived in the jungle and had knowledge of
herbal medicine to treat illness.A stern father who had not
forgiven an incident which left his wife paralyzed.She is very
spiteful and superstitious. She wanted Azreen to leave the village
blaming her for the curse.
She made Azreen promise that she will remember all that she was
taught and learn to forgive.He was looking after his sick
grandmother whom he loved very much.He saw her singing at the
village kenduri and fell in love with her.He saw Madhuri and Asraf
embrace each other in the jungle.He saw Madhuri and Asraf embrace
each other in the jungle.
BRIDGING THE GAP You wont believe me, but Im telling you the
truth. I saw her, hissed Puan Normala. It was no accident. It was
murder. Listen to me and keep this in mind. This is just the
beginning. The woman chuckled nervously. But Puan Normala
continued. Laugh if you like. Youll soon see. Were all cursed.
Why was Puan Normala so certain that they were all cursed?
There was a thick envelope sticking out from the stack of books.
She pulled it out. There was a stain on the envelope that appeared
to be coffee. It was a prospectus from a university in Kuala
Lumpur.
What was in the envelope?
We met for the last time that day at the rubber plantation. I
wanted to leave immediately but she asked to wait for another
month. She wanted to break the news gently to your parents
first.
What did the girl in the story want to do?
As she stepped into the house and closed the door behind her,
she shivered. Who was it she saw outside the window? It was too
dark to tell and she had only seen it from the corner of her eye to
be very sure.
Why did she shiver?
His men had covered the whole thing up. They made the neighbors
believe that it had been an accident. Was he right to do that?
What did the men do?
MATCHING GAME
MOHD. ASRAFMatch the names to the characters
SALEH ABDULLAH
PUAN NORMALA
AZREEN SALEH
MAHDURI SALEH
OLD LADY
HAJI GHANI
Reuse the pictures in the card game (Curse it Right!)
Azreen mystery messages?Azreen received a few messages but they
were in codes. Can you help Azreen decode the mysterious
messages?
CodeassessABCDEFGHIJ
Message codeHIJKLMNOPQ
CodeassessKLMNOPQRST
Message codeRSTUVWXYZA
CodeassessUVWXYZ
Message codeBCDEFG
Message 1NVVKVCLYLCPS
Message 2MHJLJOHSSLUNLZ
DPAOJVBYHNL
Message 3MHKNBCLGLZZ
Message 4MLHKVMMAL
BURUVDU
Congratulations! You have helped Azreen uncode the mysterious
messages. What are the messages about?
WORD SEARCH
There are five strong values surfaced in this novel. Do a word
search and discover them
ADVBYTKLSX
GCONCERNZM
FNAQMSIEHL
GMCRAREWDO
HFDEITFJEI
PGMSDNUNLC
EOBPVEGJIL
REUOLBRHGF
SARNOAQNEB
IMESZVFBNP
SRZIQNAECD
TOJBVCPMEO
EZAIBHIJCR
NSFLDERUQM
THCIEMDZRT
ZOITVZCTUP
FQXYLRDALB
DILIGENCECARINGPERSISTENTCONCERNRESPONSIBILITY
JIGSAW THEMES
This story has moral values that enable the reader to learn many
lessons of value. One of the moral values that I have learned is
family relationship that must be built on thrust and understanding.
Azreen knew that her parents favored Madhuri whom they considered
the perfect daughter. Although Azreens relationship with her father
was estranged, she did not show hate for him. From here I learn
that Azreen never disliked her parents even when she found out the
truth. She still respected them and helped them do the household
chores. The lesson here is family live and understanding based on
trust and respect for what parents have given you.
Another moral value that I learned is never allow anger to take
over or make you do things that you will regret later. Mohd. Asraf
was extremely angry with the Old Lady and blamed her for his
grandmothers death. Azreen tried to reason with him but his anger
was clouded with anger and grief. This resulted in him and the
villages burning down the Old Ladys hut and she died of smoke
suffocation. Even in her dying moment the Old Lady advised Azreen
to forgive and be strongTeachers to make their own puzzle
The Curse by Lee Su Ann
Veronica Somasundram SM La Salle, KK 2011
SYNOPSIS
The curse is about a girl named Azreen, her parents and sister,
Madhuri. Azreen , who is a strong headed individual is studying in
London but had to take leave from her studies when she received
news about her sisters death. She is not told about the cause of
her sisters sudden death and is curious about it. She hoped her
aunt or uncle would reveal some information on it when they picked
her up from the airport, but, they did not utter a word about it.
When she reached home, her sisters body had been brought to the
cemetery. Azreen overheard a village gossiper, Pn. Normala talk
about her sisters death. She claimed that her sister had been
murdered and Madhuri had bled white blood.Upon her return, Azreen
discovered a few truths about her family, people and herself. First
she finds out that her sister had been in love with Asraf, and she
planned to elope with him and divorce her current husband Hj.
Ghani. Second, Awang the village shaman had actually caused the
accident in which her parents were involved in and caused her
mother to become paralyzed. Azreen, had been living with guilt as
she thought that she was the cause of her mothers paralysis. Third,
she learned that Mahduri is actually her adopted sister and the
crazy woman is Mahduris biological mother. Fourth and finally she
discovers that Mahduri was accidentally killed by her father.There
is one woman whom Azreen had turned to for emotional support. She
is the Old Lady living in the abandoned home in the jungle. Azreen
learned a lot from the wise old woman. One of it was the
willingness to forgive. However, the wise old woman died in a fire
initiated by the villagers and by Asraf. Mohd. Asraf was angered
because his grandmother had died and blamed the Old Lady for his
grandmothers death. Infact, he was the one who approached the Old
Lady for her help in curing his grandmothers fever.
In the end, Azreen returned to London to complete her studies.
She has learned a valuable lesson during her short break at her
little village on Langkawi island. She stood up for what she
believed in and also leaned to forgive others and to look
ahead.
SETTINGThe story is based on happenings in a village on the
island of Langkawi. The familiar village scenes and ways of life
include gossip, fear, hardship and enemies of the jungle. The early
setting of Azreen in England depicts the immigrant concepts and
life as a foreign Malaysian student.
ADDITIONAL THEMES- Conflicts of a young adolescent girl in
accepting the realities of life- The demands of a community where
one is forced to conform to- Leaving a harsh environment and coming
back to it- Friendship and loyalty- Learning to forgive- Learning
the truth and accepting it- Having a fearless natureBy:Veronica
SomasundramSM La Salle, KK
QuestionsTHE CURSE by Lee Su Ann1. Who is your favorite
character in the novel you have studied? Give a reason for your
choice using information from the novel.2. Describe the theme of
courage in facing challenges in life and explain why you feel this
is a theme in the novel3. Describe two moral values that you have
learned from the story The Curse by Lee Su Ann4. Novels often show
joys and sorrows in life. Show how this is true in the novel you
have studied.5. Choose a character you dislike in the novel you
have studied. Give reasons for your dislike using information from
the novel.6. The actions of some characters teach us what we should
not do. Choose any character in the novel you have studied to show
this.7. Describe any hardship or difficulty a character faced and
she/he overcame it in the novel you have studied.8. Did you like
the ending of the novel you have studied? Give reasons using
information from the novel.9. Chose a character who you think is
brave in the novel you have studied. Give reasons for your choice
using the information from the novel.10. Novels expose the reader
to different people in life. How is this evident in the novel you
have studied?11. What about life did you learn in this novel you
have studied? Use information from the novel to show this.12. The
novel you have studied has many themes. Choose two of the themes
that interest you. Give reasons as to why it interests you.13. The
main character faces difficulty in the novel that you have studied.
How have these difficulties helped the character become a better
person?14. This novel has exposed the reader to many events of
fear. Choose an incident that expresses fear and elaborate.13.
Describe an event/incident that is happy or sorrowful. Explain why
you think the event is happy or sorrowful.
Questions to ponder on?
1. List the superstitious beliefs recorded in this story
2. List down the irony found in this story
3. List down what Azreen had discovered from her trip back to
her village
4. List down Azreen conflictsi. internal
ii. external
Short questions
Chapter One1. Where was Azreen Saleh when she received the news
about her sister?2. Was Azreen sad to return to her village? Why?3.
Who is Julian?4. Why didnt Azreen want Julian to know that she was
returning to her country?
Chapter Two1. Why did Azreen stare at her food on her flight?2.
How much older was Madhuri to Azreen?3. Why did Azreen despise her
sister?4. Why did Azreen grip her napkin in anguish?5. Describe how
the happier days were between Azreen and Madhuri?
Chapter Three1. Who was Pn Kamsiah angry with? Why?2. Did Pn
Kamsiah like Pn Normala?3. What was it that Pn. Normala told Pn.
Kamsiah about?4. Who were at the airport to pick Azreen up?5. Who
were Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli to Azreen?
Chapter 4 (*)1. Why is it that going to funerals was a
regrettable phenomenon?2. How did Siti know Madhuri?3. Why were
there tense moments at the funeral upon Azreens arrival?4. List the
gossips that was going on during the funeral5. Who sponsored Azreen
studies overseas?6. Who was the woman sitting on the rocking
chair?7. Summarize chapter 4
Chapter 5 (*)1. Why was Azreen kept awake the whole night?2. Why
was Azreen uncomfortable in the village?3. Whom did Azreen meet
outside the mosque?4. Who is Awang? What did he wear round his
waist? Why did he wear it?5. What is the incident that took place
in this chapter?6. What is the name of the farm owner?7. Why did
Azreen take the blame for Asraf?8. Why did Noor call Siti puteri
suci?9. Where did Azreen go to after having lunch with her
father?10. What did Azreens classmates dare her to do?11. What do
you think of Azreen being daring enough to approach the Old Ladys
house in the jungle?12. Who finally told Azreen about Mahduris
actual death?13. What is wrong with Azreens mother?
CHAPTER 6(*)1. What did Awang substitute the chicken with?2.
What did Awang see inside his pot of gruel?3. Name two things Awang
saw in the jungle that day?4. Who revealed the truth about Mahduris
death to Azreen?5. Who is Puan Fatihah?6. What could she do very
well?7. Why was she jealous of Mahduri?8. How was Haji Ghani
attracted to Madhuri?9. Why did Azreen feel a chill when she found
Mahduris photos torn systematically into three parts? Who do you
think did it?10. What does the Old Lady reveal about her past
life?11. Why does the Old Lady make her home in the jungle?12. Why
is Azreen close to the Old Lady when everyone keeps away from
her?
CHAPTER 7(*)1. How long did it rain for?2. Why were there hardly
any tears from Azreen and her father when they found her mother
dead?3. Who attended the funeral?4. What was Azreen doing in the
room before it caught fire?5. Why did Azreen shiver as she stepped
into the house and closed the door behind her?6. What does azan
mean?7. What charm did Puan Fatihah duel in? Why did she do this?
Is this against the Islamic teachings?8. Give two reasons why Haji
Ghani took a second wife?9. Why did Puan Fatihah lose consciousness
in the jungle?10. What was Mohd. Asraf worried about?11. Why was
Mohd. Asfar close to his grandmother?12. What subject did Mohd.
Asraf teach?13. What is the first piece of evidence Saleh Abdullah
found?14. Where did he find it?15. Why was he angry when he found
it?16. What did Saleh Abdullah do?17. Who witnessed what he did?18.
What was the Old Lady puzzled when she saw Puan Fatihah stumbling
and hurrying away?19. Who visited the Old Lady? What did the Old
Lady do?20. What lesson did the Old Lady learn from being alone in
the jungle?21. What lesson did the Old Lady learn from her
mistakes?22. How did the Old Lady feel once she had forgiven the
long grudge she kept?23. Why was Azreen close to the Old Lady when
the whole village were afraid of her?24. Why did Mohd. Asraf go
looking for the Old Lady?25. What form of medication did the Old
Lady use to cure sick people?26. Where could these ingredients be
found?
CHAPER 9 (*)1. How did Puan Kamsiah feel about the Old Lady?2.
Why did Puan Kamsiah regret sending her daughter to help look after
Mohd. Asrafs grandmother?3. What name did the village people give
the Old Lady?4. What did Azreen find on Mohd Asrafs desk?5. When
was the mailing date on the envelope?6. Who did Azreen write to?
What was the content of the letter?7. Why didnt Haji Ghani want to
eat Puan Fatihahs elaborate breakfast feast?8. Was Puan Fatihah
disappointed or angry? Quote the word that explains her feelings?9.
Why couldnt Siti come over to look after Nek the next morning?10.
Why did Azreen go home?11. Who was the intruder in Azreens home?
12. What did Azreen find out from the intruder?13. What was Azreen
accused for?14. What was the first sign of the curse?15. Who came
to rescue Azreen from the mob?16. What did Asraf thank Azreen for?
17. What was the present for both of them?
CHAPTER 10 (*)1. What was different between Azreen and her
father that evening?2. Why did Siti come to see Azreen?3. What did
Azreen do after being informed by Siti?4. Summarize the incident
Siti was involved in?5. What were the Old Ladys dying words?6. Who
helped Azreen?7. What did Azreen do to Mohd. Asraf?8. What did
Mohd. Asraf reveal to Azreen?9. Summarize Awangs confession.10.
Summarize page 215-217 to find out Haji Ghanis story.
CHAPTER 11 (*)1. Why was Azreens head feeling heavy as she hiked
up to her house?2. What did she find out about Madhuri?3. What
frightening experience did Madhuri encounter before reaching
home?4. What was the pontianak trying to do?5. What was the white
blood actually?6. Who killed Mahduri?7. What happened to Saleh
Abdullah? Summarize page 223-228.
CHAPTER 121. What did Azreen visit before returning to England?
What did she do there?2. Why did Azreen feel a weight being lifted
from her soul?3. What did Azreen see behind a tree? Who was it?
(*) asterisk marks the important chapters in this novel
AnswerQ1. Who is your favorite character in the novel you have
studied? Give a reason for your choice using information from the
novel.Characters play an important role in novels as they add
flavor to the plot . In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, Azreen
Saleh is my favorite character for many reasons.Firstly, Azreen
Saleh is brave and loyal to her friend Asraf. She was willing to
take the blame for Asraf and to save him from being beaten by the
owner of the farm in which he worked. Asraf was blamed for leaving
the gate to the bulls yard open and the bull was missing. The owner
and his sons were about to beat Asraf up, but, Azreen intervened
and admitted that she left the gate open. Clearly, this incident
reveals Azreens braveness and loyalty to defend a friend by taking
the blame. Her loyalty is remarkable and this is why Azreen is my
favorite character in this novel.Besides this, her fearless nature
can also be applauded. In one incident before she leaves for her
studies, she is challenged to disturb the Old Lady of the jungle.
Her friends and she believed that the Old Lady was a witch and
could harm anyone who came within her reach. Azreens fearless
nature is revealed here when she befriended the Old Lady and both
became good friends in the end.
AnswerQ2 Describe the theme of courage in facing challenges in
life and explain why you feel this is a theme in the novel
The themes of courage is made very transparent in the novel The
Curse by Lee Su Ann. The two characters that reflect this theme is
The Old Lady and Azreen Saleh.The Old Lady was out casted by the
villages and forced her to live in isolation in the jungle. She had
married a young man from the island and had lived in the centre of
the village. She was beautiful, modern and educated young maiden
who slowly adapted and became very involved in the villages
activities. She was known for her special cures for flu and
fever.She became an enemy of the villages when she killed her
husband who betrayed their marriage. The Old lady was forced to
leave the village because of this.Her courage can be seen through
her being able to show courage despite being an outcast. She
learned to accept her status even when the villages considered her
a witch. They accused her of being able to cast spells and bringing
bad luck to the village. This did not stop her from helping those
who came to her for help.Mohd. Asraf came to her for help because
he was desperate for his grandmothers illness. The Old Lady was
courageous enough to help Mohd. Asraf despite the villages spitting
and forbidding her to help Asrafs grandmother. She was strong
enough to take this challenge and help others. She took all the
challenges and advised Azreen to face up challenges also.This is
how the theme of courage has motivated to face up to challenges in
life through the old lady and Azreen.Azreen also showed tremendous
courage in this novel. She took the challenge to face the Old Lady
when she was still in school. Despite being told that the Old Lady
was a witch that lived by herself and she was harmful to anyone
coming close to her, Azreen was not afraid. She was dared by her
friends and she took it up. Her courage is seen here and eventually
she and the Old Lady became good friends.
AnswerQ3 Describe two moral values that you have learned from
the story The Curse by Lee Su AnnThe story The Curse by Lee Su Ann
has moral values that enables the reader to learn many lessons of
value. One of the moral values that I have learned is family
relationship must be built on thrust and understanding. Azreen knew
that her parents favored Madhuri whom they considered the perfect
daughter. Although Azreens relationship with her father was
estranged, she did not show hate for him. From here I learn that
Azreen never disliked her parents even when she found out the
truth. She still respected them and helped them doing the household
chores. The lesson here is family live and understanding based on
trust and respect for what parents have given you.
Another moral value that I learned is never allow anger to take
over or make you do things that you will regret later. Mohd. Asraf
was extremely angry with the Old Lady and blamed her for his
grandmothers death. Azreen tried to reason with him but his anger
was clouded with anger and grief. This resulted in him and the
villages burning down the Old Ladys hut and she died of smoke
suffocation. Even in her dying moment the Old Lady advised Azreen
to forgive and be strong.The two values being family relationship
is built on trust and understanding and never allow anger to take
over you is what I have learned in this story.
Answer
Q 13 Describe an event that is happy or sorrowful. Explain why
you think the event is happy or sorrowful?sorrowful event
The story, The Curse, tells of the death of Madhuri and the
reaction of the villagers to the incident. Azreen, Madhuri's sister
returned home from London to the village to mourn the loss of
Madhuri. Azreen found her father sullen and more distant from her
while her mother was delirious and lost in her own world. There
were no attempts to investigate the cause of the death although
there were rumours of murder and talks of it being a curse on the
village. The superstitious feelings were enhanced by the presence
of a vampire-like figure in the village and the witch in the
jungle.The so-called witch in the jungle was the Old Lady, an
outcast of the village whom Azreen had befriended. The sorrowful
event is the fiery death of the Old Lady when her house was burnt
down. Azreen had persuaded her to help cure Mohd Asraf's
grandmother. But, unfortunately the grandmother died after a short
recovery. Mohd Asraf goaded by some of the villagers went and
attacked the Old Lady's house. The house was set on fire, albeit
accidentally and the Old Lady was burnt to death.This was a
sorrowful incident because the Old Lady was Azreen's friend and
confidante. Azreen used to seek her company when she felt unhappy
about her estrangement with her family. The Old Lady was her haven
from the villagers who did not approve of her rebellious ways. She
gave Azreen some good advice.With the loss of the Old Lady and her
family, Azreen felt the village was no longer her home.
Happy eventAlthough the whole story is plagued with many
sorrowful events, there is one event that is happy. This is the
time when she went to the Old Ladys house after the fire incident.
Azreen was waiting for the Old Lady outside her house drenched and
cold. The Old Lady took her into the house and handed her a sarong
and towel to dry herself. She fell asleep shortly and awoke to the
good smell of curry and a warm stove.It is here Azreen happiness
can be recorded because the warmth, love and care of the Old Lady
is recorded. The Old Lady is the only one who gave her this. In my
opinion, with her mother dead, no fathers love and affection and
perhaps blamed for the fire, Azreen happiest moments were with the
Old Lady. The reason Azreen refused to go home that night is
because her home if filled with emptiness, but, at this moment when
she needed some form of support was what little the Old lady could
offer. I feel this is Azreens happiest moment.