Literature Posts

"Literature Quotes"

1.Paper
Quote: "Not to worry," he said jovially, not superstitious like his wife. "After all, it's just paper gains so far." [pg 5]

Yee Lian said not to mention their gain incase they lost their money, I think that the quote is important, as they were hoping to get their dream house but later they did a mistake by putting all their shares into OHTE and West Parks, which crashed rapidly after that, the stocks they were playing with really were just paper gains & losses which turned them into bankrupts overnight.

2.The Martyrdom of Helena Rodrigues
Quote: " She brought him up to believe that to insult his mother devotion to him was the ultimate blasphemy". [pg 13]

This is recurrent throughout the entire story as George tries not to hurt his mother's feelings, though he always feels guilty.

3.Sundowner
Quote: "But, Aman, the bidan is a traditional and untrained mid-wife". [pg 23]

Mr.Das, saying this is like John in his dream/illusion that he saw. I think that later he thinks whether he resembles John or Elizabeth. It is important as Mr.Das does not like the master-servant relationship.

4.Tanjong Rhu
Quote: "Suddenly, he was seized with a longing so sharp his eyes stung." [pg 39]

Sometimes his mother does things which he cannot understand, before his mother died, he looked back at his childhood memories with his mother which he had long forgotten.

5.Evening Under Frangipani
Quote: "To Elaine Prakash had seemed a man of the earth, without artifice or pretension." [pg 63]

To Elaine, Prakash was everything to her, their difference in the intelligence or prospects were different in every way she knew she couldn't change.

6.Lee
Quote:"She's illuminated and he's in the shadows;he still can't see what he wants to desperately see." [pg 93]

Lee is a very artistic, mature in thinking as people oftenly mistook for someone older than she really is. Her father is also amazed by her. Their difference are very obvious. But it is because of their difference that they truly can connect with each other.

7.A History of Tea
Quote:"The girl was not really my cousin". [pg 109]

Tien Yee has a long history behind him, that his grandparents left behind, which was far more complicated, that in a way she related to Beverly but not by blood just through past relationships.

8.A Dream of China
Quote:"His younger brother had done right and he had done wrong". [pg 126]

The narrator's father thinks that when he left for Singapore it was an act of cowardance therefore not allowing himself to go China. This is important because this shows the father's stubborness & not willing to open his eyes to see the truth.

9.Release
Quote:"Her heart froze. The baby cried. She sat down, blinded by the scream that filled her mind." [pg 148]

Eileen is unable to comprehend what just happened. Her neighbor was cold-hearted, annyoying and impatient. What she actually wanted was some peace for her baby, love from her husband, someone to understand her feelings. She did not expect a inhumane act from the neighbors to silence the puppies.

10.An Obituary for Fith Aunt Come Late
Quote:"You remember your aunt, the one who wasn't careful in the kitchen? Do you remember your aunt?" [pg 149]

Though aunt cooks and cleans for her family, she isn't remembered well, they take her granted. She has a pitiful life because people treat her as a door-mat. But aunt doesn't complain or fight back, I think that it is because of her up-bringing in the family, her family only takes that only boys are important, she is then treated as trash.

11.Corridor
Quote:"Yes, there are naughty kids around here". [pg 168]

The hating began when the author's grandchildren started playing with the neighbor's waterpipes. It reminds me how the story will progress.

12.Mid-Autumn
Quote:"but the festival makes me gek sim". [pg 176]

In this story, every mid-autumn reminds the narrator of her daughter, who left for Uganda. She gets photos from her daughter, but with bloodied hands. I think that she feels 'gek sim' because after all the hardwork in her job she expected her daughter to be someone who can support herself unlike the narrator. So she is saddened by this.

13.Hamid and the Hand of Fate
Quote:"He had but brutal fate to thank for that". [pg 192]

The protoganist in this story had lost one side of his arm during his work thus getting compensation for it. But for fate, later his life changed because he had gotten money.

14.The Move
Quote:"In some ways she was not sorry to leave her old housing estate". [pg 207]

I think that she doesn't want to leave her current house is that it was once filled with memories from the past. But once she faces her insecurity, & puts trust in her future she will be willing to move on.

15.Past Time
Quote:"This is just a story, you understand?"

I am not sure if Tai Poh's or Mr Lee's stories are real, this quote made think whether to believe it or not.

posted by Invisible @ 8:14 PM