Practice 1

Based on one novel above, discuss one of the themes in the story. Provide evidence from the text to support
your answer
The novel that I choose is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is about the mysterious death of Azreens
adopted sister, Madhuri, and how Azreen goes through everything to find out the truth behind the death. The
theme that I would like to discuss here is gender stereotyping .
In the novel, gender stereotyping is presented through how females should behave. This can be seen especially
through Azreen. For example, Azreens school friends start to give suspicious eyes towards her when she
behaves unlady-like or tomboyish. She plays hockey with the boys and even laughs like a bunch of hyenas
with them. To them, as a woman, Azreen is not expected to be tomboyish and hangs too closely with boys.
In conclusion, Azreens unlady-like behaviors have created sense of discomfort among the people around her.
This is an example of how gender stereotyping is presented in the novel.
Practice 2
Write about a character that you find most interesting. Support your answer with evidence from the novel.
The novel that I choose is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is about the mysterious death of Azreens
adopted sister, Madhuri, and how Azreen goes through everything to find out the truth behind the death. The
character that I find most interesting in the novel is the old lady.
The old lady is an educated woman as she has knowledge of herbal medicine to treat illnesses. Her house is
always neat and situated by the hillside. She is a caring and concerned woman as she takes Azreen in and
gives her food and shelter whenever she has fights and problems. She is also a resourceful person and she is a
good cook. Her recipes and secret ingredients are very much sought after.
In conclusion, the old lady is the most interesting character in the novel. She is an educated woman, neat
person, kind-hearted and a good cook too.
Practice 3
Write about a character that you dislike in the novel. Support your answer with evidence from the novel
The novel that I choose is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is about the mysterious death of Azreens
adopted sister, Madhuri, and how Azreen goes through everything to find out the truth behind the death. The
character that I dislike in the novel is Puan Normala.
I dislike Puan Normala because she is a rumour monger. She is the one that spread the rumour about Madhuri
and how she died. Puan Normala is also superstitious. She blames the old ladys visit to Ashrafs house as the
reason for the continuous rain. Furthermore, she is also a mean and malicious person. For example, she
provokes Mohd Ashraf to confront the old lady by accusing the old lady as the reason why Ashrafs
grandmothers health is getting worse. Because of that, Ashraf burns down the old ladys house in anger, and
causes the old lady to die in the fire.
As conclusion, the character that I dislike most in the novel is Puan Normala because she is a rumour monger,
mean and malicious and also a superstitious woman.
Practice 4

Write about a moral value you have learnt in the story. Support your answer with evidence from the novel
The novel that I choose is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is about the mysterious death of Azreens
adopted sister, Madhuri, and how Azreen goes through everything to find out the truth behind the death. A
moral value that I have leant in the story is bravery.
This value is shown by Azreen. First, even as a young girl she takes challenges and tries to prove to her friends
that the Old Lady is not an evil witch. When she is yelled at for entering the Old Ladys house and destroying
her vegetable garden, Azreen bravely defends herself. In fact, she returns the next day and repairs the
trampled garden. Her action wins the Old Ladys heart.
The second evidence is when Azreen bravely takes the blame for Mohd Asraf in the bull incident. She
demonstrates courage. The same bull later injures her mothers leg causing her to paralyze. She was blamed
and scolded by her father as well as the villagers. She bravely endures that and never tells anyone of what
really happened.
The third event that displays her bravery is when she tries to tackle the angry people who are about to attack
the the Old Lady. When the Old Ladys house is in fire, Azreen tries to rescue the Old Lady but at the end she
has to be rescued by her father. When the Old Lady dies in the tragic fire, she confronts Mohd Asraf like a
wildcat.
Finally, towards the end of the story, she finds out the secret that her father has been keeping. She confronts
her father about Madhuris murder until he is forced to confess about the truth.
As conclusion, bravery is the moral value that I have learnt through Azreen. For me, Azreen is very brave to
confront people whom she knows have done wrong to others. At the same time she is very brave when
defending herself and the people she loves.

Moral value
There are many moral values found in The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The story is set in an island off
Langkawi Island. The Curse revolves around the events surrounding the death of a village girl,
Madhuri, who is also the adopted sister of themain character, Azreen.
The first moral value is bravery. This value is shown by Azreen. First, even as a young girl she takes
challenges and tries to prove to her friends that the Old Lady is not an evil witch. When she is yelled
at for entering the Old Ladys house and destroying her vegetable garden, Azreen bravely defends
herself. In fact, she returns the next day and repairs the trampled garden. Her action wins the Old
Ladys heart.
The second evidence is when Azreen bravely takes the blame for Mohd Asraf in the bull incident. She
demonstrates courage.The same bull later injures her mothers leg causing he to lose the use of her

leg. She was blamed and scolded by her father as well as the villagers. She bravely endures that and
never tells anyone of what really happened.
Her bravery is once again tested. The third event that displays her bravery is when she tries to tackle
the angry mob who are about to attack the the Old Lady. When the Old Ladys house is in fire, Azreen
tries to rescue the Old Lady but at the end she has to be rescued by her father. When the Old Lady
dies in the tragic fire, she confronts Mohd Asraf like a wildcat.
Finally, towards the end of the story, she finds out the secret that her father has been keeping. She
confronts her father about Madhuris murder until he is forced to confess about the truth. She is very
brave to confront people whom she knows have done wrong to others. At the same time she is very
brave when defending herself and the people she loves.

The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is exemplary.

Based on the novel The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character that I consider exemplary is Azreen because she
is courageous and brave. She shows resilience and she always fight for what she believes in.
Firstly, Azreen who does not believe the villagers tales about The Old Lady is being brave by accepting her
friends challenge to firstly knocking on the door of The Old lady and then meet her in person. . Subsequently,
she befriends The Old Lady and makes her, her precious confidante and counselor.
In addition, Azreen is courageous by confronting Puan Normalas mob outside Mohd Asrafs house when Nek
once again has fallen ill and died in order to stop her from entering Neks house. Although she is outnumbered,
she dares to face Puan Normalas horde to protect Neks house from them. Moreover, she confronts a group

of men led by Asraf who goes to the Old ladys house to seek revenge after Nek dies as they believe the Old
lady has poisoned Nek.
It is a dog-eat-dog world out there and we must be brave and courageous to overcome our daily obstacles and
stand for our own rights. We should not be intimidated by our fear and we must be like Azreen in order to
survive the world.
The second exemplary qualities of Azreen is that she portrays resilience throughout the story and she
constantly fights for what she believes in. This can be seen when Azreen does not give up and is determine and
resilience to seek the truth of Madhuris death even though others do not want to tell her the truth. She asks
Asraf and The Old Lady about Madhuris death and slowly gather evidences and finally she knows the truth
about Madhuris killing.
In her village, a woman should be conservative and well mannered but Azreen is a contrast to that and thus
she is hated but she ignores the villagers perception of her, as she believes that women have their own rights.
This can be seen as she befriends Asraf and joins the boys hockey team and similarly makes The Old Lady her
best friend.
In this cruel world, we must stand for our own right and fight for what we believe in. We must follow Azreens
resilience to make this world a better place.

Write on a character that show responsibility in her or his actions

Based on the Novel The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character that shows responsibility in her
actions is Azreen Saleh. Azreen is not only a responsible sister and daughter but also a responsible
student and friend .
Firstly, Azreen as a responsible sister comes back immediately when she hears of her sisters
death although at that time she is about to sit for an examination that is important for her. She
postpones her examination in order of giving her sister her last respect.
Secondly, as a daughter she shows her responsibility firstly, when she spends the whole night
repairing her mothers favourite rattan basket that was broken by the heavy durians that she and
Madhuri has brought in. Subsequently, with Madhuris help she makes a new rattan basket that looks
like the one that she and Madhuri have broken. In addition to that, Azreen accepts the offer to further
her studies in London for the sake of upbringing her family social status and thus could then save a lot
of money to get a better treatment for her mother that is paralyzed by the bull escape incidents that
she .
Thirdly, as a friend and a student, Azreen shows her responsibility when she accepts to join
theschool hockey team as a substitution to Hock Seng that is injured. She does that even
though she knows that she will be the only girl in the team and this will tarnish her image as a girl. In
fact she plays very well and almost scores a goal. In addition to that, Azreen shows that she is a
responsible friend, when she brings a full basket of fresh vegetables and tomatoes to The Old
Lady of the forest to replace the one that she tramples earlier when she comes to The Old Ladys
house for the first time.
In conclusion, throughout the story, Azreen shows that she is a very responsible towards her actions.
In fact, I would like to have her as a friend as a friend as such is hard to come by.
2.

Which character do you like the most?

The novel I have studied is The Curse by Lee Su Ann. The novel is about the main
character,Azreen, who returns from England after she finds out about her sisters death. Upon her
return, she is surrounded by many secrets. She discovers the circumstances of Madhuris death later
in the story. At the end of the story she finds out the truth and leaves for London an orphan but more
resilient and wise.
The character I like most is Azreen Salleh. She is a 20-year-old student who is studying in a
university college in London on an exchange programme. She is short, bespectacled, rather bookish
and outspoken.
I like Azreen because she is outspoken and she is not afraid to spoke her mind. She is vocal and
says her opinions although sometimes she says the wrong things at the wrong time. She
also hates her fathers treatment of her foster parents and Madhuris burial ceremony that is
conducted without her presence. In handling the village gossip, Pn Normala, Azreen tells her off that
the rain has started even before the Old Lady comes into town.
The second quality she has is she is courageous. As a child, she plays hockey and football with the
boys. In the bulls incident, she is brave enough to accept the blame for the bulls escape instead of
blaming someone else. Azreen also shows her courage by taking up the dare to knock on the Old
Ladys door when none wants to do it. In another instance, Azreen confronts her father about
Madhuris murder despite her young age.
Azreen also has strength of character. When she returns to her village, she hears a lot of gossip
surrounding her sisters death such as as Madhuri having white blood and her death signals a curse
to the villagers. Azreen feels upset but she never retaliates. Sheshows patience and strengh because
she knows that whatever she does, she cannot stop the villagers from gossiping about her family. In
another instance, Azreen is told that her sister is murdered. She should have been very upset about
this news but she takes it calmly and does not become hysterical. Later, when she finds out that her

father is the culprit who kills Madhuri, she feels no anger but regrets that it has to happen.
She understands her fathers anger and shame because Madhuri has been having an illicit affair with
Ashraf although she is already married to Hj Ghani. Azreen also shows a lot of strength because
after all that has happened to her family, she stays composed and strong and returns to England for
her examinations.
In conclusion, there are many qualities in Azreen that I admire and she is the character that
I like most in the story.
3.

Write on a character whom I think is exemplary

a) In the Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character whom I think is exemplary is The Old Lady of the
forest. Throughout the novel, she shows strength of character and wisdom.
When she first moves to the village as a newlywed, she is popular among the villagers and she enjoys
a blissful marital life with her husband. Everything changes as her husband who becomes an alcoholic
starts to abuse her and finally she retaliates and kills him. From then on, the villagers treat her like an
outcast. She is forced to move out of the village and makes an abandoned house her home. She lives
alone for years until she befriends Azreen and becomes her mentor and will console her whenever
she has a fight with her parents.
When Asraf approaches The Old Lady for help, she is hesitant about going back to the village. Yet
she agrees and doing so, she puts her life at risk. When she is trapped in the burning house, she tells
Azreen to save herself and she perishes in the fire. Even at deaths door, she reminds Azreen about
the importance of forgiveness and tells her to heed all the advice she has given her.
The Old Lady is therefore an exemplary character as she is strong, wise and honourable.
b)
Based on the novel The Curse by Lee Sue Ann, the character that I
consider exemplary is Azreen because she is courageous and brave. She shows resilience
and she always fight for what she believes in.
Firstly, Azreen who does not believe the villagers tales about The Old Lady is being brave by
accepting her friends challenge to firstly knocking on the door of The Old lady and then meet her in
person. . Subsequently, she befriends The Old Lady and makes her, her precious confidante and
counselor.
In addition, Azreen is courageous by confronting Puan Normalas mob outside Mohd Asrafs house
when Nek once again has fallen ill and died in order to stop her from entering Neks house. Although
she is outnumbered, she dares to face Puan Normalas horde to protect Neks house from
them. Moreover, she confronts a group of men led by Asraf who goes to the Old ladys house to seek
revenge after Nek dies as they believe the Old lady has poisoned Nek.
It is a dog-eat-dog world out there and we must be brave and courageous to overcome our daily
obstacles and stand for our own rights. We should not be intimidated by our fear and we must be like
Azreen in order to survive the world.
The second exemplary qualities of Azreen is that she portrays resilience throughout the story and she
constantly fights for what she believes in. This can be seen when Azreen does not give up and is
determine and resilience to seek the truth of Madhuris death even though others do not want to tell
her the truth. She asks Asraf and The Old Lady about Madhuris death and slowly gather evidences
and finally she knows the truth about Madhuris killing.
In her village, a woman should be conservative and well mannered but Azreen is a contrast to that
and thus she is hated but she ignores the villagers perception of her, as she believes that women
have their own rights. This can be seen as she befriends Asraf and joins the boys hockey team and
similarly makes The Old Lady her best friend.
In this cruel world, we must stand for our own right and fight for what we believe in. We must follow
Azreens resilience to make this world a better place.

4.

Write on a character that I admire / like

The novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann is very interesting. The character I like the most
is Azreen.Azreen is from Langkawi. She studies in London. Her father is Salleh Ghani. Her sister is
Madhuri. Madhuri is not Azreen real sister. I like Azreen because she is responsible. She takes care
of her sick mother. She bathes and feeds her mother. When Old Lady vegetable garden is trampled,
she repairs it.
Azreen is determined. She always studies hard. She also wants to find Madhuris murderer. She
does not give up. Finally, she finds out the truth. Azreen is also brave and courageous. She is Old
Ladys friend. She is not afraid of the stories. The villagers say she is a witch. Azreen does not care. It
is not true. When Old Ladys house is in fire, Azreen wants to rescue her. She is really brave.
I like Azreen because she is a loyal. She defends Mohamad Asraf. She says she opens the gate of
the farm. Azreen is a strong girl. I wish I have a friend like her. When her mothers basket is damaged,
she takes the blame. Azreen wants to protect the people she loves.
Azreen is responsible, determined, brave and loyal. Those are the reasons why I like her. She is a
good role model.

The novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann is about Azreen Saleh who tries to find out the the truth about the death of
her sister, Madhuri. She returns to her village in Langkawi from London for the lost but discovers the secrets
and curses regarding her sisters death. There are many problems in the novel. However, there is a problem
faced by one of the main characters in the novel, Azreen Saleh. The problem faced by Azreen was her
relationship with her father which gets strained.
This conflict gets even worsen when she was blamed for her parents accident. Azreen takes everything
positively. She continues to respect her father despite his coldness and she does not cease to take care of her
mother.
Azreen found a way to overcome her conflict with her parents. Azreen seeks comfort in the Old Lady
whenever she feels upset or unhappy with her parents. When she takes for the blame on the accident, she
runs to the Old Lady to refuge. She gains strength from the Old Ladys advice and guidance.
Azreen finds that not much changed between her and her father when she comes for the Madhuris
death somewhere in Langkawi. Her father remains distant but she still treats him respectfully as blood is
thicker than water. Meanwhile, she feels no sense of loss or sorrow either at her sisters death. However, she
mourns following her mothers death.
After she had discovered the truth about her sisters death, she learns to let bygones be bygones. She
forgives her father for accidentally stabbed Madhuri.
In conclusion, one should deals with the problems faced in a responsible manner. He or she supposes to
take the problem as a lesson in life in order to prepare for the challenging world ahead.