Chapter 1 Azreen hurriedly leaves her studies in England to return home after receiving ne ws that her sister had

died. Her coursemate, Julian Ng, tries to offer his symp athy and condolence but she was not in the mood to talk about the matter. Chapter 2 On the plane home, Azreen experiences flashbacks of her early days with Madhuri and how Madhuri was well-liked by people. Madhuri was beautiful and soft-spoken compared to Azreen, who was an obstinate child. Chapter 3 Back home, on an island south of Langkawi Island, Pn. Kamsiah was talking with h er daughter Siti about their neighbour, Normala, who is spreading rumours that M adhuri was murdered and she spilt white blood. Datin Sharifah and her husband we re ready to fetch their adopted daughter from the airport. They were trying thei r best not to talk about Madhuris death. Chapter 4 Mourners gather at Azreens house to pay their last respects to Madhuri before buri al. The women folk gossip among themselves that Madhuri was murdered and she had put a curse on everyone on the island. Azreen arrives late to pay her last res pects to her late sister. Azreen brings her sickly mother to the burial ground to bid farewell to Madhuri. She meets Mohd. Asraf and flashbacks of her schoolin g years fills the scene. Chapter 5 Azreen meets Asraf. She enquires about Madhuris death but is only given vague det ails of the incident. Normala, the rumour monger, spreads rumours about what ha d happened to Madhuri. Awang, the bomoh, makes an appearance as he dreams that a disaster is about to hit the village soon. Awang recalls the incident when he stole a chicken at Encik Mohans farm causing a bull to escape. Asraf was blamed for the fiasco but Azreen bravely took the blame on his behalf. Back to the pre sent, Azreen looks for the Old Lady in the jungle to catch up on old times. Th e Old Lady discloses that Madhuri was murdered. Chapter 6 The Old Lady relates to Azreen that she saw Madhuris lifeless body and the wound o n her. She suggests that Madhuris murder was covered up as investigation into her death would reveal more secrets. Puan Fatihah, the village headmans wife recalls how her life changed forever when her husband, Haji Ghani, became attracted to Madhuri. Azreen recaps how Madhuri tried to defend her from her fathers wrath for stealing mangosteen and the good times she spent with Madhuri. In a flashback, Azreen adm itted her folly for letting the bull go in order to save Asraf from Encik Mohan and his sons wrath. The escaped bull knocked into the motorcycle that her parents were on and caused her mother to be paralysed. The Old Lady reveals her past li fe with her abusive husband who drove her to kill him in self-defence. She made herself a home in a deserted house in the jungle. Chapter 7 Asraf is concerned about his grandmothers deteriorating health. At the same time, Hj. Ghani, mourns at Madhuris tombstone. While deep in thoughts, he almost saw s

omeone, a woman in a flowing white dress, strolling past the trees. At home, Azr eens father reprimanded her for not latching up the chicken coop. A chicken carcas s, with its neck broken, lies on the bottom step of the coop. The next morning, Azreen reads Julians letter about the examination week in colleg e. Then, she reads Madhuris letter of her marriage and relationship with Kak Fati hah (Haji Ghanis first wife). The letter also hints that Madhuri has a secret to be revealed to Azreen when she returns home for her holidays. Chapter 8 Azreens mother dies. Meanwhile, Mohd. Asraf continues to worry over his sickly gr andmother. Mohd Asraf goes to the market to look for medicinal plants for his gr andmother but fails to find any. In desperation, he goes to the Old Ladys house f or help. The Old Lady hesitates at first but after much persuasion from Azreen a nd Mohd. Asraf, she finally agrees to go over to Mohd Asrafs house to help his gra ndmother. Chapter 9 Siti keeps an eye on Mohd. Asrafs grandmother (Nek) while he goes out to get her medicine. Pn. Kamsiah and Normala are curious at the Old Ladys presence at Mohd. Asrafs house. The Old Lady tries to cure Nek. Azreen is puzzled to discover a university prospectus that reveals Mohd. Asrafs in tention to pursue his studies in Kuala Lumpur. When Azreen returns home, she se es the bomoh scampering behind the bushes. As she confronts the bomoh, he infor ms her about the mob incident at Mohd. Asrafs house. She immediately runs to Asrafs house. Normala blames Azreen for bringing the Old Lady to Mohd. Asrafs house and causing heavy downpour to hit the village. An argu ment starts and Azreens father intervenes to stop the commotion. Meanwhile, Nek i s beginning to recover and Mohd. Asraf is extremely relieved. They thank the Ol d Lady for bravely coming over to cure Nek and the rain finally stops. Chapter 10 Azreen awakes to a flurry of knocks on her door. She finds out that Nek has pass ed away and Mohd Asraf is heading towards Neks house with a few men for revenge. Azreen tries to stop him and in a struggle, stabs him at the foot with a spade. The torch that he was holding fell onto the wall of the house and soon the hou se was on fire. Azreen finds Nek, barely alive lying beside the stove and she a dvises Azreen to learn to forgive before it is too late. Azreens father saves her before the whole house crumbles. Mohd Asraf confesses to Azreen that he loves Madhuri and they were planning to abscond from the island when he was offered a teaching course in Kuala Lumpur. Madhuri wanted to confess to her husband, parents and Azreeb about her affair wi th Mohd. Asraf. However, Madhuri was found dead at a rubber plantation. Azreen then meets Awang , the bomoh, who tells her that Madhuri was not her real sister. Awang also con fesses that he was the one who left the gate open that led to the motorcycle acc ident that paralysed her mother. Awang also confirms that he had seen Madhuri a nd Mohd Asraf together several times in the rubber estate. The chapter ends wit h Haji Ghani, the headman thinking about his young wife meeting her lover on tha t fateful day when she was killed. Chapter 11

Azreen delves on the bomohs words that Madhuri was not her real sister. She encou nters a shadow of a woman from behind the wooden fence again that directs her to a woodpile a few feet away behind her house. Azreen and her father walk towards the woodpile and see a parang that Saleh used to chop wood. There is white and stic ky stain at the edge of the parang. Azreen immediately recalls Normalas words She h ad white blood and she stares at her father in disbelief. Saleh recalls how fond was he with Madhuri and how he found her as a baby at the paddy field. He stumbles upon Madhuri and Mohd Asraf together at the rubber pla ntation. In his fury, he kills Madhuri and her body knocks over the latex-filled container. Upon hearing this revelation, Azreen runs away from her father. Saleh suffers a heart attack and dies. Meanwhile in the village, a rumour sprea ds like a wildfire that a woman who looks suspiciously like his dead daughter ha d been wandering about at the time of his death. Chapter 12 Azreen visits her familys graves. She leaves a flower on each grave and leaves qui etly. She leaves a flower at the hillside where the Old Lady was buried, too. As Azreen leaves, she sees a smiling figure which resembles Madhuris smiles. The Curse - Characters Azreen: Main character of the novel. Studies in England. Happy to be away from her vil lage. Did not have good relationship with her parents especially her father due to her defiant behaviour and tomboyish outlook. An outspoken and independent gi rl. Envious of her adopted sister, Madhuri. A helpful friend especially when s he claimed responsibility for letting the bull run loose in order to save Mohd. Asrafs skin. Caring for her sick mother and Old Lady. Intelligent as she managed to further her studies in the United Kingdom. Madhuri: A beautiful and polite lady. A submissive wife and daughter. Religious and goo d at reciting Quranic verses. Conservative compared to her sister, Azreen. Pro tective of her sister when they were young. A polite and caring daughter. Conc erned about her sick mother. Mohd. Asraf: A dedicated and popular teacher in a local school on the island. Independent si nce young. Good friends with Azreen while they were in school together. A carin g grandson who is concerned about his grandmothers well-being. Loves Madhuri and wanted to take her with him to Kuala Lumpur. Saleh Abdullah: Madhuri and Azreens father. Active and strong for his age. A stern father to Azr een since when she was young. Not on good terms with Azreen since the motorcycl e accident which paralysed Azreens mother. A manipulative father who let Madhuri become Haji Ghanis second wife in order to protect his interests. An egoistic pers on who could not accept Madhuris love affair with Mohd. Asraf and in the end kille d Madhuri in a fit of anger at the rubber plantation. Haji Ghani: The village headman who fell for Madhuri and took her as his second wife. Negle cts his first wife, Fathihah in the process. An influential man on the island. Hides the cause of his wifes death in order to protect his reputation. Knows of Madhuris affair with Mohd. Asraf. A religious man. Siti:

An obedient daughter of Pn. Kamsiah. She helps Mohd. Asraf to look after his gra ndmother while he looks for the medicinal plants. She is also a responsible girl as she warns Azreen about the mob that is lead by Mohd. Asraf to the Old Ladys ho use. She is gullible as she likes to ponder over the gossips and rumours told b y Normala, the village gossip. Puan Normala: The rumour monger of the village and her topic of interest is on Madhuri and how she died. She is sneaky and malicious when she coaxed Mohd. Asraf to confront the Old Lady, accusing her as the reason why his grandmothers health deteriorates and she finally dies. She is also superstitious when she blamed the Old Ladys visi t to Mohd. Asrafs house as the reason for the continuous rain. Old Lady: An educated woman as she has knowledge of herbal medicine to treat illnesses. H er house is always neat and situated by the hillside. She is a caring and conce rned woman as she takes Azreen in and gives her food and shelter whenever she ha s fights and problems. She is also a resourceful person and she is a good cook and her recipes and secret ingredients are very much sought after. Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli: Azreens rich foster parents whom she stayed with for two months foster programme. Datuk and Datin helped her financially in her studies in the UK. Even though s he only stayed with them for a short period of time, she still maintains a good relationship with them. Even though they are foster parents, they treat Azreen as their own child. Azreen calls her Mak Cik which signifies their close relati onship. Bomoh: The Bomoh is the person whom the villagers seek for traditional cure. It is thr ough the Bomoh that the mysterious happenings that took place in the village are uncovered. The truth behind the death of Madhuri and the status of Azreen are a lso finally revealed by him Fatihah: She is Haji Ghanis first wife and appears to adore Madhuri. However, she secretly hold grudges against her husbands young wife. She feels that her husband favours the young wife more than herself. She tries her best to win her husbands heart af ter the death of Madhuri. The Curse - Character : Which character do you like the most? The novel I have studied is 'The Curse' by Lee Su Ann. The novel is about the m ain character, Azreen, who returns from England after she finds out about her si ster's death. Upon her return, she is surrounded by many secrets. She discovers the circumstances of Madhuri's death later in the story. At the end of the stor y 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 shor t, 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 father's treatment of her foster parents and Madhuri's burial ceremony that is conducted without her presence. In handl ing the village gossip, Pn Normala, Azreen tells her off that the rain has start ed 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 bull's incident, she is brave enough to accep t the blame for the bull's escape instead of blaming someone else. Azreen also s hows her courage by taking up the dare to knock on the Old Lady's door when none wants to do it. In another instance, Azreen confronts her father about Madhuri' s murder despite her young age. Azreen also has strength of character. When she returns to her village, she hear s a lot of gossip surrounding her sister's death such as as Madhuri having white blood and her death signals a curse to the villagers. Azreen feels upset but sh e never retaliates. Sheshows patience and strengh because she knows that whatev er 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 b een very upset about this news but she takes it calmly and does not become hyste rical. Later, when she finds out that her father is the culprit who kills Madhur i, she feels no anger but regrets that it has to happen. She understands her fat her's anger and shame because Madhuri has been having an illicit affair with As hraf although she is already married to Hj Ghani. Azreen also shows a lot of st rength because after all that has happened to her family, she stays composed and strong and returns to England for her examinations. Clearly/In conclusion, there are many qualities in Azreen that I admire and she is the character that I like most in the story. The Curse: Literary Devices LITERARY DEVICES SIMILE A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often introduced wit h the words "like", "as", or "than". Examples : 1) Pn.Kamsiahs eyes bulged out like a toadsp.11 2) and growled like some rabid dog- p.23 3) Fingers pointed, harsh words were spoken and friends avoided her like a leper. p.104 4) His eyes burned wildly like the fire on his torch. - p.199 5) People swarm around you like flies to a garbage can. Like maggots to ro tten meat C p.38 METAPHOR Examples: 1) Especially that rotten durian neighbour of yours p.23 2) with the leaky- mouthed neighbour-p.171 3) her fathers steely eyes-p.222 PERSONIFICATION An inanimated object is personified by attributing human traits and qualities to it. Examples: 1) 2) 3) 4) the black taxis whizzing past - p.3 The plank beneath her feet creaked - p.80 whose muscular biceps flexed menacingly- p.93 it gripped his heart like a vice-p.227

ONOMATOPOEIA Words that sound like the objects they name or the sounds those objects make.

Examples: 1) 2) 3) 4)

the wheels of the suitcase screeched as she-p.2 The plank beneath her feet creakedp.80 There was a rustling of leaves-p.219 words echoed boomingly in her head-p.222

HYPERBOLES Hyperboles are figures of speech that are exaggerated in order to create emphasi s or effect Examples: 1) . girls fell for him left and right p.41 2) Argh Ill be dead if the teacher finds out p.91 POINT OF VIEW The point of view is the eyes through which a story is seen and told. The reader wil l learn about the story through an outside voice, the narrator. In the novel The Curse, the author has used the THIRD PERSON OR OMNISCIENT point of view. He even narrates the story using dialogues. TONE OF VOICE Attitude of a character or a piece of writing. Serious, mysterious, sadness, reflective, regret, emotional, humorous, envious, IMAGERY Imagery is the use of words or phrases that appeal to the five senses- sight, he aring, touch, taste and smell. These words create mental pictures in the minds o f the readers hence making a piece of description more alive and memorable. Examples: 1) She sat up and stared at the rising sun that glowed orange and vermil ion. C p.205 2) Sunlight danced through the leaves above C p. 206 3) The shades of the trees now left them and the glare of the morning su n blinded him for a while.- p.213 4) Somewhere nearby a church bell chimed and a red double-decker bus wen t whizzing by.- p.231 5) The sweet smell of jasmine caressed her senses, lifting a weight from her soul. p. 229 6) Azreen felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks. Her skin felt cold an d clammy even under the hot afternoon sun. p. 226 The Curse - Character : Write on a character that is exemplary. 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 wi sdom. When she first moves to the village as a newlywed, she is popular among the vill agers and she enjoys a blissful marital life with her husband. Everything change s as her husband who becomes an alcoholic starts to abuse her and finally she re taliates and kills him. From then on, the villagers treat her like an outcast. S he is forced to move out of the village and makes an abandoned house her home. S he lives alone for years until she befriends Azreen and becomes her mentor and w ill 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 i s trapped in the burning house, she tells Azreen to save herself and she perishe s in the fire. Even at deaths door, she reminds Azreen about the importance of for giveness 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.

The Curse - Character : 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 dau ghter 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 th at is important for her. She postpones her examination in order of giving her si ster her last respect. Secondly, as a daughter she shows her responsibility firstly, when she spends th e 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 he lp she makes a new rattan basket that looks like the one that she and Madhuri ha ve 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 the n 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 acc epts to join the school hockey team as a substitution to Hock Seng that is injur ed. She does that even though she knows that she will be the only girl in the te am and this will tarnish her image as a girl. In fact she plays very well and al most 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 Ol d 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. The Curse Themes: More Notes JEALOUSY The jealousy that occurs when one is favoured than the other. Azreen is jealous of Madhuri. She is always being compared to her, especially fo r the things that she is not, or does not have. She doesnt have her sisters grace an d beauty, and it seems like her parents favour her sister more. She could not stand it when her parents and friends compared her to her sister. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she could never match up to Madhuri. Pg. 8 It was that particular sentence that her mother had uttered in her frustrationShe wa s not Madhuri. She was different. Why couldnt they accept that? It was always Madh uri this, Madhuri that. Pg. 107

Puan Fatihah is jealous of Madhuris existence in her marriage with Haji Ghani. Eve n after her death, she still cannot get her husbands attention, what more his care . Shes very pretty, and very sweet-tempered and respectful to her elders. And very you ng. She added the last sentence with a trace of jealousy which escaped her husba nds eas. Pg. 79 She had lost everything to Madhuri. Her silk, her husband and her life C her sanity ! Pg. 80 Asraf is jealous of Haji Ghani as he married his love, Madhuri. He couldnt do anyt hing though because he had nothing at that time. Ive loved her ever since I met her. Then that Haji Ghani came and took her away. Pg. 2 04 PREJUDICE People are prejudiced when they are different from what others expect of them, o r when they made past mistakes. Azreen behaves like none of what is expected of her. She is outspoken, aggressiv e and daring. She does things that make people think negatively of her. For exam ple, being friends with the Old Lady.

Dont touch me. Youre cursed. Youve been affected ever since you made friends with the tch. But you refuse to let that rest. Instead you have brought her here and now the curse is spreading all over the village. Pg. 186 The Old Lady had killed her husband years ago. Because of that, the villagers de emed her evil, and even think she is witch. Im sure your witch friend has never told you that she stabbed her husband to death. Do you wished to be murdered along with the rest of us in our beds? Pg. 187 IRRATIONALITY Irrationality due to rage can cause people to take extreme actions that can enda nger the lives of others. Saleh Abdullah murdered Madhuri out of rage, upon seeing her in a private place with a man who is not her husband. Insolent, ungrateful child. He saw red. The blade flashed in a flurry before his e yes. A cry escaped Madhuri as she fell, knocking over the latex-filled container . Saleh pulled away the parang. But it was too late. Pg. 225 Asraf, enraged with the Old Lady for thinking she had poisoned his grandmother t o death, led a mob of people with torches to kill her. Azreen tried to stop him, but eventually the house was caught in fire and the Old Lady was trapped in the burning house. He, too, held a torch in his hand. In the other, he held a hoe. He was much nearer to the house than the other men And most importantly, loss and anguish fuelled hi s action. His eyes burned wildly like the fire of his torch. Pg. 198 The Old Lady murdered her husband as she could not tolerate any longer his abusi ve ways.

He was holding her by the shoulder, shaking her hard and yelling curses at her. He called her all sorts of names. He kneed her in the stomach, and kicked her when she went down... As he started to force herself on her, her hands reached for t he knife and she struck. Pg. 103 SUPERSTITIONS Belief in the supernatural is still prevalent in small villages. Almost all the villagers believe in the supernatural. Puan Normala especially, b elieved that Madhuri bled white blood and thought that the whole village is curs ed. I saw it. It was white. Her grip tightened. Did you hear me? She had white blood. We e all been cursed! Pg. 13 Most of the villagers believed that the Old Lady is a witch. They do not dare to enter her compound in fear of being cast a spell. Azreen realised they had not dared to move closer to the house. Superstition and f ear of the supernatural prevented them from physically hurting the Old Lady. Pg. 1 98 People of the village seek help from bomohs or witchdoctors to cure sickness or for charms to get what they want. Was it a bad thing to want to win back her husbands affections? What was a little ch arm from the bomoh to push things in the right direction? Pg. 148 SOCIAL OUTCASTING People tend to be cast out when they dont follow certain norms of a society. Due to Azreens outspoken, unlady-like behaviour, the people in the village tend to dislike, as she is not the type of girl who is supposed to act like one. Its not easy to be like that. Socially accepted, I mean. Look at me. Everyone hates me. Pg. 38 The Old Lady was casted out from the village after they found out that she kille d her husband.

Its true. Thats why Im here. Because the villagers cast me out after they found out w happened. Pg.101 Bomoh Awang would have been cast out from the village if Azreen didnt pretend to b e responsible for the incident that caused her mothers accident. But Cik Adik, if it hadnt been for you, the villagers would have cast me out long ag o.Pg.211 UNCONDITIONAL LOVE A persons background, or what people think of them does not matter when it comes t o unconditional love. Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zul treats Azreen like their own daughter, not caring w hat the other villagers think about her.

In fact, they treated the girl very much like their own daughter. (pg. 27) Saleh Abdullah and his wife loved Madhuri like she was their own child the momen t they found her crying alone in paddy field. All they cared was to keep the baby as their own. And they had loved her like thei r own.Pg. 224 FORGIVENESS Forgiving is an act that can free a person from burden and achieve peace. The Old Lady was abused and badly treated in her marriage, which drove her to ki ll his husband. But in the end, she forgave him. Once youve forgiven C sincerely forgiven C the weight is lifted from your chest, and y oure finally free. Pg. 161 Azreen had always feelings for Asraf, but Asraf loved Madhuri instead. Asraf has also caused the death of her dear friend, the Old Lady. The Old Ladys last words to Azreen were that she learns to forgive. Eventually, she did. From her heart, Azreen wished him all the best. She smiled. Had she learnt to forg ive? The Old Lady would be so proud if she knew.Pg. 231 The Curse: Themes and Values THEMES These are some of the themes found in the novel: LOVE The message of love is reiterated throughout the story. Parental Love: ? Both Saleh Abdullah and his wife love Madhuri dearly like their own biologic al child. ? Azreens inner conflict to garner her fathers love and affection. She always perc eives the father as having greater love towards her sister, Madhuri. Forbidden Love: ? Mohd. Asraf and Madhuri secretly loves each other that eventually led to Mad huris death. Unrequited Love: ? Azreen had a crush on Mohd. Asraf during school days. FORGIVENESS Before the Old Lady draws her last breath, she advises Azreen to forgive others. When Azreen discovers that it was her father who murdered Madhuri, she felt no anger or resentment towards him. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN The story portrays how some men believe women to be the weaker sex and they are violent towards them. For instance, the Old Ladys husband was abusive towards her and repetitively abused her. He hit and kicked her.

GENDER STEREOTYPING Through the novel, gender stereotyping is portrayed through how females should b ehave. This can be seen especially through Azreen. For example, Azreens school fri ends start to cast suspicious eyes towards her when she behaves unlady-like. She plays hockey with the boys and even laughs like a bunch of hyenas with them. To the m, as a woman, Azreen is not expected to be tomboyish and hangs too closely with boys. BELIEF IN THE SUPERNATURAL The villagers seem to believe in supernatural. For example, many villagers call upon Awang, the village shaman to avert disasters. In another instance, Puan Nor mala tries to convince the villagers that the village is cursed since Madhuris blo od is white. FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN The villagers are puzzled about how Madhuri died. However, no one actually inves tigates the incident which is covered up well by Haji Ghani and his followers. I n another instance, the villagers assume that the Old Lady is an evil witch that can turn anyone into squirrels or rats. Due to this assumption, the villagers o utcast the Old Lady.

VALUES These are some of the values found in the novel: CARING Madhuri shields her sister, Azreen, from being punished by her father. Madhuri helps Azreen to mend their mothers favourite rattan basket which Azreen br oke while collecting durians. STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN Being persistent in getting to the truth is highlighted especially through Azree n. She refuses to believe that Madhuris death was merely an accident. She finds cl ues that complete the puzzle. RESPONSIBILITY Azreen repairs the trampled bed of vegetables and brings back fresh vegetables a nd seeds to replace the ones destroyed vegetables that belong to the Old Lady. DILIGENCE Azreen diligently repairs the trampled bed of ladys fingers outside the Old Ladys ho use.

CONCERN When Azreen refuses to eat her dinner after being caned by her father and scolde d by her mother, Madhuri consoles and coaxes her to eat. Mohd. Asraf advises Azreen not to reveal about Madhuris death to her sickly mother who assumes that Madhuri is still alive. BRAVERY When Encik Mohan and his sons harshly reprimand Mohd. Asraf for carelessly letti ng their bull escape, Azreen braves herself to come to Mohd. Asrafs defence. She t ells them not to blame Mohd. Asraf without any evidence.

LOYALTY Shows her loyalty to her friend Mohd. Asraf by taking the blame calmly and brave ly for the accident that involves her dad and mum. PERSISTENCE Madhuri and Azreen continue working on the rattan basket in their bedroom. Even when their parents return home, they excuse themselves quietly and forgo dinner to weave a new basket to match the original in their dimly lit room. THOUGHTFULNESS Mak Cik Sharifah and her husband, Azreens foster parents, leave behind two throw p illows from their car for Azreen to sleep on in her mothers house. They are also t houghtful enough to leave her two bottles of water, some fruits and a bag of dis posable toiletries. HELPFUL Siti obliges to help Mohd. Asraf take care of his sick mother while Mohd. Asraf goes out to get some traditional medicine. Siti keeps an eye on the sick woman w hom she is quite fond of. The Curse - event: Write on an important event... In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, an important event is the outbreak of the fire which results in the Old Ladys death. Firstly, it is an important event because after this event, it creates a domino effect on a number of other events which in turn helps Azreen to finally solve t he mystery behind her sisters murder. The fire enrages Azreen and like a wildcat, she confronts Mohd Asraf. He apologises and admits that he had been too grief-strick en to be rational when he has lost two important people in his life C his secret lover, Madhuri and his grandmother, Nek. After the fire which kills the Old Lady who is trapped in the fire, Awang, the bomoh informs Azreen that Madhuri is not her biological sister. The secret about Madhuris identity is finally disclosed by Azreens father who reveals that Madhuri is actually an abandoned baby whom Saleh pick up from the paddy field. Moreover, the village Pontianak is actually Madhur

is biological mother who returns to the village to seek revenge over her daughters d eath. According to Awang, the ghostly figure is also the vengeful spirit that has kil Azreens chicken. Secondly, it is an important event because we are finally shown the reason for M adhuris murder and the culprit. When Azreen confronts her father, Encik Saleh defi antly confesses that he had accidentally murdered Madhuri after learning that Ma dhuri, a married woman, commits an adultery when she secretly sees another man. It is probably out of shame, the angry father who is embarrassed of Madhuris uneth ical behaviour which he thinks has brought shame to the family, confronts Madhur i and during the struggle, Madhuri falls to the ground and her head knocks over the latex cup which stains her clothes. A distraught Azreen flees after hearing the shocking news while Encik Saleh comes face-to-face with the shadowy woman C M adhuris mother who nears him with a parang in her hand. Saleh collapses and dies o f a heart attack. With this, peace is restored in the village when the spirit of Madhuris mother disappears after bidding farewell to Azreen who leaves Langkawi t o return to London. Thirdly, the fire at the Old Ladys house is the climax of the novel. From that poi nt onwards, events dramatically unfold and Azreen gets to the bottom of the myst ery. Azreen puts the pieces of facts here and there together and begins to under stand the reasons behind the cover-up of Madhuris murder by her husband, Haji Ghan i. Most importantly, we are also exposed to the crime of the villagers who are w illing to do anything including planning an attack on the innocent and harmless Old Lady just because of superstition. Under the instigation of Puan Normala, th e villagers are convinced to believe that the Old Lady possesses a special power to turn people into rats and squirrels, so the latter is accused to be an evil witch who brings all the misfortunes and bad omen to the village. In fact, when the rain continues to pour for more than four days, causing the town to be flood ed, the Old Lady is blamed to have put the curse on the village. From this event , we can see how gullible the villagers are to believe the vicious rumours sprea d by the village gossiper, Puan Normala. She does not seem to care about the des truction she causes. Her irrational behaviour thus destroys the reputations of v ictims such as the Old Lady even in the eyes of children. At the same time, thro ugh this event too that we see the purity of the Old Ladys heart. Despite being os tracised by the villagers, the Old Lady bears no grudges and is still willing to help people like Asrafs Nek. More importantly, the Old Lady at the point of her d eath before the burning house collapses on her, she reminds Azreen to forgive al l the villagers who have wronged her. The Curse - event: Write on an unforgettable event... In the novel The Curse by Lee Su Ann, an unforgettable event is when Puan Fatihah fa inted out of shock when she sees a silhouette of a Pontianak that looks like Mad huri appearing from behind a pile of tree trunks. Firstly, this is an unforgettable event because it makes me sympathise Puan Fati hah. I find it sad that Puan Fatihah is a victim of her own belief in the supern atural. Prior to the encounter with the Pontianak, she has gone to seek out the bomoh to get a charm to win back her husbands affections. She is superstitious eno ugh to resort to such a desperate act. It is her superstition that makes her bel ieve what she sees as a ghost and that is why she faints from utter shock. What is s o ironic is that she has thrown away the first charm which is a small piece of p aper with written incantation into the river. The result is her husband has take n the younger woman, Madhuri as his second wife and she has only herself to blam e. Now that his younger wife is dead, she must win back her husbands affections wi th the help of Awang, the bomoh. Secondly, I feel sorry for Puan Fatihah because she is so pathetic. She cannot b ear her husband a child and always feels insecure as she has no power to keep hi m all to herself. I can understand her pain of insecurity as she looks at the mi

rror each day and sees her aging face. She is haunted by the deepening lines, the crow's feet, the sagging skin and double chin. Which man can still stay in love wi th a face like that? Her insensitive husband has spurned her and laughs at her i nsecurities. Her declining beauty has caused her to feel envy towards Madhuri an d to be angry at her husband. This is really pathetic. Thirdly, I find this incident memorable / unforgettable because it reminds me of how fragile a woman can be. Puan Fatihah has tried to be strong and put up a gr eat pretence of liking the second wife, Madhuri. She has actually succeeded in d eceiving everyone in the village and even Madhuri herself. Madhuri, in her last letter to Azreen has told her sister that Puan Fatihah is such a kind and unders tanding lady whom she looks up to as an elder sister. Madhuri sees her as such a d ear sweet woman and is not sure whether she can emulate her goodness as a person a nd a wife. Poor Fatihah! She has suppressed her emotions and has to endure the f ights she and her husband have been having lately over trivial matters. She cann ot get his attention when Madhuri was alive and she still cannot get his attenti on after she was dead. She was so emotionally fragile that it was not surprising she fainted when she came face to face with a ghostly figure who has reached out he r hands to touch her. I would not forget this incident as it has taught me not t o believe in superstitions nor resort to solving problems by using supernatural methods. All of us have problems and we must not let them overwhelm us.