1) Do the respective authors use these traditional chinese rituals ( eating paper dissolved in drink, burning of paper and houses, lighting joss-sticks and praying to dead ancestors) just for irony or for more profound purposes? What are these purposes?


Ans:  Irony purposes , as for example int the story Paper, Tay Soon is obbessed with his dream house even to the extent that he keep talkiing  about it . He was slowly saving up for to buy his dream house that he got hook up  in share and stock for a quick way to get  money . He and his wife later got greedy that he kept on buying . Hence the stock blow up and they were left pennyless . He went nuts and eventually died . Then, his mother took care of his funeral and  even bought for him  a house that was most beautiful to see . ( pg 8)  It stood seven feet tall , a delicate  framework of wire and thin bamboo strips covered with finely worked paper myriad colours .  There was even a swimming pool  , four servant  to attent to the needs of the master which is his son . A Chevrolet and Mercedes was also bought for the son .
It is a irony as the son couls not get it in real life and hence his mother help to fulfil his wish by getting him luxury house for him to enjoy at the " other world " .

2) Would you  yourself, as a mordern youg Singaporean, see the relevence of such cultural rituals in your society as necessary still, or are a hindrance to progress and enlightened thinking?

Ans: To me, such culture are a necessary  still as its a tradition to the chinese to believe and act like such , like in the story Paper, where the granmother do not believe in getting rich fast and she is " old fashion" hence, when the share market fall, she was not affected .While Tay Soon on the other hand was emotionally and physically affected .Burning of paper money or house is necessary as it is the chinese belief that the things that they burn will be given to the decease at the 'other world'. We could progess by looking at the traditional way  like their culture rituals to as an example as such ritual had been past from generation to generation .

3) Do you think the elderly in Singapore are out of touch with the contemporary world? How far is it a virtue to remain contented like old Mrs Li and think that there is nothing more that a person, especially an elderly one, can want?

Ans:For me i think that most of the elderly's in Singapore are out of touch with the contemporary world because they tend to not have the latest technologies,they dont learn how to use the computer like we do.They also dont usually likes youngsters this days with their wildness because back then their parents are strict and firm with the child but nowadays all of that seems gone.They dont want their life to change.It is not good to always remember the past because we must be at the present but just remember the past.Mrs li is very contented with her life knowing that she must offer incense to her dead husband is a daily ritual for her,nowadays the younger generation dont do that as they are more westernized.By far,it is not healthy for one to always remember the past and die with it.One must always look on a positive note and face the challenges ahead.




4) I looking back at the past necessarily a good thing? This particular story uses the past to affirm strong ties, emotion and sentiment, but when can it become a negative habit?

Ans:Sometimes looking back at the past is a good thing especially whenever you are sad,bored or wanting to learn from a mistake.For Mrs li's case it is negative as she always lives with the past never letting go of it she doesnt even care about the future all she does is praying to her late husband altar while all her sons,daughters and grandchildren are slogging their hearts out to beat the fierce competition faced in the world.To her if she has proper logging and shelter she doesnt mind not moving along with the fast pacing world.Its not a good for an elderly to do that as i feel like they are just awaiting death and join their late husband or wife.

Done by nuraini bte Osman