SPM Novel Sing to the Dawn Sample Answer A character You Sympathise With.

Based on the novel you have studied, which character do you sympathise with? Give reasons for your answer with close reference to the text. RECOMMENDED OUTLINE • State the novel you have studied and the author. • Name the character you sympathise with. Give some information about the character in the story. • Give three reasons to support your answer. • Give textual evidence to support each of the three reasons. Model Answer The novel, Sing to the Dawn by Mingfong Ho, is about Dawan, a young Thai girl who lives in the village with her family. She won first place in a test and was announced as the winner of a scholarship, giving her an opportunity to pursue her studies in a City school. Her brother, Kwai, came in second after her. Both of them have great ideas of using their education to improve life in the village. The character whom I sympathise with in the novel is Dawan. Instead of getting support and encouragement for her achievement, Dawan faces anger and rejection from her parents. Her father is angry with her because he wants his son to get the scholarship. Her mother does not encourage her because she thinks it is foolish to give her hope. Dawan’s close relationship with Kwai suffers because her brother is jealous of her success. He threatens to take the scholarship from her, making her worried and defensive. The conflict between them worsens with Dawan thinking ‘It’s either him or me.’ His betrayal causes her pain. She even gets hurt physically when Kwai pushes her, causing her to injure to her ankle. Thirdly, Dawan is sad to leave home. After all, she is only fourteen years old and she is leaving her home for the first time. She will be alone in the ‘ugly, cruel city’. She will also be far away from nature which she loves. For these reasons, I sympathise with Dawan. She has to struggle to pursue her dream. By right, she should have received support from her family and her community. She will also face a lot of challenges in her new life in the city.