MODEL ESSAY

SAMPLE ESSAYS
(1)
A Dream/ An Unexpected Visitor/Home Alone
The doorbell rang loudly. It rang again almost immediately. The sound was asking for
attention, but little Ramya hardly heard it. She was watching a funny cartoon. Reluctantly
Ramya dragged herself to the door. Her right hand touched the knob and she found
herself
opening the door.
Suddenly she remembered her mothers strict instructions. Neer open the door
before you see who is outside through the keyhole. It was too late. The door was pushed
open and a strange man rushed into the room. She stepped away. The man looked
weird as
he had ery big ears like those of an elephant. !n his head he had only one eye instead
of
two. His neck was ery long. He was only a little taller than Ramya. Ramya realised he
was
an alien. She also suddenly remembered she was alone at home. "hat was she to do
now#
She wished she had been more careful and looked through the key$hole before opening
the
door.
The bell was ringing again, more insistently. Someone was also banging on the door.
The person outside was losing her patience. Ramya woke up with a start at the ringing
of the
bell. She had been sleeping on the couch watching teleision. She hobbled to the door.
She
saw through the keyhole. It was her mother. Ramya opened the door. "hat a relief. It
had all
been a dream
(2)
An nterestin! Person "nce Met / #e$er !i$e %p / Perse$erance/A person &'o
'as
in(l%enced/c'an!ed me/ )rite a stor* endin! &it' +He made a di((erence in m* li(e,
%uring the last school holidays, I often went out for walks at the beach. It was there
that I met an interesting person.
He was sitting under a coconut tree. His ga&e was fi'ed on something far away. He
was hardly aware of my approach. (ut, when I was about two metres away from him, he
turned and greeted me with a toothless smile. I guessed he must be in his early )*s. He
was cheerful and friendly as I talked to him.
%uring our conersation, he told me certain parts of his personal history. He had
been a fisherman all his life. In fact, he started learning the trade eer since he was a
young
boy of thirteen when he helped his father to earn a liing. It had been a ery tough life at
sea,
getting up as early as two or three in the morning to go out fishing.
Then with a twinkle in his eyes, he began to relate to me some of his adentures at
sea. !nce, during a storm, his boat was smashed up. He managed to cling onto a piece
of
plank for one day and one night. Then he was finally rescued by a passing boat. +nother
time, he came face to face with a hungry shark in the rough sea. He had fallen into the
water
from his boat but he managed to escape death when a friend in another fishing boat
helped
him out of the water in time.
Here was a humble man who had come through life with a smile in spite of its many
dangers and hardships. Since then I decide to face life braely.
56
(-)
A .ri!'t(%l Experience / A Scar* Da*
!ne day, as I was returning home late from school at about ).,*pm, I was shocked
to discoer a group of rough$looking boys following me.
+s I -uickened my steps, one of them, apparently the leader stopped me. He ordered
me to surrender my watch and my wallet. +t first I resisted. "hen he threatened to
cause
me harm, I -uickly handed oer the items. I felt frightened and, at the same time, mad
because I had to part with my possessions. They laughed and made their way to a
coffee
shop nearby while I was left by the road feeling angry.
+t first I wanted to report the incident to the police but later, I decided against it and
went straight home. I told my parents about it and they concluded that it was unsafe for
me
to walk alone. They then arranged for me to go in my neighbours car and that soled the
problem.
(/)
An dea/ A dream / Am0ition / Moti$ation/ #e$er !i$e %p / S%ccess / .%t%re plan
.eryone has a dream but (ens dream made him successful.
"hen (en was in his final year in school, he had an idea to sell something. He
wanted to sell toys but he had no money. He talked to his parents and they agreed to
lend
him R/0*** to start his business. His mother said, 1"hen you see someone who has a
dream and a great idea, you dont want to stop him. 1
His business in toys turned out to be a success. (en started by selling a few types of
toys he bought from a factory in 2hina. His sales were good. He made a lot of trips to
2hina
to learn how toys were made. He learnt ery -uickly.
3ater, he designed and manufactured his own toys. The sales of his products
increased ery fast. Two things motiated him4 a lot of money and no money. He knew
that
without money he could not run his business well so he worked ery hard.He had the
confidence and was not afraid of failing.
To make his sales een better, he kept on coming up with new ideas and products.
5eople liked his new products.
(en now has three factories operating in the country. "hen interiewed, he said he
wanted to start another factory in the south. He said, 1There are so many people and I
hae
so many ideas6.
Hint (or teac'ers1 Essa*s can 0e modi(ied to s%it t'e title +.%t%re Plan2 0*
c'an!in!
t'e past tense to (%t%re tense3
57
(4)
A Dis'onest .riend/ M* .riend 5'eated Me/ Dis'onest*
"ould your friend cheat you# Nobody would beliee me when I told them that my
best friend had cheated me. I could not beliee it myself at first. How could someone
who
had been so close to me for so many years 7ust turned around and cheated me of my life
saings#
I should not hae belieed him in the first place 8 he and his get$rich$-uick scheme,
which promised a guaranteed return of 9**: of the sum inested. How could any
company
afford to gie out so much money in so short a time#
"ell, he was ery persuasie and not only that 8 he came up with an attractie story
and managed to get me to lend him almost R/;0 ***. He said he would repay within
three
months. I was a fool to beliee him.
3ater I heard that he had migrated to (runei to find his fortune there. It seemed he
had swindled money from other people and the company that he worked in. !nce I saw
him
une'pectedly inside a supermarket. He actually pretended not to know me. I tried to
chase
him but he disappeared into the crowd. I was ery disappointed.
/any of my other friends hae told me to forget about the whole thing. (ut I still
beliee that one day he would be caught. This is a lesson I learnt, that is, do not trust
people
too easily.
(6)
An Un(ort%nate Da* / An Unl%c7* Da* / An Un(or!etta0le Experience / A 8ad Da*
It was the first day of e'amination for the Si7il 5ela7aran /alaysia. It was the (ahasa
/elayu paper so Norma took her reision notes and left for school earlier than usual. +s
she
was cycling, she remembered her parents adice to read the -uestions carefully before
answering. The e'amination was going to start at eight in the morning and it was already
).90am. She felt nerous at the thought of the e'amination so she started to hum her
faourite songs.
+fter about fie minutes, she heard a loud gushing sound out of the tyre. She -uickly
stopped cycling and looked at the tyres. The back tyre was flat. Norma panicked. She
looked around but there was nobody. The mechanic shop which was about 9** metres
away
was still close. Immediately she locked the bicycle under a tree and started to run home.
She
was hoping her parents would still be at home to take her to school.
"hen she reached home, she was disappointed because her parents had already
left for work. She was frustrated and sad. It was already ).<*am. She started to run to
the
nearest bus stop for the public bus. +s she was running, she heard someone honking at
her.
"hen she turned around, she saw her parents in their car. She was relieed to see
them.
She 7umped into the car and told her parents about her bicycle and that she was late for
the
e'amination. Her parents adised her to be calm and rela'ed and that she would make it
on
time. Norma was grateful to her parents because she was able to attend the e'amination
on
time.
58
(9)
M* 8a0*:Sittin! Experience / An Un(or!etta0le Experience
!ne day, my parents had to go off for some hours to isit a sick relatie. So I was left
in charge of my baby sister. She is four years old and ery mischieous.
"hen lunch time came, I seated her at the dining table. She spilt the food all oer her
and did not want me to feed her. I had to clear up the mess and clean her up. Taking
care of
her was a difficult task as she was reluctant to hae her dress changed. She was also
crying
all the time.
Ne't, she wanted to sleep. So I put her in her cot but she was restless and wanted a
drink. "hen she finished her drink, I thought my 7ob was oer and I could hae some
peace.
(ut, no, she wanted to listen to a story and I had to read her one until she finally fell
asleep. I
then took the opportunity to watch a T= programme. >nfortunately, the noise woke her
up
and she let out a cry. So I switched off the T= and carried her.
Soon, it was time for her bath. She played in the water and splashed it all oer me.
Then the soap got into her eyes and she cried so much that I could not handle her.
?inally, I
picked her up and wrapped a towel around her. (y then, she had stopped crying. I
powdered
her and dressed her in her faourite frock. It was ,.**pm, so I put her to sleep while I lay
on
the sofa with a story book and do&ed off after a while. It was at that ery moment that my
baby sister woke up and came down the stairs. She lost her balance, tumbled down,
yelled
and screamed.
I rushed to her, picked her up and checked for any in7uries. @ust then, my parents
returned, much to my relief. I hope I shall not hae to baby$sit as it is a tiresome and
difficult
7ob.
(;)
A &eddin!/ A memora0le e$ent/ An %nexpected e$ent
Recently, I attended my aunts wedding in my hometown in Sungai 5etani, Aedah.
/y aunts wedding came as a surprise to eery one of us. +ll our relaties, including my
family could not beliee our ears and eyes when we heard the news and read the
wedding
initation card. The reason was we all thought she would not want to marry after all
these
years of being single since she was nearly fifty years old. +nyway we were all happy for
her.
+t least she would not hae to spend the rest of her life alone.
It was a simple wedding at my grandparents house. The wedding started at nine in
the morning. She was dressed in her pure white wedding gown and she looked radiant.
The
bridegroom too looked smart and charming. He was actually my aunts former
schoolmate.
They met at a reunion dinner a year ago.
/y grandparents were oer7oyed to see their daughter finally getting married. They
had waited for such a long time. +fter refreshments, it was time for the bridegroom to
leae
with his newly$wedded wife to their new home. .eryone said their goodbyes and well
wishes. Tears of 7oy were flowing down my grandmothers cheeks. It was a touching
scene
and indeed, a memorable one too. I wished the couple a blissful marriage together.
59
(<)
='e da* cannot (or!et / ='e endin! o( a stor* >>>>33ne$er to spea7 anot'er lie
a!ain
The incident that I am telling here occurred on a hot /onday morning in ?ebruary. I
was a Standard !ne student in /iss 3eelas class. The problem was oer in a few
minutes,
but the memory of it is imprinted foreer in my mind.
/iss 3eela was a ery strict teacher. She was infamous for her stern discipline. "e were
then little children and we were kept busy all the time. If we were to lose our focus and
play
with our friends, we were hit with a sharp rap on the head or knuckles with the long
pointed
stick she carried. Bou can imagine the horror I felt when I accidentally whistled. I was
only
drawing in a deep breath of air. /iss 3eela turned around from the blackboard, and
seeing
my e'pression, demanded, 1@o, did you do that#6
I managed to find my oice and pointed to a boy ne't to me and said, 1No. He did it.6
The boy ne't to me, Han, immediately stood up and said, 1NoC I didnt6 (ut that did not
help.
In a moment the stick came down and Han was sobbing pitifully. +ll went silent. No one
dared to speak another word.
That incident made me really guilty. Han, how I wish I could ask for your forgieness.
I dont remember your last name, but Ill neer forget your face. /y sin of telling a lie
stays
with me till today. That has taught me neer to speak another lie again.
(1?)
Ho& 'elped to catc' a t'ie( / Stor* &it' t'e endin! +>)'at a da* it 'ad 0een3, /
An
Excitin! Da* / A Da* at a s'oppin! complex
It was a ?riday afternoon. I was sitting at home feeling bored. Then I remembered
there was a book sale at a shopping comple' close by. I decided to make a trip there.
The shopping comple' was crowded when I arried. I was making my way to the
escalator when I saw a young boy running down the escalator.. (ehind him was a
security
guard, chasing him and shouting, 1StopC ThiefC
5eople were pushing each other to aoid him and some ladies were screaming. !thers
were staring helplessly when I decided to do something. I -uickly picked up a rubbish bin
and blocked the boy. The boy knocked into the bin. The bin rolled and both the boy and
the
bin crashed into me. I was knocked out. ?ortunately, two men managed to catch him. I
lay
on the floor numb with shock. + lady then took hold of my hand and helped me up.
The boy had tried to steal an e'pensie book from a bookshop. +s he was walking out,
the owner tried to stop him. The boy panicked and ran out of the shop. The security
guard
who saw what happened gae chase.
I learned later that the boy was handed oer to the police. +s for me, the shop owner
decided to reward me with a cash oucher of R/9**. "hat a day it had beenC
60
(11)
Honest* / A @ood Deed / Mo0ile P'one
It was a sunny day and @ohn was cycling home after school. +s he was passing a
hawker stall, he saw a red bag on the bonnet of a car. Seeing no one around, he
stopped to
look at the bag.
"hen @ohn un&ipped the bag, he was surprised to see an e'pensie mobile phone.
He had always wanted one but was unable to afford it. "ithout hesitation, @ohn took the
bag
and rode off in a hurry. He was glad no one had seen him.
@ohn tried not to feel guilty as he cycled away. >pon reaching home, he rushed into
his room and looked through the bag again. He discoered the bag belonged to a
foreigner.
Howeer, @ohn began to feel bad about taking the bag. It was not his. He should hae
handed it oer to the police instead of taking it. His conscience told him to go to the
police
station immediately.
The police were ery helpful and soon found the man who had lost his bag. /r 3ouis,
a ?rench national had left his bag on the car while buying a drink from the hawker stall.
He
was oer7oyed when he heard that @ohn had found his bag. (oth the police and /r 3ouis
praised @ohn for his honesty.
(12)
An Un(or!etta0le da* / ='e da* !ot lost
I remember this unforgettable day which took place when I was about 0 years old. /y
grandmother wanted to take my sister and me to town after we had shopped at the
sundry
shop near home. I did not want to 7oin them so I suggested that I would walk home on
my
own. I was so conincing I could get home easily that my grandmother agreed to my
suggestion.
So my grandmother and my sister left on a trishaw for town while I walked home.
+fter walking for about 9* minutes, I began to feel that the way home seemed rather
long
and endless. I looked out for a familiar sign or spot but there was none. It was then I
realised
I was lost.
I continued walking for hours and it was way past noon when I decided to rest under
a tree. + passing trishaw man stopped to talk to me. "hen I told him my story, he
offered to
send me home. "e soon reached the residential area where I lied but I was horrified to
find
that I could not recogni&e my own house. +ll the houses looked the sameC
@ust when the trishaw man was beginning to regret he had helped me, I heard
someone call out my name. It was my father. He was on his way out to make a report at
the
police station. /y family discoered that I was missing when my grandmother and sister
came back from town. /y parents thought I was with them all the whileC
!n that day, I was lost for ) 9D; hours. It is a day I will neer forget because I dared
not imagine what would hae happened to me if I had not got home.
61
(1-)
)'at 'appened at !rand(at'er,s 0irt'da* part* / M* Most Em0arrassin!
Experience
3ast week was my grandfathers eightieth birthday. /y family and I attended his
dinner party at a newly$opened hotel named /odern Hotel. I decided to wear my sisters
high$heeled shoes with my new dress. I wanted to look elegant. /y parents adised me
against wearing the shoes as they felt that I might not be able to manage walking on the
high
heels. I assured them that it would be all right.
"hen we reached there, I realised that it was not easy to walk on high heels. +fter a
short walk from the parking lot to the hotel reception, I twisted my ankle. I pretended that
nothing had happened and tried my best to walk normally. Howeer, I had to limp to the
dinner table while holding onto my mother. /any guests looked at me with curiosity. /y
cheeks burned with shame.
?inally, I was able to sit down. I was relieed and thankful. 3ater, I needed to go to
the washroom. I had no choice but to drag my mother along. I needed her for support as
I
limped to the washroom. +ll eyes were on me again.
It was my most embarrassing e'perience. I owed not to wear high$heeled shoes
anymore unless with much practice beforehand.
(1/)
Lost in t'e A%n!le / 5arelessness
The school holidays started two weeks ago. Hamid and Samad were getting bored.
They had nothing to do at home. They called each other and made plans to catch some
butterflies in the 7ungle nearby.
They started off to the 7ungle after lunch. "hen they were in the 7ungle they saw
some butterflies. !ne of them was a rare one. They were ery e'cited and wanted to
catch
it. They ran after the butterfly and were not aware of which way they took. +fter a while,
they
realised they were lost. They could not figure the way out of the 7ungle.
Soon it was getting dark. They started to feel frightened. They were both hungry and
tired too. They regretted their playful actions. They knew they must be brae. Night fell.
They
were so e'hausted they found a tree and rested under it. +s they were about to fall
asleep,
they heard oices calling out their names. They immediately shouted back. Their parents
and some illagers had come to their rescue. They were so relieed and promised to be
more careful the ne't time.
62
(14)
.las' .lood / #at%ral Disaster
3ast week, there was a flash flood in my town. It was the first time my town had
turned into a sea of muddy water. There was great chaos and confusion. /any people
were
affected.
(efore the flash flood, there was a heay downpour for fie hours. (y < p.m., most
parts of the town were under half metre of water. The roads were flooded and there was
a
massie traffic 7am. 2ars could not moe. %riers who were stranded had to stay in their
cars and wait for the water to subside. 5eople from their work places could not go home.
/any of them were wading in the water trying to get to higher ground. They were wet
and
cold. ?ortunately, the flash floods gradually subsided by E p.m. It was dark then. Traffic
began to moe slowly and the police had a busy time controlling the traffic. 5eople were
able
to go home.
I will neer forget the chaotic scene during those few hours.
16. Advantages and Disadvantages of the
Internet
Internet has been perhaps the most
outstanding innovation in the field of
communication in the history of mankind
As !ith every single innovation" internet has
its o!n advantages and disadvantages #ut
usually" greater magnitude of advantages
out!eighs its disadvantages
During his evolution $ourney from
%eanderthals to &omo erectus and then to
&omo sapiens" man has come long !ay
#ecause of his continuous 'uest for more
and more amenities and facilities" the
nineties have seen a ma$or turn around !ith
the invention of computers () years ago"
the term internet !as practically anonymous
to most of the people And today internet
has become the most ever po!erful tool for
man throughout the !orld *he internet is a
collection of various services and resources
Although" many people still think e+mail and
,orld ,ide ,eb as the principle
constituents of internet" there is lot more in
store than e+mail" chat rooms" celebrity !eb
sites and search engines It also became the
best business tool of modern scenario
*oday internet has brought a globe in a
single room -ight from ne!s across the
corner of the !orld" !ealth of kno!ledge to
shopping" purchasing the tickets of your
favorite movie+everything is at your finger
tips Internet has great potential and lot to
offer ho!ever" like every single
innovation in science and technology"
internet has its o!n advantages and
disadvantages
Advantages
Communication.
*he foremost target of internet has al!ays
been the communication And internet has
e/celled beyond the e/pectations Still0
innovations are going on to make it faster"
more reliable #y the advent of computer1s
Internet" our earth has reduced and has
attained the form of a global village
%o! !e can communicate in a fraction of
second !ith a person !ho is sitting in the
other part of the !orld *oday for better
communication" !e can avail the facilities of
e+mail0 !e can chat for hours !ith our loved
ones *here are plenty messenger services in
offering ,ith help of such services" it has
become very easy to establish a kind of
global friendship !here you can share your
thoughts" can e/plore other cultures of
different ethnicity
Information
Information is probably the biggest
advantage internet is offering *he Internet
is a virtual treasure trove of information
Any kind of information on any topic under
the sun is available on the Internet *he
search engines like 2oogle" yahoo is at your
service on the Internet You can almost find
any type of data on almost any kind of
sub$ect that you are looking for *here is a
huge amount of information available on the
internet for $ust about every sub$ect kno!n
to man" ranging from government la! and
services" trade fairs and conferences" market
information" ne! ideas and technical
support" the list is end less
Students and children are among the top
users !ho surf the Internet for research
*oday" it is almost re'uired that students
should use the Internet for research for the
purpose of gathering resources *eachers
have started giving assignments that re'uire
research on the Internet Almost every
coming day" researches on medical issues
become much easier to locate %umerous
!eb sites available on the net are offering
loads of information for people to research
diseases and talk to doctors online at sites
such as" America1s Doctor During (334
over 5) million people reported going online
to retrieve health information
Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison
d16tre !hy many people prefer to surf the
Internet In fact" media of internet has
become 'uite successful in trapping
multifaceted entertainment factor
Do!nloading games" visiting chat rooms or
$ust surfing the ,eb are some of the uses
people have discovered *here are numerous
games that may be do!nloaded from the
Internet for free *he industry of online
gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal
attention by game lovers 7hat rooms are
popular because users can meet ne! and
interesting people In fact" the Internet has
been successfully used by people to find life
long partners ,hen people surf the ,eb"
there are numerous things that can be found
Music" hobbies" ne!s and more can be
found and shared on the Internet
Services
Many services are no! provided on the
internet such as online banking" $ob seeking"
purchasing tickets for your favorite movies"
guidance services on array of topics
engulfing the every aspect of life" and hotel
reservations Often these services are not
available off+line and can cost you more
E-Commerce
Ecommerce is the concept used for any type
of commercial maneuvering" or business
deals that involves the transfer of
information across the globe via Internet It
has become a phenomenon associated !ith
any kind of shopping" almost anything You
name it and Ecommerce !ith its giant
tentacles engulfing every single product and
service !ill make you available at your door
steps It has got a real ama8ing and !ide
range of products from household needs"
technology to entertainment
Disadvantages
Theft of Personal information
If you use the Internet" you may be facing
grave danger as your personal information
such as name" address" credit card number
etc can be accessed by other culprits to
make your problems !orse
Spamming.
Spamming refers to sending un!anted e+
mails in bulk" !hich provide no purpose and
needlessly obstruct the entire system Such
illegal activities can be very frustrating for
you" and so instead of $ust ignoring it" you
should make an effort to try stopping these
activities so that using the Internet can
become that much safer
irus threat
9irus is nothing but a program !hich
disrupts the normal functioning of your
computer systems 7omputers attached to
internet are more prone to virus attacks and
they can end up into crashing your !hole
hard disk" causing you considerable
headache
Pornograph!.
*his is perhaps the biggest threat related to
your children1s healthy mental life A very
serious issue concerning the Internet *here
are thousands of pornographic sites on the
Internet that can be easily found and can be
a detrimental factor to letting children use
the Internet
*hough" internet can also create havoc"
destruction and its misuse can be very fatal"
the advantages of it out!eigh its
disadvantages
1". #A Difficult $ife% &!' (hloo
:#EI%2 illiterate is like a curse It closes all doors to your life even before they can be
opened;<
My mother=s !ords rang loud and clear in my mind
She had literally been plucked from a remote village in 7hina and brought to the then
Malaya by my father" a man she had obediently married some si/ty years ago
#eing the only daughter of a !ell+heeled man" she had believed that her aunt had got her
a good match My mother !as fair" tall and !illo!y Everyone had remarked on her big
eyes and thick lashes !hen she entered her husband=s house as his bride
*he marriage celebrations had gone on for three days and she had yet to see !hat her
groom looked like As custom dictated" she had kept her head bo!ed and eyes do!ncast
throughout the numerous ceremonies that !ent on during the three days
*he fact that her head scarf had been dra!n lo! to cover her face did not make things
any easier
,hen she !as finally introduced to her spouse" she !as shocked &e !as stocky and
'uite dark !hile she !as as !hite as sno!" by %orth 7hinese standards
*he fate that a!aited her shattered all the dreams that her aunt had spun for her" the very
aunt !ho had made the match
#eing the typical 7hinese bride" she became a dutiful daughter+in+la! to her husband=s
childless aunt and uncle !ho had cared for him ever since he had been orphaned at the
age of seven
Life !as difficult as there !as nothing of the lu/ury that she had been used to in her
father=s house but she did not complain
,hen her in+la!s" asked her to pa!n her $e!ellery to release their land from mortgage"
she did so !ithout 'uestion
,hen her husband=s aunt insisted that she !ove blankets for them" she did so
submissively After all" she !as illiterate and her only skills included cooking" se!ing
and embroidery
Si/ months later" her husband announced that they !ould be leaving India to seek their
fortunes in Malaya She cried for days but remembered her father=s parting !ords"
:Your husband decides your life for no! 2o !ith 2od=s blessings<
*he trip to Malaya took almost a !eek by ship All sorts of fears tortured her but she did
not dare utter a single !ord for fear of displeasing her husband
>pon arrival in ?enang" they travelled to a little to!n in ?erak !here they lived !ith
another uncle until her husband secured a $ob
Life in Slim -iver !as not easy &er husband often left her alone" unaccompanied for
days at times as he eked out a living as a lorry driver at a tin mine
*he kind Malay ladies" sensing her loneliness" tried to make small talk !ith her" despite
kno!ing that she did not understand a !ord of the local language
>ndeterred" they slo!ly taught her simple !ords !hich she !ould need in her daily life
*his life !ent on for three years
*here !as no electricity or !ater supply She did her !ashing and bathing by the river
Despite her frail form" she could carry t!o pails of !ater all the !ay home for cooking
and drinking Every night" she cried herself to sleep
A fe! months later" she gave birth to a daughter &er husband had not been pleased and
he had refused to see the ne! child
&e had e/pected his first born to be a son &is ego had taken a slight dent" but he did not
kno! that there !as a !orse fate a!aiting him @ the tin mine ceased operations and he
lost his $ob
*hey had no money and no savings %ot about to give up" he decided to take her and their
little daughter to the capital
Aor the ne/t fe! years" they lived !ith his second uncle and his !ife !ho !ere also
childless
Life for the young couple !as no bed of roses Bobs did not come easily those days and
after failing to secure a $ob" her husband gave in to the demands of his uncle and aunt
Aor t!o meals a day" he had to !ash the drains on the five+acre piece of land and cut the
grass !hile she had to do all the tedious household chores
,ithout fail" the old !oman !ould insist that she scrub all the brass!are Ceven though it
had not been usedD !ith ash every day before beginning the day=s chores
She had to !ash second uncle=s !hite trousers and !hite shirts by boiling them in caustic
soda over a charcoal fire and then scrubbing then clean before ironing them using a hot
coal iron
&er daily chores kept her busy and she barely had time for her first+born
*he poor child !as often hungry as second aunt did not provide them !ith breakfast
Deprived of essential nutrients" the poor little girl !as thin" almost skeletal
*he young couple endured this terrible life for several years Even !hen her husband got
a $ob as a !atchman she still had to submit to the !ill of second aunt
*he couple had a second child" a boy" but he died !hen he !as ten months old *hree
years later they had me" another girl *his time my father !as not so disappointed I
suppose the hard life had made him more accepting
:,hy did you allo! these things to happen" maE< I asked furiously as she related her
painful past
I held her battered hands in mine0 the cuticles !ere s!ollen and the nails had turned
yello! due to all the !ashing !ith caustic soda
: because I !as illiterate and I had no one<
*hat !as her simple ans!er She had no options as she !as financially dependent on
others for every single need She could not go out to !ork as her husband=s uncle and
aunt had a reputation to maintain *hey !ere the cream of the to!n %o one kne! or even
suspected that she and her husband !ere being ill+treated ,orse still" she had to tolerate
all forms of verbal abuse
:My father had never raised his voice &e sho!ered me !ith love after the death of my
mother !hen I !as five<
My father" !ho himself had lost his mother !hen he !as t!enty+si/ days old and his
father !hen he !as seven" could not do much
I am no! thirteen I kno! mother is telling me these stories so that I !ill be resilient I
also kno! she !ants me to study hard so that I !ill not have to have a difficult life
As much as I admire my mother and her perseverance in the face of adversity" I !ill not
allo! a similar fate to befall me