Thursday, June 24, 2010

Questions 1 ~ 6 (Off Centre Guide Book Pg 91)

Q1: In your opinion, how key is the parent-child relationship to Vinod's inevitable end?

A: Well, because of their high working status, Vinod's parents have little or no time at all to take care of him, yet alone to watch him grow up. Feeling left out, Vinod tries to seek attention of his parents by being the top student and even winning the best debater award. As any ordinary child, his/her only request is to be loved or to be spoilt by their parents but for Vinod's case, he neither received love nor care from his parents but only hardship. His bond with his parents get wider everytime he grows older and as a result of that his illness, depression could have surfaced. In my opinion, I think that his parent-child relationshop is not a key factor to Vinod's inevitable end but may be the cause of his suffering.

Q2: 'Vinod's high expectations of himself caused his downfall.' To what extent do you agree with this analysis of Vinod's predicament and tragedy?

A: To a large extent, I agree that 'Vinod's high expectations of himself caaused his downfall'. When Vinod is around Saloma, his ego becomes bigger because firstly, he sees Saloma as a lost kitten that he has to protect and secondly, he wants himself and Saloma to always stay off-centred instead of being sane however in reverse psychology, he thinks that they are very centred, as sane as any other people. Vinod took care of Saloma eventhough in my opinion, he is just carrying this heavy burden to please himself, his ego. Not knowing that it is actually causing his depression to grow. Nearing the end of the book, Saloma told him that she wants to become a nurse, applied for her credit card, etc, it shows that Saloma was becoming more sane or normal which Vinod did not want, he wants Saloma to be by his side, being off-centred. However, he thinks that his job to look after Saloma was over, always thinking negatively, his depression finally consumed him thus Vinod committed suicide.

Q3: Discuss the reasons for Saloma's transformation in the play.

A: It can be clearly seen that Saloma's transformation was drastic, from a lost kitten(in Vinod's eyes) to a exquisite and impeccable character in the end. There are a few factors for Saloma's transformation, firstly, Vinod was always there for her and secondly, she has the determination to be sane. With Vinod by her side, Saloma vision about society had been widened. She sees that society was no longer a bad place and sees it as an oppurtunity to change and to live better, a lifestyle better than her current self. With help from Vinod, she became more bold and courageous by applying for a job in a hospital and applying for her first credit card. She was also able to share her thoughts and emotions to Vinod of what she was experiencing, making it easier to think about other possibilities of how life can improve for herself and Vinods'. She does have determination to change, to a sane lady to fit into society which esd completely different from Vinod. She took her medicine everyday instead of flushing it away and changes could be seen when she was less afraid of society. The fact that she wants to help and support her mother, played an important role in her transformation. She did not want to be a burden for her mother, she wants to provide money for her mother when she gets old or retire in the near future. Having said that, these are my reasons for Saloma's transformation in the play.

Q4: "Though a minor role in the play, the character of Razali is key to the plot of Off Centre." To what extent do you agree with this assessment?

A: There are alot of speculations that Razali is a mere fraction or conscience of Vinod. I too think so as there are some scenes where both Razali and Vinod are very similar alike at times. To a certain extent, I believe that the character of Razali is key to the plot of Off Centre because he is someone who understands and care for both Saloma and Vinod, a fatherly-figure for both. Though Razali is a guard of the void deck, he shows care and concern to both Vinod and Saloma, teaching malay and giving advice to Vinod, while taking care of Saloma and once bought apok-apok(curry puffs) for Saloma, which reminded her of her real father, saying he'll buy some apok-apok for her when he returns, to Saloma, Razali was like a father to her. During Act 5 Scene 1, after the incident of the robbery, Vinod was furious towards Razali as he thought that Razali would come and rescue them but he did not. Razali said that he was just a guard of the void deck. When he said that, it let me thinks that he is not real and that he is truely a conscience of Vinod as HDB flats do not haf security guards. Because of that incident, Vinod's life began to change.

Q5: "Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyatta" means to "Give, Sympathise, Control". How did the major characters in the play exert control in their environment and/or their lives? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

A: For Vinod, he exerted control by trying to control Saloma's life while for Saloma, she controlled her life and did not allow her illness, schizophrenia to consume her.

Q6: Based on the text Off Centre, discuss how peer acceptance and family support are vital to social status and mental well-being.

A: Peer Acceptance and Family Support are definitely vital to social status and mental well-being because, without these, life would be aimless and boring. Based on Vinod, he lacked on these factors thats why he committed suicide. His friends are not genuine, they only treated him as a friend because they used Vinod and his brilliant essay papers. I say this because, his friends do not call him or even visit him when Vinod was in woodbridge, making him think that he was just been used by them. Vinod's parents also played a role because they were not there for Vinod when he need them the most. Vinod thinks that society is a bad place and a torture compared to Saloma who thinks that society is a place where they can be better.

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