EMBUN : The Review

Oppression according to Wikipedia is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and anxiety. There are five types of oppression: political, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence.

Political oppression is the persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part in the political life of society. Marginalization causes racial oppression. Powerlessness happened when people are oppressed simply by not having the power. Those in power exercise it over the powerless, giving them orders and telling them what they must do. Cultural imperialism is when the dominant group’s experience and culture is established as norms. When the dominant group has the power, they oppress those who do not share their culture. The last oppression is Violence. Violence is used to oppress people through damage, humiliation or physical harm to a person. These five types of oppression are used to discriminate and assure dominance over those who are being oppressed.
Set in Malaya during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, this film tells the story of a girl, Embun, who was thrown into the forefront of the struggle against the Japanese when the Japanese detain her freedom-fighter brother, Bayu, and father. In the midst of it all, she was caught in a romantic liaison with the Japanese army public relations man, Koishi, who is assigned to explain the Japanese propaganda to the Malays and win their support. Koishi also has a personal mission to fulfil in Malaya which is to find the Malay man who married to his mother (in other words, his father) when she served as a Japanese spy prior to the occupation.

From this film, we can see that the Japanese use oppression to conquer Malaya. Types of oppression that can be clearly identified from this film are oppression through political and violence. Oppression is widely known as an effective tool for political rule. Japanese use political oppression in Embun in order to provoke the Malay community. Thus, riot evolved among people in Tanah Melayu at that time. Japanese mechanism is simple and obvious. By provoking the Malay community, which is the majority of the citizen in Tanah Melayu, it will be resulted in riotness and political instability as a whole. Hence, when political instability happened, it is an effective means for the colonialist to take over the country. When the Malay leaders and the community are not uniting, it is the right time for the colonialist to interfere in the jurisdiction instability ruled by the government. By oppression, colonialist are free to implement any new system simply because the people are in desperation.

Desperate, according to Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English are the ‘willingness of doing anything to change a very bad situation, and not caring about danger’, ‘needing or wanting something very much’, and ‘a desperate action is something that you only do because you are in a very bad situation’. In this film, Malays are trapped in a situation in which the colonialist (Japanese) wanted them to abide the new system implemented by the Japanese and at the same time the Malays have the fear of losing their rights and the most important thing is their own homeland. Therefore, the Malays have to abide those laws implemented by the Japanese in order to secure themselves and their family members. For this reason, the British rulers have brought up Chinese and Indians both from China and India, respectively. The Malays’ fear at that time is that, they will not possess the same rights like they were used to before. The British segregate their rights to other races and oppressed the Malays by keeping them in the village. The Chinese were brought up to work in the tin ore industry whereas the Indians are kept in the rubber estates. The Malays are desperate in keeping their homeland and rights from others to interfere. In this film, we can see that because of desperation, Embun, is willing to sacrifice her pride in order to fight for her brother, Bayu. The Japanese army, who manipulated their promises to Embun in order to fulfil their sexual desire, raped her several times. In addition, her sacrifice is meant for keeping her homeland free from colonialist.

Japanese also try to invade Malay by using slogan of ‘Asia for Asians’. The Japanese try to give fake hope by using this slogan for the citizens to believe that Malaya will gain their own independence with the help of Japanese. This is a type of political oppression. Japanese knows that Malaya people needs their independence, thus, the Japanese uses this opportunity by giving the fake hope. Some of the Malay people trust the Japanese slogan; even the Kings and Sultans are given their right to use their title. They even received monthly allowance and work as Japanese advisor in terms of politics and religion to obscure the real Japanese intention. The hidden agenda of the slogan should be Asia for Japanese, not Asia for Asians.
Apart from that, Japanese also use violence oppression towards the Malaya people. They killed anyone who tried to go against them. This is shown from the film where, Bayu and friends who are the followers of a group named Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) were killed by the Japanese army. KMM was the first national political establishment in British Malaya. Ibrahim Yaacob played a huge role in founding the union in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, then the capital of the Federated Malay States. The main goal of the union was to unite all Malays regardless of their origin and fight for the Malay’s rights. There is a scene where Bayu and his group conduct a street riot to ask the Japanese to stop blocking foods for the citizens. Unfortunately, their good intentions being debarred with guns. They had been forced to step back otherwise they will be shot down on reason that they are trying to interfere with Japanese ruling. Besides that, Japanese also killed Chinese people without mercy. Japanese people hate Chinese because British and Malayan Communist Party (MCP) had agreed to cooperate against the Japanese in Malaya. To threaten the party who consisted of most of Chinese people, Japanese killed Chinese people to warn them. The evidence was clearly shown in the film where there is a scene where a Chinese family being killed and their house burned. Japanese use lots of violence oppression in order to control their influence through damage, humiliation, physical harm, killing and even torturing. All of these violence have been used in Japanese colonization era in order to maintain their influence and power from being harassed by British or even communist.

In conclusion, Japanese oppressed the Malaya people in order to colonise over the country. Because oppression is an effective tool for political rule, the colonialist had manipulated the rulers for their own sake. In Embun, Japanese oppressed the Malays in terms of the necessities. It is mentioned in the film at the ninth 45 minutes (00: 09: 45) that the Japanese hinder the people from having the access to foods, medicine, and education. For this reason, the oppressions are meant for the Malaya people from being over- educated. Japanese are afraid with the tendency of being over ruled by the educated Malays. If the Malays were having their formal education or schooling, they will have the exposure or knowledge and will not be easily fooled and manipulated by them, the Japanese. This film clearly show the oppression that the Japanese implemented in those days. The women, daughters, were all being kidnapped and raped. The Malaya people live in fear, they have no access to their basic necessities, their were depressed, desperate and oppressed by the Japanese. Nevertheless, it seems unfair for us for being judgmental and negative towards the colonialist. Sadly, we have to admit that colonialism had brought us for what we are today. Colonialism sometime works as an eye opener for the people living in that particular country.Colonialism also works as an effective tool for us to be exposed to other developed countries. Nowadays, people know the importance of education and valuing themselves and their identity. Without colonialism, people will live in their ‘comfort zone’ and not worrying about anything. And without exposing them with the bad effects of not valuing their identity, and being aware of people who have the potential to betray their own homeland, they won’t learn. They will not even have the will to improve themselves. Colonialism has its pros and cons for the Malaya, but not for oppression. Generally, this film showed that oppression brings more harm than good (if any) because there are many other options and alternatives to be chosen from.

Sonnet 145

THE 1609 QUARTO VERSION

THoſe lips that Loues owne hand did make,
Breath'd forth the ſound that ſaid I hate,

To me that languiſht for her ſake:
But when ſhe ſaw my wofull ſtate,
Straight in her heart did mercie come,
Chiding that tongue that euer ſweet,
Was vſde in giuing gentle dome:
And tought it thus a new to greete:
I hate ſhe alterd with an end,
That follow'd it as gentle day,
Doth follow night who like a fiend
From heauen to hell is flowne away.
  I hate,from hate away ſhe threw,
  And ſau'd my life ſaying not you

(Modern Version)

Those lips that Love's own hand did make
Breathed forth the sound that said "I hate“

To me that languished for her sake;
But when she saw my woeful state,
Straight in her heart did mercy come,
Chiding that tongue that ever sweet
Was used in giving gentle doom,
And taught it thus anew to greet:
"I hate" she altered with an end,
That followed it as gentle day
Doth follow night, who like a fiend
From heaven to hell is flown away.
"I hate" from hate away she threw,
And saved my life, saying "not you."

Sonnet 145 is about a person who is so in love with a woman, that hearing her say that "she hates" especially if it is about him is almost too much for him to bear. But then when she notices how much pain she has caused her lover by saying that she may potentially hate him, she changes the way that she says it to assure him that she hates but does not hate him. This sonnet is unique in the collection- iambic tetrameter, instead of pentameter.  This sonnet was expressed in a fairly simple language and syntax, along with the oddity of the meter, have led to suggestions that it was written much earlier than the other, more mature, sonnets.

The speaker reveals that after seeing his sorrowful expression, she suddenly becomes sympathetic toward him. He makes it difficult to accept his claim, “straight in her heart did mercy come.” In early sonnets, he has painted her the epitome of evil will toward him, but now he wants to play a little game with words. The reader has to believe the speaker is deluding himself.

Nevertheless, he claims that she changes her hatred and even chides herself for causing him pain. He would have his listener believe that she is truly sorry for using her tongue “in giving gentle doom.” She accordingly wipes clean her earlier expression of hatred and begins again.

The lady then says, “‘I hate’ from hate away she threw, - means that she throw away the feelings of hatred towards her husband. And sav’d my life, saying—‘Not you.’” She saves his life by saying she hates but not him. She felt sympathy towards her husband because she saw the sorrowful expression in his face when she said ‘I hate’. Therefore she manipulated the sentence

‘I hate, but not you’

“He is easy to please at times. By adding ‘not you’ she had cajoled his sorrow feelings.

‘And saved my life, saying , not you.’

‘hate away’ was believed to be the symbol of his wife, Hathway. (Ann Hathway)

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story set against the unstable events of Afghanistan’s last thirty year, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding; that puts the violence, war, revolution, rebellion, fear, hope, and faith of this country in close, human rights and death of humanity. It is a story of two women in two generations brought inharmoniously together with the worst tragic sweep of war and the struggle to survive. Despite the death of humanity around them, the story shows how the issues of surviving and finding happiness in life through the death of humanity in Afghanistan.

There are three major aspects of death of humanity that can be found which are ‘human rights’, ‘security’, and ‘political stability’. Unfortunately, Muslims or not, humanity will always have varying degrees of struggle against unspeakable human rights violations. Afghan cultural traditions, which stress pride, honour, and a sense of hospitality toward strangers, add colour to this narrative. This book shed light on injustice and inequality, which is not part of Islam yet reflected in culture as part of Islam.

There is also a beautiful saying regarding man’s reaction towards something that has been negatively done,

‘A man’s accusing finger always finds a woman’.

Pygmalion VS My Fair Lady

Through the years, countless film directors have adapted and recreated various novels and plays to make them ideal for the big-screen. In many cases, directors strive to keep their screenplay adaptations true to the original literature; however, viewers often find contrasts in certain areas of the film. Although My Fair Lady is based onPygmalion there are some differences between both works. Some of them are because of actors performing the characters and stressing on roles beyond the work to perform, or due to the several scenes to get it dynamic. With regard to the musical, songs are the vehicle for the actors’ ideas and feelings to take place in an open way to. We even consider some of these ideas as revolutionary ones spread on the works. Some of the omitted scenes in Pygmalion - as the ball or the learning – makes My Fair Lady be more expressive and dynamic, as it usually occurs when the writing is performed. But if we want to point out a clear difference for them we have to focus on the romance that in Pygmalion is avoided for the benefit of the real conflict and in My Fair Lady it is pretended for people to be interested in. That’s perfectly reflected at the end of the work. Therefore, feelings developed by Eliza are clearly expressed in My Fair Lady. Moreover, we have to pay special attention to the scene in which she comes back in Wimpole Street. The fact itself of her return to Higgins as a Lady indeed reveals a great account of sentimentalism in this version. Higgins’ replay is also a reason for difference: after him to be plunged into a deep sorrow and realizing the Eliza’s return, as it could be predicted in her nipping out, he tries to recover his usual living impassive image, but when he hides his face behind his hat, he leads us into the doubt if he tries to show indifference or is pouting. It’s clear that My Fair Lady displayed a typical happy ending movie led by love between their main characters.

On the contrary, Pygmalion escape from this unusual happy end. So Eliza returns persuaded by Higgins instead of their plans to go ahead, with a very different sentimentalism from My Fair Lady’s one. Her relation with Higgins becomes rough, distant and in bad terms and although she’ll occasionally get attracted by him, it won’t be love at all.

The Silk

The Silk, a short story written by Joy Cowley, is about an elderly married couple who seems not scared about death and very much assured that their spiritual love will be eternal after their physical love is gone. The couple showed that how reassuring and hopeful spiritual belief in eternal life is Mr and Mrs Blackie’s eternal love in this story is represented by the silk. An important quote that illustrates the main idea is, “Together they felt the pain as the blades met cleanly”. The blades in this quote serve as a metaphor for death, in reference to Mr Blackie’s death. Cutting the silk represents them being separated physically, and how painful it feels. It also represents their paradise of love, which is the pattern on the silk being torn apart. However, they are both hopeful that their everlasting love will continue in the spirit realm. A quote that symbolises this is, “…he was waving…he was beckoning to her”. This is significant because it reflects how Mr Blackie was saying goodbye to his wife after his death, and at the same time inviting her to join him in the spirit world where they can be together, forever.
The title, The Silk, represents the symbol of their relationship which has a lot of memories. And the memories are woven in the silk. A technique used is the references to the spirit realm. A quote is, “It was a man and he was standing with one arm outstretched on the highest span between two islands”. This signifies Mr Blackie on his way to the spirit world and the forthcoming reunion with his wife, Mrs Blackie. The image of the man at the ending of the story signify a very significant relationship that it will continue even after death in the hereafter. It does not end. The author purpose in taking the Silk that is from China because it is so delicate, expensive, precious, easily damage, and cannot be handled carelessly. The silk from China also is also hard to find and it is known for its uniqueness. Just like the elderly couple relationship. They have gone through a lot of things together, a lot of sadness and happiness shared, and therefore, they seems prepared for the death. Reading through this short story, readers can see that the couple are emerged as a matured couple, there is no such as being “lovey – dovey” to each other. They understood each other very well as there is not much of discussion or communication took place.

“The Silk” demonstrates how impending death is a source of anxiety for elderly couples that have created a strong bond through the years of being together. However, the assurance of eternal life in the spirit world is comforting even though the physical bond is broken. These stories are a call to society about how the aged should be treated with respect and equality as they also have feelings and opinions that are important to them. This therefore will improve their state of mind and will allow them to feel involved, welcomed and important in society.

Living In Sin

In Adrienne Rich’s poem, “Living in Sin,” a woman, entering a life full of hope and promises with her lover, assumes that “no dust” will fall upon her home, nor her perfect relationship. Her life, however, does not fit this ideal. Both a deteriorating home and relationship afflict her life; these unexpected results of her efforts in addition to the lack of her lover’s efforts lead to resentful feelings. It is rather about the sin of staying in a marriage that lacks love. The milkman symbolizes the change of emotion that over shadowed both of them. Whereas the studio, is the symbols of home which supposedly consists of love, emotions, and full commitments. Ironically, the man (or the husband) is lack o commitment. He just complains about things in the house that annoyed him but do nothing. He plays a role of irresponsible lover who seeks marriage for the sake of having sex. His wife is the one who did the household chores. At night, we can see that their loves blooms again. However, not last and even rotten in the morning. Because the man lacks commitment, the woman takes the burden for both housecleaning as well as improving the couple’s relationship. The portrait of her miserable life contrasts sharply with that of her lover. While she struggles with the endless monotony of house chores, he loaf around, carefree and relaxed. During her monotonous morning routine, the man flippantly goes “out for cigarettes.” Although he too notices the problems in the house, he satisfies himself with merely complaining. Rather than taking action and tuning the piano, the man merely declares it out of tune, and shrugs indifferently.

On the other hand, because the author of the poem did not state the woman is married to the man or not, maybe it is possible for us to say that the studio apartment is like a still life and she is cleaning it up, part of a passionless routine, but the “minor demon” is something far more than mere dissatisfaction with the marriage. She feels guilty about not being happy, yes, but she “turns back the sheets” only after the husband leaves. She has been unfaithful, and the changing of the sheets, the unveiling of the secret, is what preoccupied her. She has preoccupied enough to let the coffee burn over on the stove; this is a sexual image, the overflowing and the heat. It is brewing in the back of her mind while she does all these routine cleaning chores. The sin is the infidelity and it is in the guilt from not living in the present and not being in love with the husband, who is indifferent.

The woman in ‘Living in Sin’ is thrust upon the reality that happiness and perfection are not always guaranteed, and pursues the adulterous consequences of a mundane marriage and life. As she cannot bear to remove herself from the demeaning and repetitive cycle of marriage, ‘Living in Sin’ is a woman’s revelation that it is a sin to dedicate oneself to a marriage, a life, without love.

Two Kinds

In the story, “Two Kinds”, Amy Tan writes about a relationship between a mother and a daughter. The mother of Jing-mei wants her daughter to become famous, but Jing-mei just wants to be herself. Tan writes about two songs played by Jing-mei, “Perfectly Contented” and “Pleading Child.” In the story the faster and aggressive song, “Pleading Child”, best represents the mother, and the slower happier song, “Perfectly Contented”, represents Jing-mei.

In the short story “Two Kinds,” Amy Tan explores the clash of cultures between a first-generation Chinese-American daughter, Jing-mei, and her mother, Suyan, a Chinese immigrant. Suyan is certain that Jing-mei can become a prodigy if she only tries hard enough. At first Jing-mei is eager to try, but she always falls short of her mother’s expectations. She decides that the prodigy in her is the girl who would steadfastly refuse to be what she is not. While the mother and daughter reveal their personality through their language, actions, and thoughts, conflict develops between the two women when their cultures and aspirations collide. “Two Kinds” focuses on the of conflict between two kinds of women as well as two kinds of daughters.

Jing-mei and her mother are two kinds of women because of their drastically different life experience. Before she come to America, Jing-mei’s mother has “… lost everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But she never looked back with regret. Things could get better in so many ways”. As Suyan’s past is revealed, I see a clear picture of a determined and strong-willed woman who beats all the odds to establish a better life in America. However, to the American-born daughter, Jing-mei, her mother’s past remains as far as where China is. She neither understands nor comprehends what her mother has gone through in China. When her mother insists her to learn playing piano, her hurtful response is, “I wish I’d never been born! I wish I were dead! Like them”, which pushes the conflict between the two to a higher level. Jing-mei does not understand or fully know her mother because she does not know about her tragic past and the pain she still feels from the memory of it. Her up brings in America inevitably set her far apart from her mother.

While the confrontation is ever increasing between them, they are also struggling within themselves to define their own roles and identities. To some extent, Suyan adopts many American values. She constantly tells her daughter such a typical American belief that one can be “… anything you wanted to be in America”(1065). However, to an even larger extent, her values and ways of doing things are completely Chinese. Just like most Chinese mothers, she tries to form her daughter into a “proper Chinese girl” who will obey whatever the mother says. Only until the worst clash occurred between these two after the piano recital, is when Suyan unwillingly realizes that she has to let her daughter be one of the American daughters who “follow their own mind”. As a girl grew up in China, I understand this does not come easy to Suyan. In China, the authoritative role of a mother over her daughter is seldom questioned. A good Chinese mother is respected to channel her daughter to be the extension of herself. When the reality forces Suyan to stop forming her daughter into an obedient one, she is, if not giving up, at least giving in part of her roles of being a good Chinese mother.

In addition to the conflict of two kinds of women, Jing-mei is also struggling between two kinds of daughters.

In my point of view, we have all experienced of the same things those days or even present. We believed that adolescence face the same things as Jing- Mei did. We can see that most of the youngsters nowadays being rebellious towards their parents’ order or wish. It is not that they intentionally want to raise the problems but their interest and passion must be considered as well. Adolescences are easily exposed to several of aspects in life. Environmental influence as well as peer influence may render them to be exposed to the certain aspect s of life. Therefore, they may know well about their passion, ambition in future. In contrast, parents always think that their children will always remain as immature. They want to take in control of everything and feel that shaping their children future also is their responsibility. Sometimes, parents may be too strict with their kids. Neglecting their child’s interest and true passion may cost them later on. It is not a win- win situation. Hence, parents are advised to try to consult face- to- face discussion with their children in making decision related to their child’s life. Try to listen to the children first then only you may drag them to listen to what you are suggesting. But, initially, the children themselves must know their own interest and ability in order to persuade their parents in choosing the right path for them. Besides, the children also can prove their parents that they have the ability to succeed in whatever they like and chose.

This short story is appropriate to the young adult learners because it resembles real- life situation in which they may have experienced before.