Adopting Southeast Asian Literature into the Writing Classroom

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Adopting Southeast Asian Literature into the
Writing Classroom

• (disclaimer I hate Powerpoint presentations but
  felt like a syllabus would be too boring to stare
  at for 8 minutes. Please humor me.)

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Course Description

• English 102 increases the writing and thinking
  skills developed in English 101 applies critical
  thinking and writing skills to a variety of
  academic assignments, including analyzing complex
  texts, conducting library and Internet research,
  developing a research paper, documenting
  research, and working collaboratively with peers.

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Objectives of English 102

• analyze a variety of complex texts, including a
  significant number of works by women and people
  of color
• identify, analyze, and evaluate point of view in
  complex texts
• demonstrate an awareness of how historical
  context and an authors gender, class, culture,
  and/or race may shape an individual work
• evaluate and synthesize a variety of source
  materials in a research essay

How can Southeast Asian literature fulfill these
objectives?
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Complex texts

• The ability to extrapolate multiple meanings out
  of a text
• The provision of multiple genres
• Multiplicity of viewpoints and paradigms

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Historical Context Gender, Class, Culture,
and/or Race

• Diversity of SE Asia provides multiple frameworks
  for critically analyzing texts
• Formalist Criticism style, structure, tone,
  imagery, etc.
• Biographical Criticism understanding an authors
  life can help readers more thoroughly comprehend
  the work.
• Historical/Socialogical Criticism investigating
  the social, cultural, economic, political and
  intellectual context
• Gender Criticism sexual identity
• Psychological Criticism analysis through modern
  psychology
• Mythological Criticism recurrent universal
  patterns underlying literature
• Reader-Response Criticism interprets literature
  through individual meaning
• Deconstructionist Criticism literature possesses
  no fixed, single meaning

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Framework/Organization

• Structure/Element
• Character Point of View
• Settting
• Language Symbolism Imagery etc.
• Themes
• The Individual and His Identities
• Role of Men and Women
• Family and Religion etc.

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Objectives of English 102

• analyze a variety of complex texts, including a
  significant number of works by women and people
  of color
• identify, analyze, and evaluate point of view in
  complex texts
• demonstrate an awareness of how historical
  context and an authors gender, class, culture,
  and/or race may shape an individual work
• evaluate and synthesize a variety of source
  materials in a research essay

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Theme Modernization vs Tradition

• Complex texts
• Nor Rahmat Sidins Exuberant Heart
• Linchong Chorrojpraserts The Abandoned Fields
• Theerasrt Phaireephinas In the World of Mixed
  Cultures
• Heng Siok Tians Chopsticks

Brunei Thailand Thailand Singapore
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Exuberant Heart Nor Rahmat Sidin (Brunei)

• I will clean the lakes
• let the dead grass
• let the ricefields turn green.
• I will burn the bushes and the trees
• let the brick wall rise
• let flats go up
• let millions of people inahbit themn
• let them live safely.
• I will demolish the old town
• so it will have a facelift,
• the grisly appearance gone
• let the rich explore it
• let the poor search for their loved ones
• let the dogs bark till morning
• and let cats quietly chase the rats.
• I will make this town grow

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Heng Siok Tians Chopsticks

• A pair of chopsticks
• Squints at me.
• My pragmatics teach me
• Western convenience
• In fork and spoon.
• My parents frown at my
• Cultural unrespectability
• In crossing the chopsticks.
• There is an etiquette
• For handling chopsticks
• (handling lives).
• Suddenly how to handle chopsticks
• Involves moral dimension.
• The speaker refers to the Western convenience
  of a fork and spoon compared to chopsticks. What
  do the chopsticks represent to the speaker?
• Why does using chopsticks involve moral dimension
  then?

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Theme Role of Men and Women

• Complex texts
• Ma Sandars An Umbrella
• M S Sothearys My Sister
• T Bosinos Her
• C Lims Paper

Burma Cambodia Indonesia Singapore
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An Umbrella Ma Sandar (Burma)

• A woman who has no husband to lean on is like a
  person walking in the rain without an umbrella.
  There is no one to shield her from the cold and
  wind
• When the rain is really heavy you get wet no
  matter what kind of umbrella you are using, ama.
  At least this one makes you look dignified.
• What does this tell you about the role of men and
  women and the expectations of society on marriage?

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Her Titus Bosino (Indonesia)

• The evening of my husbands second marriage I
  tried to reason with him. His voice sounded so
  strange that I could hardly recognize it. It was
  as though he were a child again.
• "So you married her?"
• "Yes, why not?"
• "Couldnt you have stopped short of marriage? You
  already have one wife. I can deal with all your
  needs, cant I?
• Are you sure of that?"
• "Arent I enough to make you happy? Ive already
  given you children, an organized household,
  home-cooked meals, immaculate clothes, a warm and
  ready welcome for you and all your friends. All
  youve ever wanted Ive given you before youve
  had to ask twice. Think about it."
• "Of course, youre right, but do I have to thank
  you for all these things? I dont expect you to
  understand because you cant look beyond the
  tremendous effort youve put into this marriage,
  which nevertheless has failed. Im not satisfied
  with this life any longer. Im tired of waiting
  for you to take an interest in something, like a
  club or anything outside of this familyYou seem
  to forget that when I fell in love with you, you
  were an involved and interesting woman." 
•  What do you make of this dialogue? Is it
  realistic? Or is too forced?
• How would you describe the main character, Mrs.
  Hamid? Cite examples from the story to support
  your ideas. How would you describe Mr. Hamid, her
  husband?
• What reasons does he give her for marrying his
  new wife? How does she react when she hears the
  news?

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Summary

• Literature is often a reflection of the cultures
  and peoples from which it is produced.
• By explicating poetry and/or deconstructing
  literature, one is able to arrive at larger
  truths regarding the society.
• Students in literature courses studying SE Asian
  literature will be challenged to go beyond texts
  and discover similarities between their cultures
  and others.

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Cam on cac ban, nhieu! Em se nho anh chi em!
(Thanks so much, friends! I will miss you!)