Online Task 1

Folktale 

The Son of the Turtle Spirit is a Chinese folktale. 

List some of the well-known folktales from Malaysia . 

• The Sang Kancil and Sang Buaya
• Si Tanggang 
• Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah 
• Badang 
• Mat Jenin 
• The Catfish in The River 
• The Woodpecker’s Crown 
• The Cockerel That Crows 
• The Haunted Cave 
• Raja Bersiung

List some of the possible issues found in “The Son of the Turtle Spirit” 

•  Besides that, these Chinese also believe in ‘faith because sometimes what we planned might not happened and it will be done in the other way round. That shows our faith is in our God’s hand. Things will happen as how ‘HE’ planned. Are those issues universal in nature or are they only relevant in the Chinese culture? * These issues are universal because whenever the issues in the story relate to their own experience so they will use the moral values in order to commit with present days. At the same time these issues are also relevant in the Chinese culture. 
• Chinese people believe that there are spirits that commits during the seventh month of the year because the gate of hell will be opened during this period. Moreover they believe that the turtle has spirits that manifests at night and disappear at dawn. Besides that, they also believe that their elder’s remains are very important because it affects the wealth and the well being of the deceased descendants.

 

Fables

What are the other morals that can be gotten from the other fables by Aesop? 

List at least two. 

• The Miser – Don’t be greedy, it won’t get you anywhere. 
• The Farmer and The Fox – Your act of revenge may destroy what you care for. 
• The Ant and the Grasshopper - It is best to prepare for the days of necessity 
• The Ant and the Dove - One good turn deserves another. 

Myths 

One well-known literary figure from the Elizabethan age used Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe as a model to one of his famous plays. Who is he and what is the play?

• Shakespeare and the famous play is Romeo and Juliet. 

 

Legends

 List some of the popular legends we have in Malaysia 

• The Legend Of Mahsuri 
• The Curse of Batu Gajah 
• The Dragon of Lake Chini 
• How Malacca Got Its Name
• Kedah’s Legendary Fanged King
• Magical Lake of Pregnant Maiden 
• The Seven Magical Wells
• Mystical Cave of Stories 
• Legend of Perhentian Island 

The legend provided in the module is that of King Arthur taken from Book 1of Le Mort d’Arthur (The Death of Arthur) by Sir Thomas Malory who was an expert in Arthurian Literature. The module suggests that you think of how you could adapt the text for students as it is written in an archaic language.

Look at the questions below. Answers can be found on internet sources. This will help you get a basic understanding of what Le Mort d’Arthur is about. 

 1. Who is Thomas Malory?

•  He is the author of Le Mort d’ Arthur and was apparently a firmly established folk hero. He is the central figure in numerous ancient Welsh and Irish legends, and by the early twelfth century, some scholars think, he may have been known in northern Italy and France, where names possibly derived from Arthurian folklore occur. The earliest recorded tradition concerning Arthur represents him as a leader of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxon invaders. 

2. When was Le Mort d’Arthur written?

•  Le Morte d'Arthur, completed in 1469, is the first major work of prose fiction in English and remains as one of the greatest until today. 

3. How many books/ parts are there in LMDA? 

•  8 books  

4. What is book 8 about?

•  Book 8 is about The Death of King Arthur. 

5. Who were the two people who had an affair?

•  Queen Guenevere and Sir Lancelot 

6. Book 6 has a strong connection to a popular modern fiction which is now a movie. What is the title of the popular modern fiction? 

• The Noble Tale of The Sangreal 

7. State three well-known facts about King Arthur/ his time as a King

• King Arthur was betrayed by his greatest knight, Sir Lancelot. 
• King Arthur was raised by Sir Ector who had a son named Kay.
• King Arthur was the son of King Uther and Igraine. 

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Think of two ways in which you can use folktales/fables/myths or legends in the classroom. 

Explain briefly. 

1. Teacher can ask the students to choose any characters and wear the clothes as if the character in the story. So from here the teacher can do the activities like matching characters and traits, analyzing the characters and their relationships and so on. Here, the students can be involved solely into the characters that they like the most.
2. Teacher can use role-play and simulation in the classroom. The best example is the mock trial. So teacher can ask the students to be in groups and act out the folktales/ fables/ myths or legends. So, from here the teacher can choose the students for the story telling competition.