Monday, July 5, 2010 . 2:32 PM

Huien :
I agree with Shaleni . Ravi is deteremined to win in the story , he wanted to outshine his sibling as he is insiginificant in the family . Rewards have been given to other children , but have yet given to him . This can be shown , "Nothing more wonderful had ever happened to him than being taken out by an uncle and brought a whole slab of chocolate all to himself , or being flung into the soda-man's pony cart and driven up to the gate by the friendly driver with red beard and pointed ears ." With this , it encourage Ravi the win the game .

Friday, July 2, 2010 . 8:19 PM

Shaleni:
I would like to relate this short excerpt of an essay to the theme of society; specifically, sibling rivalry. As a good friend once told me, this universe is governed by the rule that you can never outwit the wise. And in this context, i refer to the wise ones as our older siblings. We Singaporeans love to compete. To be outstanding. To outdo everyone else. It is in our nature to be motivated by competition. I refer to this "competition", in the context of the story, as the unyielding determination to surpass in wisdom or knowledge. The youngest child in a family often has his/her expectations raised according to the performance of his/her older siblings. For example, if an older sibling does impossibly well for his examinations, we are determined to beat him. We are determined to prove to everyone that you can perform just as well, maybe even better. When you're overshadowed by an older sibling, it seems like the only reason for your existence in this world is to get your turn in the spotlight.

I see this very determination in Ravi, in the story of Games at Twilight. In the story, Ravi, I presume, is the youngest out of the bunch of kids. He's small, measly and has no sense of direction when he begins the game. All but one thought fills his mind - the determination to win the game. To be the last one standing. And this determination, I believe, is a result of a whole other goal in his life - to beat his older brother, Raghu. Raghu is described in the story as an intimidating character, one that feeds off fear. He's big, hairy, and sadistic. "I know I have to, idiot," Raghu said, superciliously kicking him with his toe. "You're dead," he said with satisfaction, licking the beads of perspiration off his upper lip, and then stalked off in search of worthier prey, whistling spiritedly so that the hiders should hear and tremble. "
Ravi, compared to Raghu, is timid and diffident. His size is almost obsolete compared to Raghu's strong build. "Ravi had wished he were tall enough, big enough to reach the key on the nail, but it was impossible beyond his reach for years to come.""He hadn't much faith in his short legs when matched against Raghu's long hefty, hairy footballer legs." In spite of his incompetence, Ravi is determined to beat his brother. To stay hidden and incognito for as long as the game lasts. For as long as it takes to outlast all the others. For as long as it takes to beat Raghu. And when he does, he gets his glory. Although small in size, he would suddenly seem like the bigger person.
However, as reality has taught us, there are never any happy endings. As Ravi, determined to achieve what he wants, overcomes his fear of the dark and the unknown, realises the sad truth. As he steps out, he realises that not only has he lost, but his very existence had been erased off the minds of his family. The whole irony behind this is that he was playing to be noticed, but the outcome turned on the complete contrary. "The ignominy of being forgotten - how could he face it? He felt his heart go heavy and ache inside him unbearably. He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance."

Maybe this is how everyone has it. They face the harsh truth of reality at a young age through events like this and eventually get introduced to the world of "competition". And as continued failed attempts teach us, we can never be better than our older siblings. It's virtually impossible.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 . 9:03 PM

Jian Kai : I am really sorry if I go off topic. I am typing this without any reference like notes or books regarding off centre . Why does Vinod act to be strong in front if Saloma at the start but weak in the end ?

So, let me first start by saying about his education . Since he is highly educated and has been through all walks of life ( like NUS , National Service etc ), he must have know a bit about how the society works. In the 1990s, Singapore is launching many campaigns and trying to be as competitive as it can be, so as its people . People are constantly competing, striving to be the best. Since Vinod knows about that, he himself, must also be competitive so that he will not lose out to other people despite he is a ex-mental patient. This society trend perhaps caused him to appear strong, pretending to be normal in front of other people. This may explain why he is always so initiative, positive on the outside . That is because this is how people in the society behave. With reference to Act 5, he did mention that he is tired being in the rat race and what they can do with a mentally ill rat . The race, perhaps symbolising society, lead him to be competing since he was studying . That explains the best speaker trophy, best debater award and of course , fantastic A level results . With all these education , society stress intake that Vinod has gotten , he has carved out a self that is full of confidence, knowledgeable and optimistic towards life . In fact, he is suffering from severe depression. That may explain why there is a reversal of roles when the robbery happened. Firstly, his condition worsened. Secondly, he was fired from his job and was always playing at the void deck with Saloma , in a way he has lost touch with the society , causing him to reveal his true self. As time progresses, his self that has been shaped out to face the society, to interact with people is gone. That reiterated why there is a reversal of roles after the robbery, perhaps his outer self can't handle the pressure after a long time not being in the society. In conclusion, he was strong at the start because he was still in touch with the society before Vinod knows Saloma. However, as time passes, he revealed his true self and hence, became weak .

Secondly , his family. Vinod's parents hold high positions in the society. Which means they will have a certain expectation from Vinod. That can be found in Act 1 ( at the restaurant ) where he mentions that he has to be a public prosecutor. However, the play itself shows that the relationship between Vinod and his parents are very distant. The lack of family support is one of the key fundamentals which will prevent a mentally ill patient from getting well. That explains why Vinod always dances and does the rattling motion in his room. I think he did that because he is very caught up with life, not being able to have the freedom that he truly wants.

Leon:Well since Jian Kai made a good point I thought I must as well add on with a discovery.
Through the point that JK made, it shows that Singapore is very demanding and only by being the top then we are able to satisfied our parents expectation, what society expect us to do. By striving to be the best, we accumulate a lot of stress and some people may have a breakdown as a result of not being able to take the stress like Vinod.

Another Reason why does Vinod act strong in front of Saloma, is because he wants Saloma to get better by being a pillar of support to her. By showing that he is strong and is able to do things like a normal person even though he's mental ill, it gives Saloma a sort of encouragement and also goal. This is seen in the way he set examples for Saloma, like subscribing newspaper for her to read and also dedicating songs to each other

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 . 9:08 PM

Poor blog, it has been dead for quite a few months and I guess it is time to revive this blog again. Well, let me start the ball rolling . Please give solid statement, elaboration and evidences with reference to the whole play. Please be specific in your answer and never ramble .

Jian Kai : What does the bird in the scene of Saloma and Vinod not meeting each other relate to the epilogue in the end ?

Leon: I don't remember how the bird relates to the epilogue but I remember what it symbolism,Saloma situation, the bird escaped from the void deck and went to Saloma's room. This is similar to Saloma situation as when the bird escape from the cage it expose itself to danger however in exchange the bird got freedom. Comparing to it when it's in the cage, it safety is assured but it has no freedom. This is similar to Saloma situation where she wants to go out to society even though she is exposing herself to criticism and the pressure of being different when she be safe if she lock herself in her room.(P.S Sorry for not being able to answer the question)

Jian Kai : I think the bird symbolises freedom . With relation to the restaurant , the bird represents freedom , such that the bird can sing to the statue , meaning the bird is very carefree . With relation to the scene where Vinod and Saloma not meeting , the bird escaped from its cage . This bird perhaps symbolises Saloma , where the room is the cage . The bird escaped from the cage may be because it is trying to hunt for food by itself, while searching for freedom . In the past , Saloma is having a mindset of to be safe , she must stay in the cage . This can also be a reference of how she changed to become strong . With relation to the epilogue , the bird symbolises Vinod . Perhaps Saloma knows Vinod is dead , but , she just want to double assure with the audiecne and hope that no one will catch him because he finally got his freedom .

Saturday, February 13, 2010 . 2:05 PM

Leon:In private tuition with Mr Bose, Mrs Bose is seen in the background and occasionally remind Mr Bose of his duty that he needs to perform. This situation reflect of the society in India where Man takes the lead in everything, of course Mrs Bose did managed to get her voice heard by Mr Bose, however it was an indirect. She used kitchen cutlery to make noise to express her displease with Mr Bose with him reading the poem that he once read to her. This can be seen in "There too the lulling pigeon sounds had been crisply turned off and what he heard were bangs and rattles among the kitchen posts, a kettledrum of commands,he thought."

Sunday, February 7, 2010 . 1:21 PM

First, let me thank Calvin for setting this up - good job!

I am also very proud to see your entries. I am very impressed with your discussion on Ravi. Remember - there are no right or wrong answers as long as you have good and relevant evidence that supports your argument.

Ravi can be seen as a very bold and courageous boy because he goes into the shed all by himself and faces his fears with such bravery. I think we need to bear in mind his age because it cannot be easy being alone in not just a dark place but also experiencing the fear of the unknown.

You should all also look at his motives for going in there alone - it is the sheer will to WIN - to be CHAMPION. It is with this intention that he does this. Thus, it will also be good to consider his competitive nature. So I also see your point that we should not consider him brave.

Kudos to those of you who made the effort to discuss Games at Twilight. Next up is Private Tuition with Mr Bose - try to look at the woman's place in society but think also about how the wife attempts to have her voice heard.

Can one of you also get hold of the Life section of Tuesday's newspaper - there is an article on Manali.

Good luck on your next assignment.

Friday, February 5, 2010 . 8:35 PM

In response to the previous post:Topic 1

KaiLin: I disagree. I think that Ravi is a bold and brave boy. Although he is timid at first, he managed to overcome his fear later at a short period of time.The evidence is " Ravi stood frozen inside the shed".Also, beginning Ravi was reluctant to move inside the shed.The evidence is"he hunched himself into a ball so as not to bump into anything" Besides that , in order to win the game, he pick up his courage to hide inside the dark and spooky shed alone for a very long period of time. The evidence is "it was a dark,spooky in the shed" and " it grew darker in the shed..."Furthurmore, Ravi later slowly start to overcome his fear and starts to explore the shed.The evidence is "it took him a while to pick up the courage to lift his hand and explore." Ravi, in Games at Twilight, is more of a coward then a brave soul. Discuss

Note: Edit the post to discuss. Here's the format
Name: (statement with evidence)

Leon:I disagree as one needs great courage to enter the dark shed even if it is a spur of the moment and the shed was descried to be dark and scary, this can been seen in "Ravi had never cared to enter such a dark and depressing mortuary of defunct household goods seething with such unspeakable and alarming animal life but, as Raghu's whistling grew angrier and sharper and his crashing and storming in the hedge wilder.Ravi suddenly slipped pff the flower pot and through the crack and was gone."


Calvin: I feel that Ravi IS a coward rather than a brave soul. I say this as in the end of the book, he does not learn from his experience. Instead of thinking of what he did in the shed, he instead cried because he did not win. This is shown when the book states that "his voice broke with rage and pity at the disgrace of it all and he felt himself flooded with tears and misery". This shows that Ravi has only leavned to be brave for a extremely short time. So I think that Ravi is a coward more then a brave soul.

Labels: v

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 . 10:21 PM

GUYS I'M SORRY IF IT LOOKS LIKE MY BLOG REALLY I AM BUT I AM DRAINED, I AM TIRED, IT'S LATE. I'LL CHANGE IT WHEN I CAN!

Well, Calvin here. Just finished doing this blogskin completely. I was lazy to code it from the start so I just took it from a certain place (coughmyblogcough)Tell me what you think. The template is free to update as long as you guys don't screw it up. Anyway this looks like the beginning of $hit. So, everyone, get ready and let's get going. Should see the load of you starting Wednesday. See ya.

Monday, February 1, 2010 . 9:27 PM

first post of the day, which is to encourage lit students to post about games at twilight. i will post most probably on saturday when im free. so yup, take your time and enjoy posting (=