MALACCA
We must have the courage to do the right thing. Based on the novel that you have read, provide incidents from the novel that support this statement.
The novel Dear Mr.Kilmer highlights the importance of being brave and has the courage to do in what we believe in although we might face many obstacles. The main character of this story, Richard Knight depicts uprightness throughout the story and there are a few incidents from this novel that reflects his principles. The first incident is when he does not want to kill animals and although he was ridiculed by his brother but he insisted to practice what he believes. In this challenging world, people might perceive us many ways but we must be strong and only do things that we think which is right rather than doing things to satisfy others. The second incident is when he supported Hannah by signing the sympathy card although his action was opposed by his classmates. Richard was angry because the community looked suspiciously towards Hannah and her family as they are from German. Richard was not afraid to voice out his opinions to the public although he knew he would be made fun and some may try to hurt him. The third incident that I would like to highlight is when Richard finds it is unfair and very wrong for Hannah declined to play the character Lady Liberty as she won the contest fair and square. He was daring to say that she should not worry about people who are stupid and narrow-minded. Being rational, brave, fair, and believe in our principles are the qualities we should have in ourselves as these qualities will ensure us to be good humans and help us to lead a noble life.
JOHOR
A brave man is not he who doesn’t feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. With close reference to the text, describe how this portrayed by one of the characters and explain how this quality would benefit you. In my opinion, Richard Knight would fit in to the description of the person mentioned in this question. As humans, we have our own fears, as fear is an emotional state that may cause pain or a threat. One incident which is relevant is sharing his interest in poetry. In the beginning Richard was writing poetry in his comfort of his room without anyone knowing of his interest. This is because his brother Gus finds his brother’s interest is sissy. Richard’s perspective changed when he befriended Mr.Kilmer and following his friend’s advice, Richard began to share his poetry with Mrs Hansen, his class teacher. He was able to put aside his fear and began to share his poetry and this positive change made him to be more confident. Another important point that should be looked into is the support given by Mrs Hansen in helping Richard to establish good relationship with Kilmer and therefore this helped Richard to overcome his fear. It is essential for us to put away any fear we have in order to achieve our ambition. Many a times, most of us will put our desire on a hold due to our fear. What do we fear? We might be afraid of what people might think of us or we might be afraid of being humiliated or laughed by others. It is important for us to know our priority and carry on in what we believe in.
KELANTAN “Family supports family”. With close reference to the text, describe how this is portrayed by one of the characters and explain how this quality would benefit you. The novel Dear Mr.Kilmer touches the importance of family values. Richard Knight demonstrated as a loving character towards his family members. For example, he loves his sister and knows that she has sacrificed a lot for their family. The evidences that can be emphasised are he always helps his sister Angie to dry the dishes after supper. After school, he does his chores like gathering the eggs and pitching hay to the horses. During the summer holidays, he works hard on the farm. He loves working with his father. He ploughs, plants and cultivates as well as takes care of animals. In my opinion, when the family support family it will bring many benefits for us just like the idiom “many hands make light works”. For example, Richard cleans the barn and shovels manure with his father which his brother, Gus never does. He does twice the amount of work Gus does on the farm but he does not complain. The hired workers are amazed at what a diligent worker Richard is. From these evidences, it shows that the concept of family supports family will not only can make our work light, it also helps to strengthen the relationship between family members. Practising this quality would definitely help us to understand better about our family members. No doubt that at times we might have misunderstanding but this is a small matter and can be resolved through discussion. I believe we should put our family first rather than anything else.
