Based on the novel you have studied, which character do you sympathise with?

Give
reasons for your answer with close reference to the text.
RECOMMENDED OUTLINE
State the novel you have studied and the author.
Name the character you sympathise with. Give some information about the character in the
story.
Give three reasons to support your answer.
Give textual evidence to support each of the three reasons.
Model Answer
The novel, Sing to the Dawn by Mingfong Ho, is about Dawan, a young Thai girl who lives
in the village with her family. She won first place in a test and was announced as the winner of a
scholarship, giving her an opportunity to pursue her studies in a City school. Her brother, Kwai,
came in second after her. Both of them have great ideas of using their education to improve life
in the village. The character whom I sympathise with in the novel is Dawan.
Instead of getting support and encouragement for her achievement, Dawan faces anger and
rejection from her parents. Her father is angry with her because he wants his son to get the
scholarship. Her mother does not encourage her because she thinks it is foolish to give her hope.
Dawans close relationship with Kwai suffers because her brother is jealous of her success.
He threatens to take the scholarship from her, making her worried and defensive. The conflict
between them worsens with Dawan thinking Its either him or me. His betrayal causes her pain.
She even gets hurt physically when Kwai pushes her, causing her to injure to her ankle.
Thirdly, Dawan is sad to leave home. After all, she is only fourteen years old and she is
leaving her home for the first time. She will be alone in the ugly, cruel city. She will also be far
away from nature which she loves.
For these reasons, I sympathise with Dawan. She has to struggle to pursue her dream. By
right, she should have received support from her family and her community. She will also face a
lot of challenges in her new life in the city.