Mr. T.W. Li is a wealthy Singaporean businessman who has recently conducted his mother's funeral. As he looks out at the harbor from his office, memories are triggered of recent events with his mother before she passed. He realizes that in his grief, he forgot his most important duty - to place his mother's photograph on the ancestral altar and continue the family tradition of worshipping ancestors who have passed away. He rushes home to properly honor his mother according to their cultural traditions.

1. Mr T.W. LI
 Also called `Ah-Wah’ by his mother and `Edward’ by his wife
 A 63 years old Singaporean businessman
 Successful and wealthy
 Has humble beginnings – grew up in a little wooden hut in Tanjong Rhu
Character traits Examples of textual evidence
Ashamedof background  Wants to looklike `aman whohad
inheritedhismoney,notearnedit’
(p.19)
Organisedand logical  Likesto countshipsandfindstability
and securityinnumbers.(p.19)
Prefersthe simple life  Thinksthe roomsin hishouse are too
bigand too many.(p.20)
 Dislikeshiswife’sgatheringswithher
friendswhere theyeatcakesmade with
expensive foreignfruit.(p.20)
A filial and lovingson  Boughtbinocularsforhismothertoo
see better.(p.20)
 Makes sure that hismother’sburial is
done the rightway. (p.19)
 Decidestotake care of the familyaltar
as hismotherwouldwanthimto.
(p.35)
Splitbetweentraditional and modern values
and beliefs
 Proudof the modernlife he hasbuilt
but triestokeeptraditionalive inhis
home.(p.35)
 His childrenhave Chinese names.(p.20)
 He addresseshismotheras`Ah-Ma’.
(p.20)
Characters and Characteristics

2. Ah-Ma
 Mr T.W. Li’smother
 Ying’sgrandmother,`Popo’(Cantonese forgrandmother)
 Mother of nine children,grandmotherof thirty-fourandgreat-grandmotherof seventeen
 Small,thin,withgreyhairanda bentback
Character traits Examples of textual evidence
Treasures family  Remembersthe time whenshe was
poor buthappy,whenshe wasclose to
herson (p.28)
Stubborn  Refuse togo foran eye operationto
remove hereye cataracts (P.19)
 Insistedonusingreal candlesforyears
(p.26)
Traditional  Takescare of the familyaltar(p.25)
 Makes sure that the ancestral worship
customsare followedproperly(p.25)
Kind and understanding  Understandshersonwho istryingto
distance himself fromhispastandkeep
quiet(p.23)
Ying
 Mr Li’sdaughter
 Goingto furtherherstudiesinNew York
Character traits Examples of textual evidence
Loving and caring  Takescare of herill grandmotherinthe
hospital (p.31)
 Donate bloodto hergrandmother
(p.31)
Strong-headed  Argueswithhergrandmother(p.25)
 ArgueswithherSecondAuntoverthe
burial clothesforhergrandmother
(p.31)
 Argueswithherfatherinthe hospital
(p.32)
Splitbetweentraditional and modernvalues
and beliefs
 She call her fatherandgrandmotherby
theirtraditional Chinese address,
`Baba’ and `Popo’and she speaksin
Cantonese (p.25-26)
 Doesnot see the importance of
followingtraditionsproperlyandkeeps
tellinghergrandmotherthat`it doesn’t
metter’ (p.26)

3. Helen
 Mr Li’swife
 She doesnot seemtohave much respectforMr Li.
 Lovessocialisingwithherfriends
Mr Li’sfather
 Usedto be a boat builderinTanjongRhu
TanjongRhu usedto be a small shipyardforsmall fishingboats.The protagonist’sfatherusedtobe a
boat builder there. The story unfolds eighty years down the road. Tanjong Rhu is filled with multi-
stories office building. The protagonist Mr Li has his office in the one of the buildings.
The ancestral altar is an important location for the story. With a photograph of his late father
installed in the altar, Li’s mother Ah-Ma talks to her late husband after formally lighting joss sticks
and bowing ritually while telling him of the events in her life.
Physical setting
Place Key events
Mr Li’soffice overlookingthe Singapore
harbour
 Ah-Ma visitsthe office totryand see
TanjongRhu where herchildrengrew
up
A bigand modernhouse withaswimmingpool
inthe garden
 Mr Li presentsthe new binocularsto
hismotherinthe garden
The altar room  Yingargues withhergrandmother
because she will notletYinghelpwith
the josssticks.
 AfterAh-Madeath, Mr Li triestotake
care of the altar andcontinue the
traditionof ancestral worship.
The hospital room  Mr Li visitshisdyingmotherandtries
to ask herabout hischildhoodinTanjog
Rhu
Setting

4.  Yinglooksafterher grandmother
 Mr Li scolds Yingfor threatingAh-Ma
withdisrespect
TanjongRhu  Mr Li’sfatherworkedinthe shipyard
buildingfishingboats
 Ah-Wahplayedonthe beach,wentfor
walkswithmotheranddug forcrabs
Social setting
Modernday Singapore
 Successand keepingup appearance are important.
 People have little timeandpatience forone another
 People distance themselvesfromoldtradition –theyadoptforeignnames,have ataste for
fine importedfare suchasforeignfruitcake
 Modernand traditional lifestylesandvaluesclash
Early 20th
centurySingapore
 Life washard
 People enjoyedsimple pleasures
 People hadtime forfamily

 The conflictbetweentraditionalandmodernvaluesandbeliefs
 Importance of adheringtocustomsand cultural traditions
 The importance of rememberingone’sroot
 Change isinevitable
Theme

5.  We mustnot forgetourroot
 Familyismore importantthanwealthandsuccess
 We mustalwaysbe dutiful sonsanddaughters
 We mustlearn,understandandcontinue ourculture andcustoms
 We mustrespectthe elders
Moral values

6. •Mr Li is a
successful
businessman
who has
conducted his
mother's
funeral to the
best of his
ability.
Exposition
•He has a
distinct
feeling that
he has
forgotten
something
important.
The
binoculars
evoke many
memories.
Rising action
•looking at the
horizon
philosopjically,
Mr Li realises
what he has
forgotten.
Climax
•Mr Li places
his late
mother's
photograph
on the
ancestral
altar
Falling action
•Mr Li talks
to his
mother at
the altar. He
continues
the tradition
of ancestral
worship and
his mother's
habit of
talking to
ancestors
who have
passed
away.
Resolution
Plot

7. Mr T.W. Li isa wealthybusinessmanwholives in Singapore. The day after his mother’s burial, Mr Li
is in his modern office, feeling tired and worried. As he looks out of the window through a pair of
binocularstocount the ships in the harbour, he recall some recent events. The first is his mother’s
visit to his office. Ah ma wants to visit his office and use the binoculars to see Tanjong Rhu where
they used to live a long time ago. On the day of the visit, Mr Li’s daughter is impatient with Ah Ma
for takinghertime overa ritual at the familyaltar. Mr Li dutifully scolds his daughter for being rude
to her grandmother. At the office, Ah Ma cannot see the harbour properly. However, she
remembersthe happydaysatTnjongRhu whenherson wasa child.Mr Li thenrecallsvisiting Ah Ma
inthe hospital andhowhe scolded Ying whom he thought was not threating her grandmother with
properrespect.Mr Li realisesthathe oughtto take care of the altar now that his mother is gone. He
hurries home to the altar room to perform his duty as a filial son.
Synopsis

8. Tanjong Rhu
By: MInfong Ho

9. Literature Component
Short Stories
Tanjong Rhu
And
Leaving
Name: Nurul Diyana Shahirah bt Noor Azmi
Class: 4 Ibnu Haitham
Teacher’s Name: Pn. Feizatul Akmar Nor bt Nurbi