This presentation is about the issue in a short story Heroes by Karim Raslan. A famous writer in Malaysia

1. THE ISSUES

2. The truth is not always worth knowing
• Ayah wants Fariza to adore him as her hero, so
when she asks for the truth he is afraid that
Fariza will lose the trust towards him
“Fariza, the truth isn’t always worth knowing. Don’t
leave me.” As I sobbed – the sobs of a foolish old
man – she replaced the receiver.”
Page 36 : Line 26 – Line 28

3. • Omar knows what Ayah has done that makes
him loses his respect towards Ayah
“He looked at me directly – something he’d never
done in the past. He was only a driver, after all. His
eyes were fiery and red – burning with contempt. His
mouth was curled into a sneer as he repeated the
phrase one last time, lingering on the word ‘dog’.”
Page 48: Line 32 – Page 49: Line 2

4. True Colour will be revealed in
desperation
• Ayah’s true colour is revealed during the incident
when he is on his way to Penang with Nazrin and
Omar. He is actually different from the image that
people view him as which he is a respectable
figure.
“Drive on, Omar!” I demanded.
“Tuan, how can I? The woman is injured. I must go and
see to her.” Ignoring me, he pushed his door open and
ran back to where her body was lying….
Page 43: Line 10 – Line 14

5. The act of patriotism of a man
• Ayah is a dedicated civil servant that serves
the country at his best.
“Omar, I think we will have to make up the time lost,”
I said firmly from the back of the car. “We are late.
We are supposed to be in Georgetown by tomorrow.
Nazrin you must rest now but you must watch the
time more carefully. We have serious responsibilities.
The nation cannot afford delays.”
Page 41: Line 17 – Line 21

6. The act of loyalty
• Hang Tuah from the folklore is the symbol of
loyalty. He is loyal towards the Sultan until he
tries to kill his own friend, Hang Jebat.
“I stopped for no man. I had to press on. Hang Tuah
would have approved of me. I never questioned. I
acted on instructions whatever the consequence.”
Page 34, line 4

7. • Ayah, who is given the task to deliver an
important document tries his best to settle
the task although there are a lot of challenges
including leaving Nazrin who gets beaten by
the villagers.
“It’s too late, we can’t wait for him, Omar. Go!” With
that command I reached forward from the back seat and
released the hand brake myself. Pushing Omar sharply
with my hand I forced him to drive off. It was just then, as
we were speeding off, gathering momentum that Omar
saw him, this boy that had been so swiftly discarded.”
Page 46, line 23 to 28