Setting

It began with the wind. The wind from another age that unleashed a fury the likes of which had never been seen before in any other blizzard. The wind ripped apart the sky shook the earth, screaming at the very boundaries of reality. The trees bowed and trembled before its fury, and

the whispering of their leaves quickly turned to shrieks of pain and fear. The wind sang of conquest and death, and pounded the forest with snow and ice.

Then the wolf emerged.

Its long mane of black fur rippled in the wind, and its eyes were the colour of the purest gold, indicating its great age. Its legs were lean and muscular from running, ears pricked, listening intently. It flicked its tail and then spread its jaws, tasting the air. The wind ceased instantly, dying down to a whimper. It blew about in apologetic circles around it, stirring the snow around its feet. The wolf ignored it, and then suddenly its eyes flared. Just the merest suggestion of his quarry's scent drifted onto its tongue, and it drank in the air, trying to detect any other remnants. Then it found the trail, and followed it. Behind it, ravens followed in the hope of having a meal of fresh meat. Then, as it reached the end of the path, it bared its teeth in what was unmistakably a savage grin.

The hunter had found its prey.

Becoming a Singaporean

Note: The following story is completely fiction.

“What are you doing?!” the Japanese soldier demanded. He was a tall, dark, burly man built along the lines of a professional wrestler. The otherwise handsome face was twisted into an ugly snarl of hatred and rage. His breath smelt of alcohol and cigarette smoke. But it was his uniform that distinguished him from any other military man. This was no ordinary soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army; this was one of their military police and secret service, the Kempeitai. “S-sir, I was merely giving that man some bread.” The Japanese leaned in closer, and his foul breath filled the space between us. “That man is an enemy of the Emperor and our army. Surely you would know better than to aid one of our enemies, boy?” I gulped and nodded. “You know what happens to traitors, don’t you?” He sneered. “Y-yes,” I stuttered. Those who committed the slightest offence were subjected to terrible torture or decapitation at the Kempeitai centre. “Now don’t ever let me catch you around here again, or I’ll skin you alive!” I hurriedly picked up my basket and trotted off down the alley.

“Stop!” the Kempeitai suddenly ordered. I froze. “Turn around slowly.” I did as ordered. The soldier frowned. “Are you Chinese, boy?” he growled. I felt as though an ice-cold claw had grasped my heart in an iron grip. “Me, sir?” I squeaked. “I sell and deliver bread. No harm to anybody!” The soldier grunted. “What’s your name?” “I’m, uh, Ali. Yeah, Ali.” “Ali… hmm…” The soldier rolled the name around in his mouth. My heart pounded madly. “I’ve never heard of you. Now get out of here and never let me see you again!” He finally snarled. “Yes, sir.” I picked up the basket and ran out of the alley. The soldier walked off in the opposite direction. I waited around the corner until I was sure he had gone. Then I turned and ran toward the crippled Chinese soldier in tattered clothes whom I had offered bread to. “I’m-…” “Xiaoshu, yes. I know you. Done a few undercover jobs for us, eh?” I offered him a canteen of cool water from the basket, and a loaf of bread. After he finished drinking, he continued, “The location you are seeking is not too far ahead. Just continue going straight, and then take a left turn until you reach a dilapidated old hut set on a hill. From there, turn right until you reach a wire fence, which marks the boundary of the place you seek. Good luck, comrade.” I stood up, and was about to leave, but then I turned, helped the man up, and supported him, limping to a deserted shop house. “Don’t bother about me,” he said urgently. “What is the life of one compared to millions?” “We’re all in this together,” I told him. “Never leave a man behind. The Kempeitai would torture you if they knew what you have done. Besides,” I grinned. “What have we got to lose?”

The soldier’s directions proved to be accurate. I walked straight, and then reached a junction where I took the left turn I was told to. Every time a saw the Kempeitai I crouched and hoped with all my might that they didn’t find me. The path slowly faded to the more ruralised country areas where shrubbery and trees grew untamed. Somewhere on the way, I suddenly realized that I was trekking uphill. The hut that the soldier had described appeared as a tiny brown dot on the horizon. When I reached the top, I groaned and flopped to the ground, gasping. Then a loud creak made me spring to attention. Then I realized with horror what I was really looking at.

The inside of the hut was splattered with blood and bits of flesh and what looked like brains. The dwelling was invaded with the putrid smell of decomposition, and on the floor lay a British soldier, his face still locked in a death scream, intestines spilling out onto the floor beside him. His eyes were open, glazed with fear, and a neat hole in his chest and the bloodstains on his mouth and chest were evidence enough that his lungs had been punctured and he had gagged on his own blood. With a trembling hand, I closed both his eyes. Now, he looked almost asleep… except for the entrails spilling out of his torso. A sense of fury overcame me, and I rode that wave of hatred and righteous anger until it threatened to burn out my heart. This Japanese scourge must be wiped from our lands at once! Too many have died at their hands and more soon will! I brushed my hands on my trousers and walked on.

At last I reached my destination. I poked my eye through one of the holes in the fence, and saw a huge, sprawling military compound. A grin broke across my face. This was the secret military base we were looking for! The radio transmitter used by the Japanese to intercept Allied messages was located in there. To seize control of the base meant to seize control of their access to Allied communications. We could use the transmitter to call for help! It was the key to our freedom. I removed a small two-way radio from my pocket and pressed a button. At first it there was a long burst of static, then I cleared my throat and spoke. “Force 136, do you read me? This is operative codename Little Mouse. Our target has been confirmed.” There was silence on the other end. Then… “Mouse, we read you loud and clear. This is agent Lim Bo Seng. We will deploy military units to that specific area immediately. Roger out.”

As I put down the two-way radio, I felt a sense of honour and loyalty for what I had done for my country. I was proud to be a Singaporean.

Importance of setting in a story

1. The real Durwan was set in Calcutta, India . The Adventure of the Speckled Band was set in Baker Street, London . Pride and Prejudice was set in an unknown town in England.



2. The real Durwan was set after the partition. The Adventure of the Speckled Band was set in 1883, and Pride and Prejudice was set in the 19th century.



3. The setting of The Real Durwan, along with how they introduce Boori Ma, her present poverty, and her tragic past, gives us subtle hints about how the story turns out to have a sad ending.

In the setting of the Adventure of the Speckled Band it is mentioned that Watson and Holmes investigate unusual and unnatural mysteries, which leads us to believe that the twisting plot is interlaced with mysteries and deception. Pride and Prejudice is obviously a story of romance and marriage.

Historical Background

Slavery
African slavery in the United States began in 1619, when two English pirate ships, the White Lion and the Treasurer, traded their captured Angolan slaves for food and services. The slaves were won in a battle with a Portugese ship bound for Mexico, and were part of the African slave trade done by most Portugese and European traders, who purchased them for cheap labour. These slaves were forced to abide by various unfair rules: they were forbidden to gather in groups of more than four, could not own weapons, and were not allowed to leave their master's house without a pass. Slaves freed after 1712 could not own a house or pass belongings on to children. The notions of slavery are similar to the racism and prejudice subtly displayed in the novel; negroes were nicknamed "niggers", an offensive and racist term, were treated unfairly in the society, (Tom Robinson's unfair trial) and were denied certain rights.

The Civil War
The southern states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Abraham Lincoln had campaigned against he expansion of slavery within America, and thus when he was elected president, the eleven southern states, which strongly objected against Lincoln's campaign, secessed from the United States, forming the Confederate States and waging the American Civil War against the Union, the remaining 20 free states and 5 slave states, where slavery was abolished and allowed respectively. The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865, until the Confederate resistance crumpled and they surrendered to the Union.

Jim Crow's Laws
Jim Crow is the subject of a song performed by a white man, Thomas Dartmouth Rice, in blackface, offensively stereotyping blacks. The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws in the US enacted between 1876 and 1965, mandating racial segregation in all public facilities with "separated but equal" status for African Americans. After World War II, the African Americans challenged the segregation of their race as they felt that after all their services and sacrifices they had made for their country, they deserved the full and equal status of an American citizen. In the novel, a black man was charged with the rape of a white woman with the presumption of guilt, unlike the usual presumption of innocence which was a legal right obviously denied to African Americans.

Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement was a series of nonviolent movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination of African Americans and granting all Americans full and equal rights.

A few examples: Brown v. Board of Education case, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Desegregating Little Rock. The Brown v. Board of Education was a court case regarding the segregation of black and white children into different schools, which ended in the Negro children being allowed to share the same education facilities as white children. The Montgomery Bus Boycott started when a black woman, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, resulting in her being arrested and tried, and a majority of African Americans boycotting the Montgomery Bus services and demanding a more humane transport system. As a result, the court ordered Montgomery buses to be desegregated, thus ending the boycott. The Desegregation of Little Rock happened when nine African American students entered the integrated Little Rock Central High School, and were harassed by the other white students as a result of the racial tension and supposed white supreriority. The incident ultimately ended with the whole education system of Little Rock being desegregated.

The Civil Rights Movement was supported by President John F. Kennedy. The ultimate outcome was racial discrimination being banned and African Americans being granted franchise. The novel was written at about the same period when the Movement was taking place, and reflects the social injustice found in the southern states, and allows readers to sympathise with the unfairly treated African Americans.

Montgomery Bus boycott and Scottsboro trials
Montgomery Bus boycott- On 1 December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, and was arrested, tried, and convicted. In response, African American leaders organised the Montgomery Bus boycott, and appoint Martin Luther King as President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organisation directing the boycott. A majority of African Americans joined the boycott, with both the MIA and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People demanding for the full desegregation of all public buses. The boycott lasted more than a year, enough to cause bus revenue to drop drastically, resulting in economic distress. The court gave in and ordered the Montgomery buses desegregated, and the boycott finally ended.

Scottsboro trials- On March 25, 1931, nine African American youths board a freight train with several white males and two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. A fight began between the two black and white groups, and the white males were kicked off the train. The black boys were arrested for assault by a posse that had orders to "capture every negro on the train". The African American youths were imprisoned in Scottsboro, Alabama, and thus were nicknamed the Scottsboro Boys. The two alleged victims of rape accused the black youths of raping them at knifepoint, along with the possession of a gun. A doctor examined Price and Bates, and reported that they showed no sign of having been raped. Samuel Leibowitz was called in as defence attorney for the youths, and worked on the case without charging them fees. In the first trial most of the youths were found guilty and sentenced to death, but an appeal provided them with a second chance. In the second trial, Bates confesed that she and Price had made up the whole story of rape, but Price maintained her original testimony. However, two of the boys, Patterson and Norris were given a guilty verdict and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court found the trials unjust and demanded a retrial. The judge halted Patterson's retrial and went on with the trials of the other boys. After a series of trials, most of the Scotssboro boys were sent to prison.

The trials have much in common with the trial of Tom Robinson in the novel. Both trials were in the 1930s and took place in Alabama. Both have a protagonist who goes against public sentiments while fighting against racial discrimination and defend African Americans, who were unjustly accused of raping white women. The all-white juries also ignored evidence, such as Tom Robinson's useless left arm and that the women suffered no injuries.

Trials of a true Southern Belle and Southern Gentleman

Southern Belles were young women of America's southern states' upper class. They wore dresses, smocks, and makeup and carried parasols outdoors, spoke politely with proper grammar and no swear words, and never raised their voices. Lastly, they also knew how to entertain and cook for visitors. In conclusion, the Southern Belles behaved in a girlish, ladylike way and always dressed and spoke appropriately. Their counterparts, the Southern Gentlemen, also had good manners and were well groomed, spoke politely and did not cuss. They also open doors for their lady, tip their hats to ladies, and offer assistance to those in need.

Southern Belles generally did not do anything at all except entertain guests and attempt to appeal to the Southern Gentlemen. They sat under magnolia trees with their parasols fanning themselves often, hoping that people would take notice of their "belle-ness". When asked to do work, they would fan themselves and claim to have the "vapours".

Miss Maudie Atkinson and Alexandra Hancock are Southern Belles, while Scout is not, as she is more of a tomboy and likes playing with her brother Jem and male friend Dill. Atticus Finch fits the role of a Southern Gentleman perfectly as he is always polite, even in court. Bob Ewell, however is not a Southern Gentleman. He is, in fact, a drunkard who lives at the dump, poaches game to feed his family, and spends the money he gains to buy more drinks.

Harper Lee

Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, youngest of the four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee, with her mother's name being Finch and her father a lawyer. As a child, she was a tomboy and a reader who was shown to be prematurely advanced and developed for her age. As an author, she has also written To Kill a Mockingbird, Love—In Other Words,Christmas to Me,When Children Discover America, Romance and High Adventure. She was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George Bush at the White House
in 2007, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961.

Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was received with ambivalence by African American readers, but had a profound impact on white readers, giving them insights into sexism and racism in the southern states such as Alabama which the author was born in, and based her book on her childhood life there. However, it has also raised many criticisms and suffered ridicule, being called"a child's book", "a sugar-coated myth of Alabamian history", "Atticus Finch is a repository of cracker-barrel epigrams (a quirk, quip)", etc.